What’s On Tap: Solid Week of Hoops Ahead

For College Basketball fans, it doesn’t get better than the week ahead of us in the sport. After seeing some pretty impressive runs by dark horse teams in Early Tourney play, the last week of November provides us some of the best Non-Conference games of the season. Coming up this week, nearly every night will feature a top 25 team pitted against each other. Each day presents what look to be a competitive games between teams that not only match up well, but are looking to get some momentum heading into conference play.

Here’s a quick look at What’s On Tap for the Week of Monday November 28th.

Monday –

Xavier @ Vanderbilt 7 PM ESPN 2/3 – The Musketeers will take on their first true test of the season tonight as they look to take down their ninth SEC team in their last ten games against the conference. The Commodores are dominant at home, and will really push the tempo on offense. Should be interesting to see how Tu Holloway responds in this one, as he continues to battle a banged up finger on his shooting hand. Xavier has the talent to hang without Holloway being 100%, but it’d be really tough to pull away in this one. John Jenkins has stepped up with the absence of center Festus Ezeli, who is out until mid December. The guard is averaging 20 points per game and has put together three real solid efforts since Vanderbilt’s loss to Cleveland State.

Long Beach State @ Louisville 7 PM ESPN U – If the 49ers can come out and shock Pittsburgh, there is no doubt they have the talent and desire to do so against Rick Pitino‘s Louisville Cardinals. There hasn’t been a team in the country so riddled with injury. Stephan Van Treese re-aggravated a previous knee injury this weekend and looks to be out for quite some time. Wayne Blackshear injured his shoulder early in the season, but isn’t expected to be back anytime this week. As everyone knows, Mike Marra expects to miss the rest of the season. The good news is that Peyton Siva started on Friday despite struggling offensively against Ohio. He is a defensive spark plug this team could use against Long Beach State.  The scoring threat that makes Long Beach tick is Casper Ware. He has really struggled in his last two outings, and will have to hone it in like he did against Pittsburgh if his team has a chance tonight of winning.

Tuesday –

Duke @ Ohio State 9:30 PM ESPN/ESPN 3 – One of the top non-conference match-ups of the year, both teams come in undefeated, looking to find their offensive identity, and still trying to gauge how to manage their very talented rosters. For Ohio State, they past their first true test earlier in the year against Florida, but has yet to take on a balanced team that matches up well for them. William Buford has come out early and shown how deadly he can be off screens and in the open court, and Jared Sullinger has continued his dominance in the post. He will have his first challenge though against the Plumlees, who are adequate defensive big men. Watching Aaron Craft cover Seth Curry will be one of the premiere player match-ups of the year. Ohio State has yet to face a dynamic score such as Curry, so Tuesday will be a real test for a perimeter defense that has struggled at times.

Wednesday –

Wisconsin @ UNC 9:30 PM ESPN/ESPN 3 – How will the Tar Heels respond after losing their first game to UNLV? How about Wisconsin? They have yet to see tough competition in 2011 and this is the best of the best. On paper, you’d think that North Carolina has an advantage at every single position but point guard, where Kendall Marshall sure as heck could give Jordan Taylor a run for his money every night on the court. That’s the thing though. Bo Ryan‘s squads don’t have super stars. They don’t have players that stick out as game changers. As a whole though, they can change the outcome on the scoreboard really quickly with team defense and taking care of the basketball. The key for North Carolina will be to get Harrison Barnes hot early and control possession down low with John Henson and Tyler Zeller. If they can do that, it should give them solid momentum heading into a showdown with Kentucky to end the week.

Notre Dame @ Gonzaga 11:15 PM ESPN2/ESPN 3 – After losing to two top tier opponents back to back, The Fighting Irish will get another chance to defeat a top 25 opponent on Wednesday as they travel to take on Gonzaga. Sadly, the Irish will have to do it without senior leader Tom Abromaitis, who tore his ACL over the weekend. If there is one coach though that can band his players together after such a huge loss, it’s Mike Brey. The Irish are very young, and this will be a prime opportunity to see where this program stands without a good amount of it’s production. Sophomore guard Eric Atkins will be asked to bring his game to an even high level than he has to start the season. He’s averaging 15 points and three assists per game. Gonzaga will be hosting it’s 5th straight home game to start the season, and have looked really good at times, despite still trying to figure out roles offensively. Freshman point guard Kevin Pangos has stuck out early in the season, and has begun to play a bigger role in the Bulldog offense. He and David Stockton give this team two solid floor generals. Sam Dower and Robert Sacre also give Gonzaga flexibility at the center position. This could be a very good back and forth affair — but watch for Sacre to have a solid performance on both sides of the floor. A win for Gonzaga could propel them into the top 10.

