Who’s Getting Upset?: Fri 8:00 p.m.: Stony Brook at Maryland (ESPN3)
The Seawolves are one of the better mid-major teams in the country this season. They have a pair of good guards in Dave Coley and Anthony Jackson and one of the nation’s preeminent glue guys in Tommy Brenton, who averages 7.7 points, 8.5 boards, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals. And while we can talk about a myriad of different matchups with Maryland in this game, the key is going to come down to one thing: the paint. Can freshman Jameel Warney hold his own against future lottery pick Alex Len? Can Stony Brook keep the nation’s second-best offensive rebounding team off the class? If they can, they have a shot at winning this thing. If they can’t, they don’t. It’s quite simple, actually.
Who else is on Upset Alert?
- Fri. 9:00 p.m.: Middle Tennessee State at Vanderbilt (ESPNU): Frankly, I’m not even sure if this should truly count as an upset, but since it’s a mid-major program playing at an SEC program, I’ll allow. MTSU is a grizzled, veteran team while Vandy is young and learning how to cope with the talent they lost last year.
- Sat. 2:00 p.m.: Florida State at Charlotte (CBS College Sports): Will Michael Snaer play? That might be the biggest question for the Seminoles heading into this game. Snaer was held out of a game last week, which is a big problem; FSU doesn’t have the kind of depth or perimeter talent to survive losing a preseason all-american. Especially if Ian Miller’s not healthy yet. Charlotte got a reality check last weekend when they lost by 31 to Miami, but there is a reason this team only has one loss on the season.
- Sat. 8:00 p.m.: Bradley at Virginia Tech: The Hokies started out the season so well, but they’ve come back to earth a bit in their last three games, losing two of them to the likes of West Virginia and Georgia State. They are also now dealing with having an even shorter bench, as Marshall Wood is sidelined with a foot injury. Bradley is no pushover this year. Ask Michigan, who struggled to get control against the Braves. If Jarell Eddie has another off night, James Johnson’s team could be in trouble.
- Sat. 8:00 p.m.: No. 8 Florida vs. Kansas State in Kansas City (ESPN2): Kansas State is going to have their hands full with the Gators, who have proven to be one of the nation’s best defensive teams this season. But the Wildcats can matchup them pound-for-pound on the front line, even if those bigs aren’t great at defending pick-and-roll actions. The key is going to end up being Rodney McGruder. He started the season slowly but had 26 points the last time out. Has he finally found his rhythm in Bruce Weber’s offense?
- Sat. 10:00 p.m.: Canisius at No. 21 UNLV: Canisius is coming off of a win at Temple. That win at Temple came just a couple of days after the Golden Griffins gave Syracuse all they could handle in the Carrier Dome. Canisius has a couple of really good guards, led by Rhode Island transfer Billy Baron, that can get hot. They will have no answer for UNLV’s front line, but if the Rebels overlook Canisius and don’t come out with the kind of energy they need to -- something UNLV has done in the past -- we could be looking at an upset in the making.