Game of the Night: 9:00 pm: Utah State @ BYU (The MTN)
Neither of these teams are ranked, but rest assured that these are two very good basketball teams. In general, college basketball in Utah is played at a very high level, and one thing that cannot be denied is the passion of the fanbases in the state. And while the Marriott Center doesn't have Wild Bill or the winning team chant, its one of the toughest places in the country to play.
Everyone should know about BYU at this point. They are led by all-american guard Jimmer Fredette, who alone is worth the price of admission. He has ankle breaking handle, range out to 35 feet, and is capable of going for 40 on any given night. While there are a couple of other talented perimeter players on the roster -- Jackson Emery, Kyle Collinsworth, Charles Abouo -- what I took out of BYU's opener was that their front court will be pretty good this season. Noah Hartsock came off the bench to score 21 points, and the combination of Hartsock, Chris Collinsworth, and Brandon Davies held Greg Smith, an NBA prospect, to just two field goal attempts in the Cougar's 27 point beatdown of Fresno State.
Those bigs will need to play well again tonight as Utah State has a talented post player of their own. Tai Wesley, who is one of the best big men in the WAC, sets the tone for this team, but it was JuCo transfer Brockeith Pane who led the team in scoring against Weber State. Pane finished with 23 points and 4 assists in the opener. One item to note -- Utah State gave up 28 points to Weber State's Damian Lillard. Lillard is a good player, but he's no Jimmer Fredette. I expect Pooh Williams to be covering Fredette tonight, which should make for an intriguing one-on-one battle.
Preseason NIT Quarters
7:00 pm: Missouri State @ No. 23 Tennessee: This will be an interesting matchup to keep an eye on. The Vols haven't exactly been dominating thus far. They nearly blew a 17 point lead to Belmont in the final seven minutes last night. The Bears, on the other hand, are expected to be contenders in the MVC. They aren't a huge team up front, but they have a couple of talented perimeter scorers (Kyle Weems, Jermaine Mallett) and a lot of good shooters. If they get hot, Tennessee better watch out. Of note, Goins aggravated a side injury last night and may be out of action tonight.
8:00 pm: Boston U. @ Villanova (ESPN3.com): BU is a young team -- outside of John Holland and Jake O'Brien, everyone is new -- but it just so happens that O'Brien an Holland are the two best players on their roster. Holland is one of the best players in the country you've never heard of, as he is averaging 26.5 ppg in his first two. I doubt he's run into many defenders like Corey Stokes, however. I'm not sure BU has anyone that can defend either Maalik Wayns or Corey Fisher, but if Holland gets it going, he's good enough that BU has a chance.
8:00 pm: Murray State @ Ole Miss (ESPN3.com): This is my upset pick for tonight. Murray State is a good team. They returned most of their rotation from the team that made it to the second round of the tournament, and just held a pretty good ETSU team to 39 points. They'll have their work cut out for them slowing down Chris Warren, but if they do, don't be surprised if the Racers spring the upset. (Ed. Note: Every time I write about the Racers, I think about the beer Racer5. Great beer, so I'm a Murray State fan. Bear Republic should sponsor their starting line up.)
8:00 pm: Columbia @ St. John's: Another potential upset. Columbia scored 108 points their last time out, and St. John's played Tuesday morning at 2:00 am in California. I hope the Johnnies don't have jet lag.
Ranked teams in action:
Other Notable Games:
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wednesday's Pregame Beat: Great game in Utah, and the rest of the Preseason NIT semifinals to be determined |
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