Image Courtesy: Spectrum News
December 15
5.Connecticut (9-1) vs. 10.Gonzaga (8-2) (Seattle; Continental Tire Seattle Tip-Off)
10 PM ET, ESPN2
A top ten match up comes in the Seattle Tip-Off between the red hot Connecticut Huskies and the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who are coming off of a loss to instate foe Washington. UConn big man Donavan Clingan will have to deal with a talented group up front for the Bulldogs, led by Anton Watson (14.7 points and 8.3 rebounds a game), Graham Ike (13.4 points and 8 rebounds per game), and Braden Huff (11.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game). The guard position is more even between these two teams as the Huskies’ Tristen Newton (17.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game) and Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard (13.3 points and 5.6 assists per game) and Nolan Hickman (13 points per game) battle it out for the win. This huge nonconference battle will have a lot of meaning come March as Gonzaga looks for its first meaningful win since its time in Honolulu for the Maui Invitational. Projected Score: Connecticut 85, Gonzaga 81
December 16
2.Kansas (9-1) @ Indiana (7-2)
12:30 PM ET, CBS
The match up that will determine the winner of Kansas’ return trip to Indiana will be in the paint. The Jayhawks’ Hunter Dickinson (20.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per game) matches up with Oregon transfer Ke’el Ware (17.7 points and 9.6 rebounds a game), who has improved vastly this season after having a disappointing first and only campaign with the Ducks. If Indiana wants to protect Assembly Hall and win this game, they must rely on other players to score frequently. Ware’s fellow forward Malik Reneau (14.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game), veteran guard Xavier Johnson (10.5 points and 2.3 assists per game), freshman forward Mackenzie Mgbako (8 points and 4 rebounds a game) must step up if they want to beat the Jayhawks. Outside of Dickinson, talented two-way guard Kevin McCullar and point guard Dajuan Harris make the Kansas engine go. A Hoosier win gives them a resumé definer but a Jayhawk victory gives them their third quality win of the season (Kentucky, Tennessee, UConn). Either way it goes, it should be a fantastic environment in Bloomington on Saturday. Projected Score: Kansas 78, Indiana 69
6.Baylor (9-0) vs. Michigan State (4-5) (Detroit)
2 PM ET, FOX
Michigan State has struggled to begin the season because of their lack of success shooting the ball from deep. They come in to the Baylor game with back to back losses to Wisconsin and Nebraska to open Big Ten play. Veteran guards Tyson Walker (20.5 points per game) and AJ Hoggard (9.6 points and 4.1 assists a game) must be efficient against Scott Drew’s ferocious defense. Drew’s offense has also been awesome to this point in the season. The Bears’ balanced attack is led by freshman guard Ja’Kobe Wolter (14.9 points and 4 rebounds per game) and former Toledo guard RayJ Dennis (13.9 points and 6.5 assists a game). With the game in Detroit, the Bears will play in a pro-Michigan State environment. But, they are experienced in NCAA tournament atmospheres, so it should not make them shy away from the moment. Projected Score: Baylor 81, Michigan State 72
Texas A&M (7-3) vs. 4.Houston (10-0) (Houston; Toyota Center; The Halal Guys Showcase)
2:30 PM ET, ESPN2
Undefeated Houston faces Texas A&M, a team that just took a tough loss to Memphis at home. Texas A&M has struggled more than many people thought they would through ten games. Their great defense has not been as good as expected but pre-season SEC player of the year Wade Taylor IV has been up to par, scoring 17 points a game. To beat a tough, hard-nosed Kelvin Sampson-coached Houston team, the Aggies cannot rely on just Taylor. Forward Henry Coleman III (13 points and 9 rebounds per game) and Tyrece Radford (12 points and 4 rebounds per game) must give them a boost. Coming off of a one seed and another Sweet 16 appearance under Sampson, Houston must lead his team to another win before their first season of Big 12 play, which will be tough no matter what with the depth of the league. Baylor transfer LJ Cryer has been fantastic this season, scoring almost 18 points per game in addition to fellow guards Emanuel Sharp (12.9 points per game) and Jamal Shead (9.1 points and 6.2 assists a game). Stopping Henry Coleman III will be difficult, so forward J’Wan Roberts, who will need to outperform his 8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block per game to keep him off the boards and scoring second chance points. A huge Texas battle ahead of Christmas at the Houston Rockets’ Arena should be a great one.
