The NCAA basketball season is officially a week old, and it was an exciting week to kick start the season.
The Kentucky Wildcats were every bit as impressive as we thought they would be to start the season. There was a fair share of upsets, as Florida, Syracuse, Oklahoma, and Southern Methodist all suffered upset losses within the first weekof the 2014-15 season. There have been blowout games that nobody enjoys looking, and on the contrary, there have been close games that basketball fans live for game in and game out.
The first edition of Sleeper Saturday provided fans with some exciting basketball games to keep an eye on. These games are ones that may not be the marquee games on Saturdays, but will still provide fans with a high level of entertainment and some intrigiung match-ups. The second edition of the weekly feature will again provide basketball fans with some great games to look as they enjoy their weekends.
11:00am EST: Incarnate Word Cardinals @ Princeton Tigers
The Incarnate Word Cardinals are in their second season at the Division I level, and are doing quite well for themselves. Last season, the Cardinals finished the year with a 21 - 6 record overall, which included an impressive 9 - 5 record in Southland Conference play. This season, they have opened the season with a 2 - 0 record, scoring wins over Texas-Tyler and Houston Tillotson. Mind you, the Cardinals play a majority of non-Division I opponents, but they are still a talented squad who are exciting to look. Like last season, the Cardinals are led by one of the most underrated guards in the country in Denzel Livingston. Livingston does everything for the Cardinals, and he does everything well. So far in 2014-15, Livingston is averaging 22.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 4.5 steals per game, while shooting 56.0% from the field. Junior guard Kyle Hittle has elevated his game so far this season, and has been a big reason for Incarnate Word's two early wins. Hittle is averaging 21.0 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds. While the first two games have been relatively easy wins for the Cardinals, the Princeton Tigers pose a big test early in the season.
The Tigers opened their season with a win over Rider, 64 - 58, but haven't been able to keep that momentum going. The Tigers enter the game with the Cardinals having lost two straight games, to George Mason and Lafayette, to enter Saturday morning with a 1 - 2 record. Spencer Weisz has picked up right where he left off after a strong freshman season a year ago. This season, Weisz is averaging 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists through three games. Princeton seems to find a way, year after year, to be in contention in the Ivy League. This year should be no different, as the Tigers have a talented roster and should be a tough opponent for any team this season.
Both the Tigers and Cardinals have talented players on their roster, so this should be a great game to kick off a full slate of basketball on Saturday.
3:00pm EST: South Alabama Jaguars @ Detroit Titans
The second sleeper game of the day features two teams who seem to be tough opponents, year after year. The South Alabama Jaguars, who are in their first year without star Augustine Rubit, have performed rather well through their first two contests in 2014-15. The Jaguars sit at 1 - 1 on the year, and are comingoff a close 9-point loss to Southern Mississippi, 68 - 59. The Jaguars led by 7 at the half against the Golden Eagles, but couldn't hold the lead in the second half. The Jaguars are in the midst of a three-game road trip, and they will take on the Miami Hurricanesafter the game against Detroit. On the season, the Jaguars have three players averaging double-figures, led by John Brown who is averaging 18.0 points per contest. Ken Williams is averaging 11.5 points, while Barrington Stevens is averaging 11.0 points per game. If the Jaguars can utilize their balanced scoring attack against the Titans, they will have a great shot at heading to Miami on a winning note.
The Titans have had a tougher road than the Jaguars so far this season, which may give them an advantage in this game. The Titans are coming off back-to-back losses against the Oregon Ducks and Michigan Wolverines, whom are both nationally ranked in the top 25. In both games, the Titans were in great shape at half-time, but couldn't pull out an upset win. The Titans were tied with Oregon at the half, 35 - 35, but ended up losing the game 83 - 66. Against the Wolverines, the Titans led 28 - 27 at half, only to lose 71 - 62. Juwan Howard, Jr leads the Titans in scoring this season, averaging 18.7 points per contest. Back at Calihan Hall in Detroit, the Titans look to put an end to their mini two-game losing streak and get back to .500 on the year. This game has the potential to be one of the closer games on the weekend.
4:30pm EST: UMKC Kangaroos v. Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (EA Sports Maui Invitational)
The opening game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational makes the list because of the way UMKC has played so far this season. The 'Roos have been a pleasant surprise so far this season, as they have played their way to an early 2 - 1 record. UMKC opened their season with an upset road win over the Missouri Tigers, 69 - 61, behind a game-high 26 points from Martez Harrison. Their only loss on the season came on the road against a tough Kansas State team, and the 'Roos only lost by 10 points (83 - 73). UMKC led the game by 4 at the half, but couldn't pull out another upset win. With Harrison leading the way, averaging 20.0 points per game, and Shayok Shayok averaging 11.0 points per game, the 'Roos look to be in good shape going forwards this season.
The Trojans are coming off a 29-point loss at the hands on BYU, in a game that BYU controlled from the outset. If the Trojans want to have a chance to upend UMKC in the Maui Invitational, they will need to limit Harrison. This game makes the list because of the Kangaroos, as they appear to be a sleeper pick in the Western Athletic Conference this season. That is, if they can keep up this level of play.
The games on this list don't feature any marquee teams or any nationally ranked programs. However, these games will provide basketball fans everywhere with some exciting games to keep them busy on their Saturday. The point of these sleeper games is to bring attention to talented programs that don't get much attention throughout the season until the conference tournaments roll around.
Hopefully fans find these games enjoyable on Saturday, and hopefully the games do not end up being of the blowout variety that nobody likes to look!