Florida State @ Michigan State 7:30 PM ESPN/ESPN 3 – Wednesday you better strap yourself to the couch and throw the remote away, because boy do we have some good basketball action. The Spartans will take on their third ACC opponent of the season after being handled by Duke and North Carolina to begin the season. Since then, they have put together a nice run against small schools and look to continue their development of younger players Branden Dawson and Travis Trice. This team will live off the offensive rebound as always, and the play of Draymond Green. Brandon Wood has stepped up in his last few outings as well as big men Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne. The x factor though all season will be the play of Keith Appling, who has yet to put his best game forward in 2011. The Seminoles are coming off two straight losses and look to rebound at the Breslin on Wednesday.  Like the Spartans, there are a handful of Florida State players that contribute on a nightly basis, with no real standout offensively. Michael Snaer at guard and Bernard James down low are the players to watch on the court for Florida State. They play with a lot of energy and are starting to come into their own.

Indiana @ North Carolina State 7:15 PM ESPN/ESPN 3 – Okay, four games in one day? You gotta be kiddin’ me baby! Dickie V would have you flipping your TV between two games featuring the Big Ten and ACC on Friday night. What makes this game so interesting is both of these teams have bright futures. Both also have dominated the 2012 recruiting class. But what will we see in 2011? Scott wood is back after his injury against Princeton. He played sparingly against Elon but could see the starting lineup on Wednesday. Lorenzo Brown is a lot of fun to watch as well at the guard position for the Wolfpack. For the Hoosiers, they are coming off a win over rival Butler on Sunday. Insane to think that this is a game that the Hoosiers could compete in.  Cody Zeller has an 80% field goal percentage on this young season. He is without a doubt facing his stiffest test of his young career though on Wednesday.

Thursday –

Georgetown @ Alabama 9:30 PM ESPN 2 – The Hoyas are on fire right now, ranking in the top 25 in nearly every single offensive category. After a four point loss to Kansas in the Maui Invitational, Georgetown responded with a solid overtime win over Memphis to end the tournament. John Thompson III believes his team is going to really form into a top team down the road, but over the weekend it seemed like they are already here.  Guards Jason Clark and Markel Starks have really formed a great backcourt. Hollis Thompson is one of the better improved big men in the country. Impressing this weekend though was freshman forward Otto Parker, who was all over the place defensively. The barely recruited Mississippi native had 4 steals, 2 blocks, 3 assists and 8 rebounds against Memphis. It’s those little things that could put the Hoyas over the top in the Big East this season. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide have continued to build on last year’s successes early in the season. They’ve played VCU, Maryland, Oakland, Purdue and Wichita State tough this season, and still remain undefeated. Forwards Tony Mitchell and JaMychal Green have been a two man wrecking crew early in the season. One thing that has become clear is that Anthony Grant is the right man for the job. Alabama has won 11 of it’s last 12 games going back to last season, when they fell to the Shockers in the NIT championship.

Friday –

Florida @ Syracuse 7:00 PM ESPN/ESPN3 – Can the Orange put behind the firing of assistant coach Bernie Fine and all the mess that goes behind the whole situation? The remains to be seen, but the Orange have definitely struggled in their last few outings. Kris Joseph has played in a zone early in the year, he is without a doubt what makes the Orange tick. He should have a solid match up on Friday down low and in the post. Scoop Jardine will have the pleasure of meeting the three talented guards Florida brings to the table. Mike Rosario, Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton are all terrific shooters, with a tough handle, and ability to get to the hoop. Then you throw freshman Brad Beal, who is a sharp shooter at the small forward position. If this one turns into the up-tempo affair that it should, expect a ton of dunks, turnovers, and missed shots. But one heck of a competitive battle.

Vanderbilt @ Louisville 9 PM ESPN/ESPN 3 – Depending on how they play earlier in the week, this could be some type of match up. Kyle Kuric continues to be the man stepping up for the Cardinals with all their injuries, and Vanderbilt really has a bunch of kids that play team basketball. Should be a fun defensive battle in the nightcap.

Saturday –

North Carolina @ Kentucky 12 PM CBS – A possible preview of the National Championship game, The Wildcats and Tar Heels are without a doubt the top two teams in the nation. This is going to be back and forth, a battle of coaches, and a game that should come down to guard play. This might feature 8-10 future NBA draft picks. That alone makes it fun to watch. I expect a Terrence Jones coming out party and a early season look at why these teams are considered the best. A back an forth game, with so much flavor your mouth will water.

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