Here’s a rundown of today’s college basketball schedule, starting with the top team in the country.
College basketball schedule: Duke-Davidson, Syracuse-Rutgers on Wednesday
A busy day in college basketball includes Duke headed for a neutral site showdown while the Big East continues its first week of conference play.
Lance King
No. 1 Duke vs. Davidson, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
The Davidson Wildcats are the lone obstacle standing in the way of the Duke Blue Devils jumping into ACC play undefeated, and it would be the major upset of the college basketball season if Mike Krzyzewski's squad was tripped up on Wednesday night. That will likely be at the front of the minds of the Blue Devils players, who are coming off an uninspiring victory over Santa Clara on Saturday in which they found themselves trailing early in the second half. The Wildcats have already knocked off two BCS opponents this season despite their 7-5 record, and it figures that Duke doesn't plan on letting them hang around in this neutral-site match up taking place in Charlotte.
Providence at No. 4 Louisville, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN3
The Providence Friars made waves in the college basketball world by bringing in a top 10 recruiting class this year, but so far it hasn't translated to any success on the court. The Friars have dropped four games this season including their last two, with their lone marquee win coming over a lackluster Mississippi St. team. It hasn't helped that top recruit Ricardo Ledo was ruled academically ineligible this year and fellow stud recruit Kris Dunn has played just three games after returning from injury. The Friars can turn their season around though with a road upset of a Louisville team that has already notched victories over Kentucky and Missouri.
Rutgers at No. 7 Syracuse, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN3
The Scarlet Knights enter Wednesday night’s game with a 9-2 record that features a few wins over solid mid-major opponents. But the Orange represent the first major game of the season for Rutgers, a team that lost to Ole Miss in its lone notable road game of the year. Syracuse, meanwhile, has skated through an easy non-conference slate, but Rutgers represents their first true test since losing their first game of the year to Temple two weekends ago.
Nebraska at No. 8 Ohio State, 6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
The Buckeyes have fallen to two top 10 opponents so far this season, but have had little trouble dispatching every other opponent. The Cornhuskers are far from the Top 25, let alone the top 10, and have been unimpressive of late after notching early season victories over major conference cupcakes in Wake Forest and USC. In their last two road games, the Cornhuskers scored 52 points against UTEP and 38 points against Oregon, numbers that certainly won’t get it done in Columbus.
No. 11 Illinois at Purdue, 8:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
At 6-6 on the season, Matt Painter's Purdue program finds itself in a rebuilding year in its first season after the dawn of the Robbie Hummel era. The Boilermakers have long boasted a strong home crowd, and its students figure to be revved up as the Illini make their way to town. But Purdue has already lost two home games this season, and Illinois is road tested, having brought home a road victory over then-No. 10 Gonzaga in early December.
No. 16 Creighton at Indiana St., 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Net
The Bluejays are one of the top mid-major squads in the country, and they’ll be aiming for a smooth ride in the MVC after starting conference play with an easy win over Evansville. The Indiana St. Redbirds have been frisky so far this year, taking Northwestern to overtime and losing by just three points to Louisville, and they’ll be eyeing a resumé-building victory on Wednesday night.
Pennsylvania at No. 17 Butler, 7 p.m. ET
The Butler Bulldogs have some tests lying in the weeds this season, but Penn doesn't figure to be one of them. The Quakers haven't won since defeating Binghamton on Nov. 28 in what was just their second victory of the season. Wednesday night's game is happening far outside the bright lights of national television, and unless Penn pulls off a shocker, the highlights from this one figure to stay there as well.
CS Bakersfield at No. 19 San Diego St., 10 p.m. ET, TWC Sportsnet
San Diego St.‘s lone two losses on the season have come at the hands of Syracuse and Arizona, the latter of which was by just one point. Otherwise it’s been smooth sailing for one of the premier mid-major program’s in the country, and things shouldn’t get too rocky during a visit from the 6-10 Roadrunners. A win on Wednesday night would be Bakersfield’s first road victory of the season, and if you can’t beat Portland or South Dakota St. on the road, you probably aren’t clipping the Aztecs.
See More:
