The Double Bonus

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Friday.

Last Night’s Action

Connecticut 84, No. 8 Kentucky 67
The underdog Huskies relished their role for a second straight night and dumped another top 10 team to take the Maui Invitational title. And just like in its win over Michigan State Tuesday, Kemba Walker led the way for UConn, scoring 29 and taking tournament MVP honors. But Walker had plenty of help as the Huskies thoroughly out-classed Kentucky, playing tough-nosed defense in the first half, pounding the boards, hitting shots from the outside and looking a lot more polished than their relative inexperience suggested coming into this week. While Walker just missed a fourth-straight game of scoring 30 points or more, Jay Bilas was 100 percent right in his assessment on the ESPN telecast: no one has been better this season than Walker. With wins over Michigan State and Kentucky, the Huskies picked up two gigantic wins for their NCAA Tournament resume and will find themselves in the Top 25 come Monday.

No. 2 Michigan State 76, No. 13 Washington 71
The Spartans rallied for a win after a turnover filled first half, salvaging their trip to Maui. Kalin Lucas, surprise, was the catalyst for State, scoring 29 points, as the Spartans claimed third place in the Invitational. But it was Durrell Summers who hit the game’s most important shot, despite struggling all game long to find his stroke. There’s just something about these early season tournaments that makes the Spartans struggle. The AP had a great stat, relating that Michigan State hasn’t won a preseason tournament – like the Maui Invitational – in 13 years. But more importantly, they don’t seem to struggle when the calendar turns to March.

No. 7 Villanova 82, UCLA 70
The Bruins are just too young and the Wildcats are too explosive to be slowed down by a team that features six freshmen and no seniors. And despite struggling once the second half started and seeing a 15-point lead evaporate, Villanova took care of business Wednesday.  Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes and Malik Wayns were the Wildcats big-three, combining for 61 points, while big man Mouphtaou Yarou had a big game on the boards. The Wildcats will now face Tennessee Friday at Madison Square Garden in the NIT Tip-off championship game after the Vols escaped with a win against Virginia Commonwealth in the game before.

Links

Yeah, Oklahoma did lose to Division II Chaminade. [AP]

You need refs to play a college basketball game and apparently that was a bit of an issue for Tennessee Tech [The Dagger]

Gary Parrish writes about why you shouldn’t sleep on the Old Spice Classic that gets underway today. So, yes, there’s college basketball on Thanksgiving. [CBSSports.com]

A seven overtime game in Division III. Some of the stats from this game are hilarious. [ESPN.com]

A poor start by the Missouri Valley Conference’s two top teams to start the season does not bode well for the league’s tournament hopes. [Bracketville]

Seth Davis says Duke’s Kyrie Irving is better than advertised. [SI.com]

And finally, Happy Thanksgiving.

A quick look at what’s going on and what to look out for Wednesday.

All hail Duke. What else can you say after last night’s performance in which the No. 1 Blue Devils handily beat No. 4 Kansas State, 82-68? Thanks to the stellar play of guards Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving, Duke breezed past the Wildcats in the CBE Classic title game. It also marked Coach K’s 800th career victory with the school.

But Basketball Prospectus’ John Gasaway kind of rains on the early season Duke parade and closely examines how they’ve done it without big production from Kyle Singler. That being said, he’s pretty impressed with what Irving has done and his statistical analysis certainly backs it up.

Now, onto other matters…

Links

Some good quotes from around the nation. [Ballin' Is A Habit]

Rick Barnes got his 500th career win last night. [Statesman]

Mike DeCourcy takes a look around the country and tells Wichita State not to sweat it’s disappointing Maui Invitational performance. [The Sporting News]

Luke Winn checks in on some of the unsung seniors around the country, including Brad Wannamaker. [SI.com]

Scoring margin matters. Here’s why. [SB Nation]

And if you haven’t seen it yet, Michael Jordan’s kid can get up. [The Dagger]

