SB Nation - Marqus Blakely

Know your March Madness Spoilers

SFBE.NF — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:34:26 -0000

Joe Lunardi resurfaced today on ESPN.com, and he wasn't kind to the little guy. This year, according to the original Bracketologist, only Xavier will qualify as a non-BCS, at-large tournament team. It's sad to think, but maybe true. I say we blame the economy!

Despite this sobering news, below are 10 players we reccommend you at least take heed of, so you're not Googling them when Greg Gumbel is singing their praises after an incredible first round upset in March.

Luke Babbitt; Sophomore, Nevada - So you're a McDonalds All-American and receive offers from nearly every Pac 10 school, Ohio State and Gonzaga...what do you do? Well, if you're Luke Babbitt, you stay close to home and go to Nevada. After initially committing to play for Thad Matta, Babbitt got cold feet and decided he wanted to remain near his parents. He's a pro prospect, but playing in a lesser conference seems to put more pressure on the sophomore, who will be expected to be great for the entire season, turn his "Freshman of the Year" award into "Player of the Year" and build upon his 17/7.3/1.3 stat line.

Marqus Blakely; Senior, Vermont - OK let's get this out of the way...America East is one of the least basketball-centric conferences in the country, so when a player catches our eye, he must be impressive. Blakely is a two-time American East player of the year and is going to have quite a burden on his shoulders, as the Catamounts graduated 35 percent of their scoring and it's all time assists leader Miki Trimboli. But at 6'5" 235, Blakely is an explosive scoring threat, and a feared shot blocker who probably will lead his team in all major categories.

Osiris Eldridge; Senior, Illinois State - Finishing a close third to Siena's Just-in'love Smith and Cal's Bak Bak, Eldridge holds claim to one of the baddest names in the college game. Last season ended on a sour note for Eldridge, as he missed a three pointer that would have forced a second overtime against Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Tourney Final. Expect the Redbirds to be matched-up against the Panthers once again when the precious NCAA Tournament berth is on the line. Also please take note of his nicely maintained Euro-hawk.

Kenneth Faried; Junior, Morehead State - Quick, who was second in the NCAA last season in double-doubles? No idiot, it wasn't Eric Devendorf, this title belongs to Faried, a New Jersey native who migrated to eastern Kentucky to serve as one of the most imposing players in Ohio Valley Conference. This guy probably plays harder, meaner and faster than any of his opponents, and just may be the country's most prolific rebounder by the end of this season.

Paul George; Sophomore, Fresno State - Come March, George's time as 'just a nice mid-major player' will likely be long gone. After a surprise freshman season (averaging 14 and 6) George often executes foolish dunks, strokes at a 45 percent clip from behind the arc, and is a legit NBA prospect drawing comparisons to Rudy Gay. Yeah, many BCS-schools are kicking themselves for missing this one.

Anthony Johnson; Senior, Montana - In his first season playing DI basketball as a JuCo transfer, Johnson lit up the Big Sky last year putting up scoring numbers not seen by the conference since Rodney Stuckey was killin it at Eastern Washington. Johnson is the reigning conference POY and as a 6'3" wing player, is very efficient . He shoots at 50 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from long range.

Johnathan Jones; Senior, Oakland - Last season's NCAA leader in assists, Jones dropped double-digit dimes (now there's some alliteration) in nine of the Grizzlies last 12 games. Starting every game since he's been on campus, and the only player to ever chalk up 1000 points and 500 assists in a career, Jones has already earned the title as the program's most decorated player. And with that darling Ben Woodside of North Dakota State moving on, Oakland is the favorite to win the Summit league as Jones will enjoy dishing out to three other returning starters all season long.

Larry Sanders; Junior, Virginia Commonwealth - No Eric Maynor, no Anthony Grant, no problem! The 6'10" junior who shares the same name as Gary Shandling's hit HBO show is still here! Sanders has a freakish 91 inch wingspan, and was 11^th in the country last season in blocks. While it's quite rare in college basketball, Sanders will be a triple-double threat this season if CAA players repeatedly try and shoot over this guy. NBA scouts like him, but will love him if he develops are more consistent offensive game this season. Nonetheless, first year coach Shaka Smith has a real asset in his frontcourt.

