Week 1 games (Nov. 25-29)

[Plebe]

There are quite a few intriguing games in just these first five days of this very odd season. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday have particularly full slates.

For this weekly docket, I generally try to include the top 25 teams (BY25 ranking listed here) plus those receiving votes, along with any other compelling matchups. My subjective picks for games of the day are noted in bold. All times are Eastern time zone.

Sun., Nov. 29

Florida at Florida State (12p, ACCN). Postponed.
Western Carolina at Duke (12p, ACCN). Rescheduled from 2pm and moved to ACCN.
Eastern Kentucky at #5 Louisville (1p, ACCNX)
High Point at North Carolina (1p, ACCNX)

Northern Arizona at #7 Arizona (2p, Arizona Live Stream)
Radford NC Central at #6 NC State (2p, ACCNX). NC Central is a last-minute stand-in for COVID-stricken Radford.
#21 Syracuse at Stony Brook (2p, ESPN+)
Georgia at Georgia Tech (2p, ACCN)
Southern at Kansas State (2p, ESPN+)
Marquette at North Dakota (2p, ND Insider)
#23 Missouri State vs. Wake Forest (2:30p, FloHoops). Gulf Coast Showcase.

#1 South Carolina vs. #20 Gonzaga (3p, FloHoops). From Sioux Falls. Rescheduled from Monday.
Villanova at Quinnipiac (3p, ESPN+)
Missouri at Saint Louis (3p, ESPN+)
Houston at Alabama (3p, SECN+)
North Texas at #22 Texas (3p, LHN)
Oklahoma vs. #1 South Carolina (3:30p, FloHoops). Canceled.

Jackson State at #8 Mississippi State (4p). Last-minute addition to schedule.
Belmont at #11 Kentucky (4p, SECN)
Miami (OH) at #23 Notre Dame (4p, ACCN)
Duquesne at #25 Ohio State (4p)
#13 Arkansas vs. #12 Maryland (5:30p, FloHoops). Gulf Coast Showcase.
#20 Gonzaga vs. South Dakota (6p, FloHoops). Rescheduled to 3:00 p.m. Monday.
Pacific at #2 Stanford (7p). Canceled.
#10 UCLA at Pepperdine (7p, live stream). Postponed.

== == ==

Games already played:


Wed., Nov. 25

Monmouth at Rutgers (11a, BTN+). Postponed until Nov. 27.
Charleston at #1 South Carolina (12p, SECN+)
Oral Roberts at #13 Arkansas (12p, SECN+)
Longwood at Duke (12p, ACCN). The debut of head coach Kara Lawson.
Central Michigan at Michigan (12:30p, BTN+). Intriguing in-state matchup.

Murray State at #11 Kentucky (1p, SECN+)
Lamar at #14 Texas A&M (1p, SECN+)
Omaha at #17 Iowa State (1p, ESPN+)
Houston at Oklahoma (1p, Fox Sports Southwest)
Liberty at Ohio (1p)
Radford at North Carolina (1p, ACCNX)
Eastern Kentucky at #15 Indiana (1:30p, BTN+)

Cal Poly at #2 Stanford (2p, Stanford Live Stream)
North Florida at #6 NC State (2p, ACCN)
UT Rio Grande Valley at Texas Tech (2p, ESPN+). Krista Gerlich’s debut on the Tech sideline.
SMU at #22 Texas (2p, LHN). Vic Schaefer’s debut on the “Forty Acres.”
#5 Louisville at Southeast Missouri State (3p, ESPN+)
Drake at Creighton (4p, Jays Video)
CSU Fullerton at #10 UCLA (5p, UCLA Live Stream). Postponed.

Akron at #25 Ohio State (6p, BTN+)
Stephen F. Austin at Arizona State (6p, ASU Live Stream-2)
Georgia at Mercer (6p, ESPN+)
Virginia at UCF (6p, ESPN+). Major opportunity for UCF to knock off a P5 team.
Loyola Marymount at USC (6p, USC Live Stream)
Northern Iowa at Iowa (7:30p, BTN+). UNI is a strong mid-major team; could be a challenge for Iowa.
Central Arkansas at #4 Baylor (8p, ESPN+)
Washington vs. San Diego State (10p, FloHoops). South Point Thanksgiving Shootout, Las Vegas.


