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Wed, November 28th Highlighted Match-ups

Wed, November 28th Highlighted Match-ups
Nov 28, 2007, 09:49 am
-The most recent bracket projections and are posted below today's highlighted games.

HIGHLIGHTED MATCH-UPS

-MISSOURI AT ARKANSAS. Missouri’s only loss on the season came against Michigan State in a close game, but this is their first true road game against a high caliber opponent. Arkansas’s players appear to be adjusting to new head coach John Pelphrey’s style of play, and more acclimated they become the more they’ll improve. This is probably the biggest test of the year so far for the Razorbacks. Missouri has been tested this year, but it’s probably one of their toughest games as well considering that it’s a true road game.

-SAINT LOUIS AT KENT STATE. Both teams are off to a modest 4-2 start and appear to have quite a bit of potential, but both have quite a bit of work to do if they want to be seriously considered by the selection committee this March. Winning this game is important because if either team wants to show they’re worthy of making the NCAAs then they need to knock off other teams that are trying to do the same thing.

-BRADLEY AT LOYOLA, IL. Bradley is off to a decent start, but doesn’t have any high caliber wins yet and as a result can’t afford to drop this game on the road. A win will get the Braves to 5-2 on the season.

-ILLINOIS AT MARYLAND (Big Ten vs ACC Challenge). Both teams have shown quite a bit of promise early on, and even though both teams will get multiple chances at statement wins later on, neither has really managed one yet. Maryland lost both games in the semifinals of the CBE Classic and Illinois fell to Duke out in Maui. This is an early season game between two teams that should be in the mix later on.

-DAYTON AT MIAMI, OH. Both teams are 3-1, but Miami’s wins have been much more impressive whereas with the exception of their last game Dayton has struggled against lower level teams. Miami has already begun to make a strong case that they’re an NCAA Tournament team, and a win tonight would continue to verify that. They also seem to have Dayton’s number whenever the game is at Miami.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten vs ACC Challenge). Michigan hasn’t looked all that good this year and BC should be able to pick up the win on the road, which would improve them to 5-0.

-NORTH CAROLINA STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten vs ACC Challenge). This game should be a good one. Both teams are ranked, and both have already managed some quality wins. It would be NC State’s first true road win if they were to pull it off, and for Michigan State it would probably be their most impressive win of the year so far. A loss really won’t hurt either team because both teams have played well already and will likely continue to improve as the season progresses.

-CALIFORNIA AT NEVADA. Cal is 3-0 and just picked up a win against what looks to be a pretty good San Diego State team. Nevada is young and has stumbled out of the blocks, but they have a great opportunity to pick up a nice win at home and get their season headed back in the right direction. This is the type of win that could really bring a young team together. For Cal, it’s their first road game, so we’ll learn a little more about how good they are away from home.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten vs ACC Challenge). Ohio State was blown out in their last game, and although they’re playing the top ranked team in the country, the home court advantage should make a difference. This would be a huge bounce back win for the Buckeyes if they pull off the upset, but I don’t think it’s all that likely even though they’re at home.

-GEORGETOWN AT OLD DOMINION. Old Dominion won at Georgetown a season ago and it ended up being a major reason as to why ODU made the NCAA Tournament. ODU has played some really tough competition so far, and although they’ve played well they still haven’t managed any big wins. It would be huge for the Monarchs if they could pick up a high quality win like this. As for Georgetown, they’re good enough to compete for a #1 seed, and can’t afford too many losses if they want to end up with a #1.

-SETON HALL AT PRINCETON. Seton Hall is undefeated on the year, but struggled in a few games that you would expect them to dominate. One of the games where they didn’t struggle was their last game, where they beat Virginia handily on a neutral floor. Princeton has struggled this year and is trying to rebuild. It’d be surprising if they were able to win this game despite the fact that they’re at home.

-MASSACHUSETTS AT SYRACUSE. Both teams are 4-1, but although UMass has looked good, they really haven’t beaten anyone of significance. Syracuse at least has a few decent wins over Saint Joseph’s and Washington, but they’ve also had some struggles this season. Syracuse will likely improve as the season goes on. This will be a decent test for them tonight. If UMass were to pull the upset it would be a huge statement win for a team that no one was expecting all that much out of.

-ALABAMA AT TEXAS A&M. The Crimson Tide are coming off of a very close win against Southern Miss. They’re 3-1 on the year, and are in for their toughest test of the season so far tonight. They really haven’t been playing at a level that would indicate that they’re good enough to win this game and will really have to step it up big time if they want to pull the upset. Texas A&M blew through the NIT championship game, and could end up blowing out the Tide tonight.

-TCU AT TEXAS TECH. TCU is unbeaten, but hasn’t played an opponent nearly as good as Texas Tech yet. Texas Tech played very well up in the Great Alaska Shootout where they managed a win against Gonzaga, but fell to Butler in the championship game. It looks as though they’ve turned their season around and that they can have a big year, but they don’t want to stumble tonight.

-GEORGE WASHINGTON AT UCLA. George Washington is a modest 2-1, and they’re fun to watch if you like teams that push the pace. UCLA plays very tough defense, though, and should be able to win this game going away if they can shut down GW’s transition game.

-WESTERN MICHIGAN AT VALPARAISO. West Virginia recently won a big game against Davidson to improve to 4-2 and Valpo has just one loss on the season. It isn’t likely that either team will be in a position to get an at-large, but both are off to decent starts and could get themselves into the mix if they keep it up.

-MARSHALL AT WRIGHT STATE. Both teams are unbeaten, but neither team has played very many games and neither has beaten a top notch opponent. Both teams looked pretty good in their last game, though, so this one should be interesting tonight.


BUY GAMES

-CS FULLTERTON AT ARIZONA. Arizona played well in their last game and nearly upset Kansas. Still, they’re just 2-2 on the year, but shouldn’t have too much trouble winning tonight.

-FLORIDA GULF COAST AT ARIZONA STATE. Arizona State managed to pick up two wins out in Maui and appears to be getting better as the season progresses. A win today will get them to 3-1.

-DELAWARE STATE AT GEORGIA. Georgia was beaten handily by Wisconsin in their last game, but still isn’t at full strength. They can still improve to 4-1 with a win, but none of their wins have been against quality opponents.

-YALE AT HOLY CROSS. Holy Cross is off to a great start and a win tonight will get them to 6-0.

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT KANSAS. This game is a huge mismatch. Kansas should win in a blowout and remain unbeaten on the season.

-ALABAMA STATE AT MIAMI, FL. Miami is off to a much better than expected start, and should be able to remain undefeated on the season with a win tonight.

-SOUTHERN UTAH AT NEW MEXICO. A win for the Lobos will get them to 7-0 on the season.

-LAMAR AT NEW ORLEANS. New Orleans is 3-0 and already has a nice win against Alabama. They should be able to win tonight without too much trouble.

-NORTHEASTERN AT RHODE ISLAND. Right now Rhode Island is the last at-large in my bracket. They’re a pretty good team that should be able to make the NCAAs if they keep it up.

-LONG ISLAND AT SAINT JOHN’S. Saint John’s is unbeaten on the season and will likely remain that way after tonight.

-TEXAS SOUTHERN AT TEXAS. The Longhorns shouldn’t have any trouble remaining undefeated after this game.

-OAKLAND AT XAVIER. Oakland is an underwhelming 1-3, but lost by just four to Michigan State in their last game. Xavier is coming off a huge win against Indiana, but does not want to let their guard down tonight.

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