A.J. Slaughter; Senior, Western Kentucky - He's still eligible? That's right, after two years of playing along side Courtney Lee, Tyrone Brazelton and Orlando Mendez-Valdez, Slaughter is still kicking around and arguably the top player in the Sun Belt. Along with Steffphon Pettigrew, Slaughter will lead a team that returns four starters and itching to get back to the dance after being on the wrong side of one of last season's plays of the year.

Edwin Ubiles; Senior, Siena - For what it's worth, Edwin Ubiles has won more NCAA Tournament games than recent college basketball notables Nick Calathes, Eric Gordon, and Greg Monroe combined. After a dramatic victory over Ohio State last season, Siena comes in this season as the trendy mid-major looking to be a Top 25 mainstay this season- and Ubiles will be the man to lead them. Georgia Tech aside, the Saints schedule is pretty benign, so the selection committee will leave little wiggle room for this program to be an at-large bid candidate. Ubiles' athleticism is on par with the top players in the country, and if he develops any sort of outside game he could be an NBA draft pick.

BtB 2009-10 America East Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:29:24 -0000

Editor's Note: I'd hoped to have this up last night. Unfortunately, a deadline at my day job intervened.

The story of the offseason in the America East is the defending champion, Binghamton. Kevin Broadus' Bearcats tied with Vermont for the league regular season title, then defeated 2008 champ Maryland-Baltimore County to make the NCAA Tournament, where they were promptly beaten by second seeded Duke, 86-62.

Since then, story after story has been flowing out of Broome County. First, all-America East guard Emanuel "Tiki" Mayben was arrested on cocaine possession and sales charges and booted from the team. Then, Broadus dismissed five players, including star performers D.J. Rivera and Malik Allen, from the program for unspecified reason. In a matter of days, the Bearcats lost their three top scorers from a year ago--accounting for an average of 43 points a game.

Those dismissals cost athletic director Joel Thirer his job and led to a review of the Binghamton athletic department (to be headed by the former Chief Judge of New York state). Additionally, the university now says Broadus violated NCAA rules regarding contact with recruits.

The Bearcats looked like a good pick to repeat in the America East at the beginning of the offseason, but with all of the turmoil in the Southern Tier, Boston University and Vermont appear to be the two teams ready to take advantage. More after the jump.

Let's first take a look at last season's America East standings.

2008-2009 America East Conference Standings

(updated 3.24.2009 at 12:08 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Vermont Catamounts	13	3	24	9
Binghamton Bearcats	13	3	23	9
Boston U. Terriers	11	5	17	13
Stony Brook Seawolves	8	8	16	14
New Hampshire Wildcats	8	8	14	16
UMBC Retrievers	7	9	15	17
Albany, N.Y. Great Danes	6	10	15	16
Maine Black Bears	4	12	9	21
Hartford Hawks	2	14	7	26

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order.

Binghamton (last NCAA: 2009) Considering the Bearcats lost three starters, two reserves, and one newcomer (F/C Paul Crosby), the remaining players will struggle to keep their heads above water and out of the America East basement.

Maine (last NCAA: None) The Black Bears are perennial fixtures in the America East's second division, having spent the last nine seasons outside the top four. Their chances of moving up are hurt by the graduation of Mark Socoby, the team's top scorer the past two seasons. However, the other half of the starting backcourt, Gerald McLemore (12 ppg) does return, which should provide some stability. The Black Bears did get bigger this offseason, picking up two Canadian high school teammates, 6-9 C/F Mike Allison and 6-6 F Murphy Burnatowski, to complement the addition of 6-7 UMass transfer Travon Wilcher.

Hartford (last NCAA: None) The Hawks get start guard Joe Zeglinski back this season, after he only featured in 10 contests last season because of an ankle injury. Hartford missed Zeglinski's outside shooting. He hit 103 threes in 2007-08, when the Hawks finished second in the league. Last year, the Hawks didn't do well on the road, winning only once in 17 attempts. If solid defensive PG Andres Torres (5.9 ppg) can improve his offense and sophomore C Genesis Maciel can give some scoring support inside to PF Morgan Sabia, the Hawks might win some road games and move up in the standings.

