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djsalway

Around the Country (11/15-11/21)

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Here we take a look at what is going on around the country and Big Ten.Around the Country:

It was an exciting week with some big time talent in Chicago for the Champions Classic. It was the first time that a national audience got a glimpse of talents like Julius Randle, Andrew Wiggins, and Jabari Parker on the college level. Along with that, there were numerous great matchups that were a part of the ESPN Tip-Off Marathon, which provided close games all day long. This season is already setting up to be a great one, with countless story lines that will continue during the next few months. Wooden Award candidate Doug McDermott had a 37 point game. Kevin Ware should be making his return to a regular season game pretty soon after a horrendous injury in last year’s Elite Eight. In the end, the freshman are going to take over most storylines this season because the upcoming NBA Draft is looking like it will be one of the best drafts in history. Here we go, folks, the season is underway.

Let’s take a look back to the highlighted games of the past week:

(18) Connecticut Huskies 78, Maryland Terrapins 77
Wrap Up: Shabazz Napier led the Huskies with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, en route to a close matchup with the Terrapins. After being up 12 at halftime, the Huskies had a little bit of a letup which allowed Maryland to climb back in it. Dez Wells had two chances to win the game in the final minute, but missed on both opportunities.

Georgetown Hoyas 75, (19) Oregon Ducks 82
Wrap Up: Although the Ducks were missing two of their five starters (Carter and Artis) to suspension, they were able to pull out the win in South Korea for the Armed Forces Classic. Josh Smith, transfer from UCLA, led the Hoyas with 25 points, but it was not enough to top the electrifying Ducks. It was a great way to honor our Army members on Veterans Day weekend.

North Carolina State Wolfpack 57, Cincinnati Bearcats 68
Wrap Up: Sean Kilpatrick and Justin Jackson led the charge for the Bearcats in this low-scoring affair. Jackson ended with a double-double and Kilpatrick had a game-high 21 points. With the loss of important players from last year’s squad, the Wolfpack struggled to score for much of the game. Both teams will find a way to be solid teams come tournament time.

(14) Virginia Commonwealth Rams 59, (25) Virginia Cavaliers 56
Wrap Up: Treveon Graham led the Rams with 22 points with a 30 foot three pointer to win the game with approximately one second left. It was a game filled with emotion, competing for the best team in the state. The Rams “Havoc” full-court pressure forced 20 turnovers which ultimately led to the demise of the Cavaliers.

(5) Kansas Jayhawks 94, (4) Duke Blue Devils 83
Wrap Up: This was a battle of the number one freshman against the number two freshman. Jabari Parker impressed throughout with his shooting, athleticism, and poise. Andrew Wiggins ended with a quiet 22 points and a double-double by adding 10 rebounds. This was a fantastic game, but the Kansas squad ran away with it in the second half. Both of these teams will be making runs in March.

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

Robert Morris University vs. (1) University of Kentucky
Date and Time: November 17 @ 7 PM
Television Coverage: ESPN2
Preview: Kentucky is looking for revenge in this one. Last year, they had to play at Robert Morris in the opening round of the NIT because of scheduling conflicts with Rupp Arena. Kentucky ended up losing that game, one of the biggest upsets of the year, even though it didn’t really matter at all. This year, Kentucky is much better with arguably the best recruiting class in history. They get to play in Rupp Arena this year. Sorry about this one guys, but it won’t even be close. Robert Morris got lucky last year and they will need a lot more of it to come away with a win in this one.

( 13 ) Memphis University vs. ( 8 ) Oklahoma State University
Date and Time: November 19 @ 8 PM
Television Coverage: ESPN
Preview: Here is yet another big time matchup between ranked teams early in the season. Although it can be argued that Memphis shouldn’t be ranked this high and that Oklahoma State, with the return of LeBryan Nash and Marcus Smart, should be ranked higher. So far, Oklahoma State has started off 2-0 with two complete blowouts. Oklahoma State is good this year, so I fully expect them to come away with this one, but Memphis is always sneaky. They could come away with this one if they play a perfect game. Either way, it’ll be worth watching.

(19) University of Connecticut vs. Boston College
Date and Time: November 21 @ 7 PM
Television Coverage: ESPN2
Preview: This game is a part of the 2K Sports Classic in New York City at Madison Square Garden. The winner of this matchup will play the winner of the game between Indiana University and the University of Washington, which is why this game is so important. Connecticut has one of the best backcourts in the nation and they are going to be a very solid team this year, but Boston College has an elite guard/scorer in Olivier Hanlan. In my opinion, this one could go either way. Both games in this tournament will be fun to watch and the final will be even better.


Around the Big Ten:

The conference looks really good again; possibly still the best in the nation. Indiana has started its season with an easy win, followed by a much tougher victory. Mitch McGary is still out with a back injury, but Michigan has found their groove. Michigan State is shaping into a national title contender with their unique blend of talent and experience. Wisconsin has had a couple of quality wins in the past week and they are looking for more. Ohio State has controlled both of their opponents with no problem. To put it simply, every Big Ten team is undefeated thus far, except for Penn State after their loss to Bucknell. It’s looking like this will be another great year for the Big Ten in non-conference play.

