Early Season Basketball

It's college basketball early-season play! That means meaningless tournaments on ESPN, and Duke blowouts. I've compiled the early television schedule of those tournaments for you here. We have the CBE Classic, with final rounds in the new Sprint Center in Kansas City. There's the NIT of course, finishing up in Madison Square Garden, as will Coaches vs. Cancer. The Maui Invitational is a little down this year, with Duke headlining.

Monday, Nov. 12
7 pm espn2 - New Mexico St. @ Duke
9 pm espn2 - Wisc-Green Bay @ Ohio St. (nit)
11 pm Youngstown St. @ UCLA (CBE Classic)

Duke playing a typical tough early game, though Kansas seems to have taken some lessons from the Blue Devils with a full slate of weak teams in the Fieldhouse. Lots of money at the gate with no return game plus easy win is the key formula for top teams. This is probably why KU doesn't play Wichita St., but they should.

Tuesday, Nov. 13
7 pm and 9 pm espn - second round NIT match-up: likely either St Joe's @ Syracuse, or Columbia/Del. st @ Ohio State (match-ups projected)
10:30 pm espn2 - Weber State @ UCLA (projected match-up) cbe classic

Pretty lackluster group of games, but a good chance to see some notable freshmen. Syracuse is interesting this year with guards Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris, and also features freshman Donte Green, a 6'8" 210 lb. power forward out of Maryland, who was the second-rated PF by Scout.com (behind only K-State's own Michael Beasley!). Freshman Johnny Flynn is a local kid, a 5-star point guard out of Niagara, NY. I bet Iona is glad he choose Syracuse (it seems Iona is always playing Niagara for the MAAC title in one of the first Championship Week games). Harris is from Niagara Falls, NY, so there seems to be tons of upstate talent. Or at least two guys.

Ohio St. has no one I have ever heard of, and I saw them play 20 times last year. So they lost a little bit of their team, but they have a 5-star as well - PF Kosta Koufos (great name), from Canton, Ohio (yes, he's white).

UCLA has all-world Kevin Love this year, the 6'9" PF out of Oregon, but will probably be without PG Darren Collison, who injured his foot or something in practice. Everyone of note except Arron Afflalo is back for the Bruins.

Here is the Pre-season NIT bracket

Wednesday, Nov. 14
10:30 pm espn2 - second round nit match-up: Utah @ Washington or UTEP/Texas A&M-Corpus Cristi @ Texas A&M

TAMUCC has the longest initials in the NCAAs, and regular A&M has new coach Mark Turgeon and 5 star C freshman Deandre Jordan, but not Acie Law IVIMCIX anymore!

Thursday, Nov. 15
7 pm and 9 pm espn2 - coaches vs. cancer semis at madison square garden, projected match-ups: OU vs. Memphis, UCONN vs. Gardner Webb (upset Kentucky 84-68)

Oklahoma should be better if Jeff Capel has a clue, which he seems to. Memphis is great, with freshman superstar PG Derrick Rose, who thought about going to Illinois, and then ran away like every other great Chicago player. Don't know much about UConn, but PG AJ Price didn't steal any laptops this year, so that's an improvement.

Here's the Coaches vs. Cancer bracket

Friday, Nov. 16
8:30 pm espn2 - Cancer Final

Wichita State is playing in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands this week as well, and opens with a pretty good match-up with Baylor on Nov. 16. Baylor is supposed to be decent this year, if no one murders anyone.

Paradise Jam bracket

Monday, Nov. 19
Maui Invitational
2:30 pm espn2 Chaminade v. Marquette
5:00 pm espn2 LSU vs. Oklahoma St.
[7 pm - espn2 Maryland v. UCLA cbe classic semi]
9:00 pm espn2 Princeton vs. Duke
11:30 pm espn2 Arizona St vs. Illinois

Duke, Duke, duke, dook, Duke, Duke, blah, blah, second round loss, Duke, blah blah.
Maryland, sweaty Gary Williams, 2002 was lucky bullshit, Maryland Turtles, blah blah.