New Hampshire (last NCAA: None) The Wildcats managed to get to the semifinals of the America East tournament last year, after tying for fourth with Stony Brook, then knocking the Seawolves out in the 4/5 game. They may not improve on their standing this year, however. While the presence of Alvin Abreu (12.8 ppg) and Tyrone Conley (8.9 ppg) gives UNH a backcourt with some scoring punch--even with the loss of leading scorer Tyrece Gibbs (14.6 ppg), the Wildcats' frontcourt isn't as strong. 6-8 center Dane DiLiegro has some promise. He's a stout rebounder (6.9 rpg) who needs to work on getting shots (5.7 ppg, but shooting 52.5%).

Maryland-Baltimore County (last NCAA: 2008) While the Retrievers only finished in sixth place during the regular season, they were able to storm through the America East tournament to meet Binghamton in the final. Much like the 2008 championship team, this UMBC squad will feature impact transfers. Chris De La Rosa, a Siena transfer, should be a worthy replacement for Jay Greene at the point. 6-11 center Robbie Jackson, a transfer from Marshall, should easily be able to replace the 8.8 boards a game the 6-4 Darryl Proctor got, and then some. If the transfers mesh with the Retrievers' three returning starters, they could challenge BU and UVM.

Stony Brook (last NCAA: None) Four of the five starters who led the Seawolves to a 16-14 mark last season return. The good news for the people of Long Island is that three of the four were freshmen, while the fourth is senior guard Muhammad El-Amin (15.7 ppg). Last year's performance was Stony Brook's best since moving up to D-I in 2001-02, and they may very well improve on it because of their focus on defense. The Seawolves allowed just a hair under 61 points per game, while forcing almost 9 steals a game on the way to securing an average turnover margin of +2.8 per contest. With the three freshman starters a year older and 6-6 F Preye Preboye ready to contribute immediately, Stony Brook is going to continue to be a tough out in the conference.

Albany (last NCAA: 2007) Will Brown's team is looking to return to the heights of their 2006 and 2007 NCAA bids, but they'll have to incorporate five freshmen and 6-8 Croatian junior college transfer Fran Urli to reach those heights again this season. 6-6 F Will Harris, a senior, and 6-0 G Tim Ambrose, a junior, will provide leadership to the Great Danes this season. Harris did an admirable job in his first season after transferring from Virginia, averaging almost 13 points a game and grabbing 6.5 boards per contest. The Scoobies did lose their starting point guard, as Anthony Raffa transferred, but reserve Mike Johnson should be a more than adequate replacement (3.4 ppg, but 2.8 apg).

Vermont (last NCAA: 2005) Before the Great Danes represented the AmEast in back to back tournaments, the Catamounts were represented the league three straight times. While Head Coach Mike Lonergan hasn't been able to get back to the Promised Land after replacing Tom Brennan at the beginning of the 2005-06 campaign, UVM has always been in the race. It will be a little more difficult this season, as the Catamounts lost all-time assist leader Mike Trimboli--who also contributed 16 points per game--and F Colin McIntosh, responsible for 12.6 points and 5 boards per game. However, two-time defending America East Player of the Year/Defensive Player of the Year Marqus Blakely is back. If G Maurice Joseph, who averaged 8 points per game last season, is able to put up more performances like the 24 points he scored against UW-Green Bay in the College Basketball Invitational last year, Vermont should be able to remain the America East's most powerful offense.

Boston University (last NCAA: 2002) With the rise of Vermont, Albany, and Binghamton, Dennis Wolff could only get the Terriers to the NCAAs once, a fact that ultimately cost him his job. Former Villanova assistant Patrick Chambers takes over. Chambers has plenty of NCAA experience, as he assisted Jay Wright during Nova's last five NCAA appearance, and he'll need every bit of it. The Terriers boast nine seniors, but are coming off a disappointing 17-13 record. BU is perimeter-oriented, however. That means Chambers can implement Nova's dribble-drive offense. If players like junior G/F John Holland (18.1 ppg), 2009 AmEast Newcomer of the Year F Jake O'Brien (12.5 ppg), and senior G Corey Lowe (17.2 ppg) can adjust to it, the Terriers should make a triumphant return to March. The Terriers will have a chance to put themselves on the national radio at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in November, starting with a first round game against Kansas State.

