November Viewing Guide

One of our new features here at B.I.A.H this season will be a monthly guide of the top-15 games to keep an eye out for.

Each month of the season offers a different selection of games for us to enjoy. Whether you are a fan of a big non-conference match-up between high-major teams, a battle of two unheralded mid-majors, or a cupcake game featuring your favorite team.

November features the start of the new season. It's the time that we all get first glance at the teams we have been discussing and debating all season. It's the time for preseason tournaments, classics, shootouts, and invitationals. It's the time that most super-conference teams lace their schedules with cream-puffs and cupcakes. It's the time that the avid hoops fan has been waiting for.

Please note that this list does not include tournament/classic/invitational/shootout games that may take place after the first round. Think of that as a bonus. There is already a solid helping of quality basketball, and we could be granted a Maui Invitational Semifinal game that rivals the epic contest between Gonzaga and Michigan State from 2005.

Top 15 Games of November

#15 - Friday 11/12 - 7:30PM - Seton Hall @ #22 Temple
This game will be a great measuring stick for the Owls. They are the class of the A-10 this season, but Seton Hall is much-improved and are predicted by many to get an at-large bid to this season's tournament. Plus, anytime Jeremy Hazell steps on the court, you know you are in for an exciting ball game. It's very possible he drops 35+. It's also possible that shoots 13% from the field and gets shut down by the Owls tenacious defense. Watch for the match-up between SHU's Herb Pope and Temple's Lavoy Allen.

#14 - Friday 11/12 - 7:00PM - Northern Iowa @ #13 Syracuse
How big of a win would this be for Northern Iowa? What the Panthers did to Kansas last season is still fresh in people's minds, and a win on the road, early in the season against a top-15 team would make NIU the talk of the early college basketball season. Now, convential wisdom says that Syracuse should pick up an easy W in this one, and I think this will probably be the case, as NIU is without many of the key players from last season's squad. But we can't be too sure that the Panthers lost all their magic. At least not yet.

#13 - Saturday 11/20 - 7:00PM - #24 Wisconsin @ UNLV
I really like this contest. This will be Tre'Von Willis' first game back from his 3-game suspension, and as usual, the Badgers start the season under the radar. This match-up has the makings of a #8 vs. #9 tournament game. Both of the coaches, Bo Ryan for Wisconsin and Lon Krueger for UNLV are fantastic sideline generals and preach hard-fought basketball. If this was being played in Wisconsin, I'd easily pick the badgers, but it's still early in the season, so anything could happen. This one is a borderline toss-up.

#12 - Tuesday 11/23 - 7:00PM - #18 Butler @ Siena
If the mid-majors had their own NCAA Tournament and Final Four, these two teams would be favorites to win in it all. Siena isn't the favorite to win the MAAC for the first time in five years, but they still feature conference player of the year Ryan Rossiter. He will go up against Butler's star big-man Matt Howard. This will be the mid-major must-watch game of the month, and possibly the year.

#11 - Friday 11/12 - 7:00PM - #21 Georgetown @ Old Dominion
What makes this game interesting is the element of payback. This is the fourth meeting between the two schools in the last four years, and neither team has won on their home court. Both the home games for Georgetown were played on their seldom-used practice gym McDonough Gymnasium. In 2006, The Monarchs shot nearly 70% en route to an upset win over a Hoya team that eventually made the Final Four. In 2009, the Monarchs erased a 16-point deficit to stun the Hoyas again. But the Monarchs lost on their home court in 2008 by a substantial margin of victory. This year, the Monarchs are the outright favorites to win the CAA, and the Hoyas are ranked in the top-25 and feature one of the best back courts in the country. I think Georgetown dishes out a large helping of payback and pick up a solid road win, tying up the recent series 2-2.

#10 - Saturday 11/27 - 10:30PM - Arizona @ #7 Kansas
Arizona will be better than they were last year, and I'm not sure Kansas can be as good as they were last year, so maybe this game is a close one. Marcus Morris should be able to have his way with the Arizona front court and Kansas should role. But anytime you get two legendary programs like these on the same court, you make sure you tune in. You just do.

#9 - Thursday 11/18 - 7:00PM - Maryland @ #4 Pittsburgh
This game should feature more transition than the Redskins coaching staff. I like the battle of bigs Gary McGhee and Jordan Williams, but Pitt's back court looks to be much better than Maryland's, even if BIAH has a man-crush on Pe'Shon Howard. Maryland has struggled turning the ball over early in the season against two teams that pressure full court. What will they do against a stingy, half-court man-to-man.

#8 - Monday 11/22 - 7:30PM - Marquette @ #1 Duke
Anytime we get to watch Duke play a non-cupcake early in the season is a treat. Marquette has a bunch of entertaining players. Jimmy Butler is a stud, Darius Johnson-Odom can ball, and Vander Blue is going to be a star. Is that enough to beat Duke? Probably not, but you never know, and as they say "that's why you play the game".

#7 - Tuesday 11/16 - 11:00PM - San Diego State @ #12 Gonzaga
I know you can't really consider Gonzaga a "mid-major" anymore but still, it's saying something when two of the best teams in the country from outside the Big Six are also two of the best teams on the west coast. Kahwi Leonard of SDSU and Elias Harris of Gonzaga will be the key players in this match-up.

