Saturday's Pregame Beat

The first weekend in the college basketball season officially kicks off today. For nearly 50 teams, today will be there season opener, and most of the Top 25 teams have cupcakes scheduled.

Unfortunately for us college hoops fanatics, almost none of these games will be televised, forcing us to to either a) listen to our teams play on internet radio, or b) watch another so-so week of unimportant college football games. I will be going with option a, and I hope you all do the same.

Now, lets get to today's schedule:

1 pm: Creighton @ Dayton: Creighton will begin the year shorthanded, as three of their front court players are either injured or sick - not good news when you are taking on a Dayton team known for their toughness inside. That said, none of the guys that Creighton will be missing played much of a role in last season's 18 point beat down of the Flyers. I think the Flyers pull this one out. Dayton is big, tough, and experienced, and they are playing at home where they are as tough as anyone in the country to beat. Guys like London Warren, Marcus Johnson, and Rob Lowery are good enough defensively that they slow P'Allen Stinnet the rest of the good Bluejay backcourt.

2 pm: Davidson @ Butler: This game would be a lot more intriguing if Steph Curry hadn't gone to the NBA. Despite Bob McKillop's coaching prowess, it is difficult to imagine the Wildcats hanging with Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward, Matt Howard, and the rest of the Bulldogs. But with guys like Ben Allison, Will Archambault, and Bryant Barr returning, Davidson may surprise some people this season.

2 pm: Mt. St. Marys @ Oklahoma: Willie Warren is a legitimate Big XII player of the year candidate, and he will look to keep the Sooners relevant in the best league in the country. There are two questions everyone wants answered: how good will the Oklahoma front line be in the post-Griffins era? And how good is Tommy Mason-Griffin? Will he allow Warren to play off the all full-time?

7 pm: Florida A&M @ Georgia Tech: True, Georgia Tech finished last season in the ACC cellar, but they finished last season on a strong note. The biggest issue for the Jackets at the end of the season was the inablility to close out games late. With Iman Shumpert and Gani Lawal coming back, and the addition of some excellent freshman, including Mfon Udofia and Derrick Favors, this is a team that some have predicted could make a run at an ACC title.

10 pm: Belmont @ Washington: Belmont is a very good low-major program. But they will be traveling across the country to take on a team that many believe to be the best on the West Coast. Washington struggled a bit last night in their win over Wright State, but Isaiah Thomas didn't, scoring 30 points as Wright State was unable to keep him out of the paint.

Other Notables:

• 2 pm: North Florida @ Notre Dame
• 2 pm: Marist @ Rutgers
• 2 pm: Bloomsburg @ Binghamton
  
• 2 pm: Cornell @ Alabama
• 2:30 pm: Seattle @ Oklahoma State
• 4 pm: North Carolina Central @ Miami
• 5 pm: UC Davis @ Oregon
  
• 6:30 pm: Bucknell @ Providence
• 7 pm: Northern Michigan @ #15 Michigan
• 7 pm: UAB @ Kent State
• 8 pm: Mississippi Valley State @ Gonzaga
  

UPSET ALERT!

The only ranked team that I can see losing today would be Dayton, but getting knocked off by Creighton, even if it is at home to an injury-plagued team, should not be considered an upset. But keep an eye on Cornell and Alabama. The Crimson Tide lost a couple talented seniors and bring in a new coach and thus a new system. Cornell is a senior laden squad led by point guard Louis Dale and sharp-shooting forward Ryan Wittman. If the Big Red can control JaMychal Green inside, the SEC West could see a second team fall here early in the season.