Wednesday Pregame Beat

The eve of Thanksgiving provides a couple quality games for us to view, pending that you aren't spending a night out on the town for "The Most Popular Bar Night of the Year".

The Maui Invitational wraps up with the finals and consolation game, the N.I.T. Season Tip-Off will showcase it's four best teams in the semifinals, and the Cancun Challenge begins with the first round match-ups.


Maui Invitational

5:00PM: No. 2 Michigan state vs. No. 9 Washington
The Maui Invitational consolation game very well could be a preview for a potential Final Four match-up. Both teams have seasoned rosters and go-to players. Washington was in a dog-fight last night against Kentucky and it will be interesting to see if they can continue to play at the same pace. Venoy Overton looked dog-tired in the second half against Kentucky, and Isaiah Thomas had a very forgettable performance. The Spartans will need to do what Kentucky was able to do in order to be effective against Washington: attack the glass. MSU has the size to control the rebound battle, but will need guys like Delvon Roe, Durrell Summers and Adrien Payne to out-work the front court of Washington. This consolation game may end up being a better game than the Championship match-up, and should not be missed.

10:00PM: Connecticut vs. No.9 Kentucky
I think all of us were expecting to see a Kentucky/Michigan State championship game, but Kemba Walker had other plans. Walker, along with Alex Oriakhi and Shabazz Napier knocked off the Spartans and now face a young Kentucky team that beat up on a highly-touted Washington squad. Freshman Terrence Jones is averaging 20ppg and 11rpg and fellow freshman Brandon Knight is averaging 19ppg. The key match-up in this game is going to be the lock-down defense of Walker against the versatility of Knight. With the way UConn has played as of late, this game might be just as good as a MSU/UK game that we all predicted would happen.These team did face off last season, and Kentucky walked away with the slight victory. But I believe UConn will walk away with a W in this one. Yes Terrence Jones was sensational, but Kemba has got the hot-hand.


N.I.T Season Tip-Off

7:00PM: VCU vs. No.24 Tennessee
If you thought the Volunteers would have been distracted by all the off-the-court issues, you were probably part of the majority, but you were wrong. The Vols are 3-0 and will play their first game since finding out that Bruce Pearl will be suspended for the first nine conference games. The Vols have looked good, but not great. They beat Belmont by only nine, and blew a large lead late against Missouri State, despite winning 60-56. The Rams have the talent to beat Tennessee. They forced 23 turnovers against Wake Forest, and Joey Rodriguez is averaging 18ppg while shooting 46% from behind the arch. Don't be surprised if Virginia Commonwealth beats Tennessee and advances to the finals.


9:00PM: UCLA vs. No. 7 Villanova
UCLA is much, much better than they were last year. I'm not sure if they are good enough to beat a stellar Villanova squad, but the Wildcats have yet to face any real opposition yet, and UCLA could capitalize. Villanova's back court of Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher may be the best in the entire country, and I'm not too sure the Bruins will be able to stop them. They might be able to slow them down. Fisher has gone 104 minutes this season without committing a turnover. For UCLA, they will need their go-to forwards Reeves Nelson and Tyler Honeycutt to have big games in order to stay competitive. They will be going up against two solid big-men for Villanova in Antonio Pena and Mouphatou Yarou. I have a feeling this game might stay close for a while, but if 'Nova's guards start to run the show, this one may get out of hand.


Cancun Challenge

9:30PM: LaSalle vs. No. 12 Missouri
LaSalle has a big weapon in Aaric Murray, and Missouri hasn't been as impressive as we thought they would be. As the only ranked team in the field, they struggled to get past Wyoming, and now face a better opponent in LaSalle. But the Explorers have lost 18-straight games against ranked teams and Missouri's style of play is difficult to adapt to. Look for the tigers to rebound from a shaky start.


Other Notable Match-ups

9:00PM: Utah @ Utah State
The battle for the Beehive State carries on, as Utah State tries to rebound from their controversial loss to BYU. Utah is 3-0 but faces a stern test from the Aggies, and it's being played at the Spectrum, so USU should have an advantage.

1:45AM: Ball State vs. St. John's
Remember when the Great Alaskan Shootout actually meant something? Yeah, seems like decades ago. Ball State is better than you would think, and St. John's is making another brutal cross-country trip.

6:00PM: Air Force @ Wofford
7:00PM: Drexel @ Rhode Island
7:00PM: Cleveland State @ Akron
7:00PM: Wyoming vs. Providence
7:00PM: Florida A&M @ Dayton
7:00PM: Loyola (MD) @ Vermont
7:30PM: Wichita State vs. Virginia
8:00PM: North Dakota State @ No.17 Minnesota
8:00PM: Kennesaw State @ Iowa State
10:00PM: Charlotte @ Oregon State
10:00PM: San Jose State @ Cal-State Bakersfield
10:30PM: Cal-State Fullerton @ Southern California