Intriguing opening-day matchups on Friday, Nov 11

[Plebe]

Well, the season is upon is. One the one hand, I find it hard to believe it's already here; yet strangely, it feels like I've been chomping at the bit forever.

Anyway, there's plenty of action tomorrow for WCBB fans to sink our teeth into, including several what I would consider intriguing matchups:

Duquesne at #7 Ohio State, 12:00 ET
First glimpse at the new and (one would think) improved Ohio State, which graduated Alston and Craft but gained high-profile transfers Mavunga, Harper, and Calhoun along with three strong freshmen. Duquesne, an NCAA tournament team last year (seeded #9, advanced to meet UConn on the second round), was hard-hit by graduation. This one shouldn't be particularly close but should still be intriguing, if nothing else just to see what lineup McGuff goes with and how he balances minutes between returning starters and newcomers.

Chattanooga at Rutgers, 2:00 ET
A matchup of two coaching greats, Stringer vs. Foster. Chattanooga returns some solid starters from last year's NCAA tournament team and is 3rd in ESPN's preseason mid-major poll. Jasmine Joyner is a player to watch for them. Rutgers is a huge question mark, having missed the cut for the NCAA tournament last year AND graduated two WNBA draftees, AND the player who figured to be their big star this season (Scaife) has announced she's taking a medical redshirt. I actually think Chattanooga should be favored here.

George Washington at Georgetown, 7:00 ET
Coach Rizzotti's debut for her new program in a crosstown (not sure I'd call it a rivalry) game. Georgetown has been a struggling program for some years now. GW comes off an NCAA tournament season but lost some key contributors (including Jonquel Jones). This is a game GW should win, I think, and certainly needs to win it for résumé purposes come March.

#14 Miami at #19 Kentucky, 7:00 ET
Miami, returning pretty much everyone, is expected to be better than last year's NCAA tournament team. Kentucky, well, not so much. Each team figures to be on a second tier in their respective conferences, somewhere in the 4th to 5th range. But Miami should be the better team, even on the road.

Villanova vs. #10 Mississippi State (neutral-court game in Maine), 7:00 ET
Villanova returns some good players from last year's team (which probably was headed to the tourney until derailed by injury) and adds Tennessee transfer Jannah Tucker. Mississippi State should win considering they return almost everyone, but this is no cupcake.

#13 Tennessee at James Madison, 7:00 ET
Not a cupcake of a road test for Tennessee to start the season. James Madison was a tourney team last year and, other than Jazmon Gwathmey, returns most of its other contributors. But one person who didn't come back was their head coach. Who knows how this one will play out. On paper it should be Tennessee easily, but how many times did we say that last year.

LSU at Louisiana Tech, 7:30 ET
Lots of storylines here. Louisiana Tech, now coached by former Techster player Brooke Stoehr, trying to pick up the pieces move on from the debacle that was Tyler Summitt. Mickie DeMoss, now an assistant at LSU, also trying to move on from the debacle that was Tyler Summitt. LSU doesn't figure to be very good this year, but this is one game they should still win easily.

Also in action tomorrow, lots of teams in games that shape up as the classic nonconference cupcakes:
Jacksonville State at #12 Florida State, 12:30 ET
Rhode Island at #14 Syracuse, 3:00 ET
Alabama State at North Carolina, 4:00 ET
Houston Baptist at #2 Baylor, 4:30 ET
South Alabama at #20 Florida, 5:00 ET
Lamar at #25 Oregon State, 5:00 ET
Illinois State at #18 Arizona State, 6:00 ET
#5 Louisville at Tennessee-Martin, 6:30 ET (less cupcake-ish than the others in this list, but still)
Central Michigan at #1 Notre Dame, 7:00 ET
Presbyterian College at #23 Indiana, 7:00 ET
Abilene Christian at #24 Missouri, 8:00 ET
Appalachian State at #21 DePaul, 9:00 ET
Cal Poly at #11 Stanford, 10:00 ET
Eastern Washington at #17 Washington, 10:00 ET
Pacific at #9 UCLA, 11:30 ET

 

[JordyG]

Finally WCBB begins. Thank you November.

 

[Blueconn]

Thanks so much. Now to figure what's available to actually watch...got a soft spot for seeing Jen start work at a legit D-1 program that seems so have real support from admins, alum, and fans. Go get 'em 21.

 

[MJL243]

Thanks so much. Now to figure what's available to actually watch...got a soft spot for seeing Jen start work at a legit D-1 program that seems so have real support from admins, alum, and fans. Go get 'em 21.

