Can this Nevada team get a big early season road victory over the Gauchos? ...

This number seems low for the reigning National Champs, Michigan, and it continues to drop. The Golden Eagles have more continuity with their roster and the much better coach in this one. Marquette’s offense, despite playing two lesser opponents, appeared to have the better team chemistry as compared to the Wolverines thus far. Michigan doesn't play the best, consistent defensive players like the Golden Eagles. Marquette had a very disappointing season last year and look for an early statement win on the road.

This is Charleston’s first season under new head coach John Groce, formerly at Akron. His teams like to play very fast, relying on skilled guards. The Owls may struggle with the pace of play just like in their last game against Richmond. Even though the Cougars played two non-DI teams to open the season, this team will be able to put up points and Temple will have to keep up offensively. The Owls aren’t the most gifted team on offensive and have struggle to score consistently and control the boards.

Neutral court game but still in Iowa. The Hawkeyes remain the slowest team in the country under Ben McCollum. Their offseason has looked very efficient but that was against lesser opponents, still averaging around 66 possessions per game. Virginia Tech does not push the pace, middle of the pack in tempo and lacks size. The Hawkeyes have much more size down low to the control the class and their offense will use the entire clock before getting off a shot.

We all know Florida has one of, if not, the best front courts in the country. The Seminoles also have a lot of size to compete with their rivals. This is a new Florida team but they struggled last season on the road to begin the season as the Seminoles covered last season with a team that was not as good as they have currently. In a true home game with the crowd behind them, Frloida State does enough to stay within the number.

Neutral court game in Philly. Charlotte has averaged 77.5 points but that was against teams with a below average defense and has been untested. They now face a suffocating Pirates defense in a clash of styles. Seton Hall does have better offensive pieces but their still a defense first team. The team who dictates the tempo will control this game which will most likely be Seton Hall.

Both teams have started out the season scoring 80 points per game but their offenses have been untested by a quality defense. Neither team wants to push the tempo, making this more a half court game. Cincannti should have the more physicality of the defensive side as they’ll bring the pressure all game, looking to create turnovers. The Gophers have the bigger interior presence to control the glass and players that can match the Bearcats physicality but need to take care of the ball.

The Terps had a lot of success against the Bucknell on the glass in their home. They may not be able to control the glass as much against a revamped Hoyas team with 7’1 Vince Iwuchukwuin the middle. Georgetown brought in a lot of good pieces, maybe not the big names like the Terps, but this is a competitive roster. Maryland will face a much better defense than they saw in their opener and the Hoyas have the better coach in this matchup which can help get the crowd involved.

Robbie Avila will be in uniform tonight for the Billikens. Missouri has the size advantage, second tallest team in the country. The Tigers have a lot of offensive firepower more so than last season. Saint Louis also has a lot of offensive weapons, returning most of their team from last season. Saint Louis has the better continuity, chemistry, and has the guard play that can take advantage of the Tigers size through their cuts and distribution.

This is a rivalry that not many know about as these two schools are only 16 miles away from one another. Since UMass Lowell came to D-1, these teams have met five times with the River Hawks winning three of them and their largest loss coming by six points. The Warriors stay in games with their defense but their offense is always a work in progress and below average. Mass Lowell has more depth and better scorers to keep this within the number.

This could be a similar North Florida team like we saw last season. They’ll shoot a ton of threes and play very little defense. The Ospreys don’t have much size which will hurt their ability to get second chance opportunities unless they just bomb threes, most likely, and get longer boards. Cal Baptist had a lot roster turnover from last year and might not be as dominate on the boards. The Lancers strength is with their guard play, who can also shoot from downtown.

Similar to last season, Hampton brought in a bunch of players that can score. They’re a score first team that plays little defense. The Yellow Jackets welcome in a new coach that wants to push the pace all game and have new guards to do so. Georgia Tech has always struggled to defend the him but not sure that’ll be the case against the Pirates as this could turn into a transitional game with a lot of perimeter shots.

Charleston Southern had another off-season of a lot of turnover. They’ve brought in a lot of scorers from lower levels so let’s see if it translate as the Buccaneers have increased tempo and pace of play over the past few seasons. Charleston Southern are still tall inside but weak on the glass. South Florida should control the glass and have the more productive offensive weapons also wanting an up-tempo style and to get out in transition.

Early morning tip off before we start the work day. Last season, these were two of the slower teams in the country in terms of tempo and yes, it’s a new season and new players. But, the one thing we all know is this Merrimack defense and their zone. The Mountaineers have the size advantage and should be able to control the boards but Joe Gallo and Merrimack will make this into a slow, grind it out contest.

Purdue has to cool off eventually after two of their best shooting performances of the season. The Longhorns don’t give up many three’s, only allowing their opponents to shoot them 33% of the time. Texas doesn’t shot many threes and even if they do, they're inconsistent. The Longhorns want to get to the free throw line but Purdue does a great job keeping their opponents off the stripe. Both teams like a slow half-court game and the total continues to drop.