Maui bracket

Tuesday, Nov. 20
7 pm espn Marquette vs LSU/OSU - Maui semifinal
9:30 pm espn Duke vs. ASU/Illinois - Maui Semifinal
10 pm espn2 CBE Championship Maryland/UCLA vs. Mizzou/Mich St.

CBE Bracket

Wednesday, Nov. 21
2 pm espn2 Maui 5th place game
4:30 pm espn2 Maui 3rd place game
7 pm espn2 NIT Semi - Texas a&m vs. Washington (projected)
9 pm espn2 nit semi - Ohio St. vs. Syracuse (projected)
10 pm espn Maui championship game

Friday, Nov. 23
12:00 am espn2 San Diego vs. Southern Cal - Anaheim Classic
3 pm Mississippi St./UC Irvine vs. So. Illinois/UT Chat. - Anaheim Classic
4:30 pm espn NIT 3rd place game
7 pm espn2 NIT championship

This is a really terrible tournament, USC and a bunch of dumpy west coast teams; what, was Gonzaga really too busy?

Anaheim Classic bracket

Saturday, Nov. 24
12:30 am espn2 Miami(oh)/So. Alabama vs. University San Diego/USC - anaheim classic

The OJ Mayo journey continues. I really wish this insane freshman PG had ended up at K-State. Would've been entertaining.

Sunday, Nov. 25
8 pm espn Arizona @ Kansas
9 pm espn2 Anaheim Classic Semi
11:30 pm espn2 Anaheim Classic Semi

I may have more to say about Kansas basketball at some point, but probably not on this day, which is right after the KU-Mizzou football game at Arrowhead.

Monday, Nov. 26
7 pm espn2 Wake Forest @ Iowa

Wake coach Skip Prosser died last summer, which was really quite sad. Not expecting too much from either of these teams.

Tuesday, Nov. 27
7 pm espn Georgia Tech @ Indiana
7:30 pm espn2 Minnesota @ Florida State
9 pm espn Wisconsin @ Duke
9:30 pm espn2 Purdue @ Clemson

Indiana is interesting, with the Denim Master Kelvin Sampson again in trouble for making too many phone calls to recruits. Is Kelvin that cool to chat with that it's worth it to him to call these kids all day? Do they really want to talk to him? Anyway, freshman PG Eric Gordan signed with Illinois, then said, uh, nevermind. That's funny.

Wisconsin will try to score more than 20 points in the first half. They averaged at least 30 a game last year, and spent most of the year in the top 5, which was, well, dumb. Purdue's got a pretty solid program; Clemson, FSU, and Minnesota are not on my radar this year for any reason.

Wednesday, Nov. 28
7 pm espn NC State @ Michigan State
7:30 pm espn2 Illinois @ Maryland
9 pm espn North Carolina @ Ohio State
9:30 espn2 Virginia Tech @ Penn State

Ah, the stupid ACC-Big 10 match-up. Overrated versus overexposed. Roy Williams is so great, may he rest in peace.

Thursday, Nov. 29
9 pm espn2 Oregon @ Kansas State

Michael Beasley! Bill Walker! Yes! Basketball school!

I hate K-State.

Area teams
Just in case you want to attend some games that don't involve KU (yeah right)...
Coaches vs. Cancer at OU in Norman
Nov. 8
OU vs. San Francisco
Denver vs. East Central Oklahoma
Nov. 9 - Winners

I hear East Central is real good this year.

CBE Classic at Plaige (mizzou) Arena
Nov. 12
Missouri v. Central Michigan
Fordham v. Central Missouri
Nov. 13 - Winners

Nov. 19
Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO, projected match-ups:
7 pm - espn2 Maryland v. UCLA
9:30 pm - Missouri v. Mich. St.
Nov. 20
Championship - winners on espn2 10 pm

Big 12/Pac-10 Men's Basketball Series
Television - Fox Sports, check your local listings!

