Note: Graphics and tables may not appear optimally when viewing on a mobile device.

All field graphics by Chris Dobbertean using logos from Sportslogos.net, except for Green Bay (GreenBayPhoenix.com) and Northeastern (GoNU.com).

TV/streaming info from the event websites and MattSarzSports.com. All times are Eastern.

Tip Time Schedule

2K Empire Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project Finals

Consolation: UConn Huskies (3-0) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Championship: Syracuse Orange (2-1) vs. Oregon Ducks (2-1), approx. 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

This was only the second-most embarrassing thing about Syracuse’s performance against UConn in the first semifinal at Madison Square Garden, as the Huskies managed to hit 12 threes on 23 attempts in their 83-76 victory over their former Big East rivals. It’s the second consecutive 2K Empire Classic semifinal defeat for Syracuse (2014), while UConn will look to win the tournament for a second time (2014).

Meanwhile, that Bol Bol steal-jumper transition wasn’t the only thing that went right for Oregon all night against Iowa, but it sure must have felt like it for Ducks fans. The Pac-12 favorites fell to the Hawkeyes, expected to be a second-division team in an improved Big Ten, 77-69, despite 14 from Bol and 25 from Ehab Amin. Jordan Bohannon led the Hawkeyes with 16 and seven assists.

So, this evening’s consolation game will feature a pair of projected NCAA teams battling to avoid an 0-2 trip to Manhattan, with the subsequent championship tilt providing its surprise winners with an unexpected trophy to jump start their own at-large campaign.

Charleston Classic Semifinals

Championship

Virginia Tech Hokies (2-0) vs. Northeastern Huskies (2-1), 11 a.m. (ESPN2)
Purdue Boilermakers (3-0) vs. Davidson Wildcats (3-0), approx. 7 p.m. (ESPNU)

Consolation

Ball State Cardinals (1-2) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-1), approx. 1:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Appalachian State Mountaineers (1-2) vs. Wichita State Shockers (1-2), 4:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Downloadable bracket

The exclamation point in Virginia Tech’s 73-64 Charleston Classic-opening win over Ball State came before the second half under-eight media timeout, when Justin Robinson’s alley-oop to Ahmed Hill wrecked the Cardinals’ afternoon.

In game two, Northeastern’s 68-52 victory over Alabama, with the Huskies missing two starters, including Shawn Occeus, the CAA’s 2018 Defensive Player of the Year, was a bit of history for the Huskies.

In Friday’s first semifinal, Northeastern will take on Virginia Tech. But a Huskies win over an ACC school wouldn’t be historic, considering they knocked off FSU in 2014 and Miami one season later.

The night semifinal will feature Purdue, who dominated Appalachian State, 92-70, thanks to 25 from Carsen Edwards and 21 from Ryan Cline, and Davidson, who rallied late to upend Wichita State, 57-53. The Wildcats’ Icelandic international, Jon Axel Gudmundsson, scored a career-high 33, including Davidson’s final 12 points.

Myrtle Beach Invitational Semifinals

Championship

Saint Joseph’s Hawks (3-0) vs. UCF Knights (2-1) , approx. 1:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2-1) vs. West Virginia Mountaineers (1-1), approx. 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

Consolation

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1-1) vs. Cal State Fullerton Titans (1-2), 11 a.m. (ESPNU)
Valparaiso Crusaders (1-1) vs. Monmouth Hawks (0-4), 6:30 p.m. (ESPN3)

Downloadable bracket

Saint Joe’s and Wake headed into halftime of the first-ever Myrtle Beach Invitational quarterfinal tied at 46. But the Hawks used some efficient, mesmerizing offense to blow out the Demon Deacons in the second half, winning by a final score of 89-69. With Charlie Brown, who missed last season with a wrist injury, pacing a dangerous attack, the Atlantic 10 could have a new favorite by the end of the weekend.

SJU will face UCF, who handled defending Big West Tournament champ Cal State Fullerton 68-52, in the first semifinal on Friday. Tacko Fall, who will pose a significant interior challenge for Phil Martelli’s team, recorded a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) in the Knights’ victory.

