Miami and Ohio Headline a Chaotic Thursday Slate Packed with Upset Potential

The third day of the college basketball season was uneventful. There were very few close games, and the power five schools all won in blowout fashion. However, Rutgers struggled to dispose of Rider and appears to be having trouble scoring against better teams. Mississippi State got all they could handle from North Alabama through 30 minutes. It took a very late 23-4 run for the Bulldogs to pull away finally.

The Thursday schedule features some intriguing games with tremendous upset potential. The games today will also provide us with a lot of information on teams that looked good on opening day but still have some unanswered questions. Here are the best games of the day for Day 4 of the NCAA Basketball Season.

Illinois State Redbirds at Ohio Bobcats - Two conference favorites square off in a high-scoring game.

The Redbirds are the favorites to win the Missouri Valley, and given the roster they have returning, it isn't surprising. Illinois State has scored consistently and is likely to make a postseason tournament. They have yet to play a game and head into a hostile environment against another team that will be a factor in their conference. Ohio is a hard team to gauge. The Bobcats have scoring everywhere, but they don't play much defense. If they can find any defense, they will win a ton of games; otherwise, Ohio will be in shootouts all year long. Take the overs

Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at Miami Hurricanes- SWAC upset over the ACC?

This game has an air of upset written all over it. The Wildcats can be one of the best SWAC teams of all time, and in the first game of the season, took Auburn to Overtime before finally losing the game by one possession. Bethune can score and isn't going to be scared because they think they can win. Miami has a new roster and a new coach and faced very little adversity in its first game of the year. This game will be different for the Hurricanes. If they sleepwalk at any point during this game, they might lose.

Cal State Northridge Matadors at Northern Iowa Panthers- Beautiful offense and pace of play

The Matadors have been one of the top programs in the Big West over the last three seasons, primarily due to their efficient offense and ability to shoot the ball from deep. The Matadors play at a swift pace and maintain constant pressure on the defense with their efficient offense. At this point, it's no surprise how Northern Iowa is going to play. The Panthers are going to shoot a ton of threes and get the ball inside off the pick and roll. Offense will be a thing of beauty in this game

Here are the picks for the rest of the schedule: