Five to watch this weekend
By Mike Huguenin, Rivals.com College Basketball Editor Nov 13, 4:00 am EST
The college basketball season truly gets under way this weekend, but don’t feel guilty if you don’t really feel like paying attention yet.
Thing is, there really aren’t that many good games this weekend - and some of the better games won’t be televised.
Here’s a look at this weekend’s best games. And by “weekend,” we also mean Monday. Starting Tuesday, we’ll begin our weekly look at the best midweek games.
A programming note, as it were: Beginning at 12 a.m. Tuesday, ESPN is showing a full day of college basketball games. But here’s a little secret: The games really aren’t that good - and we’ll cover the good ones in our Tuesday story.
ALL TIMES EASTERN
Creighton at Dayton, Saturday, 1 p.m.:
This is one of the more intriguing “mid-major” matchups of the entire season, and it’s too bad it’s not on TV. Dayton will vie with Butler for the right to be called “The Best Non-Big Six Team in the Nation.” The Flyers are loaded and are led by junior forward Chris Wright. The Flyers are known for their lockdown defense. Creighton is one of the top two teams in the Missouri Valley, along with Northern Iowa. The Bluejays will be looking for a new go-to guy with the graduation of Booker Woodfox, but there are ample candidates. Coach Dana Altman’s team also plays solid defense.
Cornell at Alabama, Saturday, 2 p.m.:
Anthony Grant’s debut as Alabama’s coach comes against a Cornell team that has made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances and returns eight of its top nine scorers. Alabama returns four starters, and one of them is sophomore forward JaMychal Green, who should have a big game against a less-than-athletic Cornell frontcourt. But the Big Red are solid from 3-point range and have the talent to make Grant and the Tide sweat it out in the opener.
Davidson at Butler, Saturday, 2 p.m.:
If Stephen Curry had returned to Davidson, this would have a lot more cachet. As it is, it’s a big test for Davidson to see how effective it can be without Curry. Butler is this season’s mid-major darling. If the Bulldogs struggle with the Wildcats, some brows should furrow on the sideline. Butler’s duo of Gordon Hayward and Matt Howard is one of the best frontcourt tandems in the nation.
Oregon State at Texas Tech, Sunday, 4 p.m.:
An interesting game between teams hoping to be contenders in the Pac-10 (Oregon State) and Big 12 (Texas Tech). Oregon State has a better chance to contend than Texas Tech. One big reason is that the Big 12 should be much tougher than the Pac-10; another is that Oregon State looks to have more talent. Tech has four returning starters, led by underrated point guard John Roberson. Oregon State - which won the CBI last season - also returns four starters, including center Roeland Schaftenaar. He does a nice job helping coach Craig Robinson’s Princeton-style attack.
Virginia at USF, Monday, 7:30 p.m., Comcast-Charter Sports Southeast/SportsNet New York/ESPN FullCourt:
An expected ACC bottom-feeder travels to play an expected Big East bottom-feeder. Coach Tony Bennett’s first Virginia team will be built around sophomore guard Sylven Landesberg. While Bennett’s teams at Washington State were known for their - uh - deliberate offenses, he says that won’t necessarily be the case with the Cavaliers. As for USF, junior guard Dominique Jones should be one of the best players in the Big East. Junior college transfer Jarrid Famous, a 6-10 big man, is expected to give the Bulls an inside scoring threat.
Drexel at Saint Joseph’s, 7 p.m., Friday, The Comcast Network:
A nice matchup of Philly teams to open the season for both. Neither is expected to legitimately contend for their league titles - Drexel in the Colonial, St. Joe’s in the Atlantic 10 - but a win over another city school would be a nice way to start the season.
Idaho State at Iowa State, 8 p.m., Friday, ESPN FullCourt:
Iowa State has Craig Brackins, one of the nation’s top players, but the Cyclones are expected to be also-rans in the Big 12. Idaho State, on the other hand, is an experienced team (eight seniors) expected to be a top contender in the Big Sky Conference. The Bengals have a big front line, and guard Amorrow Morgan can play.
Bradley at BYU, Friday, 9:30 p.m., The mtn.:
BYU is the preseason favorite in the Mountain West, while Bradley is expected to finish in the middle of the pack in the Missouri Valley. Still, this is a chance to gauge the relative merits of each league. Bradley has a solid backcourt, but the Braves’ frontcourt is a huge question. BYU should get a lot of points from its Jimmer Fredette-Jackson Emery-Jonathan Tavernari trio. Worth watching is how productive BYU center Chris Miles is in this one.
Utah State at Weber State, Friday, 9:30 p.m.: A solid in-state game matching a team expected to contend in the WAC (Utah State) against a team expected to win the Big Sky (Weber State). Expect a lot of 3-pointers to be attempted and made. Weber also has a nice inside-outside combo in Steve Panos and Damian Lillard. Utah State has a deep backcourt and expects big things from JC transfer Nate Bendall up front.
Wright State at Washington, Friday, 10 p.m./ Portland State at Washington, Sunday, 10 p.m., both on Fox Sports Net Northwest:
Washington is expected to be one of the best teams on the West Coast this season, but these two mid-majors will provide the Huskies with some nice tests. Wright State, from the Horizon League, has a strong backcourt that could cause some problems for the Huskies’ touted duo of Abdul Gaddy and Isaiah Thomas. Portland State has been to back-to-back NCAA tournaments out of the Big Sky, but the Vikings seem likely to take a step back this season. Guard Dominic Waters is the key guy for Portland State.
Mike Huguenin is the college sports editor for Rivals.com. He can be reached at mhuguenin@rivals.com.
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