Fri., Nov. 27

Monmouth at Rutgers (11a, BTN+). Game rescheduled from Nov. 25.
#13 Arkansas vs. Wake Forest (11:30a, FloHoops). Gulf Coast Showcase, Fort Myers FL.
#23 Notre Dame at Ohio (12p, ESPN+). Ohio has been an up-and-coming team in the MAC.
#12 Maryland vs. Davidson (2:30p, FloHoops). Gulf Coast Showcase.
Northwestern State at #4 Baylor (3p, ESPN+)

#23 Missouri State at Florida Gulf Coast (5:30p, FloHoops). Gulf Coast Showcase.
Michigan at Oakland (6p, ESPN+)
CSU Fullerton at #10 UCLA (7p, UCLA Live Stream). Rescheduled from Wednesday.
North Alabama at Missouri (7p)
Alabama at Lipscomb (8p, ESPN+)
LSU vs. BYU (9:30p, paid live stream). South Point Thanksgiving Shootout, Las Vegas.

Sat., Nov. 28

#5 Louisville at Cincinnati (2p, ESPN+). Canceled.
Liberty at Virginia Tech (2p, ACCNX)
Old Dominion at George Washington (2p, ESPN+). Head coaching debut of DeLisha Milton-Jones.
Western Kentucky at Tennessee (2p, SECN)
Drake at Green Bay (2p, ESPN3)
Creighton at Northern Iowa (2p, ESPN+)
Rice at Little Rock (2p, ESPN+)

A fantastic slate of 5 games on Saturday afternoon (but some require a pricey fee for viewing):
#13 Arkansas at Florida Gulf Coast (2:30p, Flo Hoops). Gulf Coast Showcase.
#17 Iowa State at South Dakota State (3p, ESPN3). Great matchup.
#1 South Carolina vs. South Dakota (3:30p, FloHoops). Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, Sioux Falls SD.
Seattle U at #9 Oregon (4p, Oregon Live Stream). Rescheduled from 2 p.m.
#14 Texas A&M at #19 DePaul (5p, DePaul All-Access)
#23 Missouri State vs. #12 Maryland (5:30p, FloHoops). Gulf Coast Showcase.

Oklahoma vs. #20 Gonzaga (6p, FloHoops). Crossover Classic. Canceled.
West Virginia vs. LSU (6:45p, paid live stream). South Point Thanksgiving Shootout.
BYU vs. Washington (9:30p, paid live stream). South Point Thanksgiving Shootout.

 

[SECbbfan24]

I just read that Ursin, Smith, Bickle, T. Oliver, and J Oliver will start for Baylor tomorrow. Some of The starters must have pissed Kim off or something

 

[Baylor1994]

I just read that Bickle, T. Oliver, and J Oliver will start for Baylor tomorrow. The starters must have pissed Kim off or something

Yes they did but I don’t know what happened but I’m happy for bickle and the 2 Olivers

 

[Plebe]

I just read that Ursin, Smith, Bickle, T. Oliver, and J Oliver will start for Baylor tomorrow. Some of The starters must have pissed Kim off or something

And now we know why Kim schedules the likes of Central Arkansas

How is LSU looking for this season, in the post-Ayana era? I'm curious to see how they fare against BYU.

 

[JDuro]

Kudos to ACCN putting a WBB DH on their air. Just another example why ACCN is a far superior network to the SECN.

 

[SECbbfan24]

And now we know why Kim schedules the likes of Central Arkansas

How is LSU looking for this season, in the post-Ayana era? I'm curious to see how they fare against BYU.

I think there are significant questions. Mitchell had been the heart and soul of our team for years as she provided so many extra opportunities rebounding and she opened things up for her teammates. I'm excited about the JUCO kid we brought in, Sarah Shematsi. We have to be able to shoot the 3 ball better. We likely shoot it a little better this year but not sure how much. Nikki seems to think we have the shooters this year but she seems more lip service as always. She said we were dramatically improved from the free throw line last fall and it ended up being a disaster

Aifuwa has to stay out of foul trouble. LSU cannot afford to be missing a body like that in the paint. She has a history of committing and picking up bad fouls.

