Around the Country (11/25)

Around the Country:

Robert Morris Colonials 49, (4) Kentucky Wildcats 87

Wrap Up: Kentucky was able to get the revenge that has been so long awaited. After a year’s worth of jokes about the loss to Robert Morris in last year’s NIT, the Wildcats came out from the beginning and dominated the Colonials. Aaron Harrison had a game-high 28 points and Julius Randle notched his fourth straight double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

(11) Memphis Tigers 80, (7) Oklahoma State Cowboys 101

Wrap Up: Marcus Smart led off this game with 24 points in the first 12 minutes of play, which is ridiculous by college standards. He was on fire from everywhere, even from distance where he hit four three-pointers (his main weakness). Smart ended with a total of 39 points and was unstoppable all night. Memphis has had a reputation of not being able to beat the top teams in the nation, and this only cements that thought. They have struggled to beat any good teams since Calipari left and it won’t be easy this year as they enter a conference with a lot more depth than the C-USA.

(18) Connecticut Huskies 72, Boston College Eagles 70

Wrap Up: The Connecticut Huskies got a great game out of Shabazz Napier, as well as a great tournament. Olivier Hanlan couldn’t get going when he needed to, so the Huskies were able to keep their lead throughout the game. It ended up being a two point game as the Eagles tried to scratch their way back, but it was too much too late.

Here are the games to look out for in the upcoming week (all times Eastern):

(25) Marquette University vs. Arizona State University

Date and Time: November 25 @ 9 PM

Television Coverage: FOX Sports 1

Preview: Marquette is still only a one loss team after their beat down against Ohio State. They should look to bounce back, although Arizona State is coming off of some good wins as well. Jahii Carson has become one of the best scoring guards in the nation and I’m assuming Arizona State will ride him to a victory. Marquette kept their ranking this week even though there was some scrutiny over their spot in the polls. This one should be good.

Alabama University vs. (6) Duke University

Date and Time: November 27 @ 9:30 PM

Television Coverage: ESPN2

Preview: Duke is coming off of a really close victory against Vermont where they won 91-90. Their defense has been struggling this year, especially inside without a rim protector. Alabama may be able to pull this one off, but I think Duke should bounce back and play with more authority after a close win against a sub-par team.

Florida State University vs. (15) University of Florida

Date and Time: November 29 @ 7:30 PM

Television Coverage: ESPN2

Preview: Florida State had a great tournament in the Puerto Rico Tip-off, coming away 2-1 with a win over number 10 VCU. Okaro White and Ian Miller are their two big scorers and should have their way with Florida. The Gators come into this game at 4-1, with their only loss coming against Wisconsin. This is a great in-state rivalry, look for it to be a close one with all of the momentum Florida State carries into it.

(12) Wichita State University vs. Saint Louis University

Date and Time: December 1 @ 1 PM

Television Coverage: CBS Sports Network

Preview: This is a marquee matchup between two of the best teams in mid-major conferences. Wichita State is coming off of a year in which they made the Final Four, led by Cleanthony Early. Saint Louis returns their leading scorer in Dwayne Evans after a breakout season under Coach Jim Crews last year. This game should be a good one, especially since Saint Louis has home-court advantage.

Providence College vs. (3) University of Kentucky

Date and Time: December 1 @ 8 PM

Television Coverage: TBD

Preview: The Providence Friars come into this game undefeated, looking to knock off the Wildcats in order to crack the top 25. Kentucky only has one loss at the hands of Michigan State and have been solid ever since. Providence is led by Kadeem Batts, who will be looking to slow down freshman phenom Julius Randle. Kentucky will most likely win this one by a large margin, but don’t be surprised if the Friars put a little scare into them.

Around the Big Ten:

(8) Ohio State Buckeyes 52, (25) Marquette Golden Eagles 35

Wrap Up: The Ohio State Buckeyes played some fantastic defense en route to a blowout of the Golden Eagles. It was tied at half, but still relatively low-scoring at 19-19. Ohio State then took the lead early in the second half and ran away with it. Shannon Scott and Sam Thompson led the Buckeyes with 13 points and Aaron Craft added 10 assists to the cause. This is a great early season win for the Buckeyes, but likewise is a setback for the Golden Eagles, who were previously ranked 17^th in the AP poll.

(14) Michigan Wolverines 70, (21) Iowa State Cyclones 77

Wrap Up: Michigan big man Mitch McGary made his season debut in this game, but he wasn’t impactful enough to lead the Wolverines to a victory. He added 9 points in limited minutes off of the bench due to foul trouble. Just like the Cyclones gave Ohio State fits in the NCAA tournament last year, they kept fighting back in this game. Multiple times, they got down by a few baskets, but they were able to come right back with their shooting. Melvin Ejim, coming off of the bench after a suspension to start the season, scored 22 points.

Nebraska Cornhuskers 90, Massachusetts Minutemen 96

Wrap Up: I was very impressed by Nebraska’s Terran Petteway, as he led the team in points. Other than that, there wasn’t much to Nebraska’s team. They were down the whole game, but made it close at the end. With UMass on a roll, there was no stopping them. UMass ended up winning the whole tournament (Charleston Classic). UMass is led by a scrappy little point guard, Chaz Williams, and the whole team is very athletic. They will be in the top 25 all year and possibly win the A-10.

Here are the games to look out for in the upcoming week (all times Eastern):

Minnesota University vs. (8) Syracuse University

Date and Time: November 25 @ 5:30 PM

Television Coverage: ESPN2

Preview: Minnesota comes into this game undefeated, as does Syracuse. This game is a part of the 2013 EA Sports Maui Invitational. Syracuse’s zone will be stout against a team like Minnesota, but it has had its problems. As long as the Hollins’ from Minnesota can penetrate the zone, Minnesota should be able to put up points. Syracuse has struggled against lesser opponents, but I think they show up on the big stage. Syracuse by double-digits.

Saint Louis University vs. (10) University of Wisconsin

Date and Time: November 26 @ 8:30 PM

Television Coverage: CBS Sports Network

Preview: Another big game for Saint Louis and Dwayne Evans, this one before the matchup with Wichita State. Saint Louis will be looking to get a solid win to put on their résumé, while Wisconsin is trying to continue to stay undefeated. This should be a good one, but Wisconsin has been way too hot of late. Dwayne Evans is going to have to step up and score a lot of points. In the end, Wisconsin wins easily.

(5) Oklahoma State University vs. Purdue University

Date and Time: November 28 @ 12 PM

Television Coverage: TBD

Preview: With the way Purdue has been playing against inferior opponents, I don’t see any way they can even keep this one close. After Oklahoma State blew out Memphis last week, they look like a lock to stay in the top ten the rest of the year. Purdue is going to need to score lots of points, because there is no way that they can stop Marcus Smart and company.

Xavier University vs. (23) University of Iowa

Date and Time: November 28 @ 7 PM

Television Coverage: NBC Sports Network

Preview: Iowa is now ranked for the first time this year, looking to build upon that with a win over Xavier of the new Big East. Semaj Christon is beginning to look like a first round pick and becoming the leader of Xavier. Iowa has returned most of their important players from a year ago, and should be able to win this one at home.

Northwestern University vs. (19) University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA)

Date and Time: November 29 @ 11:30 PM

Television Coverage: ESPN2

Preview: After losing to Stanford earlier this year, the Wildcats of Northwestern will head back to the west coast to take on the UCLA Bruins. Northwestern is trying to get a big win on their schedule to help with their prospects for the NCAA tournament. After a coaching change, they have looked decent, but will need a great non-conference season for any hope. UCLA is way too powerful for the Wildcats, though, so this won’t be too pretty.