Let’s take a look back to the highlighted games of the past week:

St. John’s Red Storm 75, (20) Wisconsin Badgers 86
Wrap Up: This was a very atypical game for the Bo Ryan led Wisconsin Badgers by allowing 75 points. The Badgers were able to withstand a 27 point performance by D’Angelo Harrison of the Red Storm. Wisconsin had five of their players score in double figures on their way to a solid win.

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 55, Nebraska Cornhuskers 79
Wrap Up: Florida Gulf Coast, in their new era of coaching, came out flat in this game and it wasn’t close throughout. Nebraska looked like the better team and a much improved squad over a year ago, especially without suspended player Ray Gallegos. Florida Gulf Coast looks like they had a little bit of luck last year, but Nebraska looks like a middle of the pack contender in the Big Ten.

(2) Michgan State Spartans 78, (1) Kentucky Wildcats 74
Wrap Up: Coach Calipari said that this game wasn’t fair. Tom Izzo responded by saying the Wildcats should forfeit. I think old Tom got the best of Coach Cal this time. The Spartans took a 10-0 lead just four minutes in, which helped them quite a bit. Keith Appling, Gary Harris, and Adreian Payne led the Spartans charge, while trying to stop Julius Randle of Kentucky. Both teams look like serious title contenders, but Michigan State is the clear favorite to win the Big Ten now after they will take over the number 1 ranking in the upcoming polls.

(11) Florida Gators 53, (20) Wisconsin Badgers 59
Wrap Up: The Gators had a couple important players suspended for this game and the Wisconsin Badgers took advantage. The Badgers played good defense in this game, holding the Gators to 53 points, and had a big game from Sam Dekker, who led with 16 points. Bo Ryan’s team had started off the season with two quality wins over quality opponents, setting them up for yet another great year.

Northwestern Wildcats 59, Stanford Cardinal 71
Wrap Up: The Wildcats were not able to come away with a victory in Palo Alto, as Stanford had a strong second half to pull away. Northwestern, in their first year under Chris Collins, has some key returning members that could help with a run to the NCAA tournament for the first time ever, but they couldn’t win this one; an important résumé builder. Stanford’s star player, Dwight Powell, was held to only 9 points and 3 rebounds, but other members of the Cardinal were able to step up and lead the team to victory in this Power Conference matchup.

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

(10) Ohio State University vs. (17) Marquette University
Date and Time: November 16 @ 1 PM
Television Coverage: FOX
Preview: This is an early season matchup of two teams ranked in the top 20. Marquette lost their leading scorer from last year in Vander Blue, but are still returning key members. Similarly, Ohio State lost their leading scorer in DeShaun Thomas, but have other players such as Aaron Craft, Lenzelle Smith, Jr., LaQuinton Ross, and Shannon Scott. Both teams come into this game at 2-0 looking for a quality win to put on their résumé. This will be a pretty good game with March seeding implications. I’m looking for Ohio State to come away with a win, but it won’t be easy for the Buckeyes.

(7) Michigan University vs. Iowa State University
Date and Time: November 17 @ 5 PM
Television Coverage: ESPN2
Preview: Michigan has a tough time in their first half of the season, but have been dominant since then. Both of these teams were tough teams last year and are returning key players. Iowa State gave Ohio State trouble last year in the tournament and should be just a tough this year if they are able to shoot the ball. Michigan’s biggest questions come in with their point guard play and the health of Mitch McGary, who has yet to play this year with back issues. I’m sure Michigan will end up pulling this one out, but I wouldn’t write the Cyclones off just yet.

Nebraska University vs. University of Massachusetts
Date and Time: November 21 @ 12:30 PM
Television Coverage: ESPNU
Preview: UMass is coming off of two big wins against LSU in the Tip-Off Marathon and Boston College in their opener. This is a really good team that should end at the top of the Atlantic Ten this year, led by point guard Chaz Williams. He is a small point guard, but he is one of the best in the nation. Every one of their other players is extremely athletic and long, which will help them against Nebraska. Ray Gallegos should be back from his suspension for the Cornhuskers, adding another scoring threat. I think the Minutemen will run away with this one, but Nebraska is still a much improved team over last year. UMass is dangerous; watch out for them.

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Robert Morris University vs. (1) University of Kentucky
Date and Time: November 17 @ 7 PM
Television Coverage: ESPN2
Preview: Kentucky is looking for revenge in this one. Last year, they had to play at Robert Morris in the opening round of the NIT because of scheduling conflicts with Rupp Arena. Kentucky ended up losing that game, one of the biggest upsets of the year, even though it didn’t really matter at all. This year, Kentucky is much better with arguably the best recruiting class in history. They get to play in Rupp Arena this year. Sorry about this one guys, but it won’t even be close. Robert Morris got lucky last year and they will need a lot more of it to come away with a win in this one.

 

Disagree with the bolded though. Robert Morris came to play last year, and UK didn't. UK should have won the game, but just didn't want it that bad. 

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[quote name="HoosierReb01" post="17085" timestamp="1384522306"][b][font=times new roman][size=3]Robert Morris University vs. (1) University of Kentucky[/size][/font][/b] [b][font=times Yea I watched that game last year too. Seriously appeared like Kentucky didn't care down the stretch. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

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