Sports
It's the biggest weekend in men's college basketball: Here are the games you can't miss – USA TODAY
Whether by design or coincidence – and in reality it’s probably a little of both –, the number of blockbuster matchups on the men’s college basketball slate is tailor made to take advantage of the football-free weekend on the sports calendar*.
*No, the all-star stuff doesn’t count.
With no fewer than four top-10 showdowns on the docket, a big road game for the top-ranked squad as well as several other marquee clashes, the Starting Five is going to go to the bench this weekend to feature some extra games worthy of attention. Several of these squads already suffered upsets this week, but those results might actually increase the urgency for these high-profile showdowns. Rather than attempting to rank the games as we often do in this space, we’ll just present the top five (plus three) in chronological order to help you plan your weekend viewing.
Though it isn’t among the day’s true headliners, the top-ranked and defending national champion Huskies will nevertheless enter a raucous atmosphere in Madison Square Garden. But while the Red Storm have shown progress in Rick Pitino’s first year at the helm, they remain barely on the fringe of the tournament bubble, and Wednesday night’s setback at Xavier didn’t help. The main weapon for St. John’s is center Joel Soriano, a good paint scorer who also has range as far as the three-point arc. He might struggle to find room to operate in close with Donovan Clingan back to provide rim protection for the Huskies.
BRACKETOLOGY: North Carolina barely holding on to top seed
Last March’s national runner-up also gets an early tip time for this key home opportunity against the current Mountain West leader. Both the Aztecs and Aggies are comfortably in the field at this point, but another quality win is always welcome. Utah State does most of its damage from the perimeter, with Darius Brown (6.9 apg) often setting up wing mates Great Osobor and Ian Martinez. The Aztecs might have the edge inside with Jaedon LeDee (20.5 ppg), and he and frontcourt partner Elijah Saunders could take charge on the glass if the Aggies’ treys aren’t falling.
The Cougars have righted the ship after a couple early road setbacks in their Big 12 debut campaign, while the Jayhawks are in need of a high-end result to demonstrate they are the title contenders they were projected to be at the start of the season. Though Kansas center Hunter Dickinson is a difficult matchup with his size and shooting touch, Houston’s relentless pressure could limit his effectiveness. The Cougars can struggle to score in stretches as well, but veteran guard Jamal Shead usually gets the ball where it needs to be.
This contest was undoubtedly scheduled intentionally on this date for maximum impact, though it rarely fails to deliver regardless. The Tar Heels would deny it, but they might have been peeking ahead a bit in Tuesday night’s surprisingly flat performance at Georgia Tech that snapped their 10-game winning streak. The Blue Devils, who appear to be rounding into form and getting healthier, will obviously have UNC’s attention. Duke’s Tyrese Proctor will look to continue his recent hot streak against the Tar Heels, who were uncharacteristically lax in guarding the arc last time out. UNC will also need a return to form for Harrison Ingram to help against the Blue Devils’ big bodies.
It’s a bit farther down the rankings, but this Big 12 battle is every bit as important as the one in Allen Field House. The Cyclones look to maintain a share of the league lead and wouldn’t mind another good result to show they aren’t just home-court heroes, while the Bears managed to snap their three-game skid but are still in need of a top-tier conference victory. Two of Baylor’s three league losses were in overtime and the other was by two points in regulation, so it isn’t as though the Bears aren’t close. They have plenty of scoring options but perhaps need to identify the takeover guy in clutch time. That won’t be easy against the Cyclones’ lock-down defense that yields just 61.8 points and forces 18.2 turnovers a game.
The SEC’s two poll heavyweights were brought down a peg this week as the Volunteers were stifled by South Carolina and the Wildcats failed to close the deal against Florida, both on their respective home floors. Both now seek a needed bounce-back performance that should at minimum keep the winner in the top 10. This might sound unfathomable, but Tennessee might actually like this matchup better than its most recent tangle with the Gamecocks. Kentucky has plenty of firepower but often isn’t nearly as attentive on the defensive end, putting opponents on the free-throw line more than they get there themselves. The Volunteers on the whole defends better as a team, but a hot Antonio Reeves is more than capable of trading shots with Dalton Knecht.
By now the dedicated viewer might be running out of steam, but if you have anything left in the tank you’ll want to stay awake for this one. Though neither of these long-time West Coast Conference antagonists is currently in the Top 25, this first of two encounters between them is in no way diminished in importance. Both are well-positioned in the NET thanks to challenging themselves in non-league competition, and each is hoping to take advantage of this Quad 1 opportunity to bolster an at-large resume. One of them will need it, after all, since there can be only one automatic qualifier. Gonzaga lacks the consistent perimeter scoring that Zags’ teams of recent vintage could count on, but Nolan Hickman has improved his accuracy of late. The Gaels, heavily reliant on their defense, will need an efficient outing from high-volume shooter Aidan Mahaney to keep the hostile crowd in the Kennel at bay.
The Badgers entered the week topping the Big Ten standings before a Thursday overtime loss to Nebraska dropped them behind the Boilermakers. Purdue, having narrowly avoided being swept by Northwestern, now look to solidify its position on the top seed line. While their big man in the middle Zach Edey is hard to miss, the Boilermakers’ ability to exert game control often lies with point guard Braden Smith keeping turnovers to a minimum. Wisconsin’s perimeter defense, usually spearheaded by Chucky Hepburn, will try to make entry passes to Edey adventures.
