Exams are over and so are the slow days surrounding Christmas. That means it’s time for college basketball to kick into high gear, even if football bowl games will earn the bulk of the country’s attention over the remainder of the week
Unexpected Top 25 Battle, Big Ten And Big East Openers Highlight Tuesday Hoops
The nation’s top seven teams are all in action on this final Tuesday of 2009. The top three -- Kansas, Texas and Kentucky -- and seventh-ranked Duke should all pick up easy non-conference wins. On the other hand, teams ranked fourth through sixth in the AP poll all face conference tests.
Those early league tilts are three of the five games I’m highlighting for Tuesday. The others are the second Big Ten opener on the slate and the evening’s only matchup of top 25 programs.
- Sixth-ranked West Virginia, fresh off their overtime win at Seton Hall Saturday, hosts Marquette. The Golden Eagles, a young squad led by veterans Lazar Hayward and Jimmy Butler, open Big East play after a somewhat inconsistent -- reaching the Old Spice Classic final, losing it to Florida State, dropping a home game to N.C. State and a road one to Wisconsin --but ultimately promising non-conference run. SB Nation's West Virginia blog, The Smoking Musket, will have more on this contest.
- The second Big East tilt of the night features Saturday's loser, Seton Hall, hosting fifth-ranked Syracuse. Unlike the Pirates, Wes Johnson and the Orange haven't played since last Tuesday's 32-point rout over Oakland, a game in which Arinze Onuaku saw limited action because of a quad injury. Not only does SB Nation's Syracuse blog, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, have coverage, but this is a good chance to visit our brand spanking new Seton Hall blog, Gonzo Ball.
- Fourth-ranked Purdue opens its Big Ten slate at Iowa, a team riding a two-game home winning streak. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, the Boilermakers are just a bit better than Drake and South Carolina State. Our Purdue blog, Hammer And Rails, and Iowa site, Black Heart Gold Pants, will have full coverage of this one.
- But that's not the only Big Ten opener on tonight's schedule. Penn State visits Minnesota in a battle of two of last year's most prominent bubble teams. This season, the Gophers are in a bit better position than the Nittany Lions, but they can't afford to drop their home conference opener. Visit our Penn State blog, Black Shoe Diaries, and Minnesota site, The Daily Gopher, for full coverage of this one.
- My final pick is a non-conference tilt between two of the nation's most surprising teams, No. 20 Texas Tech and 19th-ranked New Mexico, in Albuquerque. The Red Raiders have a little bit to prove, as their biggest wins to date -- over Oregon State, No. 17 Washington and Stanford -- all came in Lubbock. They fell at Wichita State the last time they hit the road. The Lobos are looking to rebound from their loss to Oral Roberts last Wednesday. They already own a win over formerly-ranked Texas A&M. Our Texas Tech blog, Double T Nation, will have full coverage between Mike Leach updates. SB Nation's Mountain West Connection will look at the game from the Lobo perspective.
You can follow and discuss all five of these games here on SB Nation.
FINAL: No. 6 West Virginia 63, Marquette 62
Da’Sean Butler hit a 3 with under 2 ticks to go to give the Mountaineers a win in yet another thriller.
Mountaineer game preview and discussion at The Smoking Musket
FINAL: No. 4 Purdue 67, Iowa 56
The Hawkeyes led at the half, but the Boilermakers were too much in the second.
Boilermaker game preview and discussion at Hammer And Rails
Hawkeye game preview and discussion at Black Heart Gold Pants
FINAL: No. 5 Syracuse 80, Seton Hall 73
Wes Johnson scored 20, grabbed 19 boards and blocked 5 shots to lead the Orange to a victory in their Big East opener.
Orange game preview and discussion at Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
Pirate game preview and discussion at Gonzo Ball
FINAL: Minnesota 75, Penn State 70
Lawrence Westbrook scored 29 to lead the Gophers to a win in their Big Ten opener.
Nittany Lion game preview and discussion at Black Shoe Diaries
Golden Gopher game preview and discussion at The Daily Gopher
FINAL: No. 19 New Mexico 90, No. 20 Texas Tech 75
The Lobos recovered from their first loss of the season in style by routing the Red Raiders.
Red Raider game preview and discussion at Double T Nation
Lobo game preview and discussion at Mountain West Connection
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