Counting the days until the first tip-off.(The Daily Press (Newport News, Va.))

College basketball starts three weeks from today. The games will be sloppy, and yes, it should be illegal to tip off before John Madden scarfs the first Turkey Day drumstick. But some early season matchups merit watching, and we're not talking about Clemson-Morris Brown.

Start with the season-opening Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Florida faces Temple in one semifinal, followed by Maryland and Arizona.

Florida-Temple should be a hoot, if only for the coaching contrast the Gators' ultraslick Billy Donovan and the Owls' delightfully disheveled John Chaney. Both are craftsmen.

Maryland-Arizona matches two of last season's Final …