On a Monday evening where the CBE Classic semifinals and Maui quarterfinals, featuring a surprisingly close win for Michigan State over Chaminade, only one tournament trophy was handed out. That went to Old Dominion who beat Xavier, 67-58, in the Paradise Jam final. The Monarchs received good shooting nights from Frank Hassell (16 points on 8-10 FGs and 8 rebounds) and Trian Iladis (12, including two crucial pre-halftime threes).
That event's 2011 field is found in the 2010 program (see page 25): Drake, Drexel, Marquette, Mississippi, Norfolk State, TCU, Virginia, and Winthrop. (Soon, I'll have to put up a 2011 event page.)
But we still have many tournaments to complete this season. After the jump, a look at tonight's titanic clash in Kansas City, the Maui semis (which aren't too shabby themselves), and the rest of the Tuesday evening action.
CBE Classic Final/ConsolationMarquette vs. Gonzaga, 7:45 p.m. ET (ESPNU): The Golden Eagles played Duke far more closely than anticipated, forcing turnovers and converting opportunities, overcoming a nine-point halftime deficit halfway through the 2nd. Then, Mason Plumlee took over. If Marquette plays the entire game, instead of deciding to show up for the last 20 minutes, the Bulldogs will be in trouble, especially given how lackluster they looked against K-State yesterday evening. Gonzaga made quite a few errors and were atrocious from the field, a combo that could cost them again against Marquette.
Duke vs. Kansas State, approx. 10:15 p.m. ET (ESPN2): The Blue Devils were tested by Marquette and responded well, while the Wildcats had no trouble at all with Gonzaga, thanks to a hot shooting performance and a friendly crowd. Expect the latter to be a significant factor this evening. It's too bad this game doesn't have a slightly earlier tip time though.
Maui Semifinals
Connecticut vs. Michigan State, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN): The Huskies would be playing Chaminade tonight if it wasn't for Kemba Walker, who single-handedly got them past Wichita State. He could be in for another big night against a Spartan team who struggled mightily with a talented and emotional Silversword squad led by 5-6 guard Steven Bennett, who scored 20 and handed out 11 assists and 7-foot USC transfer Mamadou Diarra, who also recorded a double-double (16 pts. and 11 boards). But in the end, the Spartans had just a little too much. (On the other hand, if Chaminade had gotten a rematch with Virginia...but that possibility exists in the losers' bracket.)
Kentucky vs. Washington, approx. 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN): Like Walker for UConn, Terrence Jones pushed the Wildcats past Oklahoma, scoring 29 and grabbing 13 boards, in a game that was far more difficult than anticipated. How will the young 'Cats cope with the veteran Huskies, the team Mr. Jones could have joined? Washington had no such issues against a poor Virginia team, opening up a 24-point halftime lead and never looking back. Five Huskies scored in double figures on the night, including Jones' high school teammate, Terrence Ross.
Maui Consolation
Wichita State vs. Chaminade, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN2): The Shockers may well rue that loss to Connecticut on Selection Sunday, if they don't win the Valley. This game against the Silverswords will not help them at all from an RPI perspective, but given Chaminade's performance last night, Wichita State needs to be ready for a fight, especially since the letdown potential is very high after yesterday's emotional defeat. The one advantage they may have is slightly fresher legs for the 9 a.m. tip.
Oklahoma vs. Virginia, approx. 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2): The Sooners have some hope. After allowing Kentucky to open up a 16-6 lead, they played the Wildcats remarkably evenly the rest of the way, showing a tremendous amount of fight in a 12-point defeat. On the other hand, the Cavaliers will be lucky to not finish last in this event after their dreadful effort Monday.
Cancun Caribbean Challenge Semifinals
Providence vs. La Salle, 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS College Sports): The Friars are 4-0 with their best win coming against Morgan State in the on-campus rounds of this event. Meanwhile, the Explorers are 3-1 with the loss a respectable one against Baylor on Tip-Off Marathon Tuesday afternoon.