Today's GW vs Georgetown game is on College Sports Live at 7:00 PM.
Here's a link to the A10 TV schedule:
Live Events - Atlantic 10 Conference Official Athletic Site

 

[Blueconn]

Today's GW vs Georgetown game is on College Sports Live at 7:00 PM.
Here's a link to the A10 TV schedule:
Live Events - Atlantic 10 Conference Official Athletic Site

Thanks...at my age it takes me hours to connect; so I'll probably get to see the fourth quarter !

 

[Plebe]

On the occasion of the Tennessee opener, I can't resist the opportunity to ridicule that professional anti-Geno hit-piece author and hate tweeter extraordinaire by the name of Maria Cornelius, who was recently interviewed to preview Tennessee's season (Lady Vols 2016-2017: lean but hungry).

To further demonstrate how facts and truth have become hopelessly elusive to her:

Head Coach Holly Warlick and Assistant Coach Jolette Law have both used the word “hungry” in preseason to describe the players. They do seem motivated. But it’s the toughest schedule in the country and four of the first five games are on the road, including perennial NCAA tourney team James Madison, and then East Tennessee State, Penn State and Virginia Tech. By mid-December, the Lady Vols will have played Baylor, Texas and Stanford. Then, it’s onto the rugged SEC and a mid-January visit by Notre Dame. ​

After multiple rounds of falling to the floor in convulsive laughter, I'm still amazed at how people insist on clinging to the same outdated clichés of yore. It's true that at one time, under the mighty Pat Summitt, Tennessee was usually the standard-bearer in tough scheduling. But times have changed. As evidence of "the toughest schedule in the country" she names East Tennessee State, Penn State and Virginia Tech—three teams that finished last season outside the RPI top 100.

Baylor, Texas, Stanford and Notre Dame are of course top-notch competition, but beyond that, the rest of Tennessee's other nonconference schedule can only be described as soft. And the SEC as a whole, much like Tennessee's strength of schedule, ain't what it used to be either.

 

[triaddukefan]

The Big 10

 

[Vowelguy]

#13 Tenn 58-56 heading in to Q4

 

[Vowelguy]

UHart beat BC 65-56. Hawks led 35-13 at one point.
#19 Kentucky off to a strong start over #14 Miami. Up 82-66 with <1 min to go.

 

[Vowelguy]

So far, everyone in the B12, PAC, SEC has won.
The ACC has losses for BC and Miami (the latter being understandable given that it was @#19 Ky).

And then there's the Big 10. Where FIVE teams lost to non-P5 opponents.
Drexel 83 Penn St 60
Marshall 55 Illinois 53
Chatt 66 Rutgers 53
Maine 67 Purdue 47
Charlotte 63 Wisconsin 48

WOW

 

[Plebe]

#13 Tenn 58-56 heading in to Q4

After spending the entire second half training by single digits, JM finally tied the game at 62 early in the 4th quarter. Not long after that, Jaime Nared, after leading the Vols in scoring, fouled out. But that was amidst a 9-0 scoring run and it looks like Tennessee is now coasting to the win, up 74-63 with 5 minutes to go.

Alexa Middleton has been very big off the bench for Tennessee. JM's Precious Hall of has something like 35 points. Without her this close game would've been a blowout. But she was only 2 of 8 from the free throw line, and JM as a team was 6 of 16. Ouch.

 

[Kaizen]

TN 74, JMU 63
JMU Hall has 35 pts, 3 pts 7-12 ...

 

[Plebe]

UHart beat BC 65-56. Hawks led 35-13 at one point.
#19 Kentucky off to a strong start over #14 Miami. Up 82-66 with <1 min to go.

This was a single-digit game almost the entire way, and a 5-point game with about 3:30 to go. Then Kentucky just blew it open (or Miami fell apart, depending on how you look at it).

My sense of this game, from what I watched of it, was that this was a sloppy game between two overrated teams from two overrated conferences. But hey, what do I know, and besides it's only November 11.

 

[Plebe]

So far, everyone in the B12, PAC, SEC has won.
The ACC has losses for BC and Miami (the latter being understandable given that it was @#19 Ky).

And then there's the Big 10. Where FIVE teams lost to non-P5 opponents.
Drexel 83 Penn St 60
Marshall 55 Illinois 53
Chatt 66 Rutgers 53
Maine 67 Purdue 47
Charlotte 63 Wisconsin 48

WOW

Maine had "trap game" written all over it for Purdue, but wow: what a show of offensive ineptitude. Outscored 25-6 in the first quarter and just never recovered. Not gonna win many games scoring less than 50.

