MphsBlues
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Article from the Sporting News. The TN-Memphis game is gonna be HUGE.
Ten can't miss college basketball games
By Mike DeCourcy - SportingNews
In the realm of sports, making travel plans in advance can be risky. Of course, if you want to be at the Final Four, you book a flight that gets you into San Antonio before the evening of April 5 and returns you home at least three days later. But if you're planning for that big college football game between Notre Dame and Michigan on the season's third weekend, you should be prepared for the possibility you could encounter two teams that haven't won a game between them.
Hey, it happens.
So there are no guarantees that the games listed below will be the best of the college basketball regular season. But you're guaranteed not to see Jimmy Clausen get sacked in any of them.
All times Eastern:
Gonzaga vs. Western Kentucky, Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alaska, Nov. 22, 11:30 p.m.
You want some dessert on Thanksgiving that'll shame even the finest pumpkin pie? Try this dandy, which will give one very good basketball team a quick trip into the Great Alaska Shootout losers bracket.
Duke vs. Davidson, Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte, Dec. 1, noon.
Davidson has a team good enough to play for an at-large bid, but it overscheduled itself into games against superpowers UCLA and North Carolina. The Wildcats also have a road game against N.C. State. So this could be their best chance to claim a marquee victory.
Kansas State vs. Xavier, U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Dec. 31, 7 p.m.
So here are your entertainment choices for New Year's: Go out and hear a bad bar band cover Lynyrd Skynyrd tunes and try to bluff its way through "Auld Lang Syne" or stay home and watch two teams that will very much need this particular victory on their NCAA Tournament resumes.
Kansas at Kansas State, Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kan, Jan. 30, 8 p.m.
Will the most remarkable current streak in sports celebrate its silver anniversary? Not since 1983 has K-State won at home against KU. That's 24 losses in a row. What does freshman Mike Beasley have to say about that?
Villanova at Saint Joseph's, The Palestra, Philadelphia, February 4, 8 p.m.
There are plenty of us who believe these two teams will be in the hunt for NCAA Tournament bids by the time this game is played. But if you want a guarantee, I'll give you this one -- it will not matter if one or both of these teams stumbles all the way to this game. It will be as intensely played as any game short of March. There is nothing like a St. Joe-Nova game. Not even ...
Duke at North Carolina, Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C., Feb. 6, 9 p.m.
Despite all the nonsense propagated by the Yanks-Sox cultists, this is the best rivalry in American sports. (Really now, 26 championships to seven is a rivalry only if the hammer and the nail are rivals). The difference between this and Nova-St. Joe's is that more of the intensity of Devils-Heels is drawn from the teams' unyielding excellence. Somebody in Carolina-Duke is always playing for a championship. This time, it's UNC.
UCLA at Washington State, Friel Court, Pullman, Wash., Feb. 7, 10:30 p.m.
When they finished second in the Pac-10 last season, the Cougars lost both games in this series but each time held the Bruins under 56 points. The Bruins appear too potent for that to happen this year, so WSU is going to have to score to compete.
Georgetown at Louisville, Freedom Hall, Louisville, Ky., Feb. 9, 9 p.m.
Judging by the fact this is the fourth sizzling game in six days of early February, it's probably fair to surmise that ESPN will be promoting this as "Rivalry Week." So my advice is, plan your vacation for some other time. You don't want to be on a cruise to Barbados wondering if the Hoyas could get a road win against the Cards.
Tennessee at Memphis, FedEx Forum, Memphis, Feb. 23, 9 p.m.
This game has all the elements of classic drama: jealousy and loathing, wealth and power, triumph and revenge, heroes and villains -- and, if Bruce Pearl again is dressing himself, some really curious costumes.
Indiana at Michigan State, Breslin Center, East Lansing, Mich., March 2, gametime TBA. Why do I get the feeling the Big Ten championship will be on the line when IU visits the Spartans? Of course, if Ohio State matures quickly, the Buckeyes could make it a three-way deal.
Mike DeCourcy is a staff writer for Sporting News. You can e-mail him at mdecourcy@sportingnews.com.
