Top Individual Showdowns In Non-Conference Play

There are a number of very entertaining players in the Summit League. As fans of the conference, we know all about these individuals, but the rest of the college basketball scene at large may not be as familiar with them. Fortunately, there are plenty of non-conference games that will pit some of the league's best against players who grab more national headlines. If some of the Summit League's best can perform well against these competitors, they have a chance to grab some of those headlines themselves. Below we pinpoint a few of the top individual showdowns we're bound to see during non-conference play.

Dominique Morrison (ORU) vs. Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
November 11 at West Virginia

The season will start with a super juicy match-up between Morrison and Jones. Though Jones will spend time guarding Michael Craion and Steven Roundtree, it wouldn't be surprising if West Virginia put out a few line-up combinations that featured him on the wing playing against Morrison. Jones is a guy who will contend for All-Big East First Team honors.

Ceola Clark (Western Illinois) vs. Trey Burke (Michigan)
November 17 at Michigan

Ceola Clark's Western Illinois team will have a tough challenge when it heads to Ann Arbor to face off against Michigan. After losing Darius Morris to the NBA, the Wolverines have reloaded at the point guard position with Trey Burke, the 2011 Mr. Basketball winner in the state of Ohio. It will be fun to watch this highly-touted freshman go up against the seasoned and savvy Clark. 

Reggie Chamberlain (UMKC) vs. Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin)
November 22 at Wisconsin

Jordan Taylor has pretty much been anointed as the country's top point guard heading into the 2011-12 season. He's a super efficient performer who has the kind of ability that makes his team better on both ends of the court. This match-up will serve as a nice benchmark in how far Reggie Chamberlain has come in his development as UMKC's lead guard.

Alex Young (IUPUI) vs. Chane Behanan/Kyle Kuric (Louisville)
December 7 at Louisville

IUPUI's game at Louisville will be the most high-profile game for Alex Young this season. Scouts are sure to be in attendance, and they'll likely be eager to see how he performs against the Big East foe. Young will probably spend time guarding both Kyle Kuric and Chane Behanan. The latter match-up is the more intriguing one. Behanan is a freshman forward who Louisville coach Rick Pitino says is the best freshman he's coached since he had Jamal Mashburn at Kentucky. Translation: Behanan has next-level ability. It will be important for Young to perform well in this game. 

Nate Wolters (South Dakota State) vs. Tony Wroten (Washington)
December 18 at Washington

Sticking with the prevailing theme, Tony Wroten of Washington is yet another highly-touted freshman who will play against a Summit League star this season. Nate Wolters, the 6-foot-3 point guard for South Dakota State, will line up against Wroten when his team heads to Seattle for a non-conference match-up with the Huskies. Lorenzo Romar, the UW coach, said that the 6-foot-5 Wroten reminds him of Magic Johnson. This will be a great game for Wolters to show the nation what he can do on the court.

Frank Gaines (IPFW) vs. Kelsey Barlow/D.J. Byrd (Purdue)
December 20 at Purdue

Frank Gaines will face a tough challenge when his IPFW squad heads to Purdue for a match-up with the Boilermakers. Coach Matt Painter always seems to put guys on the court who play hard-nosed defense, and you can be sure their chief goal against IPFW will be to stop Frank Gaines. Gaines will likely be guarded throughout the game by Kelsey Barlow and D.J. Byrd. Both junior wings, Barlow and Byrd have been role players for Purdue in their first two seasons. But now that E'Twuan Moore and JaJuan Johnson have graduated, the Boilermarkers will be in need of some new go-to options to emerge. By the time December 20 rolls around, either one of those guys could be filling that new role. 

Reggie Hamilton (Oakland) vs. Josiah Turner (Arizona)
December 20 at Arizona

DraftExpress.com ranks Josiah Turner as the 13th best freshman in the NCAA this season based on his high school reputation. Turner will enter the season as the starting point guard on a team that made it to the Elite Eight last season. Needless to say, the expectations are high for this young fella. He's a big point guard who will provide Reggie Hamilton with a strong challenge similar to what he might face in a league like the NBA. Scouts will be eyeing this one intently, both for Turner and Hamilton. 

Four Other Match-Ups To Watch
Below are four other match-ups to watch this season. These feature major match-ups at the mid-major level.

Marshall Bjorklund (NDSU) vs. Alec Brown (Green Bay)
November 16 at home

This is a battle of sophomore centers who hail from Minnesota. Alec Brown, at 7-foot-1, has a definite height advantage over Bjorklund, but the two should still have a nice battle in the paint. Both are projected to play major roles for teams that have promising futures. 

Dominique Morrison (ORU) vs. Kyle Weems (Missouri State)
November 30 at home

Kyle Weems is to Missouri State what Dominique Morrison is to Oral Roberts. They are the go-to players, the leaders, and the bedrock pieces on teams expecting to compete for league championships. 

Reggie Hamilton (Oakland) vs. D.J. Cooper (Ohio)
December 7 at home

Reggie Hamilton and D.J. Cooper might be the best gunslingers in the nation who check in at under 5-foot-11 in height. Both are popular selections for "top point guard lists" that need to feature a few under-the-radar players. Because they have the ball in their hands so often, this might be the most entertaining of the four match-ups listed here. 

Damen Bell-Holter (ORU) vs. Robert Sacre (Gonzaga)
December 15 at Gonzaga

Robert Sacre might be the most seasoned center in Division I basketball. He's a fifth-year senior who has provided Gonzaga with consistent production in the paint over the last few seasons. Sacre will provide ORU's Damen Bell-Holter with a tough challenge in the paint. In order for the Golden Eagles to have a chance at upsetting the Zags on their home court, they'll need for DBH to show he can contend with one of the nation's better centers in Sacre.