Tonight’s Must See Games

No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 13 Washington
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui
Line: Washington -1
KenPom: Washington -1
TV: 5 pm, ESPN2
It’s the third place game of the Maui Invitational and I guarantee you the Spartans did not expect themselves to be playing in this one. But last night’s upset at the hands of UConn means Michigan State has to take on the Huskies a second straight night, only difference of course is tonight’s version hails from Seattle. The Spartans turned the ball over and shot a paltry 40 percent from the field against UConn and if they have a repeat performance tonight Washington will run State right out of the gym. Plus, Washington is showing itself to be a very good defensive team, allowing teams to shoot just 38 percent from the field. So with Michigan State’s pedigree, I think we can easily expect a good defensive battle in this one.

No. 7 Villanova vs. UCLA
Location: Madison Square Garden
Line: Villanova -4
KenPom: Villanova -4
TV: 9 pm, ESPN2
Villanova has been ripping through it’s early season opponents, winning by an average of 28.5 points per. But it’s come against mid-major pushovers so it’s about time the Wildcats get a sterner test tonight against the Bruins. The Garden will feature plenty of Philly fans which will make this a quasi-home game for the Wildcats, making things that much harder for the very young Bruins. UCLA has no seniors on its roster and six freshmen. Bruins have proven to be a good defensive team so far through three games. But then again, it’s come against the same class of mid-major pushovers the Villanova has destroyed, albeit West Coast versions.

No. 8 Kentucky vs. Connecticut
Location Lahaina Civic Center, Maui
Line: Kentucky -5.5
KenPom: Kentucky -6
TV: 10 pm, ESPN
Thirty for a fourth straight game for Kemba Walker? That’s probably what it’s going to take for the Huskies to capture the Maui Invitational title when they face the equally young, but more highly touted and talented Kentucky Wildcats. UConn will be looking to win it’s second Maui Invitational after it took the 2005 incarnation and they’re going to have to do it against a Kentucky team that convincingly beat a good defensive team in Washington last night despite shooting just 39 percent from the field. Best subplot in this game is the bristling hatred between Jim Calhoun and John Calipari. There’s no love lost between these two.

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Tuesday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 1 Duke got its first real test of the season against Marquette as the Golden Eagles made things closer than many expected. Mason Plumlee was the big star for the Blue Devils Monday, scoring 18 of his 25 points in the second half to lead Duke to the 82-77 win in the first CBE Classic semifinal.

No. 4 Kansas State easily handled No. 22 Gonzaga in the other semifinal of the CBE Classic setting up the biggest  matchup of the young season tonight against big, bad Duke.

No. 2 Michigan State almost did the unthinkable: lose to Division II Chaminade. That was before reality set in for the Silveswoards who actually led this game with just over 14 minutes remaining. Michigan State eventually wore down the local school, advancing in the Maui Invitational.

Links

LaceDarius Dunn returned to the Baylor lineup last night and poured in 24 points in a Bears win. [Star Telegram]

The one-man UConn wrecking crew known as Kemba Walker was at it again yesterday. [Courant]

And No. 13 Washington obliterated Virginia in the day’s final Maui Invitational game. [AP]

The Dagger continues to rave over the recruiting job Tom Crean is doing at Indiana. [Yahoo]

Minnesota a legitimate threat in the Big Ten? [College Hoops Journal]

A Q&A with Kansas State head coach Frank Martin. [Yahoo]

Ken Pomeroy with his latest blog post,  “What win distribution can do for you.” [Kepom.com]

Tonight’s Must See Games

No. 2 Michigan State vs. Connecticut
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui
Line: Michigan State -5.5
KenPom: Michigan State -5
TV: 7 pm, ESPN
Quite simply all eyes will be on the point guards. Two of the best in the country square off when Kalin Lucas and the above-mentioned Kemba Walker take to the court. The Spartans have the big edge for a number of reasons, namely their superior experience. The Huskies showed their youth yesterday against a veteran Wichita State team. How do you think they’re going to fair against a Michigan State team that’s just as experienced and features better talent than the Shockers?