I don't think this squad is that good but don't think we are disastrously bad either. Probably finish middle of the pack as usual. Likely upset a team or two just from playing hard defense and then likely drop a game or two we shouldn't due to bad offense or allowing a team to get hot from 3 with our matchup zone (see Missouri game last year)

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Thanks for doing this.

So the Southpoint tourney is on, hey. Some year I wouldn't mind attending, that is our hotel of choice in Vegas (it is where my wife has attended several annual glass shows and taken classes). The arena is not large and mostly used for horse and rodeo events. In fact, we attended a trick horse show there with my wife's glass mentor, whose other half owns a herd of riding horses.

Of course, we are talking next year at the earliest.

 

[Dwilliams02]

I think there are significant questions. Mitchell had been the heart and soul of our team for years as she provided so many extra opportunities rebounding and she opened things up for her teammates. I'm excited about the JUCO kid we brought in, Sarah Shematsi. We have to be able to shoot the 3 ball better. We likely shoot it a little better this year but not sure how much. Nikki seems to think we have the shooters this year but she seems more lip service as always. She said we were dramatically improved from the free throw line last fall and it ended up being a disaster

Aifuwa has to stay out of foul trouble. LSU cannot afford to be missing a body like that in the paint. She has a history of committing and picking up bad fouls.

I don't think this squad is that good but don't think we are disastrously bad either. Probably finish middle of the pack as usual. Likely upset a team or two just from playing hard defense and then likely drop a game or two we shouldn't due to bad offense or allowing a team to get hot from 3 with our matchup zone (see Missouri game last year)

I been hearing too many roars about the freshman Ajae Petty. Looks likes her and Shemasti will be big newcomers

 

[triaddukefan]

Some interesting tidbits from the Duke site.... Duke is 38-10 all time vs members of the Big South (I keep telling Plebe that the Big South is a rough and tumble league) though Duke has won the last 37 against the big south .... 4-8 vs the mighty Camels of Campbell.. and 2-2 vs the powerful Panthers from High Point. Duke returns just 37.7% of their scoring from last season... the lowest total in program history.

The Lancers have arguably the best backcourt in the Big South... I saw them play in person last year vs HPU... and they were a scrappy bunch. If our former coach was still coaching... I'd be nervous about the game.... but I expect a tight first half... with Duke pulling away comfortably in the second half.

 

[SECbbfan24]

I been hearing too many roars about the freshman Ajae Petty. Looks likes her and Shemasti will be big newcomers

LSU will certainly be very lengthy and disruptive defensively this year. Their ability to hit outside shots and how they all come together will be the question. For the love of god, please make free throws, its painful watching them shoot almost 50% from the line most games.

 

[Plebe]

LSU will certainly be very lengthy and disruptive defensively this year. Their ability to hit outside shots and how they all come together will be the question. For the love of god, please make free throws, its painful watching them shoot almost 50% from the line most games.

Lol LSU last year probably had the ugliest free throw shooting I've ever seen in a D1 team. Not just misses but downright clunkers.

 

[eebmg]

Some interesting tidbits from the Duke site.... Duke is 38-10 all time vs members of the Big South (I keep telling Plebe that the Big South is a rough and tumble league) though Duke has won the last 37 against the big south .... 4-8 vs the mighty Camels of Campbell.. and 2-2 vs the powerful Panthers from High Point. Duke returns just 37.7% of their scoring from last season... the lowest total in program history.

The Lancers have arguably the best backcourt in the Big South... I saw them play in person last year vs HPU... and they were a scrappy bunch. If our former coach was still coaching... I'd be nervous about the game.... but I expect a tight first half... with Duke pulling away comfortably in the second half.

Since I surprisingly get ACC, I am looking at this game. Trying to get some info on Longwood, found this article reinforcing @triaddukefan asessment of their back court

The sophomore guard McMakin, who was also named to the 2020 All Big South First Team, was picked to earn the distinction again in the 2020-21 Big South preseason poll.

• Senior point guard Tra'Dayja Smith was named to the preseason watch list for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which honors the nation's top point guard, becoming the first in Longwood history and second in Big South history to be recognized on this list.

