3 pm: Dayton vs. Villanova in Puerto Rico: The Flyers are fresh off of a big win over Georgia Tech and Derrick Favors despite getting jusrt 16 points from their starters. That's the thing about this Dayton team: they truly are a team. Some days they will need 25 and 8 from Top Flight to beat Creighton, but they still have enough to beat a ranked Tech team getting 7 points and 6 turnovers from their potential all-american. I think Dayton pulls this one off. Nova's guards struggled with Mason's defensive pressure, and Dayton is much better on that end of the floor. The Flyers are for real this year, and this afternoon they prove it.
5 pm: Ohio State vs. Cal at MSG: Both the Buckeyes and the Bears had disappointing performances last night. While OSU caught fire late, closing a 19 point lead to 2 with under 10 seconds left, the bigger concern was Evan Turner's second triple double of the year - 23 points, 11 boards, and 10 turnovers. Turner is a great player, and a talented play maker, but I think last night proved he is not a natural point guard. Cal struggled against the Orange last night as they were without Theo Robertson and Harper Kamp. After watching this Bears team struggle to move the ball against the Cuse zone, expect Thad Matta to run a 2-3 as well.
7:30 pm: Syracuse vs. UNC at MSG: Game of the night. Syracuse has the look of a team that could make a run to the Final Four. They are big, they have shooters, they defend, and they have their stud - Wesley Johnson. If they continue to get excellent play from Scoop Jardine (who should take over the starting PG role soon), this will be a dangerous team. UNC looked good last night, especially inside and on the defensive end. But where Syracuse has been most impressive is their ability to force turnovers in their zone. Expect them to pressure UNC's perimeter guys all over the floor. If the Heels protect the ball, they will win. If not, the Orange will take home the title.
8:30 pm: Kansas State vs. Ole Miss: The Wildcats and the Rebels are both going to be in the conversation for an at-large bid at the end of the season, and a win like this early in the year could go a long way towards earning it. While both teams have excellent backcourts (Denis Clemente and Jacob Pulled vs. Chris Warren and Terrico White), the game will be won by the team that gets the most out of their front court.
Other notable games:
1:00 pm: Georgia Tech vs. George Mason
1:00 pm: Penn State vs Tulane
1:00 pm: DePaul vs. Northern Iowa
3:00 pm: UNC-Wilmington vs. Miami
3:30 pm: NC State vs. Akron
3:30 pm: East Carolina vs. Tennessee
6:00 pm: BU vs. Indiana
6:00 pm: St. Joe's vs. BC
6:30 pm: San Francisco @ Arizona State
6:30 pm: Toledo @ Michigan State
7:00 pm: Troy @ Florida
7:00 pm: Seton Hall @ Cornell
7:00 pm: La Salle vs. Davidson
7:00 pm: Houston Baptist @ Michigan
7:00 pm: Clemson @ UNC-Greensboro
8:00 pm: New Hampshire @ Maryland
8:00 pm: Tennessee Tech @ Memphis
8:00 pm: Samford @ Texas A&M
8:00 pm: Providence @ Alabama
8:30 pm: South Dakota State vs. Purdue
9:30 pm: South Carolina vs. South Florida
10:30 pm: Cal St Bakersfield @ UCLA
11:00 pm: San Jose State @ Washington
11:30 pm: Vanderbilt @ St. Mary's
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