Feast Week Day 6 Viewing Guide

For a full lineup of non-tournament games, check out MattSarzSports.com’s Daily Schedule.

*Cayman Islands Classic games are also streaming on CollegeSportsLive.com ($).

Gulf Coast Showcase Semifinals

FloHoops.com ($) will stream all four games.

Championship

UMKC Kangaroos (2-3) vs.Georgia Southern Eagles (4-0), 5 p.m.
Penn Quakers (3-2) vs. Towson Tigers (3-1), approx. 7:30 p.m.

Consolation

Manhattan Jaspers (2-1) vs. Missouri State Bears (2-2), 11 a.m.
Northern Illinois Huskies (2-1) vs. FAU Owls (1-2), approx. 1:30 p.m.

Of the four quarterfinal victors, only Georgia Southern failed to win by double-digits. As anticipated, the Eagles showdown with Missouri State was the best game of the day in Estero, Fla.—Mark Byington’s squad edged the Bears 74-73.

Cayman Islands Classic Semifinals

FloHoops.com ($) and CollegeSportsLive.com ($) will stream all four games.

Championship

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (3-1) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (3-0), approx. 2:30 p.m.
Richmond Spiders (1-2) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (4-0), approx. 7:30 p.m.

Consolation

Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1) vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits (3-2), 12 p.m.
UAB Blazers (3-1) vs. Buffalo Bulls (2-1), approx. 5 p.m.

The first Division I games played on the Caymans provided a pair of surprises. In the opener, Iowa, probably not entirely prepared for the trip to the Caribbean, thanks to playing its first three games against teams ranked in KenPom’s bottom 11, fell to Louisiana by nine. And it wasn’t that close. The Cajuns next face a Wyoming team that took down the Hawkeyes’ next opponent, SDSU, by 12 in game two.

Between Georgia Southern, Louisiana, Georgia State, and UT Arlington (and last season’s tourney champ, Troy), the Sun Belt is looking like a formidable mid-major league this season.

In the evening doubleheader, Richmond, last seen dropping consecutive home games to Delaware and Jacksonville State, handled UAB, 63-50. The Spiders will next face Cincinnati, who struggled to get past MAC contender Buffalo, 73-67.

Cayman Islands Classic Mainland Finals

Savannah State Tigers (1-4) vs. Alabama State Hornets (0-5), 5 p.m. (None)
Jacksonville State Gamecocks (3-1) at Chattanooga Mocs (2-2), approx. 7:30 p.m. (ESPN3)

As expected, the defending OVC Tournament champions will take on the hosts in tonight’s finals, as both handled their respective semifinal opponents with ease.

Cancun Challenge Semifinals (Primer)

Mayan Division

Montana State Bobcats (2-2) vs. Binghamton Bearcats (1-3), 12:30 p.m. (CBSSports.com)
CSUN Matadors (1-2) vs. Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (1-2), approx. 3 p.m. (CBSSports.com)

The winner of the second game of the day at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya Resort will claim its first Division I win of the season.

Riviera Division

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-0) vs. George Mason Patriots (3-1), 6 p.m. (CBSSN)
Evansville Purple Aces (4-0) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (2-1), approx. 8:30 p.m. (CBSSN)

While no Power 7 team made the trip to Mexico this season, this lineup of mid-major name brands should be one of the more compelling and competitive semifinal doubleheaders of the week. I suspect a George Mason team that pushed Louisville might end up as the team to beat here, not the Louisiana Tech one I originally picked.

Maui Jim Maui Invitational Semifinals

Championship

Marquette Golden Eagles (2-1) vs. Wichita State Shockers (3-0), 1:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0) vs. LSU Tigers (3-0), approx. 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Consolation

VCU Rams (2-1) vs. California Golden Bears (2-1), approx. 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
Michigan Wolverines (3-1) vs. Chaminade Silverswords (2-1, DII), 8 p.m. (ESPN2)

While Notre Dame easily took care of Chaminade in its quarterfinal, Monday’s other three games were all rather entertaining. Sure, Marquette beat VCU by 11, but the Golden Eagles only led the Rams by three after a high-octane 45-42 first half. Then, Wichita State needed to rally against Cal—who led by 11 at halftime—to avoid a ruined trip. Finally, LSU stunned Michigan in a 77-75 thriller in the nightcap. That was an impressive (and highly entertaining) performance under pressure for a Bayou Bengal team widely tipped to (again) finish near the bottom of the SEC.

A Shockers-Fighting Irish final remains likely, but Wichita State cannot get off to a slow start against the Golden Eagles today. Marquette probably won’t have the foul issues Cal ran into late.

Note that the first semifinal will be an 8:30 a.m. Hawai’i time start, as the Maui Invitational split its semifinals up this season to get both games on ESPN.

Progressive Legends Classic Championship Finals

Consolation: Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1 vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (1-3), 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Championship: Texas A&M Aggies (3-0) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0), approx. 6 p.m. (ESPN2)

Both the Aggies (72-55 over the Cowboys) and Nittany Lions (85-54 over the Panthers) cruised through to tonight’s final, which should hopefully provide a bit more drama and competition for the fans in Brooklyn than either of Monday’s contests.

Progressive Legends Classic Subregional Finals

Championship: Montana Grizzlies (3-1) vs. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (2-2), 8 p.m.
Consolation: Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (1-3) at Pepperdine Waves (1-3), approx. 10:30 p.m. (TheW.tv)

Threats for the Big Sky and Big West titles meet in a game that won’t feature any video coverage, sadly.

Hall Of Fame Classic Finals

Consolation: UCLA Bruins (3-1) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (2-2), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
Championship: Creighton Bluejays (4-0) vs. Baylor Bears (4-0), approx. 10 p.m. (ESPN2)

Creighton took down UCLA, 100-89, in a game that certainly lived up to its high-octane expectations. In game two, Baylor held off Wisconsin, 70-65, as the Badgers couldn’t quite claw back from a 12-point halftime deficit.

Don’t expect either the Bluejays or Bruins to have such an easy time offensively in today’s matchups as they did facing each other.

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