#6 - Tuesday 11/30 - 9:30PM - #9 North Carolina @ #16 Illinois
It will be interesting to see where the Tar Heels are at the end of the month. Their early non-conference schedule isn't nearly as tough as it was last year, and Roy Williams probably did that on purpose. It will be interesting to see if UNC can contain Illinois' big men Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis. Also, who is going to shut down Demetri McCamey? If North Carolina can win this one, they set themselves up nicely for a solid non-con streak. Also, anyone that knows anything is aware that Harrison Barnes was the first freshman ever named an AP preseason all-american. So there's that.

#5 - Tuesday 11/16 - 4:00PM - #23 Virginia Tech @ #3 Kansas State
Malcolm Delaney versus Jacob Pullen. The Octagon of Doom versus Malcolm Delaney. I am loving this match-up. I think Kansas State wins, but if Delaney gets going, it could be a completely different ball game.

#4 - Thursday 11/18 - 9:00PM - #16 Illinois @ #25 Texas
Will Texas every find their identity? Will Illinois play up to their potential? This game should be a good measuring stick for both teams. The Big-12 and Big Ten are loaded this year, and games like these are going to frequent on both of these teams schedules. I like the match up between the big-men as Texas freshman Tristan Thompson goes up against Illinois' Mike Tisdale. Oh, and I forgot to mention Demetri McCamey. He's a stud. It will be interesting to see if Texas' guard trio can contain him.

#3 - Tuesday 11/30 - 9:00PM - #21 Georgetown vs. #15 Missouri (in Kansas City)
They say "styles make fights" and this "fight" features two drastically different styles of play. Missouri will try to run the Hoyas off the court with their up-tempo in-your-face mentality, while the Hoyas will look to set up their half-court offense, take their time and find an opening leading to an easy bucket. The Hoyas struggle when teams press early and often, and you have to imagine that the press will be somewhere in the Tiger's game plan.

#2 - Tuesday 11/16 - 6:00PM - #5 Ohio State @ #11 Florida
A rematch of the 2007 National Championship game. Buckeye David Lighty will be the only player on the floor left over from that contest, and the fresh faces should be the key to both teams. Look for the Buckeyes to rely heavily on freshman Jared Sullinger to dominate the front court. If this game ends up being a close-call, look for Florida's Chandler Parsons to get the final shot.

#1 - Monday 11/22 - 9:30PM - #12 Gonzaga @ #3 Kansas State
Is Kansas State for real? We should find out on November 22. There are a few match ups to keep an eye out for in this one: Jacob Pullen against Stephen Gray, and Curtis Kelly against Elias Harris. Which ever players can win these individual match ups should give their team the edge in the game. This is the must-watch game of November.


Other Intriguing November Games:
(November is the month where mid-majors can grab the national spotlight by stealing a game or two against BCS-conference teams. Some of the better mid-major teams are in action against respectable powerhouse conference teams. These games won't necessarily be the best, most action-packed contests, but they all will be competitive contests, unlike the majority of the November cupcakes played by many BCS-conference schools)

- Friday 11/12 - 7:00PM - Wofford @ Minnesota
- Friday 11/12 - 9:00PM - Oakland @ West Virginia

- Saturday 11/13 - 7:00PM - San Diego State @ Long Beach State
- Saturday 11/13 - 9:05PM - Weber State @ Utah State

- Monday 11/15 - NOON - Miami @ #19 Memphis
- Monday 11/15 - 7:00PM - Wofford @ Clemson
- Monday 11/15 - 7:30PM - Fairfield @ Rutgers
- Monday 11/15 - 9:00PM - Siena @ Minnesota
- Monday 11/15 - 9:30PM - Winthrop vs. Virginia Commonwealth

- Tuesday 11/16 - 7:00PM - Colorado @ Georgia
- Tuesday 11/16 - 8:00PM - #18 Butler @ Louisville
- Tuesday 11/16 - 8:00PM - Murray State @ Ole Miss

- Friday 11/19 - 1:00PM - St. Peter's @ Old Dominion
- Friday 11/19 - 7:30PM - Fairfield @ Penn State

- Saturday 11/20 - 2:00PM - Dayton @ Ole Miss

- Monday 11/22 - 3:00PM - Wichita State @ UConn
- Monday 11/22 - 8:00PM - Detroit @ Mississippi State

- Wednesday 11/24 - 1:25AM - Ball State @ St. John's

- Thursday 11/25 - 9:00PM - #25 Temple vs. California

- Friday 11/26 - 5:30PM - UTEP @ Georgia Tech
- Friday 11/26 - 6:00PM - Richmond @ Wright State
- Friday 11/26 - 7:30PM - Lehigh @ Kent State
- Friday 11/26 - 8:00PM - Michigan @ #13 Syracuse

- Saturday 11/27 - TBA - Dayton @ Cincinnati
- Saturday 11/27 - 7:00PM - South Carolina @ Western Kentucky
- Saturday 11/27 - 10:05PM - Loyola Marymount @ Long Beach State

- Sunday 11/28 - 2:00PM - Siena @ Princeton
- Sunday 11/28 - 8:30PM - Creighton @ Northwestern

- Monday 11/29 - 6:00PM - Robert Morris @ Cleveland State

- Tuesday 11/30 - 7:00PM - Boston @ #10 Kentucky
- Tuesday 11/30 - 7:30PM - #5 Ohio State @ Florida State
- Tuesday 11/30 - 9:00PM - Michigan @ Clemson