There are a couple of individual game threads but I want to take a look at opening weekend as whole and take another stab at making predictions.

I'll break my predictions down in which teams will get a bye or a double-bye in El Peso, order is alphabetical.

Double-Bye:
Charlotte
Louisiana Tech
Southern Miss
UAB

Bye:
East Carolina
FIU
Middle Tennessee
North Texas
Tulsa
UTEP

Opening Round:
Florida Atlantic
Marshall
Old Dominion
Rice
Tulane
UTSA

We have 14 games this weekend, and it all tips off at 7:30 EST in Ruston, LA.

Thursday, January 9th:

Florida International at
Louisiana Tech 7:30 PM ET

FIU at
Rice 8:00 PM ET

Marshall at
UTSA 8:00 PM ET

Southern Miss at
North Texas 8:00 PM ET

Tulane at
Tulsa 9:00 PM ET

Charlotte at
UTEP 9:00 PM ET

Saturday, January 11th:

Tulane at
North Texas 2:00 PM ET

Charlotte at
UTSA 4:00 PM ET

UAB at
Middle Tennessee 6:00 PM ET

Old Dominion at
East Carolina 7:00 PM ET

FIU at
Louisiana Tech 8:00 PM ET

Florida Atlantic at
Rice 8:00 PM ET

Marshall at
UTEP 9:05 PM ET

Sunday, January 12th

Southern Miss at
Tulsa 1:00 PM ET

What are the best games this weekend? Who gets upset? Can some presumed favorites win on the road?

Best game - UAB @ MTSU
Sleeper game - FIU @ La Tech

Best games - Charlotte @ UTEP and UAB @ MT
Sleeper - ODU @ ECU

With all of the turmoil going on at UTEP, I'm not sure which team will show up.

The ODU vs ECU game, pits a father against his son.

ODU's assistant coach Bryant Stith's son plays for the Pirates. We got the play book.

The game is on TV locally.

(01-07-2014 02:30 PM)DaBigBlue Wrote:  The ODU vs ECU game, pits a father against his son.

ODU's assistant coach Bryant Stith's son plays for the Pirates. We got the play book.

The game is on TV locally.

It's less than 3 hours down the road on a Saturday. If you're in Tidewater come to Greenville!

(01-07-2014 02:30 PM)DaBigBlue Wrote:  The ODU vs ECU game, pits a father against his son.

ODU's assistant coach Bryant Stith's son plays for the Pirates. We got the play book.

That has to be a strange game in the Stith household. I wonder if he had the scout since he knows his son's game so well and likely has watched our team a few times.

(01-07-2014 02:30 PM)DaBigBlue Wrote:  The ODU vs ECU game, pits a father against his son.

ODU's assistant coach Bryant Stith's son plays for the Pirates. We got the play book.

The game is on TV locally.

I've got the play book too.

1. Throw the ball to Richmond.
2. Richmond shoots a three.
3. Repeat.

(01-07-2014 03:39 PM)Nugget49er Wrote:  

(01-07-2014 02:30 PM)DaBigBlue Wrote:  The ODU vs ECU game, pits a father against his son.

ODU's assistant coach Bryant Stith's son plays for the Pirates. We got the play book.

The game is on TV locally.

I've got the play book too.

1. Throw the ball to Richmond.
2. Richmond shoots a three.
3. Repeat.

You forgot

4. Blame losing on Lebo's rotations

I think the rotations have been fine this year. Lebo and some of the ECU fans around here are the ones that are using size or depth as an excuse , not me. I'm over that excuse and honestly I think it is pretty dumb when you are only playing a 6-9 guy low foul guy like Zangari 18 minutes a game and Stith 24 by choice.

Zangari has been really good but it's not like we have a Maurice Kemp or Akeem Richmond clearly playing at all conf levels only 20 minutes a game behind role players like Corvon Gaines that we had the last two years. Zangari's minutes are mostly going to an equally good or better players like White or Stith which is fine.

UAB @ MT should be the best game of the weekend. I expect the students will show up for this one, and usually when they do we get between 6-8k. Hoping it's at that upper end, though I did say in a different thread I thought 5k is likely.

I expect North Texas to give us a run for our money. Beating A & M that bad got our attention though.

(01-07-2014 05:39 PM)nastybunch Wrote:  I expect North Texas to give us a run for our money. Beating A & M that bad got our attention though.

not to take anything away from UNT, but I don't think A&M is very good this season

(01-07-2014 06:00 PM)techdawg88 Wrote:  

(01-07-2014 05:39 PM)nastybunch Wrote:  I expect North Texas to give us a run for our money. Beating A & M that bad got our attention though.

not to take anything away from UNT, but I don't think A&M is very good this season

UNT is not very good this season

(01-07-2014 06:46 PM)MG61 Wrote:  

(01-07-2014 06:00 PM)techdawg88 Wrote:  

(01-07-2014 05:39 PM)nastybunch Wrote:  I expect North Texas to give us a run for our money. Beating A & M that bad got our attention though.

not to take anything away from UNT, but I don't think A&M is very good this season

UNT is not very good this season

Your better than A&M though

Games on TV and what networks?

(01-07-2014 09:25 PM)MasMack Wrote:  Games on TV and what networks?

Charlotte and UTEP play on CBS Sports.

Well MT barely beat TN State so there's that >.<

Southern Miss at Tulsa should be a big game on Sunday... It will be interesting to see how many students we can actually get to come out considering school won't start until the following Monday and none of the students have been on campus to be advertised to.

We had a close game against them last year and I hope we can step it up for the game this year.

Southern Miss Peeps... How is the team this year with injuries and player performance? I know you guys had some people out in the early part of the season, but I haven't been following it too closely.

(01-07-2014 03:39 PM)Nugget49er Wrote:  

(01-07-2014 02:30 PM)DaBigBlue Wrote:  The ODU vs ECU game, pits a father against his son.

ODU's assistant coach Bryant Stith's son plays for the Pirates. We got the play book.

The game is on TV locally.

I've got the play book too.

1. Throw the ball to Richmond.
2. Richmond shoots a three.
3. Repeat.

Oh, if it were only that simple. Oh, if that is the case why do we have like 4 others scoring in double figures a night on average? Fail......