Like Pat, I was exposed to something a little different this weekend. I got to listen to Omar Al-Ubaydli and his crew broadcast a basketball game.

Omar is a PhD student studying economics at the University of Chicago and a native of Bahrain, an independent island nation in the Persian Gulf, occupied by the British until 1971, which explains why I thought Omar spoke with a British accent.

This is your typical college basketball broadcast in many ways. The student broadcasters are homers,willingly admit as much, and are still learning their craft. The games air on Teamline. Sprinkled in is occasionally goofy conversation about the likes of NBA Jam and other pop culture relevant to this age group. The one thing that makes it unique, at least in this country, is Omar’s use of language.

Omar’s expertise is soccer commentary and it is evident from the way he announces. A nice play is described as “lovely.” A pass is made “into the left channel.” A made 3-pointer draws the exclamatory call of “In!!!” and on this particular day, the Maroons men’s team set a team record for 3’s so there was plenty of exuberance. Omar also likes to pun, much to the (feigned) dismay of his colleagues. They willingly responded to my e-mails in which I provided a few tidbits on their opposition and I appreciated their receptiveness and interaction. It was a different and interesting way to experience a game. Isn’t that what we’re here for? Different and interesting is what makes Division III fun.

Anyway, a few things that were different and interesting from gazing at the scoreboard from a “lovely” weekend of basketball

* Rhode Island College was the big winner this weekend in my part of the country (New England) with its upset of Tufts. Some may have been skeptical in the preseason but any criticism was quelled after an exhibition win over Iona. The Anchormen were mentioned by some as a super-sleeper candidate but we failed to take their advice. We’re wishing we had. My other super-sleeper regret may be not picking York. I met coach Ron St. John last year at the CUNY title game and was intrigued by his energy. My instinct was that the CUNY isn’t strong enough from which to pick a super-sleeper, but a win over Christopher Newport builds a little bit of credibility.

* Interesting men’s wins that didn’t earn mention on the front: Whitworth over Wheaton (Ill), Lake Erie over Rochester, Brandeis over Springfield by 27 (Brandeis, a former super-sleeper, has Tufts and Amherst upcoming), Franklin & Marshall over Widener by 27 after F&M lost to Delaware Valley (5-20 last season) in its tip-off opener.

* On the women’s side, I saw the opening round of the Salem State tournament, which included Williams, Springfield and the hosts. Williams, tabbed preseason No. 17 after returning four starters from its Sweet 16 team of a year ago, looked not ready for prime time in its opener against Coast Guard. The Ephs may loom as Bowdoin’s top threat in the NESCAC this year with Bates center Meg Coffin out for the year with a knee injury and I’m guessing what I saw from All-America candidate Maggie Miller and company was some early-season rust. Salem State was particularly impressive, and that’s nothing new. They have the talent to match up with the best teams in the region on the right day.

* The surprise of surprises has to be that Washington University is 0-2 for the first time since 1982-83 (Usual MIAC power St. Benedict is also 0-2 after losses to Wesleyan and Salve Regina on a trip east). I don’t know what to say about that other than that they faced some stiff competition at Illinois Wesleyan’s tournament from Top-5 ranked DePauw and apparently underrated Central. Wash U may end up facing Williams next weekend at their own tournament and that should be an interesting game.

* Last word…Scranton has an occasional habit of dropping a game early in the season. Losing at Rochester, which is always tough at home, isn’t that big of a surprise to me.

As you may know, I’ve recently relocated from Sterling, Va., to Norwalk, Conn., and I am using my new geography to get to see some new areas of Division III.

Until last night, the furthest Northeast I’d ever seen a Division III game was in the 2004 playoffs, when Ray Martel and I called a Lasell/Trinity (Conn.) game in Hartford. Last night I saw two new teams play in a gym that was new to me as well, when WPI and Nichols played at Becker.

I had been warned that Becker’s gym wasn’t very impressive — for those who are familiar with the area I came from, it’s basically a clone of Mary Washington’s gym, with the court moved about 15 feet away from the doors, making room for another three rows of bleachers.

The colors are even the same!

The lighting is better.

WPI lost a fair amount of talent from last season, but Antoine Coleman was by far the best player on the floor last night. Coleman (no relation) is a 6-3 swingman and had 29 points and 11 rebounds. Picture a more disciplined and muscular Rashaan Barner from William Paterson’s 2001 runner-up team or … shoot, I’m having a hard time pulling names out of my brain at the moment.

Ryan Cain didn’t have the type of game you’d expect from a preseason first team All-American.; he went 5-for-14 from the floor and 0-for-6 from downtown. But there’s plenty of season left for him to bounce back.

WPI rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to beat Nichols 83-64 and win the Worcester County Tip-Off Tournament, which features four schools from the area. The pieces are there enough that this WPI team might do something as the season progresses.

And thanks to Rusty and Carey Williams Eggen for their hospitality, as always.