Weekend Primer
Your guide to the weekend, SIOC style
NCAA basketball: Winthrop at No. 21 Davidson, 7 p.m.Winthrop has been to the Big Dace four straight years, and this early season test could indicate if the squad will spend its postseason at the NCAA tournament, NIT, or (gasp!) CBI. Meanwhile, Davidson's Stephon Curry is averaging a paltry 35 points, seven assists and five steals over his first three games. Color me unimpressed. Fourteen years ago in a game of NBA Jam, I steered Chris Mullin to a final line of 68 points, 12 assists and 24 steals.
"Futures of Entertainment 3," MITWant to know how long it will be before you can effortlessly text insults to Rich Rodriguez on his midweek radio show while you're on an airplane in Japan? This conference on media convergence could shed some light on the issue.
Human Foosball, BYU, 7 p.m.It's twice as exciting as human chess!
Second Annual Charity Paintball Tournament: South Carolina Fans vs. Clemson Fans, 10 a.m.The Tigers and Gamecocks won't play football for another week, but that doesn't mean it's too early for their supporters to start shooting each other. After, a caravan of Gamecocks fans will drive down to Gainesville and open fire on Tim Tebow as he leaves The Swamp.
NCAA Football: Washington at Washington State, 3 p.m.The long wait is finally over. Winless Washington (0-10, 0-7 Pac-10) visits nearly winless Washington State (1-10, 0-8 Pac-10). WSU's lone win came against Division 1-AA Portland State, and the closest they've come to beating a Division-I team was a 25 point loss. On the other hand, Washington has lost by less than 25 on five different occasions. That's one reason why, despite being 0-10, the Huskies are favored on the road by nearly a touchdown. When it's all over, the winner will take home the Apple Cup and an inflated sense of self-esteem.
NCAA Football: No. 2 Texas Tech at No. 5 Oklahoma, 8 p.m.While ESPN is just happy to be out of Lubbock, Texas Tech will only be satisfied if it eeks out a victory in what's sure to be a touchdown-fest (the game's over/under is 77).
Bill Field Invitational Polo Tournament, Cornell University, 12 p.m.Yale, Skidmore, Stanford, UConn and Virginia will join the Big Red to see who's most skilled at riding a horse while simultaneously swinging a mallet. Forget about Saturday's Harvard-Yale football game. Cornell's annual polo tournament is the weekend's must-see elitist sporting event.
NCAA Field Hockey Championship, University of Louisville, 1 p.m.Iowa, Syracuse, and Wake Forest are the only teams standing between No. 1 Maryland and its third title in four years. So much is on the line for the Terps that Gary Williams gave the team one of his sweat-stained shirts from the 2002 Final Four as a good luck charm.
NCAA Basketball: Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic Final, 8:30 p.m.Who needs electoral votes when you've got NCAA basketball. Memphis, USC, and Xavier headline the field in one of many, many, many, early season tournaments.
In fact, this weekend you could pretty much go to any airport in the country, hop on any plane, and end up in a city with an early season college basketball tournament. Whether it's the Columbia Classic, Glenn Wilkes Classic, SMU Tip-Off Classic, Legends Classic, Garden State Challenge, Basketball Travelers Invitational, Paradise Jam, LSU Classic or Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, it's sure to be a good time. Except for maybe the Garden State Challenge. That doesn't sound very appealing.
