Thanksgiving week is officially here, so tournament action is truly in full swing, both in locations known for warmth and sunshine at this time of year, and a few where the weather is a bit more conducive to sitting inside and watching several games in a day. Here in San Francisco, it was a truly glorious California fall day, but I did get to see a some basketball this afternoon. Many thanks to the guys at the Rogue Public House in North Beach for setting me up with a big screen for the early Maui games. Speaking of which, here's what happened in the three tournaments that were at various stages on Monday.
Paradise Jam-Day 4
- East Carolina finished 7th by beating South Dakota State, 82-73.
- Northern Iowa defeated Boston College, 81-69. That means the Panthers finish in 4th, the Eagles 6th.
- DePaul finished a nice tournament in 3rd, after beating St. Joseph's, 58-51. The Hawks finish 5th.
- In the final, No. 6 Purdue claimed the crown after winning a thriller over No. 9 Tennessee, 73-72.
CBE Classic-Day 1
- Pitt was too much for Wichita State in game one, 68-55.
- No. 3 Texas pulled away from Iowa in the 2nd half, prevailing 85-60. The game was actually tied at the break, thanks to a prayer from Cully Payne at the buzzer.
- As expected the Panthers and Longhorns will meet for the title (ESPN2, 10 p.m. ET), while the Shockers and Hawkeyes meet for 3rd (ESPNU, 7:30 p.m. ET).
Maui Invitational-Day 1
- Gonzaga opened the tourney with a come from behind 76-72 victory over Colorado.
- The Bulldogs will face Wisconsin, 65-61 victors over Arizona, in tomorrow's semifinals (ESPN, 9:30 p.m. ET). The Buffaloes play the Wildcats in the consolation semis (ESPN2, 4 p.m. ET)
- Cincinnati jumped out to a big lead on Vanderbilt, and held on to win, 67-58.
- Maryland had no trouble with hosts Chaminade, 79-51, The Terps face the Bearcats in the first semi (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET), while the Silver Swords meet the Commodores in the consolation round (ESPN2, 1:30 p.m. ET).
In other notable games,
- No. 11 North Carolina rebounded from their Coaches vs. Cancer final loss by beating Gardner-Webb, 93-72.
- No. 19 Clemson hammered in-state rival Winthrop, 102-66, in their last game before heading West for the 76 Classic.
- Western Kentucky survived a scare from Cal State-Northridge in an NIT consolation game, 68-67.
- San Diego State defeated Fresno State in a West Coast Classic contest, 62-58.
- Montana won at Oregon, 68-55.
- UCLA struggled for a the third game in a row before pulling away against Pepperdine, 71-52. I'm very curious to see how the Bruins handle the Anaheim field starting Thursday.
For more info on Monday's action visit Searching for Billy Edelin and the main SB Nation site. More of Tuesday's TV games after the jump.
From here on out, all times are p.m. Eastern.
One more tournament opens up elimination play Tuesday, and that's the Cancun Challenge, which is played in a very large hotel ballroom in the Mexican resort city.
- No. 5 Kentucky vs. Cleveland State (CBS College, 4:30): This event is the Wildcats to lose.
- Stanford vs. Virgina (CBS College, 7)
In non-tournament action,
- Lipscomb at No. 17 Ohio State (Big Ten, 7)
- Florida State at Florida (SEC on FSN/Full Court, 7) This game moves from it's traditional date the night before the football game so the Gators can play in the Legends Classic Friday in Atlantic City.
- UNC Asheville at Georgia (SEC on CSS/Full Court, 7) I don't think UGA will beat UNCA as badly as Tennessee did.
- UMKC at Nebraska (FS MIdwest/Full Court, 8)
- Chattanooga at Missouri (FS Midwest/Full Court, 8)
- South Dakota at Marquette (Big East/Full Court, 8)
- Texas Tech at Stephen F. Austin (FS Houston/Full Court, 8)
- Wofford at No. 20 Illinois (ESPNU, 9:30)
There are a lot of games only available on local outlets tomorrow, so be sure to check Matt Sarz's College Sports on TV page for those listings.
I will be traveling down to Anaheim on Tuesday night, so I won't get to see much action. My next recap will come on Wednesday morning.