Monday's Pregame Beat

Despite the two most anticipated collegiate debuts happening tonight, Monday's slate of games leaves us with much to be desired. Well, at least until midnight.

Because at midnight tonight, ESPN's College Hoops Tip-off Marathon gets underway with UCLA hosting Cal St. Fullerton. But we'll get into that preview in a bit. For now, here is a look at what may very likely be another night of blowouts.

7 pm: Miami (OH) @ Kentucky: In what may be the most anticipated debut of the year, John Wall will be playing his first real game in Kentucky blue tonight. The Wildcats could use Wall, as they looked less than impressive on the offensive end against Morehead State. UK turned the ball over 24 times and hit just 4-19 from deep. But wasn't that to be expected? There were times on Friday night that four of the five guys on the floor had never played college ball before. Wall should help the offense run more efficiently when he is in the line-up. He is a better penetrator than Bledsoe, and his ability to get into the lane and draw defenders will help to get better looks for shooters on the perimeter. Miami (OH) is known for their defensive prowess, but they lost two of their top three scorers in the off-season and are coming off of a loss to Towson in their opener.

John Wall will be making his debut tonight.
(photo credit: reflector.com)

7 pm: Penn @ Villanova: Villanova struggled in their opener, needing a hot-shooting second half from Corey Stokes to pull out a win against Farleigh Dickinson. While Scottie Reynolds struggled, Villanova did get promising performances out of freshmen guards Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns as well as big men Taylor King and Antonio Pena. Penn is not the same Penn you are used, and if Nova can slow down sharpshooting forward Tyler Bernardini, they should win this thing running away. Of note: Denzel Washington's son, Malcolm, is a walk-on for the Quakers.

7 pm: Coastal Carolina @ Duke: The Devils will once again be playing shorthanded as Nolan Smith (suspension) and Mason Plumlee (fractured wrist) will both miss the game. In their first game, the Dukies beat up on UNC-Greenville while playing Kyle Singler at the two for the majority of the game. The key for Duke this year may end up being Olek Czyz. The 6'7", 240 lb forward started and played 24 minutes for Coach K, notching 6 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals (he played all of 51 minutes as a freshman). Czyz is an athletic kid, and with Duke's lack of perimeter depth, he may get the call at the three is he can continue to produce like he did on Friday.

7:30 PM: Prairie View A&M @ Cincinnati: I have been very high on the Bearcats during the pre-season, and tonight we find out if I was right. While Prairie View, a team from the SWAC, is not exactly Kansas, it should be interesting to see how Mick Cronin decides to use Cashmere Wright, Deonta Vaughn, and the newly eligible Lance Stephenson on the court. Lance came off the bench and struggled in his first exhibition game scoring just nine points, but don't expect that to keep up.

Lance Stephenson will also be making his college debut tonight.
(photo credit: palestra.net)

8 pm: Stephen F. Austin @ Minnesota: The Lumberjacks made the NCAA tourney last season, but they lost their top two scorers and a third starter. They will have their work cut out for them against a tough Minnesota team. While Tubby's boys are without a few players due to disciplinary suspensions, the Gophers are still quite deep. With Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe out of the line-up, the Gophers are left without a true power forward. It may be a blessing in disguise, however. For starters, there is a chance that neither player suits up for Tubby this season, which means the experience for the rest of the team will be valuable. But Minnesota may end up being better with guys like senior Damian Johnson, junior Paul Carter, and freshman Rodney Williams in the line-up as they provide a ton of athleticism, especially on the defensive end (Williams and Johnson combined for 8 steals and 7 blocks in the Gopher's opener).

9 pm: Colgate @ UConn: The Huskies looked good and bad on Friday night against William & Mary. Their defensive effort was pretty solid, as Kemba Walker and Jerome Dyson were a terror at the front of their 2-2-1 press. Dyson, in particular, looked like an all-american, finishing with 27 points, 8 assists, and 4 steals as he sliced through the Tribe's defense at will. The issue with the Huskies is the offensive end. They have no one that you would describe as a shooter, and as the Tribe did all Monday night, teams are going to sit back in a zone against the Huskies, cutting down guard penetration and daring them to shoot. If Colgate, who returns their top three scorers, can force the Huskies into a half court game, don't be shocked if this group can hang with UConn for a while.

Other notables:

• 5:30 pm: Milwaukee vs. Western Kentucky in Baton Rouge
• 7:00 pm: Jacksonville @ Florida State
• 7:00 pm: Georgia Southern @ South Carolina
  
• 7:30 pm: St. Francis (PA) @ Notre Dame
• 7:30 pm: Virginia @ South Florida
• 8:00 pm: Indiana State @ LSU
• 8:00 pm: Alabama State @ Ole Miss
• 8:00 pm: Lipscomb @ Vanderbilt
• 11:00 pm: Texas State @ Arizona State