Mid-Major Men's Basketball Game Breakdowns 11/11 - 11/13
Fairfield vs. Quinnipiac, Friday November 11th, 5:30
Uconn is not the only team in the state of Connecticut eyeing a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Opening day may be a little early to start looking at the NCAA Tournament, but both Fairfield and Quinnipiac are among the favorites in the Metro Atlantic and Northeast Conference, respectively. For Fairfield, the favorite in this game, they are breaking in a couple transfers in Desmond Wade from Houston and Rakim Sanders from Boston College. It will be interesting to see how those two fit in with all of the returning talent in new coach Sydney Johnson’s Princeton offense.
Belmont at Duke, Friday November 11th, 9:00 ET
Upset special on day one in Durham. Duke has some players to replace and they are a pretty young team. It will take some time for the Blue Devils to gain the form that has them ranked #5 in the College Sports Madness Top 144 preseason rankings. Belmont, on the other hand, is a veteran squad that is coming off of a 30-5 season. Now is the time for an experienced squad to play Duke and this could be a very, very interesting game in front of a national television audience.
Oral Roberts at West Virginia, Friday November 11th, 9:00 ET
Like Belmont, Oral Roberts is a very experienced team that is expected to battle for the top spot in their conference. The Golden Eagles return all five starters from a year ago and Michael Craion, who missed last season with an injury but was a starter back in 2009-2010. The ORU frontcourt might actually outplay the inexperienced West Virginia forwards. If Oral Roberts wins the battle on the glass, the Mountaineers could start their season off on a losing note.
Chattanooga at Indiana, Sunday November 13th, 5:00 ET
Chattanooga may not be as talented as Indiana, but they may not be as far behind as many think. However, if Chattanooga wants to pull off the upset, it will be with senior leadership. The Mocs return four senior starters and have a lot more girth and depth in the frontcourt than they did last season. Omar Wattad and Ricky Taylor are two of the best players in the Southern Conference and they can score with IU. The problem for Chattanooga will be the enthusiasm around the Hoosiers team this year. This is supposed to be the season Indiana gets back to their winning ways. Losing at home to Chattanooga would not be a good way to start.
Boston U at Texas, Sunday November 13th, 7:00 ET
Boston University has high hopes for Coach Joe Jones during his first season with the Terriers. This is not a team that will likely win at Texas, but there could be signs that point to how good Boston U will be this season as they vie for an America East title. The big issue is replacing John Holland and his 19.2 points per game. Darryl Partin and Jake O’Brien can score, but keep an eye on Matt Griffin. If he can consistently score in double figures, BU will make a serious run at the top spot in the America East.
Men's Basketball Games of the Week and Tournament Breakdowns Page