Valpo gave WKU a game for about 30 minutes in the first game of the evening doubleheader, but the Hilltoppers will continue to play for the championship, 83-71. Jared Savage and Taveion Hollingsworth combined to put up 48 point for Rick Stansbury’s C-USA favorites, with the latter missing a double-double by just one rebound. Western Kentucky will meet West Virginia in the second semifinal on the Grand Strand, as the Mountaineers overcame a slow start to keep Monmouth winless, 71-53.

Islands of the Bahamas Showcase Quarterfinals

Montana Grizzlies (2-0) vs. Incarnate Word Cardinals (3-1), 11 a.m. (BD Global stream ($))
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (1-1) vs. North Dakota State Bison (1-1), 2 p.m. (BD Global stream ($))
Georgia Southern Eagles (2-0) vs. FAU Owls (2-0), 5 p.m. (BD Global stream ($))
Towson Tigers (1-1) vs. Pepperdine Waves (1-1), 8 p.m. (BD Global stream ($))

Full bracket

The second Islands of the Bahamas Showcase has a field that’s similar to last season’s fifth edition of the Gulf Coast Showcase, as three teams from that event will take the floor at Kendall Issacs National Gymnasium today, including the two finalists. However, neither 2017 Gulf Coast champ Towson or runner-up Georgia Southern is the favorite here. Instead, that’s 2018 Big Sky champ Montana. So far, only the Grizzlies (impressively over Sun Belt champ Georgia State), Georgia Southern (taking down A 10 contender George Mason Patriots on Tuesday), North Dakota State (UC Santa Barbara), and FAU (over UCF) have recorded wins over Division I opposition.

Last season, FloHoops streamed this event. This time, event organizer BD Global streaming the 12 games on its own for a fee.

Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic Montego Bay Day 1

Visitors’ Bracket

Austin Peay Governors (1-2) vs. Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (2-1), 11:30 a.m. (CBSSN)
Florida A&M Rattlers (2-0) vs. Campbell Fighting Camels (1-2), approx. 2 p.m. (CBSSN)

Hosts’ Bracket

Ohio Bobcats (2-0) vs. South Florida Bulls (2-0), approx. 4:30 p.m. (CBSSN)
Georgetown Hoyas (3-0) vs. Loyola Marymount Lions (3-0), approx. 7 p.m. (CBSSN)

Full schedule

In its second season, the Jamaica Classic got all of its participating teams to the Caribbean, but the event still has preset matchups. (One of the ones on Sunday is a particularly odd choice, as I’ll explain then.) The highlight of this event is the return of Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing to his native country—while two Hoyas, Jahvon Blair and Jagan Mosely, have Jamaican fathers as well. In other words, Georgetown will have plenty of support in Montego Bay and will not want to disappoint their fans. In fact, Ewing has already started immersing his team in Jamaican culture early in their trip.

There haven’t been any real surprises in the limited number of on-campus games played in conjunction with this event—many of them will be played after the participants return to the United States. However, South Florida needed OT to defeat Austin Peay on Monday night in Tampa, while Ohio struggled mightily with Campbell. The two most impressive wins claimed by these eight teams in the new season’s opening days: Georgetown’s 88-80 victory at Illinois in the Gavitt Tip-Off Games on Tuesday night, followed by Loyola Marymount’s surprising 61-50 triumph at UNLV on Saturday.

