College Basketball: 10 must-watch early season games

[Hoopfan]

How odd that Butler-Cincinnati rather than Xavier-Cincinnati. The XU-UC game has a longer history, involves two teams that are more bitter rivals, and has been a staple of ESPN's "Rivalry week" for years. Perhaps NCAA news doesn't believe the Xavier-UC game will be as competitive as the Butler-UC game. After all, Xavier has largely owned UC for the last 20 years.

Nice cheap shot at Butler.

Maybe you can explain how my post is a cheap shot against Butler. It wasn't, and I can't for the life of me why anyone would interpret my post in that way.

Can't say that I saw a cheap shot of any sort.

[Xudash]

I didn't see how it was a cheap shot either.

The X/UC rivalry is what it is, and Butler playing UC will never change that.

That rivalry doesn't affect Butler playing UC, and it certainly won't stop me from cheering my arse off for Butler.

[X-man]

How odd that Butler-Cincinnati rather than Xavier-Cincinnati. The XU-UC game has a longer history, involves two teams that are more bitter rivals, and has been a staple of ESPN's "Rivalry week" for years. Perhaps NCAA news doesn't believe the Xavier-UC game will be as competitive as the Butler-UC game. After all, Xavier has largely owned UC for the last 20 years.

Nice cheap shot at Butler.[/quote]
Maybe you can explain how my post is a cheap shot against Butler. It wasn't, and I can't for the life of me why anyone would interpret my post in that way.[/quote]

Not that it was on purpose, but there is some really simple logic here. According to you

Xavier > UC. Butler =~ UC. Therefore Xavier > Butler.[/quote]

You missed my point. It isn't according to me. Look at my post. See the words "Perhaps NCAA news doesn't believe". What I did say is that Xavier has owned UC over the last 20 years. I would love to say the same thing about Butler, but they haven't played them as much.

[Irishdawg]

It could be construed as a shot at Butler, but I don't think that was the OP's intention so I'm not taking it as such. Both Butler and Xavier should be plenty good this year, and I'd be surprised (at least as it stands today) if either team swept the other this season. On all these non-conference matchups to watch, they always leave out games that deserve to be on there, and you have to believe that Cincinnati-Xavier is a much bigger game both regionally and nationally than Butler-Cincinnati. Even if the team's rankings are slightly better for the Butler game, Xavier and Cincinnati is a rivalry (even though X has pretty much owned the series for awhile), and neither team is particularly fond of the other.

[gtmoBlue]

Based on the Blue Ribbon preseason poll: Top 10 BE Nonconference Games.
* game played in exempt non-conf tourney.

1 #9 Villanova @ #3 Virginia
2 Georgetown @ #2 Maryland
3 Seton Hall vs #11 Wichita State
4 St Johns vs #14 Vandy
5 Xavier @ #17 Michigan
6 Marquette @ Wisconsin
7 Georgetown vs Syracuse
8 Xavier vs Cincy
9 Butler @ Cincy
10 St John's vs Syracuse

Non-conf Tourney games *
#9 Villanova vs #16 Oklahoma* Salute to Military (Pearl Harbor, HI.)
Georgetown vs Wisconsin* 2K Classic (NYC)
Xavier vs Alabama* Avocare Invite (@Disneyworld)
Marquette vs LSU* Legends Classic (Brooklyn, NY)

Other Big East non-conf games of note.
Providence vs Harvard
Marquette vs Iowa
Providence vs Illinois
Creighton @ #13 Indiana
Creighton @ #16 Oklahoma