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College hoops viewing guide: 4 top 25 showdowns headline monster weekend
After a couple of weeks where monster upsets provided the only entertainment, college basketball fans are finally going to be treated to a weekend with a handful of top 25 showdowns.
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
MUST WATCH
No. 1 Oklahoma at No. 13 Baylor (Sat., Noon, ESPN)
Oklahoma had been the new No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25 for less than 10 hours before it lost to Iowa State on Monday night. While a win at Baylor is unlikely to get that ranking back, it would move them into a first-place tie in the Big 12 standings. For the Bears, who outlasted Kansas State in double overtime on Thursday, a victory would put them in the odd, but enviable position of owning a two-game conference lead over the current top-ranked team in the country.
No. 7 Maryland at No. 11 Michigan State (Sat., 6:30 p.m., ESPN)
The first ESPN GameDay showcase game of 2016 features a Michigan State team that has suddenly lost three in a row and will try to right the ship by wearing these very un-Izzo uniforms.
Michigan State is going bright green for Maryland game. (via @MSU_Basketball) pic.twitter.com/fJinMkvlYN
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) January 22, 2016
No. 8 SMU at Temple (Sun., Noon, ESPN2)
Don’t be surprised if this is where the imperfect perfect season ends. The Owls have been surprisingly effective against the best teams in the AAC up to this point.
No. 16 Providence at No. 4 Villanova (Sun., 1 p.m., Fox)
Like SMU-Temple, this game was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, but got pushed back because of the winter storm. If the rest of the Big East wants to keep Villanova from running away with the regular season crown for a third straight year, some of these fellow top 20 teams are going to have to start winning these types of games.
No. 22 Purdue at No. 9 Iowa (Sun., 1 p.m., Big Ten Network)
We all know Jarrod Uthoff is fantastic. Just don't ask him about individual accomplishments.
Jarrod Uthoff became the 44th Hawkeye to reach 1,000 points. His comments on the milestone. https://t.co/tzRz2zykek pic.twitter.com/EtvyRVO17q
— Hawk Central (@hawkcentral) January 22, 2016
That might be my favorite quote of the season so far, and kudos to the Des Moines Register for fully embracing it.
SHOULD WATCH
Northwestern at No. 25 Indiana (Sat., Noon, ESPN2)
This looked like something of a throwaway game a month ago, but suddenly Indiana has won 11 straight and sits atop the Big Ten standings. Northwestern, meanwhile, is playing its second of four consecutive games against ranked teams. The Wildcats desperately need to win a couple of these tilts if they're serious about having an at-large resume strong enough to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
Georgetown at Connecticut (Sat., Noon, CBS)
The old Big East rivals will meet on the hardwood for the first time in three years. Hopefully the Huskies have learned how to locate Roy Hibbert on the perimeter.
Texas at No. 3 Kansas (Sat., 2 p.m., ESPN)
Kansas shoots for its 34th straight win in Lawrence against a Texas team that has made a habit of playing to the level of its competition. The Jayhawks have won four straight and 11 of their last 12 on campus against the Horns.
No. 2 North Carolina at Virginia Tech (Sun., 6:30 p.m., ESPNU)
North Carolina is poised to become the nation’s new No. 1, which means it might want to go ahead and take this loss now before it happens next week against a much worse Boston College team. That joke sponsored by the fact that five No. 1 teams have tasted defeat before the month of February for the first time in college basketball since 1949.
WORTH WATCHING UNLESS YOU HAVE A VALID EXCUSE
Wake Forest at No. 15 Miami (Sat., Noon, ESPN3/Regional Networks)
Miami coach Jim Larrañaga thinks his team has been too uptight recently, so he’s turned to a pair of remedies this week that he hopes solves the problem.
Known for his innovative motivational tactics, University of Miami men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga turned to reggae singer Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry, Be Happy song to help prepare the 15th-ranked Hurricanes for Saturday’s home game against Wake Forest.
The honorary captain for the game is Boca Raton 16-year-old Kyle Soto, who is battling lymphoma. Larrañaga said he would use the moment to give his players a dose of life perspective that he hopes translates onto the court.
“I think our guys need to appreciate life more,” he said. “In fact, we’re going to be playing a very specific song that has a lot of meaning, and I hope that meaning will come through.”
Larrañaga has a bright future in television whenever he decides to hang up his coaching jacket.
No. 6 West Virginia at Texas Tech (Sat., 1 p.m., ESPNews)
Texas Tech has dropped its last 11 games against the Top 25 by an average of 15.0 points, but this specific Tubby Smith team has been competitive against the best of the Big 12 without being able to get over the hump so far. They’ll have another chance on Saturday against a West Virginia team looking to make amends for an awful performance earlier in the week against Texas.