So, for those of you following along at home, pencil in the Terriers for the America East's bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket. I'll release that on November 9. To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-America East team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-America East Team

Player of the Year: Marqus Blakely, 6-5 F, Sr. (Vermont)

Remainder of the Team
Will Harris, 6-6 F, Sr. (Albany)
John Holland, 6-5 G/F, Jr. (Boston University)
Corey Lowe, 6-2 G, Sr. (Boston University)
Joe Zeglinski, 6-0 G, Jr. (Hartford)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the America East this season?

Albany

8 votes

Binghamton

2 votes

Boston University

6 votes

Hartford

2 votes

Maine

1 votes

UMBC

0 votes

New Hampshire

0 votes

Stony Brook

2 votes

Vermont

8 votes

29 votes | Poll has closed

Morning Coffee Urges Mack Brown To Capitalize

Peter Bean — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:34:29 -0000

King of the hill. Almost. A host of stories have been written this week about Mack Brown's ability to pocket an astounding 19 commitments from top prospects by March 1. He's "changing the game" and running an "unmatched machine." These aren't empty numbers, either: both our own Big Roy and Barking Carnival's Scipio Tex agree that the early haul is of exceptionally fine quality. As Burnt Orange Beat's Gerry Hamilton told the Statesman, "I think they already have a top-10 class. It's just a matter of whether it becomes top three."

For many of the reasons discussed amply in the links above, I wholeheartedly endorse the position Mack Brown and his staff have staked out. With only one caveat: A critical component of the value in this strategy is rooted in the opportunities the position affords the staff to hone in on the dozen or so best-of-the-best prospects who aren't interested in early commitments. To the extent Mack Brown capitalizes on that position to increase his odds landing some of those kids, the strategy is nothing short of ideal. Contrarily, failing to appreciate and/or take advantage of that benefit drains the strategy of a sizable amount of its value.

Throughout his career at Texas Mack Brown has been at his best when he is hungry and active in looking for ways to squeeze maximum value from his monstrous machine; occasional bouts of complacency and contentedness with "good enough" have led to underachievement. It's in that sense that neither Mack Brown's critics nor his "do no wrong" defenders both have it wrong -- he's accomplished a ton, positioned himself near-ideally, and, yes, can do more yet if he really wants to stick his boot on opponents' throats. Go for it, Mack. (Figuratively speaking, of course. We like that you can and do win Bobby Dodd Awards.)

Bubble burst? With Kansas State's 71-77 loss in Stillwater last night, Bring on the Cats more or less resigns the Wildcats' fate to the NIT. Probably true, though I'm not 100% sure TB's right the 'Cats would need to secure the #4 seed and then beat Texas and KU in the conference tourney just to clear the hump. Texas alone might do the trick, depending what happens with A&M and/or Oklahoma State. Either way, Kansas State needs to thump Colorado and look good reaching the conference semifinals.

The Madness approaches. Speaking of Championship Week... Card Chronicle has as thoroughly outstanding a primer for the Madness as one could possibly hope for. Brilliant.

More Madness. If you missed the end of the Washington State-Arizona State game in Pullman on Saturday... don't. Or if it's jaw-dropping dunks you need to get your March Madness blood roiling, I've got you covered in three easy steps:

1. The Paul Harris Experience

2. Jeff Teague Flies

3. Marqus Blakely Is Fearless (via the Card Chronicle post mentioned above)

Big East Basketball Preview: 50 non-conference games of note

Mike Rutherford — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:53:31 -0000

Only games guaranteed to be played are eligible for the list.

Anyone who watches all 50 games in their entirety wins a night of dinner, drinks and dancing with me and This Guy at the White Castle on Westport Rd.

50. Connecticut vs. Hartford (Nov. 17)

Coming off their best season in two decades, the Hawks will provide the only semi-test for Connecticut before the Huskies head to Spokane on Dec. 20. Big man Warren McClendon is gone, but U of H returns its other four starters, including sharp-shooter Joe Zeglinski.

49. Notre Dame vs. Indiana (Nov. 24)

The two schools from the Hoosier state meet in the opening round of the Maui Invitational with preseason expectations significantly higher for the less storied program.

48. Pittsburgh vs. Vermont (Dec. 6)

Pitt's non-conference schedule doesn't feature a big-name opponent - although participation in the Legends Classic could bring about one - but it does feature several formidable mid-major foes, including the preseason favorites in the America East. The Panthers will be tested by the inside-out duo of Mike Trimboli and reigning league POY Marqus Blakely.