No. 22 Gonzaga vs. Marquette
Location: Sprint Center, Kansas City
Line: Marquette -1.5
KenPom: Marquette -1
TV: 7:45 pm, ESPNU
We know Marquette can play some defense but they showed that they can score a little too last night against the Blue Devils. The Zags, on the other hand, aren’t playing great basketball and really need a win here having lost two in a row.

No. 13 Washington vs. No. 8 Kentucky
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui
Line: Washington -2.5
KenPom: Washington -1
TV: 9 pm, ESPN
First big test for the Huskies this season against a young, albeit talented John Calipari squad. Washington’s Isaiah Thomas will square off against Kentucky’s vaunted freshman, Terrence Jones, who Huskies fans will be rooting hard against. You might remember that Jones originally committed to play at Washington before backing out and deciding to head to Lexington. Jones is coming off a monster game in the the Wildcats victory over Oklahoma Monday where he had 29 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Hopefully he saved something for the Huskies.

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 4 Kansas State
Location: Sprint Center, Kansas City
Line: Duke -5.5
KenPom: Duke -7
TV: 10 pm, ESPN2
Huge matchup that we could very see again come March which is easily the biggest of the young season. Two supremely talented teams which huge expectations. I don’t really need to build this one up. It’s a big game. Don’t miss it.

A quick look at what went on yesterday and what to look out for Monday.

Yesterday’s Action

While No. 14 Purdue and No. 20 Georgetown rode big second halves to easy wins Sunday, things weren’t so cut and dry for the likes of No. 10 Syracuse and No. 9 Florida.

The Orange eked out a 3-point victory over William & Mary at the Carrier Dome as Syracuse shot just 36.7 percent from the field. Florida, on the other hand, rolled out to a big first half lead only to see Morehead State come roaring back in the second half. The Gators pulled out a 61-55 victory in Gainesville but not before Kenneth Faried went off for 20 points and 18 rebounds against the Florida front court. It left Bill Donovan comparing Faried to Dennis Rodman.

And finally, North Carolina proved it’s not Top 10 worthy – or maybe even Top 25 worthy – after the Tar Heels dropped their second straight Sunday, this time falling to Vanderbilt, 72-65, in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, after losing to Minnesota the other night. The Tar Heels (2-2) are now off to their worst start in a decade.

Links

Connecticut kicks off the Maui Invitational with a tough matchup against Wichita State. [Conn Post]

And here’s a look at all the Maui matchups by Mike DeCourcy. [Sporting News]

If you missed it Friday, Bruce Pearl was handed a pretty lengthy suspension by the SEC. [ESPN.com]

An interesting character showed up at a George Mason team breakfast [Ballin' Is A Habit]

Tonight’s Must See Games

No. 12 Kentucky vs. Oklahoma
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui
Line: -15
KenPom: Kentucky -12
TV: 5:30, ESPN2
The Maui Invitational is here once against as the young Wildcats look to top the equally young Sooners. These two teams went head to head over some recruits last season and guess who won that battle? Yep, John Calipari and the Wildcats as they nabbed Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb. Both teams are lightly tested so far this season so we’ll see how the young talent on both sides fare, especially Kentucky’s three big freshmen (Jones, Lamb and Brandon Knight).

No. 1 Duke vs. Marquette
Location: Sprint Center, Kansas City
Line: Duke -12
KenPom: Duke -13
TV: 7:30 pm, ESPN2
The Blue Devils face their first legit test of the early season considering they’ve won their first three games of the season by an average of 41 points per. Kyrie Irving, Duke’s impressive point guard, will get a stern defensive test as Marquette has already forced 69 turnovers in four games. The only question is will the Blue Devils get a stern offensive test from the Golden Eagles? Marquette has yet to distinguish itself on the offensive end. Duke hasn’t lost a November game since 2006 when the Blue Devils lost to, you guessed it, Marquette. That’s 25 straight games.

