MEAC: Rider vs Coppin State 7:00 Youtube
Maybe Coppin State was bad in non-conference (1-16), but they honestly weren’t that bad in MEAC play.
Rider isn’t really a step up from those opposing teams. They are supposed to battle for a MAAC title but it’s still the MAAC. It is Iona’s league and a whole bunch of single-digit/under 500 teams.
Juan Dixon is hoping to take a step up though in his 3rd year in Baltimore. The Eagles return a whole bunch of reserves and only one starter. That one starter is great though… Dejuan Clayton. He averaged 14.5 points a year ago but relies on the 3-point ball a little bit too much. His fellow guard Nigel Marshall has a lot of potential too.
This is honestly the MEAC’s best chance to get a D1 win on opening night. HBCU fans are pulling for Coppin on Tuesday.
Missouri Valley: Toledo vs Valparaiso 8:00 ESPN3
Valparaiso is drastically underrated this year. The Crusaders return 3 starters and still are picked towards the bottom of the MVC.
Leading the way for Valpo is Ryan Fazekas. When he wasn’t on the floor last year, Valparaiso looked like a completely different squad and it wasn’t pretty. He hit 38 three-pointers last season and averaged 11.8 points per game.
His fellow guard Javon Freeman hit some big shots throughout the year. He also brings back 11 points and could be someone to watch in the MVC for the next couple years.
They welcome one of the favorites in the MAC on opening night, Toledo. This would be a great confidence builder for the Crusaders if they pull off the win. Javon Freeman will have to outplay Marreon Jackson, and newcomer Emil Freese-Vilien may have to play to match up against Luke Knappe’s size.
Tune into ESPN3 for definitely one of the best Opening Night Mid Major Matchups.
Mountain West: Utah vs Nevada 10:30 CBSSN
Nevada loses both head coach Eric Musselman and all five starters from a year ago, but the Pack will look to repeat their previous Mountain West titles.
Former UCLA coach Steve Alford comes in where he recently had success in the Mountain West. In New Mexico, he won four regular-season titles in six years and had three NCAA Tournament appearances.
For the Pack to do real well this season, they’ll need Lindsey Drew and Jazz Johnson to step it up. Drew sat out last year due to a ruptured Achilles. In 2018-19 he had 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. The offense will probably run through his handles. His counterpart at guard is Jazz Johnson. Johnson averaged 11 points per game last year and is the Wolfpack’s returning scorer.
They’ll welcome in a young Utah team who did pretty well last year.
For the Pack to upset Utah, they’ll need some of their young cats to step up. A name to watch is Zane Meeks. Meeks led Brewster Academy to a National Title in high school.
For all your late-night hoops fixings, tune into CBSSN.
NEC: Brown vs Bryant 7:00 NEC Front Row
Probably no one other than Brown or Bryant fans will watch this one, but it’s a great 1v1 matchup.
Leading the Brown Bears is Junior forward Tamenang Choh. Choh led the Ivy League in rebounding last year with 8.6 per game. Not only that, he is the top returning leading scorer for Brown with 12.5 points.
Bryant is led by Adam Grant. Grant knocked down 80 3-pointers a year ago and led the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game. His counterpart SeBastian Townes has played basketball with him since sixth grade, and is also an amazing shooter, averaging 15.1 per game.