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Message: [QUOTE="Hey Adrien!, post: 3790880, member: 5787"] With a mostly dormant (but some good mid-major games) Friday schedule and a hangover to ride out, what better day to preview Saturday's excellent schedule. Happy New Year! [B]Noon: #8 Texas @ #3 Kansas – ESPN2: [/B]Big 12 battle between two teams with Final Four caliber defenses. [B]#11 Creighton @ Providence - FOX: [/B]Two very contrasting styles, but Creighton’s defense looks better this year with the help of transfers Antwan Jones and Alex O’Connell. [B]#12 Missouri @ Arkansas – CBS: [/B]A bounce back game for Missouri after getting owned by Tennessee. Arkansas’ freshman Moses Moody has been really boosting his NBA stock. [B]DePaul @ St. John’s – FS1: [/B]Champagnie has been a star and it’s clear DePaul isn’t game ready after all their time off. [B]2 PM: #10 Iowa @ #14 Rutgers – ESPN2: [/B]My game of the day. Very excited to see how Rutgers’ lunch pail attitude compares to Iowa’s offensive precision. Cliff Omoruyi’s knee injury still looms, so if he’s out, expect a combo of Myles Johnson and Ron Harper Jr. to try to neutralize Luka Garza. [B][S]#24 Virginia Tech @ #23 Virginia- ACC Network: [/S][/B][S]I’ve really enjoyed watching Virginia Tech since Mike Young has taken over the coaching helm. The small and scrappy (Tyrece Radford is one of the toughest guards in the nation) Hokies are an interesting matchup against the bigger Cavs, who’ve really improved their anemic offense with the help of transfers Sam Hauser and Trey Murphy.[/S] [B]Postponed, [I]cough, cough[/I] Mercer @ Furman – ESPN+: [/B]One of my favorite mid-major games of the day, Mercer has been one of the surprise teams of the SoCon thanks to the play of sophomore Fairfield transfer Neftali Alvarez. The SoCon this year goes through Furman and UNC-Greensboro, but this is Mercer’s shot to throw their name in the fight along with Furman, Wofford, UNC-Greensboro, Chattanooga, Western Carolina and ETSU...a very underrated conference and like the MVC almost every conference game is a good one. [B]2:30 PM Davidson @ VCU – NBCSN: [/B]Two teams that are playing better than expected, especially VCU: this year was supposed to be a rebuilding year but sophomore Bones Hyland (17.1 ppg) is on pace to be the team’s best scorer since the 17-18 season. For Davidson, sophomore wing Hyunjung Lee has really stepped up, averaging 17.4 ppg and providing senior leader Kellan Grady another star to play with. Excellent A-10 matchup. [B]4 PM: #9 West Virginia @ Oklahoma – ESPN2: [/B]Oklahoma’s efficient offense vs West Virginia’s tenacious D. Just learned around 2 on Friday that Tshiebwe is stepping away from basketball for personal reasons, so that's a HUGE blow for the Mountaineers. [B]Oklahoma State @ #13 Texas Tech – Big 12 Network: [/B]The toughest defense Cade Cunningham has faced so far. [B]Colorado State @ San Diego State – CBS: [/B]A very good MWC matchup. Colorado State’s David Roddy is their 6’5 255 star…you know I like unorthodoxly-sized college basketball players. [B]Liberty @ Lipscomb – ESPN+: [/B]Battle of the two best teams in the A-Sun. Lipscomb’s Ahsan Asadullah is one of the best bigs in the country. [B]4:30 PM: Butler @ Seton Hall – FS1: [/B]Butler really struggled with Aaron Thompson out, but he looks to return on Saturday. Can he continue his offensive surge? [B]5:00 PM: Early Evening mid-major focus Saint Bonaventure @ Richmond - CBSSN: [/B]Two of the more hyped teams in the A-10 with less than expected starts to the season. [B]East Tennessee State @ UNC-Greensboro – ESPN+: [/B]Two of the SoCon’s most prestigious programs, UNC-Greensboro is a Cinderella candidate in March while ETSU is retooling after Steve Forbes bolted to Wake Forest. UNC-G’s lead guard, senior Isaiah Miller, can’t shoot the three, but he’s a two-way bucket getter, averaging 18.4p, 5.4r, 3.7a, 2.3s. [B]Eastern Kentucky @ Austin Peay – ESPN+: [/B]Two of the better teams in the OVC and should be a fun, high scoring affair. EKU plays with the nation’s fastest tempo while Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor is a high-scoring, physical wing. [B]Texas-Arlington @ Little Rock – ESPN+: [/B]Little Rock is a top-2 Sun Belt team while Texas-Arlington played Oklahoma State tough early in the season. Little Rock is led by Harlem-bred, 5’7 junior point guard Markquis Nowell (17p, 4.7r, 8.9a, 2.7s), but junior big Nikola Maric (15.4p, 7.1r) has been a huge surprise playing alongside fear inducing rim protector Ruot Monyyong (10.4p, 8.9r, 1.8b). Little Rock is one of the better sized mid-major teams in the country. [B]6:00 PM: Alabama @ #7 Tennessee – ESPN2: [/B]Each game, the Vols look better and better. Deep squad with elite freshman talent waiting on the wings and developing on their own schedule. [B]Purdue @ #15 Illinois – Big Ten Network: [/B]With their always tough defense, Purdue has the size to neutralize Cockburn and the discipline to handle Ayo. [B]Kentucky @ Mississippi State – SEC Network: [/B]1-7 baby. [B]7:00 PM: Marshall @ Louisiana Tech – ESPN+: [/B]Marshall is so much fun to watch and their play this year as them just a notch below the play of C-USA stalwarts Western Kentucky and North Texas. Marshall’s 6’5 junior wing Taevion Kinsey is one of the most valuable players in the country, averaging 21.7p, 5.6r, 3.9a with 65.2 fg% and 41.7 3p%. Unlike other Marshall teams in the past, the Herd roster four forwards 6’7 and taller who average 15+ mpg. If they make the dance, watch out. [B]7:30 PM: Marquette @ Georgetown – CBSSN: [/B]Personally, I’ve found the Hoyas one of the more fun teams to root for in the Big East. [B]North Texas @ Loyola-Chicago – ESPN+: [/B]Could be the best mid-major game of the night. Good OOC opportunity for both teams. If you haven’t watched Javion Hamlet yet, he’s a bulldog of a lead guard who is also smart and poised. [B]8:00 PM: #20 Duke @ #18 Florida State – ESPN2:[/B] An easy game to root against Duke. Leonard Hamilton is one of my favorite coaches and a chance to watch Scottie Barnes. Personal shout out to RayQuan Evans who grew up an hour from Mrs. Adrien in Billings. MT. My nephew is a big Clemson fan and we watched their hard fought matchup against Florida State on Tuesday…will look to Florida State to bounce back with a W. [B]Colorado @ UCLA – Pac-12 Network: [/B]Wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being one of the better games in the day. Would love to see the Buffs finish the season strong after an excellent career senior McKinley Wright has amassed. [B]10:00 PM: San Francisco @ #1 Gonzaga – ESPN2: [/B]I like Gonzaga, but over the last three years, the rise of the Dons has been one of the better college basketball stories. Senior lead guard Jamaree Bouyea has been prolific (18 ppg) and efficient (54.3 fg%, 44 3p%, 4.1/2.4 A/TO) leading the Dons. [/QUOTE]

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