Friday, Nov. 20th in College Basketball

Although today's top games involve the same teams as last night, there are plenty of great matchups on this Friday, including another game between two ranked opponents, two under the radar schools, and some good mid-major/major conference matchups.

Games of the Night:

CvC Finals

UNC vs. Syracuse: It was tough to get a good read on the Heels last night. They alomst blew their dominating lead once Ohio St started hitting from the outside, but they did dominate athletically and in the paint for the vast majority of that game. Meanwhile, the Orange took Cal to the woodshed yesterday on the back of Scoop Jardine and Wesley Johnson. It will be interesting to see how UNC does against a more dynamic team that is shooting the ball well right now. Guys like Rautins, Johnson, and Jardine should make UNC pay for open outside shots. Will size dominate again, or can Syracuse negate that with their 2-3 zone and athleticism on the wings? I think UNC's size is too much in the paint for Syracuse and they win a close one.

Pick: UNC 77, Syracuse 73

Ohio State vs. Cal: The early game features a couple of perimeter oriented teams. The difference? Cal has no one to match up with Evan Turner. With no Marcus Gilyard-type player to slow down Turner, and with Theo Robertson out, Cal will rely on Jerome Randle to take over the game again. He will get his, but in the end I think the Buckeyes offense goes back to the level it was at before UNC and they pick up a solid non-conf win.

Pick: Ohio St 81, Cal 71
Others:

Dayton v. Villanova: The Flyers look to go 3 for 3 against ranked opponents. And they're one win away from getting this b-ball fan (and plenty of others) on their bandwagon for the rest of the year.

Georgia Tech v. George Mason: The Yellow Jackets get a solid non-conference win. The big 3 for GT: Lawal, Favors, and Shumpert, all played well and GT got to the line early and often (although they still didn't shoot them well). GT should fight for a tournament spot in the middle of the ACC.

Ole Miss v. Kansas St.: A slightly under the radar game featuring two schools who I think are tournament teams.

St. Joseph's v. Boston College: DePaul/Northern Iowa turned out to be a pretty good game, but this should be the best first-round matchup of the Paradise Jam. Or maybe BC will blow them out. I don't know.