Mid-Major Games of the Week 11/14-11/17
Murray State at Morgan State, Monday November 14th, 7:00 ET
Murray State will get their first real test of the season on Monday night as they travel to MEAC favorite Morgan State. The Racers were led by Donte Poole and Isaiah Cannon in their season opening winner over NAIA’s Harris-Stowe. Murray State is among the favorites in the Ohio Valley Conference, but this is the type of game they need to play well in if they hope to compete with teams like Austin Peay for a conference crown. Morgan State, meanwhile, played against Xavier on Friday and hung around with the Musketeers for 40 full minutes. The Golden Bears have a brutal schedule and this is one of their few chances to win a non-conference game in front of their home crowd.
Providence at Fairfield, Monday November 14th, 7:30 ET
This will be a fun one. Providence coach Ed Cooley spent five years at the helm of Fairfield. He built a very successful program and that success may come back to get him on Monday night. The Friars are coming off of a win against Fairleigh Dickinson, but this is not a good Providence team. The expectations are quite low this season, but Coach Cooley will change that in the years to come. But for now, Fairfield has a great chance to beat their former coach and increase their all-time record against Providence to 6-30. Fairfield hit the road over the weekend and beat a good Quinnipiac team. Do not be surprised if they win their home opener too.
Harvard at Holy Cross, Tuesday November 15th, 7:00 ET
Not much is expected from Holy Cross this year, but watching Harvard take on a decent opponent, with all due respect to MIT’s basketball team, will be interesting. The Crimson are not just the favorites in the Ivy League, but they could even be in the mix for an at-large bid should they falter a little bit in conference play. For that to happen, Harvard and Coach Tommy Amaker better get used to winning on the road. This is a team that has only one home game between November 11th and December 22nd. The Crusaders will not provide the stiffest test for guard Laurent Rivard and company, but we should learn whether or not this Harvard team really has a shot to earn an at-large bid or a nine or ten seed come March.
Long Beach State at Pittsburgh, Wednesday November 16th, 9:00 ET
Long Beach State is again the favorite to win the Big West. They have seen their tournament hopes destroyed by UCSB the last two years, but this year should be different. LBSU returns a ton of experience and potential conference Player of the Year, Casper Ware. Traveling to Pittsburgh will not be easy by any means and nobody will be surprised if the 49ers lose this game, but this is the type of team LBSU hopes to see in March. Coach Dan Monson is not shying away from big time opposition and this is just the first of many tough road games that include trips to North Carolina, Louisville, Kansas, Xavier and San Diego State. The 49ers may not win any of those games, but it is all about preparing for the Big West Tournament and, LBSU hopes, the NCAA Tournament.
Eastern Washington at Oregon, Thursday November 17th, 10:00 ET
Eastern Washington went into the Kennel and played extremely well against Gonzaga, nearly beating them for the first time in 24 attempts. Forward Collin Chiverton and guard Cliff Colimon emerged as big-time scorers and shooters. Chiverton knocked down six three-pointers. Colimon added three more. Just a few days into the season, one has to wonder if EWU can compete for the Big Sky title with favorites Montana and Weber State. If the Gonzaga game was any indication, they sure can. But keep an eye on the Eagles this week to see if they can keep it up.
Men's Basketball Games of the Week and Tournament Breakdowns
