76 Classic Men's Basketball Breakdown
The 76 Classic is full of great games and interesting teams that will keep the tivo’s working overtime on Thanksgiving. Or the lucky ones may be able to pry themselves away from turkey and the in-laws to catch the action. Sorry Lions, Thanksgiving is for hoops and Texas / Texas A&M. The 76 Classic takes place on November 24th, 25th and 27th in Anaheim, California.
Boston College vs. St. Louis
This could be a very intriguing game. Boston College is very young, and a few of those youngsters are headed back home to Southern California. The Eagles have not done particularly well early in the season, but they are a team that is going to get better with time. Power forward Ryan Anderson is one of those SoCal freshmen who is playing a lot of minutes for Boston College. Once he gets more involved in the offense, BC could be pretty good. The Billikens have been pretty disappointing under Coach Rick Majerus, but this should be the best team he has put together at St. Louis. However, we have said that before. If this St. Louis squad is for real, they need to beat teams like Boston College.
Villanova vs. UC Riverside
Villanova has some rebuilding to do, but Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek are ready to take over. The Wildcats should have a pretty easy road to the 76 Classic final, but the competition will get tougher after UC Riverside and Boston College or St. Louis. UC Riverside is the host team from the Big West conference. Every year a team from the Big West participates in the 76 Classic. The Highlanders are not the best the conference has to offer, but at least this team should be much better than they were last year when the roster pretty much had to be rebuilt from nothing.
New Mexico vs. Santa Clara
Looking for a surprise team in the West Coast Conference? Look no further than Santa Clara. Looking for this year’s San Diego State? Look no further than New Mexico. The Broncos have an experienced squad led by guards Kevin Foster and Evan Roquemore. Those two can score in bunches. However, the Lobos have a more talented team. They just may need a little time to gel. Forward Drew Gordon will vie for MWC Player of the Year accolades and there are a lot of players who could emerge this season. That gives Coach Steve Alford plenty of options. However, those options will not be sorted out by Thanksgiving and that is where a more experienced Santa Clara team can take advantage.
Oklahoma vs. Washington State
On a neutral floor this could be a pretty good game, although the New Mexico and Santa Clara contest has more flair to it. But the Sooners will not stay down for long and Coach Lon Kruger, who incidentally won the 76 Classic with UNLV last year, will have this program back on the rise sooner or later. But it will not be this soon and OU will not likely win this tournament even if they can get past Washington State. The Cougars have looked pretty good so far this season and this is a team that can shoot. If they got hot from long range, Brock Motum, Reggie Moore, Faisal Aden and company can beat anybody.
Men's Basketball Games of the Week and Tournament Breakdowns
