The internet at my hotel is back, so after a one day absence, I'm back with a wrap-up. The day after Thanksgiving is an atypically busy one, so let me get right to what happened.
NIT Season Tip-Off Finals
- Duke won this tournament for the fourth time by beating Connecticut, 68-59.
- Arizona State finished third by pounding LSU, 71-52.
Legends Classic Semifinals
- Rutgers defeated UMass in a semifinal that probably shouldn't have been, 83-75.
- The Scarlet Knights will face Florida in the final Saturday night (HDNet, 8). The Gators scored what could be the biggest win of Friday. as they knocked off No. 2 Michigan State, 77-74. The Spartans face the Minutemen for third (HDNet, 5:30).
76 Classic - Day 2
This was simply one of the best days of basketball I've had the privilege of witnessing.
- West Virginia started the day by fighting back to defeat Texas A&M, 73-66, in the first semifinal. The game marked Devin Ebanks' return to the Mountaineers, and he scored 14 and grabbed 9 boards. Da'Sean Butler had 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists himself.
- The Mountaineers will face Portland in the final Sunday night (ESPN2, 10). The Pilots claimed their second major conference victim in as many nights, by knocking off Minnesota, 61-56. The Gophers and Aggies meet Sunday for third (ESPN2, 5).
- Clemson moved on to the 4th/6th place game (ESPNU, 7:30) by beating Long Beach State, 87-79. They'll take on Butler, who won a thriller over UCLA, 69-67. The Bruins will try to avoid a last place finish, but the 49ers will be a tough test on Sunday (ESPNU, 2:30).
Old Spice Classic - Day 2
- Marquette opened the day with a 79-65 win over No. 15 Michigan to make Sunday's final (ESPN2, 7:30). The Golden Eagles will face Florida State in that one, as the Seminoles dispatched Alabama, 60-51. The Wolverines and Crimson Tide will meet for 3rd/5th Sunday afternoon (ESPNU, 5).
- In the consolation bracket, Xavier cruised past Creighton, 80-67, and Baylor beat Iona in overtime, 72-62. The Musketeers meet the Bears for 4th/6th Sunday (ESPNU, 12), and the Jays face the Gaels for 7th (ESPNU, 10 a.m.).
Chicago Invitational Semifinals
- In the mid-major bracket, Kennesaw State fell to Tennessee State, 73-67. Liberty rolled Mississippi Valley State, 72-53. The Owls meet the Delta Devils Saturday, while the Flames face the Tigers.
- In the Midwest-heavy Championship Bracket, Craig Brackins had 16 to lead Iowa State past St. Louis, 65-54. The Cyclones will face Northwestern in the final Saturday night (Big Ten, 8). The Wildcats shocked Notre Dame, 72-58. The Irish next face the Billikens in a non-televised consolation game.
Las Vegas Invitational Semifinals
- Wofford defeated Southern, 81-66, and Seattle (who's having a nice season for a transitional team under Cameron Dollar) beat Presbyterian, 67-63. The Terriers and Redhawks meet Saturday, as will the Jaguars and Blue Hose.
- In the major semifinals, Oklahoma State defeated Bradley, 68-57. Utah will be the Cowboys' opponent in Saturday's final . The Utes stunned No. 20 Illinois at the buzzer, 60-58. The Illini will face their in-state rivals for third.
South Padre Semifinals
- Among the mid-majors, Bethune-Cookman beat Longwood, 66-62. Texas-Pan American then beat Chattanooga, 61-50. The Lancers face the Mocs and the Wildcats meet the Broncos Saturday.
- In the championship bracket, Richmond knocked off Mississippi State, 63-62. The Spiders will face Missouri in the final (FCS Pacific, 8). The Tigers held off Old Dominion, 66-61. The Monarchs meet the Bulldogs in the non-televised consolation game.
Great Alaska Shootout - Day 3
- Washington State clinched a spot in Saturday's championship game (FCS Central/Metro Sports/MASN, 11) by beating Nicholls State, 78-69. The Cougars will face San Diego, who defeated Houston, 72-65.
- The Cougars face idle Alaska-Anchorage for third (MASN/CSS, 8:30).
- The Colonels, meanwhile, face idle Oklahoma for (and you're reading this right) fifth (Metro Sports, 6).
Philly Hoop Group - Day 2
- Brown opened the tripleheader with a win over D-II University of Philadelphia, 69-48.
- St. John's had their way with Siena, 77-68.
- Temple closed the evening with a 61-50 win over Virginia Tech.
In other action.
- Syracuse beat Columbia, 85-60, thanks to another big night from Wes Johnson.
- Georgia Tech defeated Mercer, 85-74.
- Tennessee knocked off the College of Charleston, 86-69.
- Arkansas' rough year continues, as they lost to East Tennessee State in a Hall of Fame Showcase game, 94-85.
- No. 1 Kansas had an easy time with Tennessee Tech in the same event, 112-75.
- Drexel smacked Vermont, 74-61, in a Legends Classic "subregional" game.
- VCU got a nice win, defeating Nevada, 85-76, in a BracketBusters rematch.
- Monmouth, who couldn't get out of their own way at St. Peter's on November 17, won at Wyoming, 75-73.
- BYU beat Weber State, 87-70.
After the jump, I'll have a quick list of this weekend's televised non-tournament action.
Here's a list of games you might be able to find on TV over the weekend if you have a good satellite/cable system. For games only telecast locally, check out Matt Sarz' College Sports on TV site. All times are p.m. Eastern unless noted.
Saturday
- Central Michigan at Purdue (Big Ten, 11:30 a.m.)
- Youngstown State at Pitt (Big East, 12)
- Lafayette at Georgetown (MASN, 12)
- St. Francis (PA) at Ohio State (Big Ten, 1:30)
- La Salle at Villanova (ESPN2, 3:30)
- Northwestern State at Indiana (Big Ten, 3:30)
- Louisville at UNLV (Versus, 4)
- North Carolina Central at Iowa (Big Ten, 5:30)
Sunday
- Texas at Rice (CBS CS, 4)
- Nebraska at USC (FSN, 4:30)
- Nevada at North Carolina (FSN, 6:45)
- Montana at Washington (FS Northwest/FCS Pacific, 9)
I'm not turning my computer off to (hopefully) keep the Internet up, so I'll be back with a tournament wrap-up on Monday morning.