High-Major Men’s Basketball Game Breakdowns 11/14-11/17
TEMPLE AT PENN (7 p.m. Monday at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Philadelphia is definitely a hotbed of college basketball, and The City of Brotherly Love will need their basketball fix since it looks like the Sixers aren’t going to be around anytime soon. This is the first game of the season for the Owls, who are coming off a 26-8 season and a second-round loss in the NCAA tournament. Temple beat Penn 73-59 on Jan. 19 of this year, taking a 10-1 lead in the all-time series between the schools. This crossover match between Atlantic 10 Conference and Ivy League programs draws a lot of attention because of being in the same city. Penn is coming off a 59-45 win over University of Maryland Baltimore County, as Zack Rosen hit four 3-pointers and finished with 26 points.
NEVADA AT UNLV (10 p.m. Monday at Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada)
The intra-state matchup between the Mountain West Conference Rebels and the Wolf Pack, members of the Western Athletic Conference, is a true matchup of high-major schools even if UNLV has dominated in recent games. The Rebels are looking for their sixth straight victory as they go through a schedule where the first five games of the year are at Thomas and Mack. Kevin Panzer led Nevada with 10 points as the Wolf Pack fell 68-46 in their opener against Missouri State. Meanwhile, UNLV started with an 83-66 victory over Grand Canyon as Justin Hawkins led with 25 points and Mike Moser had 16 points and 20 rebounds.
SAINT LOUIS AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (8:05 p.m. Tuesday at SIU Arena in Carbondale, Illinois)
Go east on Interstate 64 and south on Interstate 57 and St. Louis is at its Tuesday destination. A rivalry game between the Atlantic-10 Billikens and the Salukis, members of the Missouri Valley, highlights the early week part of the schedule. St. Louis rolled to a 71-37 win over Tennessee State in the opener, led by 13 points and six rebounds from Cody Ellis. Meanwhile, Southern Illinois would rather forget its last game, as it lost 64-63 to Ohio Dominican, a school that just joined the Division II ranks not long ago. Mamadou Seck’s double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds led the way for SIU. The Billikens are 26-24 in the all-time series.
NEW MEXICO STATE AT NEW MEXICO (10 p.m. Wednesday at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Another rivalry between in-state schools for bragging rights, this is a Mountain West/Western Athletic Conference showdown. New Mexico throttled New Orleans 92-40 in its season opener as Drew Gordon led with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Six New Mexico players were in double figures, so expect some balanced scoring if this keeps up. New Mexico State started out with an 89-75 win over Northern Colorado, led by 18 points and 10 rebounds from Wendell McKines. New Mexico scored a 78-62 victory in last year’s matchup.
LOYOLA CHICAGO AT EASTERN ILLINOIS (8 p.m. Wednesday at Lantz Arena in Charleston, Illinois)
The second game in this roundup that involves Interstate 57, the schools are separated by approximately 180 miles but the basketball is just as passionate. Loyola Chicago, a member of the Horizon League, lost 67-49 to Illinois to start its season even though Walt Gibler had 19 points and six rebounds. Loyola Chicago plays at Kansas State on Monday prior to this contest. Eastern Illinois lost 79-72 to Indiana State to begin the season, even though Jeremy Granger poured in 26 points.
