The mid-November start to the NCAA basketball season tends to get lost in the universe of sports coverage. This is probably due to the staggered opening nights around the country, but can also be attributed to competition with other sports -- college football entering its stretch run, the NFL in midseason, even the NBA's opening weeks garner more attention than college hoops.

We're not about to let this exciting time slip through the cracks. With several area teams already off to a strong start and high expectations abounding, the D.C. area seems primed to build on its recent successes in becoming one of the nation's hotbeds for college basketball.

Hoyas Poised For Success
Only freshman forward Nikita Mescheriakov's ten-game suspension has sullied the start to a Georgetown season that carries national championship hopes. The Hoyas improved to 2-0 on the young season with a 74-52 win over Michigan on Thursday night, drawing compliments from old Big East foe John Beilein. Next up for the Hoyas is a trip to Muncie, Ind., where they'll face Ball State on Wednesday. The subplot promises to be more interesting than the basketball in that one, as the Cardinals are 0-2 and not in Georgetown's class on the hardwood.
-Hayden Alfano

Terrapins Post Up Against UCLA
The Maryland Terrapins (3-0) will be taking on #2 UCLA (3-0) in the CBE Classic semi-finals tonight at the Sprint Center in Kansas City after defeating North Florida and Hampton in the College Park regional last week. Tonight's matchup will be both teams' first true test of the season. UCLA will be playing without All-American Darren Collison due to a knee sprain, but the Terps might have a hard time defending heavily hyped freshman center Kevin Love in the post. Transition offense is the Terps' strength so they'll need to capitalize on it with every opportunity that arises in order to upset one of the top teams in the nation. Our prediction: UCLA 78-67.

Meanwhile, the #3 ranked Maryland women (5-0) have been on a roll after they defeated #4 LSU last night at the Comcast Center, claiming the WNIT Championship. The win marks the team's fifth straight which includes victories over #6 Oklahoma and #23 Norte Dame. Junior guard Kristi Toliver was named the tournament's MVP after knocking down 23 points and dishing out 7 assists in yesterday's win. The team, which was voted as the preseason ACC favorite, returns to the court tomorrow night against Loyola.
-Brett Gellman

Undefeated GMU Squares Off Against K-State
George Mason won their third straight to start the season by defeating Dayton, 67-56 on Saturday in Fairfax. Folarin Campbell led the team with 20 points, while Will Thomas notched his second double-double with 18 points and 17 rebounds -- the second time this season he's grabbed 17 boards in a game. The Colonials Patriots are off until Thanksgiving night, when they leave home for the first time to face nationally-ranked Kansas State in the first round of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla. The Wildcats represent the toughest test by far of GMU's young season, as they boast perhaps the nation's top freshman in forward Michael Beasley, who is averaging an otherwordly 30 points and 20 rebounds in the first three games of his college career, all easy wins over cupcake opponents. Mason fans can check out their home team at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The Colonials Patriots will play in that tournament on Friday and Sunday, as well, with times, opponents, and TV coverage to be determined by first-round results.
-Hayden Alfano

Untested Colonials Roll
GW, playing their usual lackluster out-of-conference schedule, have cruised to a 2-0 record with wins over Mount Saint Mary's and Boston University, the latter of which is picked by some to be an NCAA tournament team. Freshman Xavier Alexander and Virginia Tech transfer Wynton Witherspoon have played well, as has junior forward Rob Diggs ( 20.5 points and 9 rebounds per game so far), though a season-ending knee surgery for presumptive starting point guard Travis King could make it tough for the Colonials to make their fourth straight NCAA tourney. Marueece Rice must step up his play — so far he's averaging 9 points per on less than 40% shooting.
-Andrew Wiseman

American Seeks Consistency
The Eagles of American University sit at 2-2 after an uneven start. They pulled their record back up to .500 with a lockdown defensive effort and three-point barrage against Stony Brook on Sunday, winning 64-56. The win ended a two-game homestand for a team that will play 11 of its next 15 games on the road. Fortunately, they won't be straying too far from Tenleytown, with matchups at Morgan State, Mount St. Mary's, and two local games at Maryland and Georgetown. Former UVA coach Jeff Jones has his boys poised to improve on last year's 7-7 Patriot League finish, during which they came within a hair of upsetting Holy Cross in the conference semifinals. This time around, they're predicted to fall somewhere in the middle of the Patriot League pack. If the Eagles are to rise above that, much will fall on the 5-11 shoulders of Garrison Carr, who led the team with 15 points against Stony Brook, and the similarly-dimunitive workhorse Derrick Mercer, who logged all 40 minutes on Sunday while racking up 11 points, 8 assists, and 7 boards.
-Graham Hough-Cornwell