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Wednesday’s Pregame Shootaround: Three top five teams take the court

Drexel Arizona Basketball

Arizona’s Nick Johnson (13) goes to the basket against Drexel’s Damion Lee (14) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-off tournament Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Jason DeCrow

GAME OF THE DAY: New Mexico State at No. 1 Arizona, 9:00 p.m. ET

Arizona deserves their No. 1 ranking. They’ve played like the best team in the country all season long. But New Mexico State is good. Let’s start with the obvious: this group is the favorite to win the WAC. Daniel Mullings is one of the best guards on the west coast. And Sim Bhullar? Well, he’s 7-foot-5, and while he may not Yao Ming, he’ll definitely be able to give Kaleb Tarczewski all that he can handle. Having said all that, the Aggies enter this one on a three-game losing streak, having losing to Colorado State, New Mexico and Gonzaga. And in the next six days, they’ll be heading to Drake and New Mexico -- again -- as well. It’s a tough stretch for NMSU.

WHO’S GETTING UPSET?: North Dakota State at Notre Dame, 7:00 p.m. ET

Notre Dame has not been very impressive early on this season, losing to Indiana State at home and struggling to knock off Bryant on Monday. North Dakota State is good. They are the favorite to win the Summit this season, led by Taylor Braun, who is one of this year’s best mid-major players. The Irish will be in for a fight.

MID-MAJOR GAME OF THE DAY: Canisius at Buffalo, 8:00 p.m. ET

MAAC vs. MAC. Canisius and Buffalo will both compete for their respective league titles, but what makes this game so interesting is the stars on those two teams. Canisius point guard Billy Baron and Buffalo big man Javon McCrea are two of the best players in the country you haven’t seen play.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1) George Washington is sitting pretty at 8-1 right now, but they will be pushed by a good Boston U. team tonight. The Colonials have gotten quite a bit of publicity since Sunday’s buzzer-beating win over Maryland. How will they respond?

2) Bryant gave Notre Dame a fight in South Bend on Monday. They head to Columbus tonight to take on No. 3 Ohio State.

3) Milwaukee is sitting at 9-2 this season, but they’ll have their work cut out for them going up against No. 4 Wisconsin.

4) Denver was thought to be one of the best mid-major teams in the country this season, but they are currently sitting at 2-5 on the year. The Pioneers will have a chance to bounce back tonight against Colorado State.

5) Niagara’s Antione Mason leads the nation in scoring at 29.4 points. He plays Davidson at home tonight.