With some teams off for final exams and others almost there, this was a very light week of action. Several nights saw a single digit number of Division I games. What did happen, though, was a re-affirmation of the importance of local rivalries, especially as we look forward to a few of those on Saturday as well.
Friday night’s slate was highlighted by Colorado making the trip to Fort Collins to visit Colorado State. The Buffaloes had enough to hold off the Rams and make a 27-12 halftime lead stand up in their 56-48 win, which adds to their commanding lead in the all-time series at 91-38. But it’s great that they are playing.
During weeks with final exams, or right ahead of them, playing local rivals is a great way to get fan interest and fit a game in. If the opponent is close enough, there is no need to travel and stay out of town the night before the game, which opens up some possibilities from a date and time standpoint. It’s just one more reason to do so at this time, if not some other time. Anything to make the game logistically easier is a big help when the focus is on finishing strong in the classroom.
This is not just about rivalry games, although that is a very related subject. In fact, it’s not so bad if rivalry games get their own stage on a day like Saturday, which will see a few big ones like Syracuse-Georgetown, Memphis-Tennessee and Seton Hall-Rutgers. But many teams have options for opponents in their backyard, and they should be playing each other, anyway. Boston College hasn’t played Northeastern, Boston University or Harvard in recent years. Schools in New York and northern New Jersey have many options as there are plenty that are not far away. The same goes in many other locales. It’s nice that we got Iowa-Iowa State during this week (much as the game proved to be a dud this time around, with Iowa in control throughout), but that’s not a necessity.
This is also better than games with non-Division I schools. Many teams schedule those games in part to get home games, which are hard to come by. But they come with trade-offs, not the least of which is interest. Take Merrimack College, who just played their first Division I home game against another Division I school on Wednesday night. That game had a sellout crowd with no room to walk by the standing crowd. When they played Lesley, a Division III school, earlier this season, the reported attendance was less than half that. The media turnout is unknown, but chances are it was smaller than Wednesday night’s.
A few more schools will be off for final exams, but next week will have some busier nights. A light week after a few busy ones is never a bad thing, much as it can also remind us of the importance of schools playing nearby teams during non-conference play, rivals or not.
Side Dishes
Also on the evening, Indiana got 25 points and 15 rebounds from Trayce Jackson-Davis to outlast Nebraska 96-90 in overtime, while Creighton blew out UT Rio Grande Valley 89-58 and Kennesaw State got their first win of the season by running away from Gardner Webb in the second half for an 85-61 rout. Loyola Marymount won the only other game between two Division I schools by nipping Prairie View A&M 79-76.
USC acknowledged that the program has received a notice of allegations from the NCAA regarding alleged violations that came up from the federal criminal cases. Not much detail is available, but former assistant Tony Bland pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit bribery at the beginning of the year, and two seasons ago they sat De’Anthony Melton for the entire season after a close family friend received an extra benefit, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that this has happened.
In news that should surprise no one, Galen Alexander and Myron Gardner announced on Friday that they are transferring from Georgetown. The two forwards were among those facing accusations of harassment and burglary, with Alexander and recently departed big man Josh LeBlanc receiving restraining orders last month. Neither was a key player, but their departures bring the Hoyas down to seven scholarship players, so depth now becomes a bigger concern as the Hoyas try to continue their great play since this first developed, where they have won at Oklahoma State and at SMU, with a visit from arch rival Syracuse up next on Saturday.
Tonight’s Menu
It’s a full day of action as college hoops has center stage for the first time all season on a Saturday, and the slate is really good, with a few rivalry games among them.
- The day starts off with a good one as Mississippi State and Kansas State hook up in the Never Forget Tribute Classic at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (11:30 a.m.), and Delaware takes on Villanova right after that (2 p.m.)
- Not long after the opener is Michigan hosting Oregon, along with an intriguing one as Michigan State travels to Oakland with a need to get going (noon)
- Two old Big East rivals meet as Syracuse travels to the nation’s capital to face Georgetown (1 p.m.)
- An under-the-radar matchup to check out is Arkansas hosting Tulsa (1:30 p.m.)
- Penn State tries to build off their big win over Maryland as they host Alabama (2 p.m.)
- Another big rivalry game on tap is Tennessee hosting Memphis (3 p.m.)
- A couple of notable matchups at the same time are Ole Miss hosting Kermit Davis’ former school, Middle Tennessee, and Notre Dame hosting UCLA (3 p.m.)
- A few significant games are on tap at 4 p.m., a couple for reasons beyond the matchup. Saint Louis and Auburn battle in the Mike Slive Invitational in Birmingham, while Wake Forest hosts Xavier in the Skip Prosser Classic, and another rivalry game is on tap as Rutgers hosts Seton Hall.
- A doubleheader is slated for the Beehive Classic at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, with Weber State battling Utah (4 p.m.) and BYU taking on Utah State in what should be a great nightcap (8 p.m.)
- Georgia Tech goes on the road for a tough one as they visit Kentucky, while out west is a battle between two in-state rivals that have each started off well as Santa Clara hosts Sacramento State (5 p.m.)
- The early evening slate includes Wichita State hosting Oklahoma and Old Dominion visiting Illinois (6 p.m.)
- Dayton gets a good test as Drake comes to town, while New Mexico hosts arch rival New Mexico State and Cincinnati should get a good challenge from Patriot League favorite Colgate (7 p.m.)
- More good ones come later, with Stony Brook visiting Providence, Georgia traveling to Arizona State and Liberty putting their undefeated mark on the line at Vanderbilt (8 p.m.)
- Later on is the best game of the night as Arizona hosts Gonzaga (10 p.m.), while a bit later Cal hosts Saint Mary’s in the last game of the night (10:30 p.m.)
