Games #37-#38.  Back at MSG for the Preseason NIT consolation game and finals.

Game #36.  RTC Live moves on to Anaheim for the 76 Classic, site of the first-ever credential that the site received a long two years ago.

You’ve had your turkey, you’ve done the family thing, you’ve given your thanks. Now settle back and join us for the final opening round game of the 76 Classic in Anaheim, a battle between UNLV and Tulsa for a chance to advance to the semis on Friday. The Rebels already have a big win under the belt this season, having knocked off Wisconsin in Las Vegas last weekend, and with senior guard Tre’Von Willis returning from suspension and with juniors Oscar Bellfield and Chace Stanback already on top of their games in Willis’ absence, Lon Kruger’s club has got to be considered a favorite to advance at least to the championship game of the tournament. In their way stands Tulsa, off a couple sneaky good wins over Oral Roberts and Missouri State. With skilled big man Steven Idlet and senior scoring guard Justin Hurtt leading the way, the Golden Hurricane pose a serious challenge for the favored Rebels. We hope you’ll fight through the post-feast daze to hang out and talk about a good early season matchup we all can be thankful for.

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Game #35.  We’re back in Maui for a championship game that was perhaps unexpected, but should still be rocking the Lahaina Civic Center off its foundation.

Coming into the 2010 Maui Invitational, it was supposed to be a battle between Spartans and Dogs for the championship of the island tournament.  Well, that’s the beauty of tournament hoopin’ — teams have to play their way into the next round by actually winning games (well, sometimes).  So we’re left here in Lahaina with two somewhat unexpected entrants: Jim Calhoun’s UConn Huskies led by a mercurial guard who has seemingly realized his superb potential; and John Calipari’s too-young-to-know-better Kentucky Wildcats, a group of long, athletic athletes who hustle that have impressed everyone that’s gotten a chance to watch them so far.  Sometimes tournament basketball throws you a loop and you end up with a game you never expected (or perhaps looked like the Consolation Game), but with the two wily veterans on the sideline — a pair that isn’t especially fond of the other — it should be another great afternoon here in the islands as RTC Live will be back courtside.  Join us for what promises to be another fantastic matchup.

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Games #33-#34.  It’s back to the World’s Most Famous Arena for the semifinal round of the Preseason NIT.

Villanova comes into this one at 4-0, although their path has not been as easy as their margins of victory would indicate. Bucknell and Boston U. both gave the Wildcats a fight, all while they are dealing with a suspension to star freshman JayVaughn Pinkston. Villanova’s attack is centered around their backcourt, and while Corey Fisher has yet to really catch fire this season, Maalik Wayns looks like a potential superstar. UCLA will be the first real test for this Villanova team. The Bruins come into this one at 3-0 and a bit under the radar. The front line of Reeves Nelson (19.3 ppg), Tyler Honeycutt, and Joshua Smith is underrated and Lazeric Jones is an upgrade over Jerime Anderson at the point. The question mark is going to be Malcolm Lee. He rolled an ankle against Pepperdine, and his status (as of this writing) is still uncertain.

The nightcap is between Tennessee and VCU. Tennessee is a bit of a question mark this season. They have some talented and versatile players in Tobias Harris, Scotty Hopson, and Cam Tatum. All three are capable scorers with length and athleticism. But Brian Williams still is not in shape at center and the combination of Melvin Goins and Trae Golden has not exactly yielded terrific point guard play. VCU may play in the CAA, but don’t be fooled — this is a very good basketball team. Joey Rodriguez is the best point guard you’ve never seen play (18.3 ppg, 10.3 apg, 2.0 TO’s in three games), Jamie Skeen is a power forward transfer from Wake Forest, Ed Nixon is as good a defender as you will find on the perimeter, and Bradford Burgess and Brandon Rozzell are terrific complementary scorers. I’ll go as far as to say that I think VCU will win tonight.

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Game #32.  RTC Live is back in the Beehive State for another huge intrastate rivalry game.

