It's less than a week until Thanksgiving. That means it's time for my second favorite time of the year, something Chris Mottram over at SBNation.com christened "November Nuttiness" yesterday. This is the part of the season where the big holiday tournaments get ramped up, and there was action in three of them yesterday.
CBE Classic
- Syracuse had no problem with a No. 13 California team who played shorthanded, 95-73.
- No. 6 North Carolina held on against No. 15 Ohio State in a game the Tar Heels looked to have in the bag.
-
Tonight, the consolation game will feature the Golden Bears and Buckeyes (ESPN2, 5 p.m.). The Orange will face the Tar Heels in the championship (ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.).
Puerto Rico Tip-Off
- In the first game No. 18 Dayton got 7 from Paul Williams in the final minutes to beat No. 21 Georgia Tech, 63-59.
- The second contest was even more thrilling. George Mason led for most of their contest with No. 5 Villanova, but Isaiah Armwood's first career field goal, a 3, and a huge defensive stop at the end gave the Wildcats a 69-68 win.
- Indiana was no match for Ole Miss, falling 89-71. Murphy Holloway scored 26 on 66% shooting for the Rebels.
- Kansas State defeated Boston University, 80-70, in a game only a few people saw (and I wasn't one of them).
- In the loser's bracket today, the Yellow Jackets will face the Patriots at 1 p.m. (ESPNU), while the Hoosiers take on the Terriers (6 p.m., no TV).
-
In today's semifinals, the Flyers will take on the Nova Wildcats (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.), and the Rebels face the K-State Cats (ESPNU, 8:30 p.m.).
Charleston Classic
- Miami (FL) beat Tulane handily in the first quarterfinal, 74-54.
- UNC Wilmington did what GMU couldn't do and earned a win for the CAA over a power conference, having a relatively easy time with Penn State, 80-69.
- Davidson could have used Golden State's Stephen Curry, as they fell to USF, 65-58.
- South Carolina had a surprisingly easy time with La Salle, winning by 10.
- In the today's consolation bracket game, the Green Wave will face the Nittany Lions (CSS, 12:30 p.m.) and the Wildcats will take on the Explorers (CSS, 7 p.m.).
- In the semifinals, the Hurricanes will face the Seahawks (CSS, 3 p.m) and the Bulls play the Gamecocks (CSS, 9:30 p.m.).
The other action last night featured home preliminary games for Kentucky and Virginia for next week's Cancun Challenge.
For more on Thursday's games, visit SBNation.com and Searching For Billy Edelin. One more tournament tips off today, and I'll talk about that after the jump.
The Paradise Jam starts today in the Virgin Islands, but none of today's opening round games are on TV. Here's what I wrote about that event in my Early Season Tournament Preview.
I would be absolutely stunned if one semifinal of this tournament doesn't feature Valley favorite Northern Iowa taking on Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism and the rest of Tennessee. As much as Fox College Sports wants us to think, DePaul, UNI's opponent, hasn't been a power in awhile, and East Carolina, who the Vols face, has never been a hoops powerhouse. The bottom half also looks pretty cut and dried. Even without Tyrese Rice, Boston College should handle a Saint Joseph's squad that doesn't have Ahmad Nivins and Tasheed Carr. Purdue, a Big Ten co-favorite, faces South Dakota State, who should challenge in the Summit, but may be overmatched here.
Paradise Jam Quarterfinals
- DePaul vs. Northern Iowa (No TV, 1)
- No. 10 Tennessee vs. East Carolina (No TV, 3:30)
- St. Joseph's Boston College (No TV, 6)
- South Dakota State No. 7 Purdue (No TV, 8:30)
There is some televised action today, including some non-traditional tournament matchups.
- Toledo visits No. 2 Michigan State (Big Ten, 6:30) in a Legends Classic early-round game.
- Clemson takes on UNC Greensboro (FS South/Full Court, 7) at the Greensboro Coliseum.
- Troy travels to Florida (FS Florida, 7) for another Legends Classic matchup.
- IUPUI heads to Spokane to take on an impressive Gonzaga squad (FSN Northwest, 9).
- UCLA looks to rebound at Pauley against Cal State Bakersfield (FSN Regional/FCS Pacific, 10:30).
- San Jose State will look to stop No. 14 Washington's fast start in Seattle (FSN Northwest/FCS Central, 11).
Be sure to visit Matt Sarz' College Sports on TV site for games that may only be telecast locally.
I actually won't see much of today's action, as I will be flying out West for a few days of R&R in San Francisco, then the 76 Classic in Anaheim. I will continue to post while I'm in California, hopefully even during the tournament next week.