With an early game this afternoon for the Puerto Rico Shoot Out we have an early release of the schedule for you. Our marquee match up will be a continuation of last night's pick. Find out who else is playing today right here ...
Marquee Match Up
7:00pm Pittsburgh vs. Texas
I don’t know if you watched the Texas/Illinois game last night but if you didn’t you missed one hell of a game. Not only did the game go into overtime but both Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph played major roles in the win. I had said yesterday that the game against the Illini was the litmus test. Well, I think this game against the Panthers will be THE litmus test. Texas faces another Top 25 team (Pitt is currently #5 in the AP Poll) on back to back nights at the Mecca of basketball, MSG. It doesn’t get much bigger or more pressure filled than this for the freshmen. This Pitt team is guard heavy led by Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker. Throw in that nine players average 13 or more minutes and contribute at least 4 points and/or 2 rebounds per game, this will be a tough match up for the Horns who don't have as deep a bench. Last night was a big energy game with a heavy emotional ending. Thompson had 20 pts, 7 rbs, 4 asts, 3 stls and 5 blks in 40 mins against the Illini while Joseph had 10 pts, 3 rbs, 2 blks and a very, very big shot to tie the game and push it to overtime. Will they have enough left for tonight to declaw the Panthers?
3:00pm Davidson vs. Nebraska
7:00pm St. Bonaventure @ Cornell– I’ve been on the Andrew Nicholson train for a while now (as some of you may already know) so it’s no surprise I’m picking this game to watch. Nicholson has played great in his first two games which is no surprise (24 pts, 9 rbs). I think he’s physically maturing now and is getting to that place that Coach Schmidt always thought he’d be able to get to which is David West territory. His block numbers are down now but it’s still early in season so expect an outburst soon. But also keep an eye on freshman from Toronto Matthew Wright. He’s averaged 20 minutes a game and is putting up 6.5 pts, 2.5 asts, 1.5 rbs and a stl through two games.
7:00pm University of Maine @ Maine
7:00pm Duquesne @ Robert Morris
7:30pm Niagara @ Georgia Tech
7:30pm Indiana Tech @ Detroit
8:00pm Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ Northwestern
8:00pm Seattle vs. Louisiana Tech– Olu Ashoalu’s playing. All I have to say is if you can watch it. Not many players go after the ball harder than Olu. He’s averaging a double-double right now (13.7 pts and 10 rbs) and he always looks like he's playing the last game of his life.
8:05pm Cleveland State @ Louisiana-Lafayette
8:30pm North Carolina vs. Minnesota
10:30pm Navy @ Cal-Irvine
10:30pm Kentucky @ Portland
12:30am Central Arkansas @ Hawaii– Kitchener, ON’s Imad Qahwash has been moved from the starting lineup to coming off the bench this season and the move seems to have paid off. Through two games, Qahwash is averaging a very efficient 21 pts in 25 mins of action. He’s shooting 75% from the field (12-of-16) and is a perfect 16-of-16 from the FT. He’s also adding 6 rbs and an assist and steal per game too. This is a far cry from the role he’s been cast in his first three years at Central Arkansas so watching his game tonight will definitely be worth it just to see if he continues on this trend.