Longwood Set to Open 2020-21 Season at Duke - Longwood University Athletics

The Lancers travel to Durham, N.C. for season opener with Blue Devils

longwoodlancers.com

 

[Baylor1994]

Today is the day! Going to spend the whole day watching men’s and women’s basketball! Sic’em Bears!

 

[LoTrader]

Today is a HUGE day for Women's College Basketball and their fans!

 

[LETTERL]

Today is the day! Going to spend the whole day watching men’s and women’s basketball! Sic’em Bears!

Same here. NC State women at 2 pm...NC State men at 8 pm. So glad college hoops season is here.

8 days until the Wolfpack Women's showdown with South Carolina.

 

[Centerstream]

@Plebe a most excellent thread that you have posted. It is great to have all the necessary information concerning this opening weekend's game in one place!!! The only thing missing (obviously not due to you) is our Huskies .
Well done and much appreciated!!!!

 

[Baylor1994]

Same here. NC State women at 2 pm...NC State men at 8 pm. So glad college hoops season is here.

8 days until the Wolfpack Women's showdown with South Carolina.

That would be a good game! I really like NC states team this year! I was rooting for them last year during the ACC tournament. Glad they won it.

 

[ConnecticutBB]

Can anyone help me with understanding the different networks..
I get the ACC...is the ACC+ the same?
I get the SEC...is the SEC+ the same?

 

[Plebe]

Not the most auspicious start to opening day. This was posted about 10 minutes before the scheduled game time, for what would've been the first game of the 2020-21 season:

 

[j66kicker]

Can anyone help me with understanding the different networks..
I get the ACC...is the ACC+ the same?
I get the SEC...is the SEC+ the same?

In both cases the “+” indicates it’s the online streaming version of the network. You can stream anything that’s on the regular ACC or SEC TV networks. But when it’s listed as the “+” version that usually means it’s ONLY on the streaming version.

 

[DaBball]

The Notre Dame injury bug appears to have gone nowhere:

 

[Lorcan]

On the bright side, it’ll be good to see Prohaska play again. She’s fought hard to be back here.

 

[Plebe]

Can anyone help me with understanding the different networks..
I get the ACC...is the ACC+ the same?
I get the SEC...is the SEC+ the same?

In both cases the “+” indicates it’s the online streaming version of the network. You can stream anything that’s on the regular ACC or SEC TV networks. But when it’s listed as the “+” version that usually means it’s ONLY on the streaming version.

To piggyback onto @j66kicker 's excellent summation: SEC Network and ACC Network are the "main" conference networks, and their content is professionally produced by the respective network. SEC Network+ and ACC Network Extra, meanwhile, allow them to show multiple other contests simultaneously — albeit usually campus-produced, with much lower production values — in addition to the flagship network programming.

How this translates in practical terms to your viewing depends partly on your provider. Some providers allocate a separate channel or channels to these "plus" conference networks, which can make it a lot easier for you to browse and view the content. Otherwise, you'll need to find another way to stream it.

Edit to add: The good news, though, is that having access to SECN and ACCN gives you automatic access to the streaming-only platforms. Not so with the Big Ten Network, as access to BTN+ requires a separate (and not inexpensive) subscription.

 

[triaddukefan]

 

[eebmg]

To piggyback onto @j66kicker 's excellent summation: SEC Network and ACC Network are the "main" conference networks, and their content is professionally produced by the respective network. SEC Network+ and ACC Network Extra, meanwhile, allow them to show multiple other contests simultaneously — albeit usually campus-produced, with much lower production values — in addition to the flagship network programming.

How this translates in practical terms to your viewing depends partly on your provider. Some providers allocate a separate channel or channels to these "plus" conference networks, which can make it a lot easier for you to browse and view the content. Otherwise, you'll need to find another way to stream it.

Edit to add: The good news, though, is that having access to SECN and ACCN gives you automatic access to the streaming-only platforms. Not so with the Big Ten Network, as access to BTN+ requires a separate (and not inexpensive) subscription.

At least in my case, I can get the SECN+ and ACCN+ through the free WatchESPN portal since my provider carries ACCN and SECN