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In last night’s action, fans at Madison Square Garden witnessed a pair of blowouts in the 2K Classic. First, the Virginia Tech Hokies blasted the Washington Huskies, 103-79, to claim third place. Then, the favored Providence Friars trounced the Saint Louis Billikens, 90-63, to claim the season’s first championship.
As is typical, both the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach and Gildan Charleston Classic take today off so the ESPN networks can air wall-to-wall football. Tomorrow evening, the relocated Puerto Rico final will be a rematch of the 2013 Diamond Head Classic championship game, as the Iowa State Cyclones (80-78 winners over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane) will meet the Boise State Broncos (who routed the Illinois State Redbirds, 82-64). Later, the final matchup will feature the Temple Owls (who pulled away from the Auburn Tigers late, 88-74) and Clemson Tigers (who cruised past the Hofstra Pride, 78-59).
Now on to Saturday’s action, which is exclusively streaming and features limited “free” options.
For a full lineup of non-tournament games, check out MattSarzSports.com’s Daily Schedule.
Chronological Schedule
| Tip Time (ET) | Event | Round | Matchup | Outlet | KenPom Fan Match Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tip Time (ET) | Event | Round | Matchup | Outlet | KenPom Fan Match Rank |
| 11 a.m. | Islands of the Bahamas Showcase | Consolation Semifinal | Bradley vs. UTSA | FloHoops.com ($) | 44 |
| 12 p.m. | Hall of Fame Tip-Off | Naismith Semifinal | Boston College vs. Texas Tech | ESPN3 | 1 |
| 12 p.m. | Paradise Jam | Consolation Semifinal | Houston at Liberty | FloHoops.com ($) | 13 |
| 2 p.m. | Islands of the Bahamas Showcase | Consolation Semifinal | James Madison vs. Weber State | FloHoops.com ($) | 18 |
| 2 p.m. | 2K Classic Benefitting WWP | Visitors' Semifinal | Seattle vs. Detroit Mercy | None | 23 |
| 2:30 p.m. (approx.) | Hall of Fame Tip-Off | Naismith Semifinal | La Salle vs. Northwestern | ESPN3 | 4 |
| 2:30 p.m. (approx.) | Paradise Jam | Consolation Semifinal | Quinnipiac vs. Wake Forest | FloHoops.com ($) | 54 |
| 4:30 p.m. (approx.) | 2K Classic Benefitting WWP | Visitors' Semifinal | Houston Baptist at Belmont | OVC Digital Network | 58 |
| 5 p.m. (approx.) | Hall of Fame Tip-Off | Springfield Semifinal | South Alabama vs. Maine | ESPN3 | 45 |
| 5 p.m. | Islands of the Bahamas Showcase | Semifinal | Vermont vs. Coastal Carolina | FloHoops.com ($) | 17 |
| 5:30 p.m. | Jamaica Classic Montego Bay | Visitors' Round-Robin | Hartford vs. LIU Brooklyn | None | 29 |
| 6 p.m. | Paradise Jam | Semifinal | Mercer vs. Drexel | FloHoops.com ($) | 15 |
| 7:30 p.m. (approx.) | Hall of Fame Tip-Off | Springfield Semifinal | Sacred Heart vs. Saint Peter's | ESPN3 | 38 |
| 8 p.m. | Islands of the Bahamas Showcase | Semifinal | Northern Kentucky vs. Iona | FloHoops.com ($) | 2 |
| 8:30 p.m. (approx.) | Paradise Jam | Semifinal | Colorado vs. Drake | FloHoops.com ($) | 16 |
Islands Of The Bahamas Showcase Semifinals
FloHoops.com ($) will stream all four games.
Championship
Vermont Catamounts (1-1) vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (2-1), 5 p.m.
Northern Kentucky Norse (3-0) vs. Iona Gaels (1-2), 8 p.m.
Consolation
Bradley Braves (2-1) vs. UTSA Roadrunners (2-1), 11 a.m.
James Madison Dukes (1-2) vs. Weber State Wildcats (2-1), 2 p.m.
All four favorites made it through Friday’s quarterfinal round, with Vermont surprisingly having the most difficult time, as the Catamounts only defeated Bradley by one, 65-64. Note that the NKU-Iona semifinal pairs 2017 NCAA Tournament qualifiers against each other.
U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Semifinals
FloHoops.com ($) will stream all four games.
Championship
Mercer Bears (3-1) vs. Drexel Dragons (2-1), 6 p.m.
Colorado Buffaloes (3-0) vs. Drake Bulldogs (2-0), 8:30 p.m.
Consolation
Houston Cougars (1-1) at Liberty Flames (2-1), 12 p.m.
Quinnipiac Bobcats (1-2) vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (0-3), approx. 2:30 p.m.
This tournament came very close to having an all-mid-major semifinal lineup, as Colorado needed, and received, a miracle to defeat Quinnipiac, 70-69. In the consolation bracket, Liberty managed to get a Power 7 foe on its home floor, thanks to losses by both it and Houston in the afternoon session. The Flames are now a shared result away from getting a chance to defeat Wake Forest for a second time this week.
Hall of Fame Tip-Off Semifinals (Primer)
ESPN3 will stream all four games.
Naismith Bracket
Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-0) vs. Boston College Eagles (3-0), 12 p.m.
La Salle Explorers (3-0) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (2-1), approx. 2:30 p.m.
The favored Wildcats, the only team out of this quartet with a loss on its record, fell to the Creighton Bluejays at home 92-88 on Wednesday evening. While you’re likely surprised to see BC with a perfect record, the Eagles have yet to defeat a team ranked higher than 300th in KenPom.
Springfield Bracket
South Alabama Jaguars (1-2) vs. Maine Black Bears (0-2), approx. 5 p.m.
Sacred Heart Pioneers (0-2) vs. Saint Peter’s Peacocks (0-2), approx. 7:30 p.m.
Two teams will pick up their first Division I wins of the season this evening. South Alabama’s victory came against non-D1 Mobile.
2K Classic Benefitting Wounded Warrior Project Subregional Semifinals
Seattle Redhawks (1-2) vs. Detroit Mercy Titans (1-1), 2 p.m. (no broadcast)
Houston Baptist Huskies (1-1) at Belmont Bruins (2-1), approx. 4:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
The host Bruins have already defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. On the other hand, the other three teams taking the floor at Curb Auditorium have yet to manage a Division I win between them.
Jamaica Classic Montego Bay
Visitors’ Round-Robin
LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds (1-3) vs. Hartford Hawks (2-1), 6 p.m.
The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, who the Hawks meet tomorrow evening in a CBSSN-televised game, defeated the Blackbirds by a 78-74 count on Friday evening.
These two teams will meet again in Brooklyn on November 30th.
The hosts’ bracket takes the day off after the Tulane Green Wave and Florida State Seminoles handily claimed victories on Friday. The Green Wave overwhelmed the Colorado State Rams, 80-53, while the Seminoles had no trouble in disposing of the Fordham Rams, 67-43.
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