47. Rutgers at Rider (Dec. 31)

Jason Thompson is gone, but Rider still returns four starters and should provide a solid road test for a young Scarlet Knight squad looking to prove it's ready to compete in the Big East.

46. West Virginia vs. Miami (OH) (Dec. 20)

The Redhawks figure to finish near the top of the standings in the always tough Mid-American Conference, but this is the type of game Bob Huggins' team can't afford to have lost if they find themselves planted squarely on the bubble come early March.

45. Pittsburgh vs. Belmont (Nov. 25)

Belmont knocked off Cincinnati in the season-opener for both a year ago, and the Bruins are picked to win the Atlantic Sun yet again this season.

44. Georgetown vs. American (Dec. 6)

American appears to be the class of the Patriot League, and the Eagles have the experience and maturity to deal with Georgetown's methodical style of play.

43. Louisville vs. UAB (Dec. 27)

The Cardinals will have to avoid a holiday hangover because they'll get the best shot of a Blazer team needing a marquee win to bolster its NCAA Tournament hopes.

42. St. John's vs. Cornell (Nov. 17)

The Johnnies open the preseason NIT with a dangerous draw in the defending Ivy League champs.

41. Pittsburgh at Texas Tech (Nov. 28)

Pat Knight's Red Raiders don't appear to be destined for anything approaching greatness this season, but there's enough there to test Pitt in the Panthers' Legends Classic opener.

40. South Florida at Wright State (Dec. 21)

A trip to the Nutter Center to take on one of the better mid-major teams in the land should be a good challenge for Stan Heath's guard-heavy squad.

39. Depaul at St. Louis (Dec. 22)

The Billikens made great strides in Rick Majerus' first season, and should serve as a formidable first-round opponent in the Las Vegas Classic for the Blue Demons.

38. Marquette at North Carolina State (Dec. 22)

The Pack is down, but Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley will test Marquette's emaciated frontcourt early in the season.

37. Cincinnati vs. UAB (Dec. 6)

The former C-USA rivals meet in an early December game that could have a great impact on the NCAA Tournament resume of each.

36. Pittsburgh vs. Miami (OH) (Nov. 17)

Pitt begins the season on Nov. 14 with Fairleigh Dickinson and gets its first real test three days later when Charlie Coles and the Redhawks come to the Peterson Events Center.

35. Depaul at California (Dec. 3)

Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal can make the rest of the league take notice by going out West and knocking off a beatable Cal squad.

34. West Virginia vs. Cleveland State (Dec. 6)

The 'Eers return from Vegas and begin a tough four-game stretch at home with the favorites to take the Horizon League.

33. Connecticut vs. Michigan (Feb. 7)

The Huskies take a break from Big East play to host the Wolverines and sophomore stud Manny Harris.

32. Louisville at Minnesota (Dec. 20)

Tubby Smith had a solid amount of success against Rick Pitino when he was at Kentucky, but the odds are a bit more stacked against him in this game which will be played in Phoenix.

31. South Florida at Vanderbilt (Dec. 16)

How the Kentrell Gransberry-less Bulls handle A.J. Ogilvy should serve as a barometer of how they'll fare in the post talent-heavy Big East.

30. West Virginia at Mississippi (Dec. 3)

Serving as the X factor against a talented Ole Miss backcourt, this could be Devin Ebanks' first opportunity to really sparkle.

29. Providence at Boston College (Dec. 20)

If Keno Davis wants to prove he can get the talented Friars to play to their potential then he needs to go on the road and take care of a BC team that has little outside of Tyrese Rice.

28. Villanova vs. St. Joseph's (Dec. 11)

The Wildcats are the clear favorites on paper, but All-American candidate Ahmad Nivins presents a real matchup problem.

27. Syracuse vs. Cleveland State (Dec. 15)

Seniors J'Nathan Bullock and Cedric Jackson might be the two best players in the Horizon League, and could easily lead the Vikings to an early season upset. The fact that Syracuse has just a day to prepare after a home tilt with Long Beach State certainly doesn't help.

26. St. John's vs. Miami (Fla.) (Dec. 27)

Norm Roberts could make a lot of folks in Brooklyn more comfortable about his contract extension if he could lead the Johnnies to an early upset of a nationally ranked foe.

