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NEWS AND NOTES

-The game of the day was probably the double overtime thriller between Xavier and UConn.  It was a defensive struggle that went back and fourth.  Xavier hit a game tying shot toward the end of regulation that was way beyond the arc, then UConn converted an and-1 at the end of the first overtime (following a forced TO by the Huskies) to force a second overtime.  Despite three of Xavier’s 3 stars being fouled out by the start of the 2nd overtime, the Musketeers held on for the win, which was another nail-biter.  I think the game would have meant a little bit more for UConn since their program is in the middle of a rebuilding project and beating a ranked team would have really accelerated the energy build up, but this won’t be the last opportunity at a good win for the Huskies.  But, wow! this would have been a good one!

-Georgetown jumped out to an early lead against Duke, but ended up falling to the Blue Devils despite playing really well.  Georgetown did not play anything like the team that limped through those first two buy games in either of their two 2K Empire Classic games.

-Oregon remains unbeaten as they knocked off a pretty good Houston team last night.  Houston is off to a somewhat slow start.  Their only win on the season so far is a buy game.

-Coastal Carolina actually led Baylor for much of the game, but the Bears finally got control in the second half to pick up the win and move on to the finals of the Myrtle Beach Classic.  We didn’t expect a whole lot from Coastal this year, but they’ve played really well in this tournament.  Mississippi State may be in for a battle in the third place game on Sunday.

-Illinois State had led Cincinnati for most of the game, but Cincinnati came back and it seesawed back and fourth in the final couple of minutes.  Cincinnati needed a shot in the final seconds to get the 66-65 win and move on to the winners side of the bracket in the Paradise Jam.  It’s a rather crushing loss for Illinois State not just because it would have been a good win away from home, but because it denied them the chances of playing better teams in the winners’ bracket and building up their resume even more.

-And speaking of the Paradise Jam, Bowling Green advanced to the semifinals with a thrilling 77-75 victory against Western Kentucky. The Falcons jumped out to an early 14-point lead, but this game ultimately featured numerous lead changes and it took a game winning shot from Justin Turner with 3.8 seconds remaining to give Bowling Green the victory. Either Valpo or Nevada will take on the winner of the UC-BGSU game in the Paradise Jam Invitational.

-Davidson lost at home to Wake Forest.  Davidson is in real trouble.

-Temple went on the road and picked up a really nice win at USC.  The Owls stay unbeaten, and it’s the first loss of the year for the Trojans.

-LSU looked fantastic for about 30 minutes against Utah State, and then just folded up as Utah State came charging back and ended up with a two point win to remain unbeaten and add a real nice neutral floor win in the Jamaica Classic to their resume.

-Evansville, who last week was the biggest story in college basketball, lost their second straight game.  This one was to an East Carolina team that just isn’t any good, and the game wasn’t even close.  Despite the big win at Kentucky, I’m starting to think that was an anomaly.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-VIRGINIA VS UMASS (Hall of Fame Tip-Off).  UMass is unbeaten, and to be fair has looked a lot better than we thought they would so far, but this is a ginormous test for them.  Virginia is also unbeaten with a handful of decent wins.  Picking up a win against UMass on a neutral floor would be another good November win.

-DEPAUL AT BOSTON COLLEGE.  DePaul is unbeaten and already has a win at Iowa.  This could be their second notable road win of the year if they’re able to pick it up.

-OLE MISS AT MEMPHIS.  Ole Miss is unbeaten and we think they could possibly be tournament team.  This is a really big test for them on the road.  Memphis is still pretty solid even without Wiseman, and this game is a fun little rivalry.

-ARIZONA STATE VS SAINT JOHN’S (Hall of Fame Tip-Off).  Both these teams could really use this win.  Up until now both of them have only won buy games.

-PENN AT PROVIDENCE.  Providence is 4-1, but their one loss is rather inexplicable and probably rather damaging.  Northwestern is just a really bad basketball team to lose to.  Penn has a notable win at Alabama, but has been somewhat inconsistent all year long.  This one is hard to predict, but given the start that both are off to it kind of feels like there is a sense of urgency to this one.

-BELMONT AT SAINT LOUIS.  Belmont has won four straight since losing their opener.  If they could pull this one off on the road against a 4-1 Saint Louis team then they’ll be off to a very solid start. The Billikens have won 4 buy games thus far but failed their toughest test when they lost at home to Seton Hall.

-VERMONT AT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT.  This is a Vermont team that we think can land inside the bubble, and this is a very winnable (mostly) road game for them.

-SMU AT UNLV.  We weren’t really big at all on SMU before the season started, but they come into this one unbeaten, have a nice road win agains an Evansville team that won at Kentucky, and have another winnable road game tonight.  That ain’t a bad start!

