Thursday's Pregame Beat: SEC/Big East and ... yuck

As was the case with the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, we've already been through the previews for the SEC/Big East Challenge. Since there is no need to double post -- we at BIAH are not about wasting your precious time, no sir -- we'll be diving right into the rest of the night's action:

SEC/Big East Challenge:

- 7:00 pm: Providence @ South Carolina
- 7:30 pm: St. John's @ No. 1 Kentucky
- 9:00 pm: Ole Miss @ DePaul
- 9:30 pm: Georgetown @ No. 12 Alabama


Game of the night: 7:00 pm: Harvard @ Vermont

After Belmont and Long Beach State both came back down to earth, Harvard is the latest small school to capture the hearts of the nation. The Crimson went to the Battle 4 Atlantis and came back with wins over Florida State and Central Florida and the tournament title. Harvard is talented, experienced, balanced and, most importantly, legit. Vermont, however, will be a tough out. They have a couple of capable big men and a pair of talented back court players in Matt Glass and Four McGlynn. The guy to watch is going to be 6'6" Brian Voelkel. He may have the ugliest jumper in college basketball, but he averages 10.8 rpg and 6.3 apg.

Who's getting upset?: Kansas State

The Wildcats are playing George Washington at 8:00 pm tonight, and while I don't necessarily think that GW will win, they are the only decent team playing a decent high-major opponent. The Wildcats have some talent on their roster, but they are still trying to find their identity. GW has a chance to be better than you think. Tony Taylor is playing well, but he -- and Lasan Kromah and Aaron Taylor -- need to cut down on their turnovers.

Mid-major matchup of the night: 7:00 pm: South Dakota State @ IUPUI

If nothing else, this is worth the watch to see Alex Young and Nate Wolters play. They are two of the most talented mid-major players in the country.


Other notable games (yeah, its an ugly night for hoops):

- 7:00 pm: VMI @ Coastal Carolina
- 7:00 pm: Wagner @ Long Island
- 8:00 pm: Murray State @ Western Kentucky
- 8:05 pm: CS Fullerton @ Wichita State
- 8:15 pm: Kennesaw State @ Belmont
- 9:00 pm: San Francisco @ Montana
- 10:00 pm: Stanford @ Seattle