It appears I missed a lot while I was flying West, as it was one of those days that showed why games are played on the court and not in the minds of pundits.
Coaches vs. Cancer Classic
- Syracuse entered the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic as the only unranked team. That won't be the case much longer, as the Orange dominated No. 6 North Carolina, 87-71, to claim the crown. Wes Johnson had 25 points to lead the 'Cuse, who were down 2 at the half, until a 25-3 run to start the second placed them firmly in control.
- In the consolation game, No. 15 Ohio State held on to beat No. 13 California, 76-70.
Puerto Rico Tip-Off
- In consolation play, No. 21 Georgia Tech defeated George Mason, 70-62. The Patriots will play Indiana in the 7th place game (ESPNU, Sun. 10:30 a.m.), as the Hoosiers fell to Boston University, 71-67. The Yellow Jackets meet the Terriers for 5th (ESPNU, Sun. 1:00 p.m.)
- In the semis, No. 18 Dayton gave it a good fight, but No. 5 Villanova prevailed 71-65. In game two, Chris Warren scored 27 to lead Ole Miss past Kansas State. The Nova Wildcats meet the Rebels for the crown Sunday night (ESPN2, 8 p.m.). In the third-place game, the K-State Cats face the Flyers (ESPNU, 5:30 p.m.)
Charleston Classic
- In the consolation bracket, Tulane opened the day with a 3-point upset of Penn State. La Salle cruised past Davidson, 84-70. Surprisingly, the two NIT teams, the Nittany Lions and Wildcats will play for 7th on Sunday (10 a.m., no TV). The Explorers and Green Wave play for 5th at 12:30 p.m. Sunday (12:30 p.m., no TV).
- In the semifinals, Malcolm Grant scored 18 to Miami (FL) lead past UNC Wilmington, 67-60. South Carolina squeaked past USF, 69-66. The Bulls and Seahawks will play for third on Sunday (3:30 p.m., no TV), while the Hurricanes will face the Gamecocks for the title (ESPN2, 6 p.m.).
Paradise Jam Quarterfinals
Remember how I said these semis would be cut and dried? Eh, not so much.
- Jeremiah Kelly had 18 to lead DePaul to a 60-52 upset win over Northern Iowa.
- No. 10 Tennessee dominated for the second straight game, crushing East Carolina, 105-66.
- St. Joseph's upset Boston College, 84-80, thanks to 18 from Garrett Williamson.
- South Dakota State was no match for No. 7 Purdue.
- That means the Panthers will meet the Pirates (3:30 p.m., no TV) in Saturday's consolation bracket action, with the Eagles and Jackrabbits (6 p.m., no TV) also playing.
- In Sunday's semifinals, the Blue Demons will hope to stay competitive with the high-flying Vols (6 p.m., FCS Pacific) and the Hawks will look to upset the Boilermakers (8:30 p.m., FCS Pacific).
Be sure to visit Searching for Billy Edelin and SBNation.com for more on Friday's action. After the jump, I'll look at some more Friday games and rundown the non-tournament TV games for the weekend.
In Friday's action outside of knockout tournaments,
- No. 2 Michigan State handled Toledo, 75-62, in the Legends Classic.
- Florida was down to Troy at the half, but pulled away, winning 80-58, in another Legends contest.
- NC State crushed MAC favorite Akron, 66-45, in the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach.
- Auburn wasn't so lucky in Daytona, as UCF upset them, 84-74.
- Two Big East squads struggled in event home games. Two Malik Boothe free throws clinched a 79-76 home win for St. John's over Brown in the Philly Hoop Group Classic. In the Legends Classic, Rutgers sneaked by Drexel, 58-56.
- Seton Hall didn't have such problems, as Jeremy Hazell scored 33 to help prevent Cornell from pulling off another big win.
- Alabama beat Providence in Tuscaloosa, 84-75.
- Iowa finally won a home game, crushing Bowling Green, 68-46.
- UCLA earned their first win of the new campaign, beating Cal State Bakersfield by 11.
- Quincy Pondexter scored 30 and grabbed 15 boards to lead No. 14 Washington past San Jose State, 80-70.
- Before heading to Maui, Vanderbilt sneaked by St. Mary's in Moraga.
- Jimmer Fredette had 20 to lead BYU past Hawai'i on Oahu, 83-65.
Here's a run down of some of the televised games for this weekend that are being played outside of knockout tourneys. All times are p.m. ET.
Saturday
- Rider at No. 4 Kentucky (SEC on FSN/Full Court, 1): After getting smoked by Virginia Thursday, can the Broncs get back to their upset ways?
- UMKC at North Dakota (FCS Pacific, 2)
- East Tennessee State at No. 20 Louisville (WHAS/SNY, 4)
- Florida State at Mercer (FS South/CSN Washington/SUN Sports, 4:30)
- No. 17 Oklahoma at VCU (MASN, 7:30): Jeff Capel returns to Richmond
- Presbyterian at No. 24 Illinois (Big Ten, 8)
- Georgia at UAB (CSS, 8)
- Grambling at Marquette (TWC32/SNY/Altitude, 8:30)
Sunday
- Valparaiso at No. 2 Michigan State (Big Ten, 12): If it's an early season Sunday, the Crusaders must be visiting a team who played or the title last season.
- Morgan State at No. 20 Louisville (WHAS/MASN/SNY/Full Court, 1)
- Texas-Pan American at Missouri (FS MIdwest/Full Court, 2)
Be sure to visit Matt Sarz' College Sports on TV site for games that may only be telecast locally.