25. Marquette vs. Dayton (Nov. 29)

The Flyers have been tough to beat in pre-Atlantic 10 action in recent years, which makes this tussle in Chicago a dangerous one for the Golden Eagles. Chris Wright can jump super high.

24. Louisville vs. Mississippi (Dec. 18)

The guard trio of Huertas, Polynice and Warren should provide a tough early test for the occasionally eccentric Cardinal backcourt.

23. St. John's vs. Duke (Feb. 19)

This one stopped being cute when Ron Artest rode out of town.

22. Depaul at UCLA (Dec. 13)

The Blue Demons might be just a bit outclassed in this John Wooden Classic game being played in Anaheim.

21. Rutgers at North Carolina (Dec. 28)

If RU keeps it closer than 22 (UNC won 93-71 a year ago), I say they win. Which means a lot.

20. Pittsburgh vs. Siena (Dec. 17)

The Saints return all five starters from the squad that routed Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

19. Villanova vs. Temple (Dec. 29)

'Nova will have to find an answer for Dionte Christmas if they want to prevail in what could end up being the de facto Big Five title game.

18. Louisville vs. UNLV (Dec. 31)

The Runnin' Rebs hung with the Cards for 35 minutes a year ago before falling apart and losing by 20. They return their top two scorers and add highly-touted freshman Beas Hamga.

17. Cincinnati vs. Xavier (Dec. 13)

If Cincinnati can take as large a stride in Mick Cronin's second season as they did in his first, then this could be the most even Crosstown Shootout in quite some time.

16. Seton Hall vs. USC (Nov. 20)

The Pirates have next-to-no non-con challenges outside of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, so a strong performance on the island is paramount for the squad's postseason aspirations. It all starts with a date with the 18th ranked Trojans.

15. West Virginia at Ohio State (Dec. 27)

Seven-foot freshman sensation B.J. Mullens is a matchup nightmare for the undersized Mountaineers.

14. Cincinnati at Memphis (Dec. 29)

Things started to turn around for the Bearcats a season ago when they hung with the top-ranked Tigers for 40 minutes. Expecations are a bit higher at UC 12 months later.

13. Providence at Baylor (Nov. 27)

A huge opening round matchup in the Anaheim Classic for a pair of programs looking to take giant leaps forward in 2008-2009.

12. Syracuse vs. Florida (Nov. 24)

A win over the Gators could be the difference between NCAA and NIT if the Big East threatens to swallow SU's postseason dreams for a third straight year.

11. Notre Dame vs. Ohio State (Dec. 6)

Lots of talent + contrasting styles = December fun for the whole family.

10. Marquette vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 6)

The most underrated rivalry in college basketball will almost assuredly again involve a pair of top 25 teams.

9. West Virginia vs. Davidson (Dec. 9)

I hear these guys are kind of dangerous. Apparently have a decent little guard.

8. Syracuse at Memphis (Dec. 20)

The Tigers' mini-tour of the Big East hits its second stop when the Orange roll into the FedExForum. Chances are 100% that Eric Devendorf and Tyreke Evans have words.

7. Louisville vs. Kentucky (Jan. 4)

The most hate-filled rivalry in the sport could turn into must-see-TV if the Cats show early improvement in their second season under Billy Gillispie.

6. Georgetown vs. Memphis (Dec. 13)

Memphis exposed the Hoyas with their athleticism a year ago, but the two main culprits - Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose - are now being paid to play the game.

5. Marquette at Tennessee (Dec. 13)

Sensational veteran guards vs. athletic veteran wings. Also, two programs who have or have had a head coach with the first name Buzz.

4. Villanova vs. Texas (Dec. 9)

This Jimmy V. Classic tilt will feature a pair of nationally ranked teams and a couple of shot-happy guards who have the potential to go for 30 every time they step on the floor.

3. Georgetown at Duke (Jan. 17)

The Hoyas get a quick reprieve from Big East play, unfortunately it involves a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

2. Connecticut at Gonzaga (Dec. 20)

The sixth-annual Battle in Seattle will be a rematch of last year's classic which the 'Zags won 85-82.

1. Notre Dame at UCLA (Feb. 7)

A February clash in Pauley featuring two presaeason top ten squads that will affect the seeding of multiple teams in both the Pac-10 and Big East.