In the basketball crazy state of Utah every intrastate game is hotly contested. This match up between Utah and Utah State got even juicer when Utah State head coach Stew Morrill dropped the bombshell that they will not be meeting next season because Utah can’t fit the Aggies in their new Pac-12 schedule. This means that a rivalry 102 years old and that has seen 232 games (Utah leads the series 132-90) may not be played again for some time. The Utes head into the Spectrum lead by swing man Will Clyburn, a junior college transfer who is averaging over 20 PPG in his first season with Utah. The Aggies counter with Tai Wesley who despite battling foul trouble all season is still averaging over 16 points a game. Wesley will be challenged to score and stay on the floor by Utah’s size and length on the front line. The Aggies have won six straight in this series in Logan and will be looking to extend that to seven before the series goes into and indeterminate hibernation.

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Game #31.  RTC Live visits Siena for the first time as the national runner-up Butler comes to town tonight.

The Butler Bulldogs arrive in the 518 area code tonight for a rematch with the Siena Saints. Under the leadership of coach Brad Stevens, the Bulldogs made a scintillating run at the NCAA championship, coming within two points of knocking off No. 1 seed Duke in one of the greatest games in recent memory. Unfortunately, yet another Butler underdog win was not to be, and forward Gordon Hayward’s halfcourt heave rattled in and out, giving Duke a 61-59 victory. Hayward took his talents to the NBA in the offseason and is now with the Jazz, but Butler managed to retain and extend up-and-coming coach Brad Stevens, who at age 35, has enjoyed a prodigious rise along with mid-major Butler. Star guard Shelvin Mack and post player Matt Howard look to provide the one-two scoring punch for the Bulldogs, while on the Siena side, the Saints turn to their own inside-outside duo in Ryan Rossiter and Clarence Jackson. The Saints have struggled in the early going, dropping the first two games of the season to Vermont and Minnesota, respectively, before bouncing back with a win over Northeastern. For its part, Butler dropped a high-profile matchup with Lousiville in the season opener before going two-for-two in its last two contests. This game features a matchup of a team that has arrived nationally as a midmajor giant-killer (Butler) and a program that is trying to emulate the kind of sustained success Butler has enjoyed this past decade (Siena). Tonight’s game is a rematch of last year’s Bracketbusters matchup, which saw the Bulldogs pull down a 70-53 victory en route to a 33-win season.

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Games #29-#30.  Another night of outstanding games at the CBE Classic tips off with a ridiculous top five matchup.

We’re set for a pair of outstanding matchups in the final day of the CBE Classic in Kansas City here on RTC Live. The top-five tilt that has fans licking their chops features #4 Kansas State taking on #1 Duke, though a feisty Marquette team will square off against reeling Gonzaga in the undercard. The Golden Eagles gave Duke a few scares, tying the game in the second half before a decisive Blue Devils run sealed the win. Unfortunately for Buzz Williams’ team, they missed several opportunities to move ahead and pull the upset. There was a lid on the basket as Marquette misfired time after time in the opening half. For Gonzaga, Elias Harris struggled to get going with his heel giving him trouble all evening, and it’s hard to see him being a major contributor Tuesday based on what we saw Monday. With two losses already in the young season, Mark Few needs to find a way to make his remaining pieces, including Steven Gray, fit together in a hurry. As for the championship combatants, the Blue Devils propelled themselves to victory behind a career night from Mason Plumlee, who chipped in 25 points and 12 boards. Despite the win, ballhandling was an issue for Duke as they itched to get ahead in the transition game. The Wildcats will look to combat Duke’s uptempo attack with a swarming defense that forced 17 Bulldog turnovers. After Kansas State’s big night from the perimeter against Gonzaga (46% from deep in a surprisingly collective effort) Monday, it’ll be interesting to see how much they have left in the tank with a one-day turnaround. Join us live Tuesday night for a Thanksgiving-sized helping of hoops!

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Games #27-#28.  In what should be two highly entertaining games on the island of Maui, we’re back for the semifinals of the tournament.