No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 11 Gonzaga
Location: Sprint Center, Kansas City
Line: Kansas State -5
KenPom: Kansas State -5
TV: 9:30 pm, ESPN2
After a disappointing performance against Presbyterian, Frank Martin has had been critical of his team, saying they lack leadership. That falls on the shoulders of Jacob Pullen as the senior guard is the heart and soul of the Wildcats. Martin’s going to have to rely on Pullen until Curtis Kelly can find his way out of Martin’s doghouse. Kelly’s status for Monday night isn’t known. But Gonzaga will definitely have Elias Harris on the court after the starting power forward injured his Achilles in the Zag’s loss to San Diego State. The Bulldogs continue their tradition of playing tough non-conference games but could very easily be looking at a loss here. If they couldn’t out-rebound San Diego State last week how are they going to out-muscle the Wildcats?

No. 2 Michigan State vs. Chaminade
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui
Line: N/A
KenPom: N/A
TV: 9:30 pm, ESPNU
Spartans get Div. II Chaminade in their customary spot as Maui Invitational host and doormat. This will get ugly, fast.

A quick look at what went on yesterday and what to look out for Friday.

Yesterday’s Action

No. 5 Pittsburgh 79, Maryland 70
I had a friend who made his way to the Garden last night to take in the first game of the 2K Sports Classic. I told him to watch out for the Panthers’ Brad Wanamaker. Turns out I should have told him to look out for Talib Zanna. The Pitt freshman had 14 and 12 as the Panthers held off the Terps while Wanamaker and Ashton Gibbs, Pitt’s go to scorers, did not have it going on Thursday. But the Panthers were able to rely on the big man to pick up the slack and comfortably pull this one out after Maryland’s big 14-2 run made it a one-point game at the 13:20 mark. Pitt badly out-rebounded the Terps – no surprise there – while the two teams clanked three after three. The two combined to go 5-of-24 from beyond the arc.

Texas 90, No. 13 Illinois 84, OT
I think a lot of people were expecting more out of Illinois’ last night but the Longhorns played a physical brand of basketball that the Illini just weren’t that comfortable with. Demetri McCarney, on the other hand, displayed his vast talents for plenty of NBA scouts as he went for 22 points, eight assists and five boards. The only problem was he didn’t get the kind of help he needed down the stretch and certainly not in overtime where Texas pretty much dominated.

Links

Hey, what do you know? Turns out North Carolina actually can score. [Raleigh News & Observer]

Minnesota had a pretty impressive win over a very good Western Kentucky team down in Puerto Rico. [Minnesota Star-Tribune]

Missouri had a little more trouble with Western Illinois than expected. For the first time since 1951 they won a game in which no one scored double digits. [AP]

John Gasaway names his Player of the Year a little on the early side, plus other Big East observations. [Basketball Prospectus]

Don’t sleep on the Mountain West this year, says Gary Parrish, it’s better than the Pac-10. [CBSSports.com]

Andy Katz with some news and notes from around the nation. [ESPN.com]

A thorough look at Duke‘s offense this season. Just how different is it from last year’s version? [Rush The Court]

The oft-injured Robbie Hummel might have an easier time coming back from surgery this time around. [Indy Star]

Apparently, adding three new teams to the NCAA Tournament isn’t necessarily going to make the selection process any easier. [AP]

Tonight’s Must See Games

Maryland vs. No. 13 Illinois
Line: N/A
TV: ESPN2, 5 pm
The 2K Classic will hold it’s consolation game this evening  at Madison Square Garden. It’s a quick turnaround for the Illini who will be on the floor just 17 hours after their overtime game with Texas ended well past midnight.

Texas vs. No. 5 Pittsburgh
Line: N/A
TV: ESPN2, 7 pm
Maybe this makes for a more interesting matchup than Pitt-Illinois because the Panthers are Longhorns appear ready to battle underneath the basket more so than the Illini would. And d0n’t expect the Panthers to struggle offensively like they did against Maryland. That’s not to say Texas won’t play defense rather Pitt is far too talented an offensive team to have a repeat performance of Thursday.

