11-22-19 CBB Games to Watch

I love me some early season tournament action. See below for which games to watch.

Headliner Games

Miami (FL) vs. Florida (-4) (Charleston Classic-Winner’s Bracket; Charleston, SC) at noon (ESPN2)

#17 Villanova (-6 ½) vs. Miss. St. (Myrtle Beach Invitational-Winner’s Bracket; Conway, SC) at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

LSU vs. #15 Utah St. (-1 ½) (Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic; Montego Bay, Jamaica) at 7 p.m. (CBSSN)

#1 Duke (-13) vs. Georgetown (Empire Classic-Championship Game; MSG, NY) at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Houston at #11 Oregon (-7) at 9 p.m. (Pac-12N)

#18 Xavier (-5) vs. UConn (Charleston Classic-Winner’s Bracket; Charleston, SC) at 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Temple at USC (-9 ½) (Orlando Inv. Non-bracketed Game) at 11 p.m. (Pac-12N)

No ranked vs. ranked headliners tonight but a lot of good match-ups today with a ranked team playing a team that either has been recently ranked or is just out of the rankings looking to move in. Miami-UF is a rivalry game in the Charleston Classic semifinals. UF needs the win to not cement “the most disappointing/overrated team” narrative that is out there now; Miami needs the win to get a quality win for their tourney resume’. Nova will get a test from a Miss. State team that has flown under the radar so far, but could be Ben Howland’s best team there so far. Utah State gets a stiff test in Jamaica against a “strong ass” LSU team. Georgetown finally played up to its talent and got Texas to earn a shot to upset the #1 team (Duke; which would be the third week in a row with the #1 losing if it happens). G’town could go from looking like an NIT team to owning two big time neutral court wins and a top 15-20 poll ranking. Houston has struggled so far this year barely escaping Rice in their last game. Oregon has looked very good so far, but sometimes loses these types of games. Lastly, Temple-USC is a good late night game with both teams looking like tourney teams so far.

Upset Watch Games

Fordham vs. Nevada (-5 ½) (Paradise Jam; St. Thomas, VI) at 3:15 p.m. (FloHoops) $$

#24 Baylor (-9 ½) vs. Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach Invitational-Winner’s Bracket; Conway, SC) at 5 p.m. (ESPNU)

Cincinnati (-13) vs. Illinois St. (Paradise Jam; St. Thomas, VI) at 5:45 p.m. (FloHoops) $$

Boston U. at W. Virginia (-15 ½) (Cancun Challenge Preliminary Round game) at 7 p.m. (Nexstar/Mountaineer TV-$?)

S. Dakota at Arkansas (-14 ½) (Collegiate Hoops Roadshow) at 9 p.m. (SECN)

My three upset picks for yesterday all just missed sealing the deal. A lot of your upset potential falls in the headliner games above, but these 5 games could get dicey for the favorites. I kind of like South Dakota at Arkansas, but I admit the Razorbacks have looked really good so far.

Other games to Watch

Grand Canyon vs. Valparaiso (Paradise Jam; St. Thomas, VI) at 1 p.m. (FloHoops) $$

UMBC vs. E. Michigan (Jersey Mike’s Classic for Mid-Majors; Montego Bay, Jamaica) at 2 p.m. (CBSSN)

Missouri St. vs. St. Joseph’s (Charleston Classic-Consolation Bracket; Charleston, SC) at 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

N. Texas vs. Rhode Island (Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic; Montego Bay, Jamaica) at 4:30 p.m. (CBSSN)

Duquesne vs. Air Force (Junkanoo Jam; Bimini, Bahamas) at 6:30 p.m. (FloHoops) $$

Towson vs. Buffalo (Charleston Classic-Consolation Bracket; Charleston, SC) at 7 p.m. (ESPNU)

Mt. St. Mary’s at #9 Kentucky (BBN Showcase) at 7 p.m. (SECN)

George Mason at #6 Maryland at 7 p.m. (BTN)

Wake Forest at Davidson (Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC) at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+) $$

Evansville vs. E. Carolina (Islands of the Bahamas Showcase) at 8 p.m. (FloHoops) $$

Bowling Green vs. W. Kentucky (Paradise Jam; St. Thomas, VI) at 8 p.m. (FloHoops) $$

I used up all my words above. These games look pretty interesting too, y’all. Enjoy!