U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Quarterfinals

Oregon State Beavers (2-0) vs. Old Dominion Monarchs (1-1), 1 p.m. (FloHoops.com ($))
Kennesaw State Fighting Owls (1-2) vs. Missouri Tigers (1-1), approx. 3:30 p.m. (FloHoops.com ($))
UNI Panthers (1-1) vs. Penn Quakers (3-0), approx. 6 p.m. (FloHoops.com ($))
Eastern Kentucky Colonels (2-1) vs. Kansas State Wildcats (2-0), approx. 8:30 p.m. (FloHoops.com ($))

Downloadable bracket

While 2018 Elite Eight squad Kansas State heads to St. Thomas as a heavy favorite to go 3-0 and bring the Paradise Jam title back to America’s Heartland, it’s Old Dominion who has the best track record at the University of the Virgin Islands. The Monarchs have appeared in this event three times and have never failed to win fewer than two games on each of their trips. Two of the more intriguing teams in this field both will use their time in the Caribbean to adjust to missing key performers. But while Missouri knew it would be without Jontay Porter before starting its season due to a knee injury, Penn lost the leading scorer from its Ivy League title campaign, Ryan Betley, in a season-opening road win at George Mason, also due to a knee injury. The Quakers’ challenge, against a UNI team that always seems to play well in November tournaments, is likely to be stiffer than the Tigers’ matchup against Kennesaw State.

Thanks to the winter storm affecting the East Coast, Penn had a difficult time making it to St. Thomas, arriving very late on Thursday will be something to watch against UNI this evening.

The Quakers missed beach/sightseeing day...

Kennesaw lost its non-bracketed game at Kansas State, 56-41, one week ago, while EKU took down non-D1 Midway on Tuesday. The final non-bracketed matchup, a BracketBusters-type showdown in Norfolk between UNI and ODU, is set for Friday, November 23rd.

2K Empire Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project Subregional Semifinals

Morehead State Eagles (1-2) vs. UMKC Kangaroos (0-3), 5:30 p.m. (No TV/streaming)
Green Bay Phoenix (1-2) at Eastern Washington Eagles (0-2), approx. 7:45 p.m. (Pluto.tv)

Downloadable bracket and schedule

Tonight’s two 2K Empire Classic subregional semifinal winners will pick up their first Division I victories of the season. Host Eastern Washington is the heavy favorite to go 2-0 in Cheney, though Morehead State looked decent in its pair of regional round losses.

Air Force Reserve Tip-Off Presented by Citi Springfield Bracket Semifinals

Stony Brook Seawolves (2-0) vs. Holy Cross Crusaders (1-2), 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
Norfolk State Spartans (2-2) vs. Siena Saints (1-1), approx. 8:30 p.m. (ESPN3)

Full schedule

The Air Force Reserve Tip-Off, better known as the Hall of Fame Tip-Off, expanded its schedule by a day this season. Tomorrow, the hosts’ Naismith Bracket will tip off at the Mohegan Sun, with the visitors’ Springfield Bracket’s consolation game set for the evening. Both championship games and the Naismith consolation contest are set for Sunday.

Stony Brook, which has already won at both George Washington and South Carolina, is suddenly a heavy favorite to sweep through this event, which features four teams that all finished the 2017-18 season well below .500. Note that Siena also took down the Colonials during on-campus play.

Bimini Jam Day 1 and Junkanoo Jam Day 2

Bimini Jam Day 1

Air Force Falcons (1-1) vs. UMBC Retrievers (2-1), 3:30 p.m. (FloHoops.com ($))
High Point Panthers (0-2) vs. South Dakota Coyotes (1-1), approx. 6 p.m. (FloHoops.com ($))

Junkanoo Jam Day 2

Central Michigan Chippewas (3-0) vs. Weber State Wildcats (2-1), approx. 8:30 p.m. (FloHoops.com ($))

Downloadable schedule

While UMBC, who became the first 16 seed to defeat a 1 in the history of the men’s NCAA Tournament last March, is the marquee team here, Summit power South Dakota will push the Retrievers for the title. If both win today, they’ll meet tomorrow evening. If both lose, that meeting will take place Sunday. And if the two go in different directions tonight, they’ll meet at some point on Monday evening.

Yesterday’s two Junkanoo Jam winners meet in the nightcap. Central Michigan defeated Cal State Bakersfield (1-2) for the second consecutive season, 67-55, while Weber State held off a late San Jose Staté (1-2) rally, 85-77. The Roadrunners and Spartans will play on Saturday.

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