Only one Top 25 team hits the road as No. 11 Kentucky meets Portland while No. 20 Georgetown continues its march toward a Charleston Classic title by meeting Wofford. No. 7 Kansas hosts North Texas while Colgate visits No. 1 Duke.

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Wednesday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 4 Ohio State 93, No. 9 Florida 75
Um, Ohio State is going to be really, really good. That’s the only thing you can say after watching the Buckeyes destroy the Gators in Gainesville. David Lighty had 26 points while freshman sensation Jared Sulllinger had another double-double, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 boards as the Buckeyes blitzed the defensively-challenged Gators in the second half, outscoring the home team by 21 over the final 20 minutes. Apparently all it took for the Buckeyes to look like world-beaters was a fiery halftime speech by Thad Matta.

No. 3 Kansas State 73, No. 22 Virginia Tech 57
It was a close game for 30 minutes before things got out of hand for the Hokies. Tech didn’t necessarily play a bad game if you’re judging by the final score. But they definitely didn’t play a good game.  Too many turnovers – Malcolm Delaney had 10 by himself – and an inability to matchup physically with Kansas State was Tech’s undoing. They also failed to take advantage of Jacob Pullen spending only a few minutes on the floor in the first half thanks to foul trouble and far too often settled for poor perimeter shots. I liked when Frank Martin had Will Spradling handling the point and Pullen back at the 2. That’s where Pullen thrived last year. Let’s see if Martin gives the two more time on the floor together.

No. 25 San Diego State 79, No. 11 Gonzaga 76
Teams just don’t go up to Spokane and win but that’s what the Aztecs did in impressive fashion Tuesday behind Billy White’s career-high 30 points. Gonzaga suffered just its fifth home loss since 2004 as the Bulldogs were out-rebounded badly, allowing 18 offensive boards which San Diego State turned into 24 second chance points. Steven Gray’s 35 for Gonzaga wasn’t enough as the Aztecs showed that the preseason hype surrounding them wasn’t all talk. Steve Fisher’s team can really play.

Links

Gordon Hayward, where have you gone? Butler looked awful against Louisville last night and Rick Bozich says this year’s squad isn’t the Butler of last year. [FoxSports.com]

Jared Sullinger for Player of the Year? [CBSSports.com]

Michigan State was out-rebounded by South Carolina, but still pulled out the win against the Gamecocks. [Free Press]

Speaking of Michigan State, Delvon Roe is starring on a different kind of stage. [USA Today]

Baylor, minus LaceDarius Dunn as he serves a suspension, got a little more than it bargained for with La Salle. [Philadelphia Daily News]

Some stats from ESPN’s 25 straight hours of basketball. [ESPN.com]

Charles Barkley opining on the NCAA Tournament? It’s happening this March. [AP]

Courtesy of Vegas Watch, check out these hype clouds. [Audacity of Hoops]

Tonight’s Can’t Miss Games

Take the night off after 25 straight hours of quality college basketball actions. As for the Top 25, No. 24 BYU, No. 19 Memphis and No. 14 Purdue all take on cupcakes tonight.

The Naismith preseason watch list was released Tuesday and it features 50 names, 40 of which have almost no shot of winning the prestigious award that Ohio State‘s Evan Turner took home last year.

So who has a chance?

Well, for starters, let’s get rid of every one not from one of the six major conferences because – let’s face it – they have no shot of winning this. It’s just like the Heisman. If you don’t play for one of the big boys no one notices you enough. It’s a sad reality but reality nonetheless.

With that logic in mind we unfortunately have to eliminate some really great players like BYU‘s Jimmer Fredette. But thanks for playing.

