It has been only been three weeks and college basketball is in full swing. With the early season tournaments coming to an end and teams approaching conference play, the games begin to mean more as teams fight to be amongst the best in the NCAA. This week’s slate of games features plenty of Top 25 match-ups, some huge rivalry games, and also some ranked teams on upset alert. Almost every day features a blockbuster matchup. Here are the games that should be on your watch list this week.
Monday:
With Monday’s slate of games already in the rear view mirror, there were no big shake ups to the latest top 25 rankings. Two teams heralded as some of the best in the NCAA were in action last night. Cincinnati handled Alabama State at home, while #18 Virginia held off the Wisconsin Badgers–who have been a disappointment thus far–limiting them to only 37 points as Virginia continued their undefeated record. The best game Monday night, however, came where nobody expected it. The (4-2) Marquette Golden Eagles had to go to overtime against Eastern Illinois to avoid a massive upset. Sam Houser led the way for the Golden Eagles with 30 points, including two clutch free throws in the final seconds of the game. Monday was just the beginning of an exciting week in college hoops.
Tuesday:
Tuesday presented some great potential for upsets. The big game of the night was between Baylor and Xavier, both of whom were ranked in the top 25. The Musketeers were coming off a loss to Arizona State in the Las Vegas Invitational, while Baylor recently won the CBE tournament, beating Creighton in the championship. The Bears have two 7 foot centers who will play a big presence in the paint throughout the season, but Xavier can counterattack that threat with their stellar perimeter shooting. InXavier’s 76-63 win, not only Trevon Bluiett had a solid night, but they also got something out of JP Macura and Kaiser Gates, who lead the Musketeers with 19 points apiece.
Louisville and Purdue also tipped off tonight in what was a very interesting game. Purdue was coming off a very disappointing Battle 4 Atlantis performance, while #17 Louisville remained unbeaten until last night. Purdue, known for their size, handled the Cardinals as forward Vincent Edwards led the Boilermakers with 15 points. The Cardinals have experienced centers that were projected to shut them down Purdue’s attack in the paint, but they fell short.
Wednesday:
Tonight, the ACC-Big Ten challenge will be in full swing. Minnesota squares off against Miami at the Barn in the Twin Cities, which presents a matchup between two top 15 teams. Both teams are undefeated and have dynamic players that will put up big numbers Wednesday, making this matchup a coin flip. With the home court advantage on their side, I believe Minnesota will have the slight edge in a game that may come down to the final possession.
If you haven’t already realized it, the Indiana Hoosiers are in a rebuilding year. However, that doesn’t take away how difficult it is to play in Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers welcome in #1 Duke Wednesday night, who is red hot thanks to stellar performances from Marvin Bagley and Grayson Allen. Duke is going to win, but this is going to be a much closer game than people think. Duke is coming back from a trip from Portland, Oregon where they won the PK80 Victory bracket. Fatigue could be an issue against the Hoosiers Wednesday night.
Other Games To Watch For:
Clemson vs. Ohio State
Michigan vs. #13 North Carolina
Penn State vs. NC State
Picks:
Minnesota beats Miami
North Carolina beats Michigan
Duke beats Indiana
Thursday Games:
Thursday doesn’t really have any huge games, except for the blockbuster of the week, Notre Dame and Michigan State. #5 Notre Dame, coming fresh off of a Maui Invitational championship victory, plays PK80 Motion bracket winner #3 Michigan State. The Spartans have already played both Duke and North Carolina. Notre Dame won’t be much easier. Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell are a huge reason why the Irish cracked the top five recently, but I don’t believe they will be able to shut down Michigan State superstars Miles Bridges and Nick Ward. This is a home game for Sparty at the Breslin Center and their experience against top teams will lift them over the Irish.