BUY GAMES

-Florida A&M @ Seton Hall
-Bucknell @ Syracuse
-Little Rock @ NC State
-Saint Francis U @ Florida State
-Delaware State @ East Tennessee State
-Robert Morris @ Marquette
-Grambling @ Oregon State
-Oral Roberts @ Wichita State
-Yale @ Penn State
-FGCU @ VCU
-Cal State Bakersfield @ Gonzaga
-Jacksonville State @ Purdue
-Sam Houston State @ San Francisco
-Hampton @ Illinois
-Lehigh @ Saint Mary’s

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NEWS AND NOTES

-Georgetown picked up a somewhat surprising win against Texas yesterday.  The win in and of itself isn’t surprising, but the fact that they pretty much controlled the entire game against a good team after not looking all that good prior to that was a big deal.  Georgetown now gets a big showcase game against Duke tonight, which is a chance for them to step back out onto the national stage.

-Another surprise was Coastal Carolina blowing Utah out of the gym.  We really didn’t think of the Chanticleers as even being a favorite in the Sun Belt, but it’s kind of hard to not sit up and take notice of what they did yesterday.  They now end up with a crack at Baylor today.

-Duquesne squeaked out a win against Indiana State in the Junkanoo Jam.  I do not believe Duquesne is a world beater, but they are unbeaten and they have a long string of winnable games ahead of them, so they could at least have a much more bloated record (albeit against cupcakes) than what we normally see out of Duquesne.

-Three really exciting games yesterday that many may have missed were TCU’s 59-58 win over UC Irvine which included a three point shot in the final seconds, Notre Dame’s overtime win against Toledo where the Rockets kind of blew it at the end of regulation, and New Mexico’s big road win against New Mexico State in a very exciting game that was so exciting, that the refs must have spent about ten minutes re-watching everything in the final minute of the game.  (Seriously, replay needs to be capped at 30 seconds!!  All these long delays ruin the game!)

-Last, and maybe least, Hofstra got a nice road win at UCLA.  We liked them to win the Colonial, but they hadn’t really shown us much, and that was particularly true when they lost their opener to San Jose State.  But, they may be back on track now.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-LIBERTY VS MORGAN STATE (Island of the Bahamas Showcase).  This is a very good Liberty team that could land inside the bubble come March.  This tournament is an opportunity to pick up some wins away from home for their resume.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE VS TULANE (Myrtle Beach Invitational).  Both teams lost rather decisively in their openers.  If they want to get any sort of meet for their resume, then they probably need to pick up the next two wins.

-MIAMI FL VS FLORIDA (Charleston Classic).  Florida started off as a top ten team, but then looked asleep for most of the season.  Until yesterday.  They sprinted way ahead of Saint Joseph’s, but then had to hold on to preserve the wins.  They face a Miami FL team that also blew a big second half lead against Missouri State, but ultimately held on to win.

-VALPARAISO VS GRAND CANYON (Paradise Jam).  GCU got off to a rocky start, but they are coming off an impressive looking win against Montana State, so perhaps they can turn the corner by playing well in this tournament.  Valpo wasn’t expected to do much this year, but they are 3-1 and this event is an opportunity for them to pick up some decent wins.

-MISSOURI STATE VS SAINT JOSEPH’S (Mytrle Beach Invitational).  Saint Joseph’s wasn’t expected to be much this year, but they have shown a bit of potential so far, and this would be another decent win for them to pick up.  Missouri State was the preseason favorites to win the Missouri Valley, and although they’ve played well in some games, they really don’t have the actual wins yet.  This one would be good if they’re able to get it.

-VILLANOVA VS MISSISSIPPI STATE (Myrtle Beach Invitational).  Both teams come into this without a loss, and both looked really strong in their games yesterday.  Both are likely tournament teams, so it’s a chance at a good win away from home.

-FORDHAM VS NEVADA (Paradise Jam).  Shockingly, Fordham comes into this game without a loss, but they haven’t really done anything other than win buy games.  If they can some how do well in this tournament, then they’ll have our attention.  Nevada is off to a very shaky start and is just looking for an opportunity to bounce back from it.

-RHODE ISLAND VS NORTH TEXAS (Jamaica Classic at Montego Bay).  Rhody wasn’t a team that we were all that big on, but they have looked good so far and they have another winnable game today.  If they can do well in this event then it should continue to push them forward.

-TEXAS VS CALIFORNIA (2K Empire Classic).  Both teams lost rather handily yesterday and are looking to bounce back by at least picking up one notable neutral floor win.  Texas looks to be the better team and already has a win at Purdue, but Cal is a lot better than they were a year ago.

-BAYLOR AT COASTAL CAROLINA (Myrtle Beach Invitaitonal).  Coastal Carolina blew out Utah yesterday.  It wasn’t just that they won a game that many weren’t expecting them to.  It’s that they blew out a pretty good (we think) Utah team.  They’ve got a bigger test today against Baylor, but having said that they should also come into this with quite a bit of enthusiasm.  And, it’s on their home court!

