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Wednesday’s Pregame Shootaround: No. 21 Iowa State visits Provo

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GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 21 Iowa State at BYU (9:30 p.m., ESPNU)

Just a couple days after beating then-No. 7 Michigan in Ames, Fred Hoiberg’s Cyclones visit BYU where they’ll encounter one of the nation’s better backcourt tandems (Tyler Haws and Matt Carlino) and one of the toughest environments around. Much will be made of the altitude, especially when considering the fact that Iowa State only played seven players on Sunday, but that Marriott Center crowd can be a handful as well. BYU has the highest adjusted tempo in America, and that could be an issue for ISU given their relative lack of depth.

WHO’S GETTING UPSET? Harvard (vs. Bryant; 7:00 p.m.)

The Crimson have won their first three games, but none of those opponents have the talent that the Bryant Bulldogs possess. Expected to contend in the NEC, Tim O’Shea’s Bulldogs are led by the dynamic Dyami Starks (33.3 ppg), and veteran Alex Francis can hold his own as well. Bryant’s one defeat came at Gonzaga in their regular season opener and they’ve also soundly defeated Vermont, so they enter this game having been tested.

MID-MAJOR MATCHUP OF THE DAY: Lipscomb at Belmont (8:00 p.m.)

Normally a team can be primed for a letdown in the game following a big win, but the fact that their rival is next in line may work to Belmont’s advantage. The Bruins won the first meeting in this season’s edition of the “Battle of the Boulevard,” with J.J. Mann leading five starters in double figures with 21 points in Belmont’s 87-83 victory. How can J.C. Hampton and the Bisons change their luck? By holding their own at the foul line, as Belmont outscored them 33-9 at the charity stripe in that first meeting.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

1) Brian Gregory will face his former employer for the first time as Georgia Tech hosts Dayton (7:00 p.m., ESPN3) in Atlanta. Both teams enter the contest with 3-0 records, and one area to keep an eye on will be turnovers. While the Flyers have had some trouble taking care of the basketball (turnover percentage of 21.2%, per kenpom.com), Georgia Tech’s done a good job in this area (14.3%).

2) Northwestern looks to rebound from its loss to Illinois State on Sunday with a win at UIC (8:00 p.m., ESPN3). Chris Collins’ Wildcats trailed by as many as 18 points on Sunday, and they’ll need to keep UIC’s Marc Brown (21.7 ppg) under wraps if they’re to bounce back.

3) Northern Colorado isn’t a team many put atop the Big Sky alongside the likes of Weber State, Montana and North Dakota before the season began, but their win at Kansas State made some people take notice. Tonight the Bears visit preseason WAC favorite North Dakota State.

4) Baylor’s guards will need to keep Charleston Southern’s Saah Nimley in order for the Bears to win as comfortably as expected (7:00 p.m.). Through four games Nimley, one of the best players in theBig South, is averaging 19.3 points and 8.7 assists per contest.

5) There aren’t too many scorers as hot as Evansville’s D.J. Balentine, who’s led the Purple Aces to a 3-0 start with an average of 29.0 points per game. He’s been consistent, scoring 29 points in each of those games, and for the season he’s posted percentages of 52.3% FG, 50.0% 3PT and 92.1% FT.

THE REST OF THE TOP 25:


  • American at No. 8 Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
  • No. 14 Wichita State at Tulsa, 8:00 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
  • Charleston Southern at No. 20 Baylor, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN3)

NOTABLES:

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