Navy vs. Army (Sat., 2 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
For the first time ever, the rivalry game is going to be played inside Madison Square Garden, which is extremely cool.
The Midshipmen, who beat their arch-rivals from West Point three times last season, are currently tied for first place in the Patriot League.
Seton Hall at No. 5 Xavier (Sat., 2 p.m., FSN)
With all the madness happening this week, Xavier's loss to Georgetown on Tuesday may have been the least-discussed top five loss in the history of college basketball. I mean, did you even remember that it happened? It was the basketball equivalent of sending out a negative press release about your program five minutes before the Super Bowl kicks off.
No. 20 Duke at NC State (Sat., 2 p.m., CBS)
Duke has lost three consecutive games to unranked teams for the first time since 1969. To break that streak it will have to go on the road and take care of an NC State team coming off its best game of the new year in a 68-51 road throttling of Pitt.
Vanderbilt at No. 23 Kentucky (Sat., 4 p.m., ESPN)
This was supposed to be the marquee showdown of the first half of the SEC season, not a game featuring two teams with a combined 7-5 record in league play. There is a sense in Nashville (and basically anywhere else that’s paying attention) that if Vandy has any hope of realizing its preseason expectations, that process has to start with an upset win in Lexington.
Syracuse at No. 13 Virginia (Sun., 7 p.m., ESPN2)
Yet another game that was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday but got pushed back because of the winter weather. A fourth straight win, including a second straight road victory over a top 20 team, would force the rest of the country to take note of the Boeheim effect currently taking place with the Orange. Meanwhile, a Virginia loss would drop the Cavaliers to 3-4 in conference play and make a scenario where they claim their third straight ACC regular season title awfully difficult to envision.
IF YOU WANT TO JUST CHECK THE BOX SCORE, THAT’S OK ... BUT CHECK THE BOX SCORE
No. 24 South Carolina at Tennessee (Sat., Noon, SEC Network)
The Gamecocks have already matched their win total from all of last season, and are now trying to get an 18th W for the first time in seven years.
Missouri at No. 10 Texas A&M (Sat., 4 p.m., SEC Network)
While everybody ranked above and below them keeps making headlines for losing in embarrassing fashion, the Aggies just keep quietly taking care of business. Saturday should be no different.
No. 17 Louisville at Georgia Tech (Sat., 4 p.m., ESPN2)
If Brian Gregory wants to have any hope of having his same job this time next year, he probably needs to start winning more than a few games like this one.
No. 19 Iowa State at TCU (Sat., 4 p.m., ESPNU)
I don’t think there has been one story written about this tilt that doesn’t cover the issue of whether this is a “trap game” for Iowa State. So is it? The conclusion seems to be “maybe, but it doesn’t really matter.” It’s a disappointing conclusion.
UCLA at Oregon (Sat., 4 p.m., CBS)
Steve Alford has never won back-to-back Pac-12 road games, an ugly fact he can erase forever with a win at Matthew Knight Arena and its obnoxious floor design.
Pittsburgh at Florida State (Sat., 4 p.m., ACC Network)
Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who leads the ACC averaging 5.3 assists per game, did not play against Louisville due to a coach's decision on Wednesday. Leonard Hamilton said Friday that he hadn't made up his mind as far as Rathan-Mayes' playing status for Saturday was concerned. There's no way to know what's going on with that situation, but if the Seminoles want to end their season in the big dance, it needs to be corrected as soon as possible.
No. 18 Butler at Creighton (Sat., 7:30 p.m., FS1)
Butler needs this one, and it's going to have to get it without the services of point guard Tyler Lewis, who suffered a concussion during practice on Thursday.
No. 12 Arizona at California (Sat., 8:30 p.m., ESPN)
Cal starts life without Tyrone Wallace by hosting an Arizona team that is still adjusting to life without Allonzo Trier.
No. 21 USC at Oregon State (Sun., 3 p.m., Pac-12 Network)
Gary Payton trash talked his son into being really good at basketball just so that you could have something entertaining to watch on a Sunday afternoon.
Evansville at Indiana State (Sun., 4 p.m., ESPNU)
D.J. Balentine alert. Also, did you know Evansville is 17-3 and 6-1 in the Missouri Valley? Because Evansville is 17-3 and 6-1 in the Missouri Valley.
Dayton at Fordham (Sun., 4 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
The Flyers have struggled on the road against bad A-10 teams in recent years ... except Fordham. UD enters Sunday’s game having won 11 straight games in the series.
Utah at Washington (Sun., 8:30 p.m., ESPNU)
End your hoops weekend by seeing if the Huskies can hold onto their first place spot in the Pac-12. Is it the sexiest way to end your hoops weekend? No, but Sunday nights aren’t supposed to be sexy. Although Lorenzo Romar has been dressing extremely well in recent weeks.
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