Still just four games on the tube Wednesday evening, but the schedule is at least a tad bit sexier than it was on Monday.
College Basketball’s Leading Returning Scorer Takes Center Stage On Night Two
The nation’s leading returning scorer, Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum, gets his shot on the national stage Wednesday night. A pair of ranked teams are also in action.
Here’s what we’re working with (all times Eastern):
Lehigh at St. John’s (7 p.m./ESPN2)
The game marks a rare opportunity opportunity for the nation to check out C. J. McCollum, the preseason Patriot League Player of the Year and the nation’s leading returning scorer. McCollum averaged 21.8 ppg a season ago, this a year after he was the country’s leading freshman scorer at 19.1 points per game. It will be interesting to see how well an athletic, but young, St. John’s squad keeps tabs on him.
Akron at Mississippi State (7 p.m./ESPNU)
The Zips - No. 21 in our preseason mid-major top 25 - get an early chance to raise some eyebrows when they take on the Bulldogs in 2K Sports Classic regional play. Akron will have to contain opening night national player of the year Dee Bost in order to spring the upset. Bost dropped 23 in a 10-point victory over Eastern Kentucky Monday night.
Liberty at No. 19/20 Texas A&M (8 p.m./FSN Regional)
The nationally-ranked Aggies enter the season without new head coach Billy Kennedy, who is on a leave of absence to deal with the early stages of Parkinson's disease. Associate head coach Glynn Cyprien will lead A&M against a Liberty squad that was 19-8 before ending last season on a five-game losing streak. The Flames figured to be a major player in the Big South, but that was before leading scorer Evan Gordon chose to transfer to Arizona State. If the Aggies don't cruise, it will be cause for concern.
Duquesne at No. 16 Arizona (9 p.m./ESPN2)
'Zona wraps up regional play in the 2K Sports Classic this evening against a Duquesne squad picked to finish ninth in the 14-team Atlantic 10. The Dukes do boast guard T.J. McConnell, who was the nation's only freshman with more than 300 points, 125 assists and 75 steals in 2010-11. Surprising side note: Duquesne has taken three of its past four meetings with Arizona.
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