The Watch Grid returns for its first full week of college basketball action! This week doesn't have the day one fireworks of last week's schedule, but there are many good games sprinkled throughout the week, headlined by the Gavitt Games, as the Big East and Big Ten battle for indisputable definitive evidence of which conference is definitely way better. The good games will wake up eventually, but the week gets off to a sleepy start:
Yeah, don't watch college basketball today. Read a book or something.
Tuesday, November 12th
Tuesday provides the widest variety of decent games. Readers of this page are probably mostly Michigan fans, and will care very much about seeing Juwan Howard's first game against a high quality opponent. After that, we get the Phil Knight Invitational, which I have decided to call the PK82. This will feature a fascinating first game, as Memphis's superstar James Wiseman appears to be continuing to play despite being ruled ineligible by the NCAA. That game will be followed immediately by Oklahoma-Oregon State, which will be your first chance to see the amazingly named TRES TINKLE, who has been playing for his dad Wayne Tinkle at OSU for what seems like a decade now, and does just about everything well for the Beavers.
Wednesday, November 13th
Villanova will try to get back on track in the Gavitt Games after getting run off their home floor by Michigan last year. A big win for the Buckeyes could make a similar splash to the one the Wolverines enjoyed last season. Those two games aren't really all that related, I just wanted to reminisce on the fact that Michigan beat Villanova by 27 points on the road. Purdue-Marquette is the Kenpom darling game of the week, as the two unranked teams in the AP Poll are #9 and #15, respectively, to the computers.
Thursday, November 14th
First, Penn State-Georgetown will give us good insight as to how good those two somewhat mysterious teams are this year. Later, Michigan State-Seton Hall should be the marquee matchup of the week, as the Spartans try to get back on track after a heartbreaking (but not at all discouraging) loss in the Champions Classic. Cassius Winston v. Myles Powell should be a heck of a point guard duel.
Friday, November 15th
The difficult conference schedules of West Virginia and Pitt make their game against each other pretty important from a resume-building standpoint, as both teams are looking at seasons that could fall off a cliff pretty quickly with a few losses. Later, Gonzaga will try to do their annual thing where they remind us all that they're still a major player in the national picture by beating a power conference team on the road, something they seem to do every year.
Saturday, November 16th
Until college football ends, Saturdays are probably going to continue looking kind of like this.
Sunday, November 17th
Marquette's big week continues to Madison, where they renew what has been one of the best non-conference rivalries in the country, after a wild one in Milwaukee last year that the Golden Eagles stole away in the final seconds. And if you're still in the mood for more basketball after all that, see if Florida can get back on track against a mediocre UConn team, after the Gators appear to be maybe not quite what we thought they might be in the preseason. Enjoy!
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