The Daily Preview: Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Continues

The college basketball season got underway on Monday, with Arizona, St. John’s, and Mississippi State in the spotlight.

We’ll see those three teams again tonight on national television, with Texas A&M in action as well as the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic rolls along.

Let’s take a look at the matchups:

• Akron at Mississippi State – 7:00 PM ET, ESPNU

The most surprising part of the Bulldogs’ win over Eastern Kentucky on Monday was the fact that they did it without Renardo Sidney making huge contributions. Sidney had only nine points and three rebounds in 23 minutes of play, but luckily, Dee Bost led the way in scoring while Arnett Moultrie and Rodney Hood controlled the boards.

We can’t judge whether or not Sidney will be the player we expect him to be after one game though. It’s clear this team still has a lot of things to work on. Akron will take the opposite approach of EKU, who shot 33 threes on Monday, and will pound the ball inside all night. The Zips’ frontcourt is very strong and deep with players like the seven-footer, Zeke Marshall, Nikola Cvetinovic, Nick Harney, and newcomer Demetrius Treadwell.

Given what we saw on Monday from Mississippi State, this isn’t gonna be a walk in the park by any means. Akron is a favorite to win the MAC, and they will present some challenges.

Prediction: Mississippi State 67, Akron 63

• Lehigh at St. John’s – 7:00 PM ET, ESPN2

The Red Storm struggled for a little while against William & Mary, but eventually worked their way to a 15-point victory. They had great scoring balance (four players with 14 or more points), although their free throw shooting, 12 for 25, and three-point shooting, 4 for 15, was still a little shaky.

Steve Lavin will return to the sidelines tonight, which should provide an added boost for this team as they take on a Lehigh squad that returns four starters. But there’s one player that will stand out above the rest for the Mountain Hawks, and that’s junior guard C.J. McCollum. He averaged 21 points per game a season ago, as well as close to eight rebounds. As a guard.

The better team here is still St. John’s, but they are really going to have to focus on keeping McCollum from getting on a roll. He runs the show for this team and will take the bulk of the shots. If he’s hitting, the sky is the limit for this team. But if the Red Storm will keep shooting a high percentage in the paint, and not shoot a ton of threes, they should be able to pull this one out. It won’t be easy though.

Prediction: St. John’s 72, Lehigh 66

• Liberty at #19 Texas A&M – 8:00 PM ET

It’s still uncertain whether Billy Kennedy will be on the sideline, but nonetheless, the Aggies come in as strong favorites here. Liberty will be led by point guard Jesse Sanders, and if they didn’t lose John Brown to a season-ending knee injury, they might be able to at least make a game of this one.

But there’s a reason why the Aggies got votes to win the Big 12. This is a team with a big-time scorer in Khris Middleton, and a whole lot of help around him. A&M takes care of business here.

Prediction: Texas A&M 80, Liberty 57

• Duquesne at #16 Arizona – 9:00 PM ET, ESPN2

Arizona didn’t look overly impressive against Valpo, but we already knew that it was going to take some time with this team. They won’t magically have everything worked out by tonight, which should make this game closer than it should be. It’s really all about chemistry right now for the Wildcats, both offensively and defensively, and that’s not something you can fix in two days.

As for their opponents, the Dukes boast A-10 Rookie of the Year T.J. McConnell, who leads a solid backcourt for this team along with B.J. Montiero and Mike Talley. The frontcourt will be a little more intriguing, with a foursome of freshman (Mamadou Datt, Kadeeem Pantophlet, Derrick Martin, and Andre Marhold) expected to lock down the painted area.

If this game were being played in Pittsburgh, there would be reason to pick the upset. But even though Sean Miller‘s squad has a long way to go, they’re still at home and they’ll still find a way to win.

Prediction: Arizona 70, Duquesne 60

What are your thoughts on tonight’s games? Do you think Lehigh, Akron, or Duquesne could pull off the upset?