Missouri vs. Wyoming, approx. 7 p.m. ET (CBS College Sports): The Tigers are the clear favorite in this tournament, while the Cowboys have already been the victim of two Red Line Upsets already this season.
In other Tuesday night action...
- North Carolina Central at Indiana, 7 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network): The Hoosiers continue the softer part of their schedule.
- Robert Morris at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET (Big East Network/SNY/FSN Pittsburgh/MASN/ESPN3): Having already defeated Duquesne, the Colonials can claim city bragging rights with an upset win at the Pete.
- Liberty at USF (South Padre Invitational Preliminary), 7 p.m. ET (Big East Network/Bright House SN/ESPN3): The Bulls look to get over .500 before their meeting with BYU on the Texas Gulf Coast Friday.
- Austin Peay at Purdue (Chicago Invitational Classic Preliminary), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN3): The Boilermakers will look to get to 4-0 before heading to the suburbs of the Windy City on Friday.
- Morehead State at Ohio State, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN3): Jared Sullinger...meet Kenneth Faried.
- Florida Atlantic at Florida, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN3): During Sunday's close win over Morehead State, my friend Matt described the Gators as "bizarre" and "weird" via text. I can't sum them up any better than that.
- Sam Houston State at Texas, 8 p.m. ET (Longhorn Sports/FS Southwest/FS Houston/ESPN3): The Longhorns look to continue their dominance of in-state, non-Big 12 opponents.
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Kansas (Las Vegas Invitational Preliminary), 8 p.m. ET (Jayhawk Sports/ESPN3): This is the Jayhawks last tuneup before games against Ohio and Arizona at the main event. Josh Selby will not yet be available.
- IPFW at North Dakota, 8 p.m. ET (FSSN/FCS Central): For awhile, it looked like this was going to be a Summit League preview, then the Nicknames TBD cast their lot with the Big Sky.
- Mississippi Valley State at BYU (Las Vegas Invitational Preliminary), 9 p.m. ET (BYU TV): The Cougars should have little trouble, as the Delta Devils have reverted to type after giving Georgia a scare on Opening Night.
- Yale at Illinois, 9:45 p.m. ET (ESPNU): The Fighting Illini should breeze past the Bulldogs, since they're a higher-quality outfit than Boston College.
- Portland vs. Washington State in Seattle, 10:30 p.m. ET (FSN Northwest/FCS Pacific): Sure, the Pilots couldn't handle Kentucky, but they could give the Cougars a fight.
For broadcast info about locally/regionally telecast games, like UNC Asheville at North Carolina, Mercer at Florida State, Butler at Siena, UT Martin at Memphis, Alcorn State at Colorado, and Texas Southern at Oregon, visit Matt Sarz's College Sports on TV site. Another good resource is the schedule page at BB State.
Here are the key games to follow online for this Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
- Bucknell vs. Princeton (CBE Classic "subregional" at Harrisonburg, VA), 4:30 p.m. ET
- Winthrop vs. Belmont (NIT Consolation Bracket at Winston-Salem, NC), 4:30 p.m. ET
- Boston University vs. Nevada (NIT Consolation Bracket at Washington, DC), 5:30 p.m. ET
- UCF at Stetson, 7 p.m. ET
- Marist at Wake Forest (NIT Consolation Bracket), approx. 7 p.m. ET
- Valparaiso at Ohio (Las Vegas Invitational Preliminary), 7 p.m. ET
- Northern Colorado at Santa Clara (Las Vegas Invitational Preliminary), 7 p.m. ET
- Oakland at Wright State (Chicago Invitational Classic Preliminary), 7 p.m. ET
- Iona at Albany, 7:30 p.m. ET
- St. Joseph's at Fairfield (Philly Hoop Group Classic), 7:30 p.m. ET
- South Alabama at UAB, 8 p.m. ET
- Hampton at George Washington (NIT Consolation Bracket), approx. 8 p.m. ET
- Pacific at Missouri State (NIT Consolation Bracket), approx. 8 p.m. ET
- New Mexico State at UTEP, 9 p.m. ET
Please share your thoughts about today and tonight's action in the comments, after you sign up for a free SB Nation account, of course.
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