-ILLINOIS STATE VS CINCINNATI (Paradise Jam).  Cincinnati was tested on the road against Ohio State, but didn’t get over the hump in that one and has just played and won buy games outside of that.  This tournament is a chance for them to begin to build their resume.  They better not overlook this Illinois State team who is pretty good and could use this event to bolster their profile as well.

-DUQUESNE VS AIR FORCE (Junkanoo Jam).  Duquesne won a thriller against Indiana State yesterday in a game that came down to the wire.  They will look to remain unbeaten and pick up another win away from home today.

-DUKE VS GEORGETOWN (2K Empire Classic).  A very good storyline for this game.  Georgetown hasn’t been a tournament caliber team for several years now.  We think they may be one this year, but they’ve kinda struggled in the first couple weeks.  Until yesterday.  They won decisively against a really good Texas team.  Tonight, they get top ranked Duke, in MSG, with Patrick Ewing as their coach.  A win will make Georgetown nationally relevant and probably boost them into the top 25.

-GEORGE MASON AT MARYLAND.  Both teams come into this one undefeated.  Maryland appears to be the superior team, but it’s a chance for George Mason to really make a case for themselves.

-LSU VS UTAH STATE (Jamaica Classic at Montego Bay).  These look to be two tournament caliber teams, so it’s a chance to pick up a resume building win.  That’s  probably more important for Utah State than it is LSU because they will not have nearly as many chances at big wins once they get into conference play.  This is yet another really fun and really unique early season game with quite a bit to be gained for whoever pulls it out.

-HARVARD AT HOLY CROSS.  We were really big on this Harvard team, but when it comes to finishing as a consensus top 40 and landing inside the bubble, they already have two head-scratching losses and may be running out of strikes.  They can’t afford a loss to a currently winless Holy Cross team.

-WAKE FOREST AT DAVIDSON.  Davidson has rebounded to win two straight and has another winnable game tonight.  They kind of got off to a slow start, but losses away from home to Auburn and Charlotte won’t kill them so long as they can start to string together wins.

-OHIO U VS UTAH (Myrtle Beach Invitational).  Utah probably wasn’t expecting to be on this side of the bracket.  They were blasted by Coastal Carolina last night, but can mitigate the damage if they’re able to pick up wins in the next two.

-WESTERN MICHIGAN AT OKLAHOMA STATE.  This is part of the Preseason NIT, but it’s a campus game.  Oklahoma State comes in at 4-0, and while Western Michigan is 3-1 they really haven’t had any strong tests yet.

-EVANSVILLE VS EAST CAROLINA (Island of the Bahamas Showcase).  Evansville is coming off a home loss to SMU, but they still have that huge win against Kentucky on their resume and if they still have a path to landing inside the bubble if they can continue to string together wins.  East Carolina isn’t all that good, and it really is a team they should beat.

-BOWLING GREEN VS WESTERN KENTUCKY (Paradise Jam).  This is John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day!  We think this is a very talented WKU team that can make quite a bit of noise.  This tournament is a chance to start to build up their resume.  Bowling Green is a pretty solid team out of the MAC, but more importantly winning the game would give WKU a chance at some stronger competition away from home in the later rounds.

-HOUSTON AT OREGON.  Oregon has already put together a good early season win against Memphis.  Houston has only won buy games up to this point and this is their first real chance at a really big win.

-SOUTH DAKOTA AT ARKANSAS.  This may be a buy game, but we really like this South Dakota team.  Both teams have yet to lose, and South Dakota already has a few decent wins out in Hawaii.  If they can some how get this one then their profile will suddenly be looking pretty solid.  At least by November standards.

-XAVIER VS UCONN (Charleston Classic).  Xavier had looked rough early on despite winning all their games, but played a very solid game against Towson yesterday.  This would be their first notable win away from home if they’re able to knock off a UConn team that’s also been kind of up and down.  It’s also worth noting that next year this will be a conference game, and it would be a huge win for UConn as well as they’re trying to build themselves back up to a Top 25 caliber program.

-TEMPLE AT USC .  A really interesting early season game between two unbeaten, but mostly untested teams, although USC does have a nice win at Nevada.  We should learn quite a bit about both of them tonight.

BUY GAMES

-Mount Saint Mary’s @ Kentucky
-Purdue Fort Wayne @ Ohio State
-McNeese @ Richmond
-Gardner Webb @ South Carolina
-Houston Baptist @ Michigan
-Morehead State @ Butler
-Boston U @ West Virginia
-Columbia International (nondiv1) @ Furman
-SC Upstate @ Vanderbilt
-Cal Poly @ Creighton
-Long Island @ San Diego State
-Idaho State @ Santa Clara
-Montana @ Washington