Ten can't miss college basketball games
By Mike DeCourcy - SportingNews
In the realm of sports, making travel plans in advance can be risky. Of course, if you want to be at the Final Four, you book a flight that gets you into San Antonio before the evening of April 5 and returns you home at least three days later. But if you're planning for that big college football game between Notre Dame and Michigan on the season's third weekend, you should be prepared for the possibility you could encounter two teams that haven't won a game between them.
Hey, it happens.
So there are no guarantees that the games listed below will be the best of the college basketball regular season. But you're guaranteed not to see Jimmy Clausen get sacked in any of them.
All times Eastern:
Gonzaga vs. Western Kentucky, Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alaska, Nov. 22, 11:30 p.m.
You want some dessert on Thanksgiving that'll shame even the finest pumpkin pie? Try this dandy, which will give one very good basketball team a quick trip into the Great Alaska Shootout losers bracket.
Duke vs. Davidson, Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte, Dec. 1, noon.
Davidson has a team good enough to play for an at-large bid, but it overscheduled itself into games against superpowers UCLA and North Carolina. The Wildcats also have a road game against N.C. State. So this could be their best chance to claim a marquee victory.
Kansas State vs. Xavier, U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Dec. 31, 7 p.m.
So here are your entertainment choices for New Year's: Go out and hear a bad bar band cover Lynyrd Skynyrd tunes and try to bluff its way through "Auld Lang Syne" or stay home and watch two teams that will very much need this particular victory on their NCAA Tournament resumes.
Kansas at Kansas State, Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kan, Jan. 30, 8 p.m.
Will the most remarkable current streak in sports celebrate its silver anniversary? Not since 1983 has K-State won at home against KU. That's 24 losses in a row. What does freshman Mike Beasley have to say about that?
Villanova at Saint Joseph's, The Palestra, Philadelphia, February 4, 8 p.m.
There are plenty of us who believe these two teams will be in the hunt for NCAA Tournament bids by the time this game is played. But if you want a guarantee, I'll give you this one -- it will not matter if one or both of these teams stumbles all the way to this game. It will be as intensely played as any game short of March. There is nothing like a St. Joe-Nova game. Not even ...
Duke at North Carolina, Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C., Feb. 6, 9 p.m.
Despite all the nonsense propagated by the Yanks-Sox cultists, this is the best rivalry in American sports. (Really now, 26 championships to seven is a rivalry only if the hammer and the nail are rivals). The difference between this and Nova-St. Joe's is that more of the intensity of Devils-Heels is drawn from the teams' unyielding excellence. Somebody in Carolina-Duke is always playing for a championship. This time, it's UNC.
UCLA at Washington State, Friel Court, Pullman, Wash., Feb. 7, 10:30 p.m.
When they finished second in the Pac-10 last season, the Cougars lost both games in this series but each time held the Bruins under 56 points. The Bruins appear too potent for that to happen this year, so WSU is going to have to score to compete.
Georgetown at Louisville, Freedom Hall, Louisville, Ky., Feb. 9, 9 p.m.
Judging by the fact this is the fourth sizzling game in six days of early February, it's probably fair to surmise that ESPN will be promoting this as "Rivalry Week." So my advice is, plan your vacation for some other time. You don't want to be on a cruise to Barbados wondering if the Hoyas could get a road win against the Cards.
Tennessee at Memphis, FedEx Forum, Memphis, Feb. 23, 9 p.m.
This game has all the elements of classic drama: jealousy and loathing, wealth and power, triumph and revenge, heroes and villains -- and, if Bruce Pearl again is dressing himself, some really curious costumes.
Indiana at Michigan State, Breslin Center, East Lansing, Mich., March 2, gametime TBA. Why do I get the feeling the Big Ten championship will be on the line when IU visits the Spartans? Of course, if Ohio State matures quickly, the Buckeyes could make it a three-way deal.
Mike DeCourcy is a staff writer for Sporting News. You can e-mail him at mdecourcy@sportingnews.com.
opcorn: I am looking forward to see what the scalpers are asking though.