For some reason, the KU-Arizona game is not part of this "challenge". I think I'll go ahead and count it, and ignore that sweet Iowa State - Oregon State game.

Thursday, Nov. 29 -
Oregon at Kansas State
Oklahoma at USC

Friday, Nov. 30 -
Washington State at Baylor
Iowa State at Oregon State

Saturday, Dec. 1 -
Washington at Oklahoma State
Missouri at California

Sunday, Dec. 2 -
Arizona State at Nebraska
Stanford at Colorado
Texas at UCLA
Texas A&M at Arizona

And just for reference, KU and WSU schedules:

Kansas schedule
Nov. 09 v. La-Monroe
Nov. 11 v. UMKC
Nov. 15 v. Washburn
Nov. 21 v. Northern Arizona
Nov. 25 v. Arizona
Nov. 28 v. Florida Atlantic
Dec. 02 @ Southern Cal
Dec. 05 v. Eastern Washington
Dec. 08 v. DePaul
Dec. 15 v. Ohio in KC Sprint Center
Dec. 18 @ Ga. Tech
Dec. 22 v. Miami (OH)
Dec. 29 v. Yale
Jan. 05 @ Boston College
Jan. 08 v. Loyola (MD)
Jan. 12 @ Nebraska
Jan. 14 v. Oklahoma
Jan. 19 @ Missouri
Jan. 23 v. Iowa State
Jan. 26 v. Nebraska
Jan. 30 @ K-State
Feb. 02 @ Colorado
Feb. 04 v. Missouri
Feb. 09 v. Baylor
Feb. 11 @ Texas
Feb. 16 v. Colorado
Feb. 23 @ Oklahoma State
Feb. 27 @ Iowa State
Mar. 01 v. K-State
Mar. 03 v. Texas Tech
Mar. 08 @ Texas A&M
Mar. 13-16 - Big 12 Tournament, Sprint Center, Kansas City

Wichita State team schedule
Nov. 13 8:05 pm - v. Arkansas Pine Bluff
Nov. 16 6 pm v. Baylor in Paradise Jam, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.
Nov. 17 or 18 Paradise Jam
Nov. 19 Paradise Jam
Field includes: Monmouth and Notre Dame is WSU's end of bracket, Ga Tech, Charlotte, Winthrop, and Illinois-Chicago other side
Nov. 24 8:05 pm - v. Wyoming
Nov. 29 8:05 pm - @ Appalachian State
Dec. 04 8:05 pm - v. Maryland Baltimore County
Dec. 07 8:05 pm - v. Texas Arlington
Dec. 15 8:05 pm - @ UMKC
Dec. 19 8:05 pm - v. LSU
Dec. 22 8:05 pm v. UAB
Dec. 29 8:05 pm v. Drake
Jan. 01 8:05 pm v. Illinois State
Jan. 05 8:05 pm @ Bradley
Jan. 08 7:05 pm @ Missouri State
Jan. 12 8:05 pm v. Creighton
Jan. 16 8:05 pm @ Illinois State
Jan. 19 3:05 pm @ Southern Illinois
Jan. 23 8:05 pm v. Northern Iowa
Jan. 26 8:05 pm v. Bradley
Jan. 29 9:05 pm v. Missouri State
Feb. 02 8:05 pm @ Creighton
Feb. 06 8:05 pm @ Evansville
Feb. 09 8:05 pm v. Indiana State
Feb. 13 8:05 pm @ Northern Iowa
Feb. 16 7:05 pm v. Southern Illinois
Feb. 19 7:05 pm @ Indiana State
Feb. 22 TBA Bracket Busters
Feb. 26 8:05 pm v. Evansville
Mar. 01 8:05 pm @ Drake
Mar. 06-09 Mo Valley Tournament - St. Louis "Arch Madness"