The 2006 NCAA Basketball season gets underway tonight at 6:30 p.m. (EST) when the 16 team 2K College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches Versus Cancer, tips off at the Comcast Center in College Park, MD between the Vermont Catamounts of the American East Conference and the New Orleans Privateers of the Sun Belt Conference. Maryland will take on Hampton in the second game tipping off at 8:30 p.m.
The tournament’s first round will be played over a span of four days (Nov 7-10) at four regional locations, Comcast Center, College Park, MD, Carnesecca Arena, NY, NY, Breslin Center, East Lansing, MI and the Erwin Center in Austin, TX.
The four feature teams, favorites to reach the semi-finals at New York’s Madison Square Garden, are Maryland, Saint Johns, Michigan State and Texas, are also serving as hosts of the regional sites at their on-campus arenas.
In the opening game tonight (Tuesday Nov 7) Vermont, favored over New Orleans by a 1.5-point chalk, is coming off an up-and-down 13-17 season, but hopes to ride the momentum of an unexpected dash to the America East Conference championship game, where it lost to Albany.
The Catamounts have shed the label of "the least experienced Division I team in the country." Back is sharp-shooting Mike Trimboli and captain Kyle Cieplicki, as well as frontcourt forces Martin Klimes and Chris Holm. Joining them is a talented batch of rookies, including forward Joe Trapani, who has shined in exhibition play. New Orleans is expected to improve on last season's 10-19 campaign. The Privateers were picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference West Division in a coaches' preseason poll. The Maryland Terrapins of the powerful ACC are 23.5-point favorites over the Hampton University Pirates of Hampton, VA in the second game. Maryland is welcoming the return of three seniors to the starting lineup, DJ Strawberry, Mike Jones and Ekene Ibekwe. Hampton was picked to finish 5th in the 11-team MEAC. Both games will be televised on ESPNU. Tonight’s picks: Take Vermont –1.5 in game one and Hampton +23.5 in game two.
