Mid-Major Games of the Week 11/28-12/1
Long Island at Iona, Monday November 28th, 7:00
LIU got off to a slow start on their four game road trip to begin the year, but this is a team coming off of a big home win against Vermont and has the talent to win the NEC. Hitting the road again to face off against Iona will not be easy, but it could be a good test for the Blackbirds. Iona has a heck of a road trip after this game, but they are a very talented team that will compete with Fairfield for the MAAC title. Iona has too many weapons, most notably Scott Machado and Michael Glover, for Long Island to win on the road.
Tennessee at Oakland, Monday November 28th, 9:00
Tennessee is heading to Detroit to face Oakland in their first true road game of the season. The Golden Grizzlies lost their first two games to Alabama and Arkansas, but have won their last three against lesser competition. Oakland is a very good team and can compete with the Volunteers. A year ago Tennessee lost to Oakland in Knoxville. However, this time around the Grizzlies do not have Keith Benson and that will make all of the difference.
Bucknell at George Mason, Wednesday November 30th, 7:00
After losing to Minnesota and Vanderbilt, Bucknell has reeled off five consecutive victories. Beating teams like Princeton and Morehead State is nice, but taking a trip to George Mason should give us a better idea of how strong this Bucknell team can be in 2011-2012. Bucknell is widely considered the favorite in the Patriot League, but they still need to build up some confidence as some of us start mentally filling out our brackets and wondering if the Bison have the ability to pull off a first round upset. Beating George Mason on the road would be a step in that direction. And if you haven’t seen Mike Muscala play, you don’t know why Bucknell is a team that can win a game in March.
South Dakota State at IUPUI, Thursday December 1st, 7:00
The Summit league race is getting more and more interesting. South Dakota State has had some decent wins this season and could find themselves right in the middle of the conference battle with the likes of Oral Roberts, Oakland and North Dakota State. And conference play is here. South Dakota State will travel to IUPUI, another traditional power in the Summit League, to get conference play started and a win here could kick start a nice run for the Jackrabbits.
Harvard at Vermont, Thursday December 1st, 7:00
Harvard left the Bahamas the victor in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Crimson knocked off Utah, Florida State and UCF. If you think they were lucky to avoid Uconn, that game is coming up on December 8th in Connecticut anyway. In the meantime, Harvard has a tricky road game against Vermont on Thursday night. After making it through the gauntlet in the Bahamas, Harvard is a legitimate contender for an at-large bid should they happen to falter in Ivy League play, which seems quite unlikely. Yet, if they want to keep their seed high, Harvard needs to win games like this one. Vermont is a tough team to play at home and forward Matt Glass and super sub Four McGlynn should keep this one close.
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