Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, and it's a great time of year to watch some college basketball. Let's start with what's happened so far this week. The Maui Invitational did not go quite as planned. For North Carolina, they easily moved past a bad Mississippi State team, and got Butler in the second round. In a surprise, Butler blew out North Carolina, up by 20 or more for most of the game. That left the Heels to play Chaminade in a game that was not competitive. If you are North Carolina, you can't be too happy, in that you lost your only game against a team that was even a little bit of a challenge.
Boston College and Wake Forest got much needed wins, albeit against not the best competition. BC beat Auburn at home by one point, and Wake Forest won in the Paradise Jam against Mercer.
Duke, Clemson and Georgia Tech all started out tournament play on Thursday. Duke had a strong win against Minnesota, and continues to look like the best team in the ACC so far. They will take on VCU tonight, a game that should bring back bad memories for Duke fans of Eric Maynor in the NCAA Tournament. If Duke can win, they will likely play Louisville in what could be a very compelling final at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Clemson had a tough draw in the Old Spice Classic, taking on the best team in the field in Gonzaga. They kept it close for much of the game before losing by eight. The road will get easier for the Tigers, against UTEP on Friday and against either Marist or Vanderbilt in the finals.
Georgia Tech beat Rice convincingly, and will have a much stiffer test Friday against Cal. Their final game in Anaheim will be against either St. Mary's or Pacific.
There are a couple of other interesting games on the weekend schedule. Wake Forest plays host to William and Mary on Friday. That's the kind of game that Wake has lost in the past couple years that they really need to win. On Saturday, Miami hosts Detroit, a very solid mid-major team that should be the favorite to win the Horizon League.
Enjoy the games and I'll be back Monday for a preview of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
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