It was a beautiful November day in Lahaina, but for Kemba Walker, Terrence Jones, Isaiah Thomas and Kalin Lucas, the birds chirped just a little bit louder and the sun shone just a little bit brighter on Monday.  These four players each led their team to victory in the quarterfinal round of the Maui Invitational, and in so doing have set up a superb Final Four-quality semifinal round that will be must-see television across college hoops nation on Tuesday night.  In the first semifinal, Tom Izzo’s Michigan State team will take on Jim Calhoun’s Connecticut squad in a battle of quick, heady scoring point guards (Lucas and Walker) and slow but equally cerebral coaches.  In the second semifinal, a game that has been a long time coming will occur with Kentucky and Jones taking on Washington and Thomas, the obvious storyline being that UK recruited the much-better-than-expected Jones out from under the Huskies last spring, a situation that left the diminutive but talented point guard none too happy about the poaching.  It should be a wonderful afternoon/evening of hoops again here in the island paradise, so join us for a little conversation as RTC Live comes to you from the Maui Invitational.

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Games #25-#26.  RTC Live is pleased to announce our presence at these two games, which are without question the best group of the young season.

RTC is at Sprint Center in Kansas City for a spectacular two-day course of games in the CBE Classic, with a field that resembles late March rather than late November. The first semifinal features #1 Duke tipping off against Marquette, while #3 Kansas State and #11 Gonzaga provide the nightcap. A meeting between top-five squads awaits tomorrow if the Blue Devils and Wildcats handle business tonight. Duke has rolled through their first three games as expected, pounding Princeton, Miami (OH) and Colgate at Cameron Indoor. They’re loaded with NBA talent, and are playing away from Durham for the first time this season. There are plenty of ways Duke can beat you: Kyle Singler gets well-deserved attention for his shooting touch and high basketball IQ, and they man a lethal guard core of Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith and Seth Curry. For Marquette, Jimmy Butler is a veteran leader while Jae Crowder and Vander Blue have provided fresh blood. The Golden Eagles, at 4-0 so far, are off to a running start.

With Manhattan, Kansas, just a couple hours away, the Wildcats are the local draw of the event. AP Preseason All-American Jacob Pullen drives the bus for Frank Martin’s Wildcats, and the bench was a key factor in handling Virginia Tech last week with Pullen in foul trouble. On the other side of the court, Elias Harris, Gonzaga’s star forward, is still achy from a foot injury sustained in the Bulldogs’ setback against San Diego State. If he can’t go, the Zags will still have a solid frontcourt duo in Robert Sacre and Sam Dower. Senior guard Steven Gray has exploded for 25.7 PPG in his first three games of the season, accounting for more than 25% of the Bulldogs’ scoring production. Still, make no mistake – Harris’ availability (or unavailability) could end up being the difference this week.  Join us this evening for what should be a great couple of games in Kansas City.

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Games #23-#24.  RTC Live will be courtside in the beautiful tropical island of Maui for the 27th annual Maui Invitational.

There are four quarterfinal games in today’s Maui Invitational, but RTC Live has selected the two that seemingly hold the most interest.  At 3 pm ET (and an early 10 am in the islands), UConn will take on a Wichita State team eager to prove itself against a brand-name team in the hopes of advancing into the tournament semifinals and enjoying the multiple-game RPI boost that would entail (win or lose).  Jim Calhoun’s Huskies just want to prove that they are still a program among the nation’s elite.  Just two seasons removed from a Final Four appearance, UConn suffered an embarrassing collapse last season and are bringing back a team this year that many Big East pundits believe could finish in the bottom half of the league standings.

The second game we’ll be covering will be the 5:30 pm ET game between Kentucky and Oklahoma.  Speaking of collapse from two years ago, the Sooners have managed to fall even harder and faster than the Huskies.  When Blake Griffin left campus to begin his conquest on NBA rims, he left in his wake a dysfunctional group with several incoming freshmen (now since departed) who thought they knew better than head coach Jeff Capel.  OU will have to bring its best game to challenge Kentucky, coming off an impressive road win at Portland on Friday night.  Even without John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, et al, this year, the new-look Wildcats of Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, and so on, have looked fluid and ready to take up the high standard set by their forebears.  It should be a fun and exciting couple of games here in Maui today, folks.  Please join us for all of the action.

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