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News, Notes and Matchups for Saturday, 11/25

News, Notes and Matchups for Saturday, 11/25
Nov 25, 2006, 11:36 am
SURPRISES

-Missouri State jumped out to a big lead against Wisconsin. The Badgers came back in the second half and actually got the lead, but Missouri State ended up pulling off the upset 66-64. I’m still visiting my parents, and they do not have CSTV, so I didn’t get to see the game, so I had to follow the score on ESPN’s bottom line. Between the games of the Old Spice Classic and they were in the studio talking while the scores were flashing across the bottom of the screen. At one point they were talking about how strong the Big Ten was and mentioned Ohio State and Wisconsin, and while they were doing so score of the ran across ESPN’s bottom line. Missouri State was up 39-25 and no one mentioned it. I guess ESPN’s studios don’t get CSTV either. This was a massive statement win for Missouri State. They feel that the selection committee snubbed them last year, but this win will do a lot as far as getting them in this year.

-Dayton upset Louisville 68-64. The Flyers jumped out to a big lead early and although Louisville caught up that ended up being the difference in the game. I don’t know how many lay ups Louisville missed, but it was a lot. A big win for the Flyers, but a troubling loss for Louisville. It’s early, but the Cardinals really never kicked it into gear last season and they certainly don’t have it in gear this season either. As far as Dayton goes, this is a nice win for them that will look good on their NCAA Resume if they can get themselves into the picture.

-Butler defeated Gonzaga and practically controlled the whole game. This was the biggest surprise of all. Butler is now officially the best college basketball team in the state of Indiana. They controlled the tempo of the entire game and led by as many as 18 in the second half. Gonzaga is a good team and this is a major statement win for them. As of now I’d say they have a better overall NCAA Tourney resume than any other team in the country as far as head to head competition goes.



NON-SURPRISES

-For about ten minutes, Western Kentucky looked to be the best team in state of Kentucky, but that didn’t last long. The Hilltoppers led top ranked Florida 31-26 with about eight minutes to go in the first half. Before you knew it, it was 56-34 Florida. They went on a 30-3 run and never looked back. Western Kentucky has a very good basketball team and will have a big year, but they were just completely overmatched today. They’ll face Ball State tonight.

-North Carolina easily defeated Tennessee in the third place game of the Preseason Nit 101-87.

-Miami, OH had a chance to upset Illinois, but couldn’t hold on. The Illini escaped with a 51-49 win.


TODAY’S ACTION

There are actually quite a few interesting games today. I don’t know how much I’ll get to see due to still having multiple family activities planned, but I’ll keep up as best I can.


-KANSAS VS FLORIDA. This game is being played out in Las Vegas. Both teams are solid NCAA Tournament teams who are not only competing for a spot in the pod system, but potentially competing for a #1 seed. This will give the winner a leg up because the committee considers head to head competition. Kansas has a surprising loss to Oral Roberts already, but they can completely erase that with a win tonight.

-WICHITA STATE AT LSU. Major game here between two ranked teams. Both appear to be solid NCAA Tournament teams, but this is big as far as getting a statement win goes and getting a good seed. This is as tough a game as Wichita State will play all year, and if they can beat LSU on the road it could get them into a position to make the pod system.

-KENT STATE AT BUTLER. Butler gets to celebrate their NIT victory by coming home and without getting a day off playing one of the best teams from the MAC. Kent State is certainly good enough to pull the upset. Hopefully Butler’s fans will be out in full force. Butler already has some big time statement wins, but Kent State really doesn’t, so this would probably do more for them than it would for Butler, especially since they’re playing on the road. In saying that, the last thing Butler wants to have happen is to have their momentum stopped.

-RICHMOND AT OLD DOMINION. This is an interesting in-state game. Richmond is 3-0, but for the most part they are untested. They do like to slow it down and if they can get control of the game they can pretty much stay with just about anyone. Old Dominion is a good team whose only loss came to Clemson. They already have a big win against Georgetown, but they need a win here to sustain their profile.

-OKLAHOMA STATE VS MISSOURI STATE. This is part of the Las Vegas International. Both teams are unbeaten and Missouri State just got a massive win against Wisconsin. Okie State has struggled against some teams and really hasn’t faced anyone this good yet. It would be a huge win for either team that will likely look good on their tourney resume.

-HOUSTON AT SAINT LOUIS. Houston has a good team and is unbeaten, but they have struggled against some pretty weak teams. Saint Louis is 3-1, plays incredible defense, and is looking to continue their early success. These are two teams who are fighting to make the NCAA Tournament, and a win here goes a long way.

-GEORGE MASON AT CREIGHTON. Creighton blew out George Mason at this point last season, but then George Mason ended up going to the Final Four. Creighton appears to have the superior team this year, but they already have a surprising loss to Nebraska and don’t want to undergo another one. Both teams should have good years so this would be a nice win for either team.

-BRADLEY VS ILLINOIS. This game is being played in Chicago and it is a very interesting in-state match up. Bradley was a Sweet Sixteen team a year ago, but lost most of their contributing players and it appeared to be a rebuilding year for them. They are undefeated this season so far and although they haven’t been playing elite competition, they have looked like a very good basketball team. Illinois is unbeaten as well, but they have struggled against some weaker teams. Bradley is playing better than just about anyone they’ve faced so far. This one could be exciting.

-AUBURN VS WISCONSIN. Both teams lost yesterday, which was their first loss, but Wisconsin clearly appears to be the superior team. They’ll be looking to rebound from their loss to Missouri State and remain solidly in the pod picture.

-TEXAS TECH AT UTEP. Both teams appear to be on the outside looking in right now, so a win here is important for either team. Both are capable of being good enough to play at the caliber of an NCAA Tournament team.

-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT PENN STATE. Not many people are paying attention to Saint Joe’s yet, but they are 3-0 and should be able to improve to 4-0 today.

-SYRACUSE AT CANISIUS. How Canisius swung this I have no idea, but Syracuse is playing them at home. The location isn’t likely to make much of a difference as far as the outcome of the game is concerned.

-NEVADA AT SANTA CLARA. Nevada is unbeaten and will likely stay that way.


-Xavier, Wake Forest, Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, Cincinnati, Alabama, Duke, Villanova and Iowa State are all playing in Buy Games and should be able to win.

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