Maine was a good team last year, going 15-1 in conference and missing the NCAA tournament by a one-point loss to a very good Albany team in the America East final. But Maine supposedly graduated a lot. I see in one article that 2 of Maine's top 3 scorers from today are freshmen from Spain.

Purdue was a bubble team last year, narrowly missing an at-large bid, but was supposed to be returning most of its key pieces. Not a great way to start for them.

 

[mainejeff]

Maine had "trap game" written all over it for Purdue, but wow: what a show of offensive ineptitude. Outscored 25-6 in the first quarter and just never recovered. Not gonna win many games scoring less than 50.

Maine was a good team last year, going 15-1 in conference last year and missing the NCAA tournament by a one-point loss to a very good Albany team in the America East final. But Maine supposedly graduated a lot. I see in one article that 2 of Maine's top 3 scorers from today are freshmen from Spain.

Maine has some great Euro frosh this season. Catch them tomorrow night on ESPN3 vs. #10 Mississippi State.

 

[Plebe]

So far, everyone in the B12, PAC, SEC has won.
The ACC has losses for BC and Miami (the latter being understandable given that it was @#19 Ky).

And then there's the Big 10. Where FIVE teams lost to non-P5 opponents.
Drexel 83 Penn St 60
Marshall 55 Illinois 53
Chatt 66 Rutgers 53
Maine 67 Purdue 47
Charlotte 63 Wisconsin 48

WOW

To be fair, of the five losses sustained by the Big 10 today, only the Purdue-Maine game can really be described as an upset. Wisconsin and Illinois were in last year's competition for Worst P5 Team in the Country, right along with Boston College. Penn State wasn't too much better, and they graduated some of their best players (including Banks).

 

[Plebe]

Today's GW vs Georgetown game is on College Sports Live at 7:00 PM.
Here's a link to the A10 TV schedule:
Live Events - Atlantic 10 Conference Official Athletic Site

On a sad note, Rizzotti's GW was up by 8 after three quarters but had a nightmare of a 4th quarter, getting outscored 32-9 and coming away with a 15-point loss. Damn.

 

[Vowelguy]

To be fair, of the five losses sustained by the Big 10 today, only the Purdue-Maine game can really be described as an upset. Wisconsin and Illinois were in last year's competition for Worst P5 Team in the Country, right along with Boston College. Penn State wasn't too much better, and they graduated some of their best players (including Banks).

"Don't worry folks, this wasn't an upset. We just stink."

 

[BroadwayVa]

#13 Tenn 58-56 heading in to Q4

Just drove through JMU and past the Convo Center ---lots of cars---n0 mention of who JmU was playing--When they played MD it was announced for 2 weeks ahead of schedule.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Maine has some great Euro frosh this season. Catch them tomorrow night on ESPN3 vs. #10 Mississippi State.

They import them from Canada--

 

[mainejeff]

They import them from Canada--

We do?

 

[BroadwayVa]

We do?

Maine imported them starting in the early 1600's . When Northern Maine was Arcadia (changed to Acadia)

Obviously, I was kidding--hopefully the foreign players will help push Maine up into top 20.

 

[easttexastrash]

An 80+ victory over Houston Baptist is nothing to brag about and I hate those sorts of blowouts. But even against a bad team you can see how the players are already adapting.

Kalani Brown is a beast in the paint. She can finish with either hand this year and when she gets position she is not going to be moved out. Jones looks tremendous running the team and is an offensive threat from anywhere on the court.

With all the height that Baylor has the high/low post game is a major threat. All of the post players have good hands so they pull in just about any high pass and are good at finishing without bringing the ball down.

Alexis Prince finally looks like the player I have been expecting to see. At 6-2 she is so long on the perimeter that it is hard to shoot or pass against her.

 

[Orangutan]

An 80+ victory over Houston Baptist is nothing to brag about and I hate those sorts of blowouts. But even against a bad team you can see how the players are already adapting.

I legitimately did not know that there was a school called Houston Baptist until last night. Maybe that's my own ignorance.[/QUOTE]

 

[Plebe]

I legitimately did not know that there was a school called Houston Baptist until last night. Maybe that's my own ignorance.

[/QUOTE]

Known locally as HBU. Was an NAIA school for many years; just in the last five years or so made the jump to Division I.