television schedules

We've already had a matchup between Top 10 teams this season (Ohio State at Florida), but Tuesday brings about the first matchup between Top 5 teams as Duke and Kansas State meet in the finals of the CBE Classic. The Wildcats, playing in front of a partisan crowd in Kansas City, scored 49 points in the first half and knocked down 12 three pointers in beating Gonzaga 81-64 in the nightcap of Monday's doubleheader.

Thanksgiving week is here and with that more in-season tournaments either tip off or move to the semifinal stage. Monday features four games in Maui, with a lot of eyes focused on Wichita State/Connecticut in the first game of the day. Of course there's expected national title contender Michigan State along with two other good teams in Kentucky and Washington (given the meetings on the recruiting trail many hope that the Wildcats and Huskies advance to Tuesday's semifinals).

After the smorgasbord of college basketball that we were treated to on Tuesday naturally Wednesday would be a day for recuperation. But there are some solid contests on the schedule, most notably Utah State making the trek to Provo to take on in-state rival BYU. Of course much of the attention will be paid to seniors Tai Wesley (Utah State) and Jimmer Fredette (BYU), who are two of the better players in college basketball at their respective positions, but there's an important newcomer to the USU program who will have a lot to do with the Aggies' success.

Despite the amount of attention being given to ESPN's 24-hour college basketball marathon that tips off at midnight (Miami at Memphis) there are some good games on the docket Monday night. In the early window there are a two under the radar games that lack television coverage but won't lack for quality. Oakland (0-1), the preseason favorite in the Summit League, makes the trek south to take on one of the favorites in the Mid-American in Ohio (1-0). Two of the better players not in BCS conferences will be on display in Athens: Oakland center Keith Benson and Ohio guard D.J. Cooper.

Friday brings about the first big day on the college basketball schedule and while most have taken the scheduling strategy of an initial "warm-up", there are some very enticing matchups on the slate. The biggest may be Seton Hall playing the first game of the Kevin Willard era at #22 Temple, the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic 10.

Just four games on tonight's schedule, once again featuring the four teams slated to play next week at Madison Square Garden in the 2K Sports Classic benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer. The game to keep an eye on: College of Charleston, the pick to finish second in the South Division of the Southern Conference, heads north to take on a Maryland teams that already has a 105-76 pasting of Seattle under its belt. But Gary Williams' team is a young outfit thanks to the loss of Eric Hayes, Landon Milbourne and Greivis Vasquez, as evidenced by their staggering 29 turnovers in Monday's win.