After a work week which saw the coaches of the nation’s top teams either give their players a literal break to focus on finals or a figurative break by playing a team most wouldn’t know is in Division-I, we’ve actually got some solid hoops on the docket for Saturday and Sunday.
NCAA Basketball Weekend Preview: Syracuse Carries No. 1 Ranking Into Raleigh
A big weekend in college basketball is headlined by No. 1 Syracuse traveling to NC State and No. 4 Louisville renewing its rivalry with old conference foe Memphis.
My pants are off. Yours probably aren’t because you’re in a social setting which frowns upon over-exposure of the thigh, but I trust you’ll be joining me shortly.
Let’s take a look at the weekend that will be in college basketball.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
1. Syracuse is the third team to wear the No. 1 crown so far this season, but it’s a ranking they’ve yet to defend. That changes on Saturday when the Orange head to Raleigh to face a North Carolina St. team fully capable of pulling off the same “unranked team over No. 1” upset that Indiana achieved a week ago when it hosted and defeated Kentucky. Wolfpack head coach Mark Gottfried has said he’s hoping for an atmosphere similar to the one the Hoosiers created at Assembly Hall a weekend ago. Hopefully his personal definition of “similar” is a broad one.
2. Louisville/Memphis was once one of the most heated rivalries in all of college basketball, but the two have not met since the Cardinals made the jump to the Big East for the 2005-2006 season. The drought will end on Saturday when the fourth-ranked Cardinals play host to the 5-3 Tigers. This was supposed to be a clash of two top ten teams, but Memphis’ two Maui losses coupled with a home loss to Murray State last Sunday have left the Tigers on the outside looking in of both major polls. Still, both Rick Pitino and Josh Pastner have said they plan on letting their team run with the other, which should make for a highly entertaining viewing experience.
3. The college basketball world will know a bit more about No. 6 Baylor after the Bears face a dangerous BYU squad in Provo on Saturday afternoon. BYU is 8-0 and has not won a game by less than ten points, but the Bears have also played five teams with three wins or less. The game will be the first for BYU point guard Matt Carlino, who transferred from UCLA last December.
4. The weekend's lone matchup featuring a pair of ranked teams is No. 13 Florida vs. No. 22 Texas A&M in the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla. The game pits one of the country’s best defensive teams in the Aggies - who rank fourth nationally in points allowed (51.4 ppg) - against one of the nation’s top offensive squads in the Gators - who rank third nationally in scoring at 86.8 points per game. It's also a preview of a future conference clash, as A&M joins the SEC next season.
5. After using a three-guard lineup to begin the season, No. 23 Alabama responded to losses against Georgetown and Dayton by starting three forwards in a 62-54 win over Detroit on Sunday. They'll likely stay big on Saturday night against a Kansas St. squad led by big-bodied freshman forward Thomas Gipson. While Gipson (14.8 points/8.1 rebounds) has been outstanding, the veterans the Wildcats were supposed to rely on have been struggling mightily on the offensive end of the floor. Jamar Samuels has been extremely hit or miss since serving a two-game suspension to begin the season, while Rodney McGruder and Will Spradling are both shooting below 40 percent.
FULL TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Saturday
No. 2 Ohio State at South Carolina (Noon/ESPN)
Alabama A&M at No. 20 Michigan (Noon/Big Ten Network)
American at No. 16 Georgetown (Noon/MASN/SNY/Big East Network)
Butler vs. Purdue (2 p.m./CBS)
Central Connecticut St. at Northwestern (2 p.m./Big Ten Network)
Temple at Texas (2:30 p.m./ESPN2)
No. 22 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Florida (2:30 p.m./FSN/ESPN FullCourt)
Memphis at No. 4 Louisville (4 p.m./CBS)
Arizona vs. Gonzaga (4 p.m./CBS)
Notre Dame vs. No. 18 Indiana (4:30 p.m./ESPN2)
UNLV vs. No. 19 Illinois (5 p.m./Big Ten Network)
Appalachian St. at No. 5 North Carolina (6 p.m./ESPNU)
South Carolina St. at No. 15 Pittsburgh (6 p.m./Big East Network/SNY)
No. 1 Syracuse at NC State (6:30 p.m./ESPN2)
Bowling Green at No. 21 Michigan St. (7 p.m./Big Ten Network)
Houston vs. Oklahoma (8 p.m./ESPNU)
Villanova at St. Joseph’s (8 p.m./CBS Sports Network)
Chattanooga at No. 3 Kentucky (8 p.m./CSS/ESPN FullCourt)
Drake at Iowa (9 p.m./Big Ten Network)
Georgia at USC (10 p.m./FSN)
No. 23 Alabama vs. Kansas St. (10 p.m./ESPNU)
New Mexico vs. Oklahoma St. (10:30 p.m./ESPN2)
Sunday
Oral Roberts at No. 8 Xavier (1 p.m./FS Ohio/FCS Atlantic)
Holy Cross at No. 9 Connecticut (1 p.m./MASN/SNY/Big East Network)
Loyola Marymount at Florida St. (3 p.m./ESPNU)
William & Mary at No. 10 Missouri (3 p.m./FS Midwest/ESPN FullCourt)
Mount St. Mary’s at Penn St. (4 p.m./Big Ten Network)
Virginia at Oregon (5:30 p.m./FSN)
Eastern Illinois at Northwestern (6 p.m./Big Ten Network)
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