So after step 1, that knocks the list down to 38. From that 38, we’ll eliminate players whose teams have almost no shot of playing any meaningful games in March. Goodbye to the likes of Washington’s State‘s Klay Thompson, Ole Miss‘ Chris Warren, Colorado‘s Alec Burks and Penn State‘s Talor Battle.

That whittles the list down to 34.

Next step is to get rid of the players starring on an above average team that has legitimate NCAA Tournament aspirations heading into the season. They could overachieve and win a game or two in the tournament or sweat out Selection Sunday.

So that gets rid of the likes of Arizona‘s Derrick Williams, Seton Hall‘s Jeremy Hazell, UConn‘s Kemba Walker, Georgia‘s Trey Thompkins, Maryland‘s Jordan Williams, Northwestern‘s John Shurna, Vanderbilt‘s Jeff Taylor and West Virginia‘s Kevin Jones.

And now we’re down to 26.

Next step is to eliminate redundancies, meaning a nominee from the same team that features a superstar caliber player who will garner much of the focus by the media. Goodbye Ohio State‘s William Buford, Duke‘s Nolan Smith, Michigan State‘s Durrell Summers, North Carolina‘s Tyler Zeller and Purdue‘s E’Twaun Moore.

And now we’re down to 21.

Next step get rid of the players who are good but not good enough. Adios Missouri‘s Kim English, Georgetown‘s Austin Freeman, Syracuse‘s Kris Joseph, Baylor‘s Perry Jones, Illinois‘s Demetri McCarney, Villanova‘s Corey Fisher, Wisconsin‘s Jon Leuer, Washington‘s Isaiah Thomas, Pittsburgh‘s Ashton Gibbs and Florida‘s Chandler Parsons.

And finally, goodbye freshman point guards. There’s just too much on your plate to be the best player in the nation, no matter how much hype you’re getting coming into the season. Peace, Duke‘s Kyrie Irving and Kentucky‘s Brandon Knight.

And we’re left with nine I believe are legitimate Naismith contenders.

Chris Singleton, Florida State, F – Longshot indeed but got off to a great start by recording a triple-double in FSU’s season opener. Odds: 50-1

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina, F – The No. 1 recruit in the freshman class will have a lot riding on his shoulders as the Tar Heels will look for him to help improve last year’s offensively challenged squad. Odds: 25-1

Macolm Delaney, Virginia Tech, PG – He’s going to handle the ball for a team some people think could reach the Final Four and he averaged 20-plus last season. Odds: 20-1

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, F – Not a bad debut for the freshman who went for 19 and 14 in the Buckeyes’ season opener. He should be the No. 1 scoring option down low for a team that has national title aspirations. Odds: 15-1

JaJaun Johnson, Purdue, F – The Boilermakers’ top option in the frontcourt, the senior can score from the post and has improved his range considerably. Odds: 15-1

Marcus Morris, Kansas, F – Just like Johnson, he’s the Jayhawks go-to guy now that Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins are no longer in Lawrence. Odds: 10-1

Jacob Pullen, Kansas State, PG – With Denis Clemente gone, Pullen moves back to handling point guard duties. It could affect his scoring average but when it comes to college basketball few epitomize it more than he does: Odds: 10-1

Kalin Lucas, Michigan State, PG – Is there a more clutch player than Lucas? He seems to hit every tough shot in every tough spot for Michigan State. Only problem is can he stay healthy? Odds: 10-1

Kyle Singler, Duke, F – He’s a senior on the best team in the nation and the Blue Devils’ No. 1 scoring option who can score in so many different ways, especially from the outside. He was the NCAA Tournament MOP and he’s gotten more press than any other college player coming into the season. He’s the clear favorite. Odds: 5-1

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Tuesday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 19 Memphis 72, Miami 68
The Tigers were in trouble last night as they kicked off ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon by hosting the Canes. Trailing with about two minutes to go, Chris Crawford finally nailed a 3-pointer to put the Tigers ahead in a game that featured may more fouls than it did made shots. The two teams combined for 58 fouls and just 39 field goals. Memphis was badly out-rebounded and dodged a bullet in this one. Canes could have easily won this game but I was impressed with Memphis’ Antonio Barton. While his brother, Will, was one of coach Josh Pastner’s big recruiting hauls, Antonio has plenty of talent on his own. Keep an eye on him this season.