Other Games To Watch For:
Seton Hall vs. #22 Texas Tech
Missouri vs. UCF
South Carolina vs. Temple
Picks:
Michigan State beats Notre Dame
Seton Hall beats Texas Tech
Missouri beats UCF
Friday Games:
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been scrutinized in recent years for their weak conference schedule, ultimately resulting in them lacking the resume that teams such as Kansas and Duke usually have. This year they will have a couple tough tests early in the year. Friday night, they play the Creighton Blue Jays at home. The Bulldogs only loss thus far comes against Florida, which is a game that went into double overtime. Creighton, on the other hand, has one loss as well that came at the hands of Baylor. The Blue Jays will pull the upset of the week. It will be close throughout, but Marcus Foster will help Creighton pull away at the tail end of the contest.
Other Games To Watch For:
#13 North Carolina vs. Davidson
Purdue vs. Maryland
Illinois vs. Northwestern
Picks:
Creighton beats Gonzaga
Maryland beats Purdue
North Carolina beats Davidson
Saturday Games:
The most underrated rivalry in college basketball occurs this Saturday at 11 AM, before all of the big college football games begin. That’s right, Cincinnati vs. Xavier is on the horizon.
In previous years, this matchup hasn’t received a whole bunch of attention–besides, of course, the brawl of 2011–because both teams were never really in the top 25. This year, however, Cincinnati ranks 11th, while Xavier is 21st. The Bearcats still haven’t lost this year, while Xavier, as mentioned prior, fell only to Arizona State. Leading scorers Gary Clark and Jacob Evans III need to play at their best in order for the Bearcats to beat Xavier on the road in the historically tough Cintas Center. This is another one of those games that is tough to predict. Shooting from beyond the three point arc will dramatically affect the outcome of this game. Both teams have great shooters and lack some powerful big men down low. Once the final buzzer sounds, I am expecting the Xavier Musketeers to come out on top.
Wichita State vs. Baylor, in my perspective, will be a very interesting game as well. The Shockers have not played superbly so far, especially after nearly losing to California in the Maui Invitational. Baylor, on the other hand, has looked impressive so far and will play Xavier earlier this week giving them more experience against ranked opponents. Baylor also has more height than Wichita State does and the shooters that can make baskets beyond the three-point line. All of this and the Bears are also playing at home? Yeah, the Shockers are the higher ranked team, but that doesn’t show me any reason for Baylor to lose this game. I like them big over the 8th ranked team in the country.
Kansas and Syracuse will cap off what should be an exciting day in college basketball. Bill Self and Jim Boeheim are among the best coaches in college hoops history. Still, when comparing the two teams’ rosters, they do not relate. The Jayhawks are the much better team in this matchup. Devonte Graham, Malik Newman, Legard Vick and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk will be too much for the Orange’s vaunted 2-3 zone defense. It would not surprise me to see the Kansas score near triple figures in what should be a rout over Syracuse.
Games to Watch For:
#11 Cincinnati vs. #21 Xavier
#8 Wichita State vs. #16 Baylor
#2 Kansas vs. Syracuse
Picks:
Xavier beats Cincinnati
Baylor beats Wichita State
Kansas beats Syracuse
Sunday Games:
Well, let’s put it this way: You may just want to stick to watching football on Sunday. The only decent matchup is Seton Hall vs. Louisville, which isn’t even that intriguing. Seton Hall hasn’t really gotten off to the start they were hoping for, especially after losing to Rhode Island. Meanwhile, Louisville, whose first loss came earlier this week against Purdue, shouldn’t have much trouble against a Pirates team that seems to be stumbling. I am taking the Cardinals in this one. That said, a win for Seton Hall could be huge in getting them back on the right track and back into the top 25 mix.
Games to Watch for:
Seton Hall vs. #17 Louisville
Maryland vs. Illinois
Nebraska vs. #3 Michigan State
Picks:
Louisville beats Seton Hall
Maryland beats Illinois
Michigan State beats Nebraska
At this point, the games are only going to start getting better as we get ready for conference play to tip off. Plenty of talented teams are in action this week with some rivalry games, top 25 matchups, and potential upsets. The rankings will look nothing like the do now after this week concludes. Tune into The Forest Scout every Monday to get the full rundown of the games you need to watch every week.
