RTC Live: Week 2
Posted by rtmsf on November 16th, 2009
What a week of RTC Live events, huh?!? We managed to cover a total of six games literally from coast to coast, and this coming week should be even better. RTC Live will be at no fewer than eleven games this week, including four top ten teams and two tremendous events, the Hall of Fame Showcase in St. Louis on Tuesday night, and the Coaches vs. Cancer semis and finals in Madison Square Garden on Thursday and Friday evenings. We hope to see you with us along for the ride!
Monday November 16
- Miami (OH) @ #5 Kentucky – 7 pm ET (also on ESPN FC) – John Wall’s collegiate debut is all we need to say here.
- Pennsylvania @ #6 Villanova – 7 pm ET – Big Five games are always intense, and this one should be no different as the Quakers visit the top ten Wildcats.
- San Diego State @ St. Mary’s – 2 am ET – SDSU is a little banged up, but this has been a great series over the past several years.
Tuesday November 17
- Arkansas vs. #23 Louisville (in St. Louis) – 7:30 pm ET (also on ESPN2) – John Pelphrey takes on his collegiate mentor as part of the Hall of Fame Showcase event, but we’re more interested in seeing how the Cardinals react to their offseason of turmoil.
- Fairfield @ Maryland – 8 pm ET – we’ll also be coming live from College Park for our first visit to the Comcast Center to see Greivis Vasquez and company in action.
- Memphis vs. #1 Kansas (in St. Louis) – 10 pm ET (also on ESPN) – The showcase game of ESPN’s 24 Hours of Hoops pits the top-ranked Jayhawks against Josh Pastner’s revamped Tigers. This game should have an NCAA Tournament environment.
Wednesday November 18
- #10 Butler @ Northwestern – 8 pm ET (also on BTN) – this would have been a little more exciting had NW’s Kevin Coble not injured his foot, but Butler is going to have to be ready for this one if they want the win in addition to the RPI boost for playing a Big Ten team away.
- Utah State @ Utah – 8 pm ET (also on The Mtn) – Utah is coming off a home loss to Idaho where they allowed the Vandals to drop 94 pts on them. It’ll be interesting to see how the Utes respond against one of their in-state rivals, a very good team in their own right.
Thursday November 19
- #12 California vs. #25 Syracuse (in New York) – 7 pm ET (also on ESPN2) – semifinal matchup of the Coaches vs. Cancer between Cal’s exceptional shooters and the long, sticky Syracuse zone defense should result in a great game at MSG.
- #17 Ohio State vs. #4 North Carolina (in New York) – 9:30 pm ET (also on ESPN2) – the other semifinal will feature Mr. Everything Evan Turner for OSU navigating the athletic frontline of UNC. Who will be tasked with guarding Turner — Marcus Ginyard? John Henson?
Friday November 20
- Coaches vs. Cancer Consolation Game – 5 pm ET (also on ESPN2) – we expect to see Cal vs. UNC in this matchup after Ohio State pulls the upset the night before. If so, UNC will dominate the much weaker California front line.
- Coaches vs. Cancer Championship Game – 7:30 pm ET (also on ESPN2) – in the title tilt, we’re expecting OSU to take on the near-home crowd of Syracuse, with Evan Turner leading his team to the early season championship and a top ten ranking.
I really do think this Buckeye team has a lot to look forward to this season. They’re a little weak at the PF/C position, but Lauderdale should hold his own. They’ll be playing small most of the time (if you consider having a 6’7″ PG/SF small), with a lot of length and shooters on the perimeter. William Buford looks for real, David Lighty can do his thing on both ends of the court, quietly nonetheless, and Jon Diebler will be the X-Factor. If he is shooting well and makes the opposing squad respect his shot from deep, it opens up the middle for the slashing ability of Buford, Lighty, and especially Turner to score easy buckets or put the ball in the hands of Lauderdale for an easy score. They look solid, before they absolutely reload next season.