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Message: [QUOTE="Hey Adrien!, post: 4097839, member: 5787"] Here's my Saturday and Sunday Viewing Preview. Between my sister's birthday and a quinceanera, my Saturday is pretty booked, so please enjoy these matchups on my behalf: [B]Saturday Morning Coffee Game,[/B] 11:30 PM Friday: Villanova @ UCLA - ESPN2 Cronin’s defense against The Suit’s beautiful offense…get your popcorn ready (or Corn Pops, for morning watchers like myself). [B]12 PM:[/B] Coppin State @ UConn - FS2: Fun reminder…Coppin State’s coach is Juan Dixon. [B]1 PM:[/B] Harvard @ Iona - ESPN3: It was a ton of fun watching a live game in New Rochelle on Thursday! A “palpable buzz” w/ Pitino at the helm as he had the loudest applause during pre-game lineup announcements, even from the student section. SMU grad transfer Tyson Jolly (19 points in debut)` immediately jumps in as their heart-and-soul leader as a physical lead guard while their three-man front court trio of Nelly Junior Joseph (big low post bruiser) and their stretch bigs Quinn Slazinski (Louisville transfer) and Dylan van Eyck will make Iona a force in the MAAC. Harvard is more of an unknown after a year off from Covid, but they’ve been a top Ivy team since Amaker has taken over. Boiling the matchup down to coaches: Pitino vs Amaker is a hell of a mid-major matchup. Definitely should be a good game and a worthy watch after the UConn game. [B]2 PM[/B] Colgate @ NC State - ESPN+: Upset alert: Four starters return from last year’s Colgate team, led by first team Patriot Leaguers Nelly Cummings and Tucker Richardson. NC State returns a meh offensive tea, and their elite rim protector, Manny Bates (2.7 bpg) is out for the year. I’m checking the spread on this one. [B]4 PM[/B] Saint Peter’s @ St. John’s - FS2: This is going to be a fun game w/ two tenacious defensive teams. Saint Peter’s KD Ndefo is arguably one of the best defensive players in the country averaging 1.4 steals and 3.6 blocks last season. Posh is a punishing defensive bully, but Saint Peter’s doesn’t have that “one guy” for Posh to glue himself to. I’m checking the spread on this one. [B]7 PM:[/B] Eastern Kentucky @ Milwaukee - ESPN+: EKU is one of the fastest teams in the country and Milwaukee has Patrick Baldwin, so definitely an interesting mid-major match-up. Ohio @ Cleveland State - ESPN+: Ohio started the season w/ a big win over Belmont. Cleveland State coach Dennis Gates has a bright high-major future, but right now in the present, he’s coaching an [I]old [/I]team w/ eight seniors/grads in his rotation. [B]9 PM:[/B] Boise State @ UC Irvine - ESPN+: One of the best MWC teams vs the best team in the Big West. The do-everything Kevin Durant clone Derrick Alston graduated, but Boise State boasts a strong trio of senior/grad wings in Abu Kigab, Devonaire Doutrive and Emmanual Akot, all three former Pac-12 players. UC Irvine runs through 6’9 senior Collin Welp, a mid-range technician. Caron’s son, JC, is a rotation guy and potential starter. [B]10:30 PM:[/B] Texas @ Gonzaga - ESPN2: This will be my “Sunday Morning Coffee” game before yard work. The amount of talent in the front court is insane: Timme, Holmgren, Mitchell, Disu, Bishop… [B]SUNDAY: Noon:[/B] Yale @ Seton Hall - FS1: Potentially an interesting game, but even though Yale should be one of, if not, the best team in the Ivy, I’m not confident they will be gelled together after a year off. Greenwich’s Jack Molloy is a big part of Yale’s future and will be an interesting prospect to see develop [B]1 PM:[/B] Florida State @ Florida - ESPN: Great opening weekend in-state game. Leonard Hamilton is one of my favorite coaches and it seems like he’s never rebuilding, just retooling. Houston transfer Caleb Mills will be a big scoring boost while the top-30 freshman wing duo of Matthew Cleveland and Jalen Warley will be exciting to see how they fit in Hamilton’s system. Florida won the Myreon Jones sweepstakes and are a team mostly built by transfers. I don’t think he’s playing Sunday, but I wish Keyontae Johnson a speedy recovery. Hope to see him on the court soon. [B]3 PM: [/B] South Dakota State @ Stephen F. Austin- ESPN+: Very good mid-major matchup. South Dakota State is arguably the top team in the Summit, returning FIVE double-digit scorers, three of which averaged 15+ last season. SDSU has good size too: their starting lineup clocks in at 6’4, 6’4, 6’6, 6’7 and 6’8. SFA, the former Southland stud, is entering its first year in the WAC and should be a top-tier team thanks to three of their best players returning for a fifth year. Gavin Kensmil is their stud, a 6’7 260 monster in the post. SFA is known for two things: causing turnovers (3rd in nation last year) and offensive rebounding (7th in nation). [/QUOTE]

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