Games to Watch - Week of Nov 10th

Here’s a small preview of some of the big games for the week of Nov 10^th. There aren’t a lot of good matchups this week, as it’s mainly warm up games for the top teams and preliminary rounds for the preseason tournaments. Look for some good potential matchups next week, including a possible top 10 showdown in the Coaches v. Cancer Classic Final.

Preseason Tournaments:

Coaches v. Cancer Classic (Nov 10-21)

Teams to Watch: Duke, Houston, SIU, UCLA

My pick: UCLA. Too much talent at too many positions. They should overwhelm everyone in this tournament until they get to Duke, and the Blue Devils just don’t have the size to win against a team this good… not yet anyway

CBE Classic (Nov 14-25)

Teams to Watch: Florida, Syracuse, Kansas, Washington

My pick: Syracuse. I’ll take them to upset Florida on Nov. 24 and beat an inexperienced Jayhawk team the next day to take this title. This Syracuse team is going to show just how deep the Big East is

Nov 10^th:

Houston v. Georgia Southern – First game of the season! Houston looks to try and pick up an at-large bid in a C-USA conference that should be much improved overall from the past few years

Duke v. Presbyterian (ESPNU) – Duke was a very good team last year and return almost everyone except Demarcus Nelson. The guard play will be great again, but will one of the incoming freshman (Olek Czyz or Miles Plumlee) be able to step in and fill gaps in the frontcourt?

Nov 11^th:

Durham Regional Final, Coaches v. Cancer (ESPNU) (Likely Match-up: Duke v. Houston)

California (Pa) v. SIU – The Salukis missed out on the NCAA tournament last year after massive preseason expectations last year. This year they return the MVC’s defensive player of the year Bryan Mullins but lose a couple of key frontcourt guys. The incoming freshman have plenty of hype (Two top 100 recruits for a Valley school is pretty good) and athleticism, but can they fill the gaps quickly?

Nov 12^th:

Carbondale Regional Final, Coaches v. Cancer (Likely Match-up: SIU v. UMass)

Prairie View A&M v. UCLA (ESPNU) – The Bruins are loaded and have a great bunch of recruits coming in. No surprise there. The key for this team to return to a fourth straight Final Four will be replacing key players Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. That’s a lot of production to replace, but UCLA has the talent and coaching to do it.

Nov 13th:

Los Angeles Regional Final, Coaches v. Cancer (ESPNU) (Likely Match-up: UCLA vs. Miami (OH))

Nov 14^th:

Toledo v. Florida (ESPNU) – I will be watching this Gators team VERY closely. They have all the talent in the world but don’t always seem to work together at times. Billy Donovan has already publicly questioned this team’s heart and desire. The SEC is wide open, so if the Gators want to, they could be a very dangerous team this year. The question is… will they take it?

Stetson v. Texas – The loss of D. J. Augustin will hurt, but returning everyone else makes them the favorite in the Big 12 in my mind.

Western Carolina v. UConn – This Huskies team is #2 in the polls for a reason. They return everyone from a team that was arguably the best team in the Big East at points last year. A. J. Price needs to recover fully from blowing out his knee in the NCAA Tournament last year, and Thabeet needs to continue to develop offensively, but if that happens this team will be a National Title contender.

American v. Oklahoma (ESPN Full Court) – Many are picking this team to win the Big 12. I ask… who will help Blake Griffin with the scoring load? Plus, I have American winning the Patriot League, so this could be a semi-competitive game

Detroit v. Purdue (ESPN Full Court) – You will be hearing plenty about this Boilermaker team, I guarantee you :)

Nov. 15^th:

Penn v. UNC – The season opens for the clear preseason favorites. This team has basically no weaknesses… athleticism, experience, shooting, defense, depth… this team has it all. But as we all know, teams don’t win national championships on paper.

Chattanooga v. Tennessee – Many people are looking at what this Vols team lost: Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith. I prefer to look at what they return: Athletic wingman Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism in the post, J. P. Prince, and a bunch of freshman looking to fill key roles. That, plus an SEC that is weak at the top, means Tennessee will be the favorites in the SEC.

Mt St. Billings v. Gonzaga – I’m probably higher on the Zags than most people, but this team returns everyone from a squad last year that, had they not run into the Stephen Curry Express last year, had a real shot at making the Sweet 16. The key will be a healthy return for Josh Heytvelt and continued progress from guys like Jeremy Pargo.

Nov 16th:

Long Beach State v. Wisconsin - I have a feeling that even though Wisconsin lost key senior leaders like Brian Butch and Michael Flowers, this team will be competitive in the Big 10. Or maybe it's just because the Big 10 isn't very good this year.

UMKC v. Kansas (ESPNU) - The National Champs return to defend their title but will have a new look with so many new faces. I think Bill Self will have this team on the right track but they're still a year away from really competiting for a national title.

Idaho v. Michigan St. - Raymar Morgan, Kalin Lucas, etc... time to prove me wrong. At least, not too much. Take 2nd in the Big 10 and then go on your Final Four run. That's cool with me