With conference play going strong, unbeatens have been falling fast in college basketball. This week alone, Ohio State suffered its first loss and Oregon dropped its second straight.
College basketball schedule: Hawkeyes and Buckeyes meet in Big Ten showdown
Ohio State looks to avoid a second straight loss, unbeaten Arizona visits USC and Oregon tries to snap a two-game skid.
Michael Hickey
Sunday, the Buckeyes and Ducks look to get back on track, while No. 1 Arizona puts its unbeaten season on the line with a trip to USC.
No. 13 San Diego State has lost just once and visits Air Force, while No. 12 Louisville hosts an improved SMU team.
Here’s Sunday’s complete schedule, for your viewing pleasure. All times Eastern:
SMU at No. 12 Louisville (1 p.m., CBSSN)
The Cardinals host SMU in the middle game of a three-game homestand, looking to avoid consecutive defeats. Memphis came into the Yum! Center on Thursday and made a late rally to surprise Louisville behind double-figure scoring from each of its starters. Larry Brown’s Mustangs will be coming off an eight-day layoff. They have not played since surprising Connecticut last Saturday at home.
No. 20 Iowa at No. 3 Ohio State (1:30 p.m., CBS)
Ohio State lost its undefeated season with an overtime loss in East Lansing earlier this week. The Buckeyes will have their work cut out for them against the Hawkeyes, whose three losses this year all came against currently ranked teams by only 12 points combined. Iowa is also one of the best rebounding teams in the country, and it will need all the extra chances it can get against a Buckeye team that yields just 56 points per game.
No. 15 Colorado at Washington (3 p.m., FS1)
On paper, one might not find this game particularly intriguing -- Colorado should be heavily favored. However, the Huskies have gotten better as the season has progressed. They played No. 1 Arizona tough on Jan. 4, then four days later beat a Utah team that will challenge for one of the top spots in the Pac-12. The Buffaloes are coming off an overtime win against Washington State and have won four in a row overall.
No. 13 San Diego State at Air Force (4 p.m., ESPN3)
If it’s possible for the 13th-ranked team in the country to be under the radar, that’s exactly what the Aztecs are. They’ve lost just once this year, to Arizona, and have knocked off Creighton, Marquette, Kansas and Boise State. The Aztecs are undefeated on the road this year and will face the inconsistent Falcons, who have yet to win more than two in a row against Division I teams this year. You’d think San Diego State could walk into this road contest comfortably, but then again that’s what many thought about Gonzaga at Portland earlier in the week.
Stanford at No. 17 Oregon (5 p.m., FS1)
The Ducks have lost back-to-back games, and the Cardinal are not exactly a pushover that will allow Oregon to relax. Stanford has already won at UConn and nearly knocked off Michigan, and is looking for its first conference win. But in order to do that, the Cardinal will have to figure out how to stop Joseph Young and Mike Moser, two all-Pac-12 candidates who have powered the Ducks to their No. 17 ranking.
No. 23 Illinois at Northwestern (7:30 p.m., BTN)
It’s been a tough first year for Chris Collins at Northwestern, but the Wildcats are a rebuilding project. They’re just 7-9 and have been blown out in all three of their Big Ten games so far; the Illini are poised to hand Northwestern its fifth consecutive defeat overall. Illinois comes into the game with something to prove after being run out of the Kohl Center earlier this week in Wisconsin. Though a win over the lowly Wildcats wouldn’t do much, it would at least put the Illini back on the winning track with a big homestand against Purdue and Michigan State coming up.
No. 1 Arizona at USC (9 p.m., PAC-12 Network)
The No. 1 team in the land has had some close calls in the past week. Arizona followed up a nine-point win over Washington with a thriller on the road at UCLA. Next, it’s a trip to USC to face the inconsistent Trojans. USC has lost two in a row and has recorded three of its six losses home. The Trojans are led by Byron Wesley’s 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this season.
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