NCAA basketball: 10 must-watch underrated games of week 2

Some surprises in the first week of the NCAA Basketball season have set up a lot of big games this week – which ones are flying under the radar?

Buffalo @ Southern Illinois – Monday, November 12

Buffalo has broken into the AP top 25 for the first time in program history, and their follow-up to beating West Virginia on the road is worth a watch. Southern Illinois won’t be a pushover on their home court either; they played Kentucky tight and earned a point in the polls themselves this week.

St. Bonaventure @ Niagara – Monday, November 12

The Buffalo Big 4 kicks off this week with St. Bonaventure visiting the Purple Eagles in Lewiston. The opening week of the season didn’t go according to plan for the Bonnies, and another let-down at Niagara would already start to narrow their chances to repeat their tournament appearance from a year ago.

Harvard @ UMass – Tuesday, November 13th

Harvard and UMass both have exciting teams, but the reason to tune into this one is the match-ups between the Crimson and Minutemen always go down to the final few possessions. Harvard beat UMass in overtime at Lavietes a year ago, and all but one of their last five meetings have been decided by 4 or fewer points.

Seton Hall @ Nebraska – Wednesday, November 14th

Both of these teams are out to prove they’re top 25 worthy and threats in their respective leagues this year, so this will be a huge one for both the Pirates and Huskers. It’s likely a resumé building win for whoever comes out with it.

Belmont @ Lipscomb – Thursday, November 16th

The Battle of the Boulevard should be huge this year. The two schools separated by 3 miles of Nashville road are out for more than bragging rights this season, with both schools having tournament aspirations. The rivalry will head to Belmont in December.

St. John’s @ Rutgers – Friday, November 16th

There’s never any love lost between teams from New Jersey and New York. The Mustapha Heron and Shamorie Ponds Show is always must-watch television, and Rutgers beat their first two opponents by a combined 64 points and might be out to prove they won’t be pulling up the rear in the Big Ten; there are plenty of reasons to pay attention to this one.

Louisiana Tech @ LSU – Friday, November 16th

Louisiana Tech opened the season with a big win at Wichita State, maybe letting the country know Conference USA wasn’t going to be only a three-horse race. This will be the biggest game of the year between Louisiana schools, and LSU might have just as tough of a time as they did fending off the Ragin’ Cajuns at home in March.

Arizona State @ San Francisco – Friday, November 16th

Any time a team opens a season with 34 and 43 point wins, you’re probably going to take notice. The Dons of USF haven’t made much noise since the 1980’s, but they have a chance to make a statement against a pretty good ASU team. ESPN slightly favors USF, and the Dons run one of the prettiest Princeton offenses in the country. They’re always worth a couple hours of your time, but especially in a situation like this.

Drexel @ La Salle – Saturday, November 17th

La Salle cannot be happy with an 0-2 start to begin the Ash Howard era, especially with one of those losses coming to a Lafayette team expected to finish towards the bottom of the Patriot standings. Drexel is potentially a sub 300 team for the season, but stunned La Salle last year at Gola Arena with a 2 point win over the Explorers. They head back up to 20th and Olney, and it’s always a good time when two Philly teams get together.

New Mexico State @ New Mexico – Saturday, November 17th

The battle for the Land of Enchantment is back as the Aggies head north to Albuquerque to take on their state’s flagship school at The Pit. The Lobos are improved and will be looking to take back New Mexico from an Aggies team that beat them by almost 20 last season.