The NC-Double-Eh Schedule - Dec. 18

Today we have two Marquee Match Ups for you to choose from:  a monster Bonnie in the early afternoon and then a pair of Longhorns in the later afternoon.  Find out who else is playing today right here ...

Marquee Match Up

2:00pm Ohio @ St. Bonaventure

I can’t harp about the beast that is Andrew Nicholson enough.  I just can’t.  I’m actually gushing that through the first eight games of the season, Nicholson has had six double-doubles, six in the last seven, which is just two off of his total for his career.  He’s averaging a double-double for god sakes! Nicholson seems to have grown into a lion for his junior season and it he’s really beginning to solidify all the pro talk that has been whispered to end last year.  So, do I really need to tell you to watch more of him? 

4:00pm Texas @ North Carolina

A big game right here people!  Big game!  Texas takes on UNC!  Keep in mind that this UNC team is not a Tar Heels team of a few years ago but they are still the Tar Heels.  Even at 7-3 with a good amount of fresh faces playing major minutes, they are as good as any team in the Top 25.  This means that Texas will need to bring their A game to this one.  Tristan Thompson has been on a scoring slide since his first four games but he has still been rebounding and defending.  Cory Joseph on the other hand as seen his scoring jump since his first four games and is also defending as well as facilitating.  With diaper dandy Harrison Barnes leading the class of freshmen for North Carolina, this will be an interesting sub-text to the game.  Also, if you’re Thompson testing your game against Tyler Zeller while Joseph has Larry Drew to go head to head with, this should be a good game to watch on so many levels.  And don’t forget, it is STILL Texas versus UNC.

And here is where the rest of the Canadian ballers are playing …

12:00pm Belmont @ Troy

1:00pm Drexel @ St. Francis (PA)

2:00pm Arkansas @ Texas A&M

2:00pm Centenary @ Marquette – Junior Cadougan has been getting a lot of minutes over the last few games which is great considering that he was considered the odd player out in the packed backcourt.  He’s been playing a great role right now in his 19.5 minutes:  3 points, 1.7 rebounds and more importantly 3.5 assists which is second on the team.  Over the last six games he’s averaged 4.3 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists in 23 minutes.

2:00pm Cleveland State @ West Virginia

2:00pm Cornell @ Binghamton

2:00pm Stanford @ Butler

4:30pm Gonzaga @ Baylor – In the blowout win over Lewis- Clark State, all three Canadians played pretty well.  Ok, two of the three played pretty well.  Rob Sacre had a very efficient 13 points in 18 minutes along with 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and a steal as well as going 7-of-9 from the foul line.  Kelly Olynyk had his best game in weeks going off for 14 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 17 minutes.  Manny Arop, after coming off the 16 point, 5 rebound performance against Notre Dame, only had 3 points but did have 4 boards, 2 dimes and 2 blocks.  Against Baylor, which could be a tough win or a bad loss, let’s see if they can maintain some semblance of consistency to carry them into the conference schedule. 

5:00pm Cal Poly @ Cal

5:00pm Richmond @ Georgia Tech

7:00pm Robert Morris @ Appalachian State

7:00pm Detroit @ Central Michigan

7:00pm Western Carolina @ Dayton

7:00pm Iona @ Syracuse – I want to see what Kris Joseph does in this game.  He’s been on a roller coaster ride over the last few games despite having major minutes in most contests fluctuating better potential lottery pick and Euro pick.  In the ‘Cuse’s blowout of Colgate, Joseph played in 17 minutes only scoring 7 points but he managed to get 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals and an assist.  This is a side of him that doesn’t really get much attention and I would think that he would find this side of him that would be beneficial for his team and any pro aspirations. 

7:30pm George Washington @ Oregon State

8:00pm Eastern Kentucky @ Austin Peay

8:00pm Iowa @ Drake

8:00pm Texas-Arlington @ Louisiana Tech

8:00pm IPFW @ Valparaiso

8:00pm Central Arkansas @ Missouri

9:00pm Pacific @ New Mexico State – The Canadian contingent of Hernst Laroche, Tyrone Watson, Christian Kabongo and Renaldo Dixon have been nothing but the lifeblood of the Aggies over the last few games.  I only say that because they have been doing a lot of scoring, rebounding, assisting and stealing in very large percentages.  With all of them getting plenty of minutes to strut their stuff in every game, this trend should continue.  Since their facing off against a Pacific team that had knocked off UTEP and Nevada to start their season, this won’t be an easy win for the Aggies but it will be a good game to see. 

9:00pm Ark-Pine Bluff @ Air Force

10:00pm UC Irvine @ Pepperdine

10:00pm Cal Northridge @ Cal Bakersfield

10:05pm Montana @ Idaho

10:05pm Portland @ Portland State