We’re eight hours in to Marathon Madness, and we’ve retained most of our sanity thus far. If you’re up for the challenge, there’s a basketball game on TV/your computer right now. Here’s what’s going on in today’s Morning Mix:
Tuesday’s Top Games:
6:00 a.m. - Stony Brook @ Rider
8:00 a.m. - Northern Illinois @ Valparaiso
10:00 a.m. - Harvard @ Massachusetts
12:00 p.m. - Temple @ Kent State
2:00 p.m. - Detroit @ St. John’s
4:00 p.m. - Butler @ Xaiver
7:00 p.m. - Vermont at No.23 Connecticut
7:00 p.m. - No.14 Michigan State vs. No.7 Kansas
7:00 p.m. - UNC-Wilmington @ Richmond
7:00 p.m. - George Mason @ Bucknell
7:00 p.m. - Wichita State @ VCU
9:00 p.m. - Lehigh @ Pittsburgh
9:30 p.m. - No.8 Duke vs. No.3 Kentucky
9:30 p.m. - Long Beach State @ USC
Top Stories:
New Mexico outlasts Davidson in a shootout at The Pit: The Lobos and Wildcats engaged in an early season “Game of the Year” candidate at The Pit. Davidson got out to a large first half lead, but Kendall Williams and Tony Snell led the Lobos back, and Wildcats did not have the endurance to keep up the pace.
Gonzaga’s talented depth stifles West Virginia: In the opening game of Marathon Madness, Gonzaga showed why they’re expected to make a run at the Final Four by stifling a sloppy Mountaineers squad 84-50.
LIU-Brooklyn falls to 0-2: The Blackbirds are the reigning NEC champions and have the talent and experience to dominate inferior competition. But the squad struggled to defend in the first two games of the season, and the loss of head coach Jim Ferry is starting to show on the court
Youngstown State topples Georgia, moves to 2-0: The mighty Penguins of Youngstown State outclassed the Georgia Bulldogs 68-56 in the first round of the Progressive Legends Classic. With the win, YSU moves to 2-0, having defeated George Washington over the weekend.
Dayton keeps “First Four”, MSG gets regional site: The NCAA announced on Monday that Dayton will continue to serve host to the opening round until 2014-2015. additionally, Madison Square Garden will serve as a regional host for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 53 years.
Kentucky guard Ryan Harrow sick, will not travel for Champions Classic: Kentucky point guard Ryan Harrow, who struggled in the season-opener against Maryland, is battling the flu, and will not travel with the team to Atlanta for the Champions Classic. The Wildcats will have to rely on walk-on Jarrod Polson to handle the point against Duke, but the junior played admirably in the season-opener.
Observations & Analysis:
- Speaking of creative places to hold basketball games, here’s a solid list of ten places college hoops needs to go to next. (The College Court)
- Worst loss of the day goes to North Texas, who lost to Alabama-Huntsville (D-II) 78-75 in the opening round of the N.I.T. Preseason Tip-Off (The Dagger)
- Doug Gottlieb made four snap judgements from the first weekend in college hoops (Eye on College Basketball)
- All five starters for the Memphis Tigers last night are hometown kids. Something like this does not happen frequently, especially not for a city like Memphis (ESPN)
- After two games in four days, it’s easy to see why Mark Turgeon is confident that his Terrapins squad has the talent and depth to be a force this season (Washington Post)
Odds & Ends:
- Wichita isn’t the sexiest location on the map, but it’s a great tournament venue and should not have been snubbed from the 2014-2015 NCAA Tournament. (KFDI FM 101.3)
- The best pictures from the first weekend of college hoops (Eye on College Basketball)
- Despite negative reviews, the Carrier Classic is going to continue in 2013 (ESPN)
- Kentucky freshman Willie Cauley-Stein doesn’t know who Christian Laettner is, never seen video of “The Shot” (The Dagger)
- This is exactly why we ranked St. Joseph’s Ronald Roberts as one of the top-10 dunkers in the country (Philahoops.com)
- After vocalizing his displeasure sitting on the bench, Pittsburgh guard John Johnston has decided to transfer (Cardiac Hill)
Tweet of the Day:
Video of the Day:
Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s bassist Flea performed the National Anthem at the opening of the new Pauley Pavillon
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