No. 20 Georgetown 69, Tulane 53
Not much to report in this one. The Hoyas hit 12-of-29 from beyond the arc and rolled past Tulane as they debuted their new-guard oriented offense for the home crowd. Austin Freeman, the preseason Big East Player of the Year, finished with a game high 23 points.

No. 7 Kansas 79, Valparaiso 44
Biggest surprise in this one? Kansas wasn’t as dominant on the boards as you would expect. The Jayhawks only out-rebounded Valpo 47-33 and had 15 turnovers. So Bill Shelf has something to work on with his team following a game that was otherwise a laugher. Marcus Morris was the catalyst for the Jayhawks, scoring 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Kansas has now won 61-straight home games, one shy of the school record.

Links

The Steve Lavin era at St. John’s started with a loss in the early morning hours on the road to Saint Mary’s. [NY Daily News]

Can you say embarrassing? Georgia Tech falls big to Kennesaw State. [AJC]

Washington‘s Isiah Thomas had some interesting things to say about his Pac-10 brethren. [Seattle PI]

Duke‘s Kyle Singler does more than just knock down jumpshots. [The Dagger]

Today’s Must See Games

No. 22 Virginia Tech at No. 3 Kansas State
Line: Kansas State -6
KenPom: Kansas State -6
TV: 4 pm, ESPN
Kansas State has national title hopes while some people are picking Viriginia Tech to reach the Final Four. Both teams come off lackluster season debuts and the big question for Kansas State entering this one is how much big man Curtis Kelly will play? Head coach Frank Martin hinted Sunday that Kelly might not see much, if any, action Tuesday afternoon. Martin sat him out for the season opener for reasons that haven’t been brought to light. Would he really do it again against a ranked opponent?

No. 4 Ohio State at No. 9 Florida
Line: Florida -2
KenPom: Ohio State -1
TV: 6 pm, ESPN
The biggest game of the early season, by far, pits two top 10 teams meeting each other in their second game of the season. Florida is stacked returning most of its talent from a team that made the NCAA Tournament last year while Ohio State features the highly touted freshman Jared Sullinger who will have to step in – as best he can – for the departed Evan Turner. Sullinger had an impressive first game, going for 19 and 14 while the Gators allowed UNC Wilmington to shoot a disappointing 47 percent from the field in their season opener. If Ohio State shoots 47 percent from the field let’s just say Florida won’t be waltzing to an easy victory like they did against UNCW. Last time these two met as ranked opponents, it was the national title a three years back.

No. 16 Butler at Louisville
Line: Louisville -2
KenPom: Louisville -4
TV: 8 pm, ESPN
No Gordon Hayward for the Bulldogs who help the Cardinals open up a new gym, the KFC Yum! Center. Rick Pitino had himself a very trying and embarrassing off-season so no one is more ecstatic to get the season underway than the Cardinals coach. This is the season opener for Louisville while the Bulldogs already have a game under their belt. Butler features three starts and two reserves from last year’s national runner-up squad so don’t expect much drop-off from last year. Sure, Hayward was their best player but Butler will be right back in the NCAA Tournament and don’t be surprised if you see them in the Sweet 16. Louisville, on the other hand, is a middle of the pack Big East team this year. And for the first time in 15 years, Edgar Sosa won’t be giving Pitino fits on the sidelines.

South Carolina at No. 2 Michigan State
Line: Michigan State -16
KenPom: Michigan State -16
TV: 10 pm, ESPN
What you need to know about South Carolina: No Devan Downey. You remember Downey, the do it all point guard for the Gamecocks who pretty much single-handedly upset Kentucky last year? Have fun replacing his 22-plus points per game. Spartans should have no trouble handling the Gamecocks.