Projected Score: Houston 77, Texas A&M 68
Ohio State (8-2) vs. UCLA (5-3) (Atlanta; CBS Sports Classic)
3 PM ET, CBS
The Buckeyes and the Bruins will look to bounce back from losses to Penn State and Villanova respectively in the first of two games in Atlanta at the annual CBS Sports Classic. Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton (18.7 points and 4.2 assists per game) and Roddy Gayle (14.7 points and 5.2 rebounds a game) look to match UCLA’s Sebastian Mack (14.7 points and 4.7 rebounds a game) and Adem Bona (13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game). This game will be determined by the Thornton-Mack guard match up and the Jamison Battle (13.9 points and 4.4 rebound per game)-Bona match up inside the paint. The Bruins have been tested more as they played in the Maui Invitational and placed fifth in a loaded field but something tells me this offensively minded Ohio State team, who has beaten Alabama, can cause this tough UCLA defense some problems. Projected Score: UCLA 77, Ohio State 72
1.Arizona (8-0) vs. 3.Purdue (9-1) (Indianapolis; Indy Classic)
4:30 PM ET, Peacock
Maybe the best nonconference game of the season based on AP ranking, the top ranked Arizona Wildcats and third ranked Purdue Boilermakers have looked like potential one seeds in the NCAA Tournament early on in the season. The Wildcats possess incredible depth with Caleb Love (13.3 points), Keshad Johnson (12.9 points), Kylan Boswell (12.7 points), Oumar Ballo (12.1 points), and Pella Larsson (11 points) all averaging over 10 points per game. The Wildcats went into Durham and beat a then top five ranked Duke team, who has stumbled since. Reigning national player of the year Zach Edey has been dominant if not almost as dominant as he was last season for the Boilermakers, leading the way with almost 24 points and just over 11 rebounds per game. Playing in Indianapolis, it will be important for guards Braden Smith (11.7 points and 6 assists per game), Lance Jones (11 points and 2.6 rebounds per game), and Fletcher Loyer (10.9 points and 2.7 rebounds a game) to get the pro-Purdue crowd into the game to effect Arizona’s rhythm. A huge game for seeding in March should be great battle. Projected Score: Purdue 81, Arizona 79
14.Kentucky (7-2) vs. 9.North Carolina (7-2) (Atlanta; CBS Sports Classic)
5:30 PM ET, CBS
Kentucky and North Carolina come into Atlanta with matching 7-2 records. The two blue bloods are very familiar with each other as the Kentucky beat North Carolina in the 2021 CBS Sports Classic in dominant fashion just five years after the two squads met in December in this event just months the Tar Heels beat the Wildcats in the Elite Eight to go to the Final Four with a Luke Maye midrange shot in the final seconds of that classic game.The Wildcats boast a lineup of veterans Antonio Reeves (18.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game) and Tre Mitchell (14.4 points and 6 rebounds a game) in addition to a group of freshmen, namely Reed Sheppard (13.9 points and 4.5 rebounds a game), DJ Wagner (13.1 points and 3.3 assists per game), Justin Edwards (10.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game), and Aaron Bradshaw (3 points and 2 rebounds per game). Bradshaw will look to be a bigger scoring threat as he gets his speed back after returning from injury. They will look to defeat a North Carolina team that has played well up to this point in the season. Guard RJ Davis has played like an All-American this season scoring 21 points and passing out almost 3 assists per game. Star big man Armando Bacot (15.9 points and 11.9 rebounds a game), Harrison Ingram (15.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game), and Cormac Ryan (10.4 points a game) have been the supporting cast to Davis in what has been a much better start to the year than they had last season when they entered the season ranked number one in the AP poll. The winner of this match upwill have a good amount of momentum entering conference play in a few weeks. Projected Score: North Carolina 88, Kentucky 85
Alabama (6-3) @ 8.Creighton (8-2)
8 PM ET, FOX
Creighton must make up for their two losses, to Colorado State and UNLV on Wednesday. The Rams are number seventeen in the AP Top 25 while the Rebels are 4-4. The Blue Jays will look to bounce back with a win at home over offensive minded Alabama. The Crimson Tide can score and do it quickly. They must bounce back from a loss to a quality Clemson team in the ACC/SEC Challenge by going into Omaha and attempting to get a win with a game against Arizona in Phoenix coming up. Their terrific offense is led by guard Mark Sears (20.7 points and 4.1 assists a game) and forward Grant Nelson (14.3 points and 7 rebounds per game). The Blue Jays must counter the Tide’s scorching offense with talented center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who puts averages 2 blocks in addition to over 15 points and 7 rebounds a game. Kalkbrenner is helped out by the team’s leading scorer Baylor Scheierman (19.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game) and guard Trey Alexander (16 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists a game). Creighton will look to protect their home court against the Tide as their home stand continues with their Big East opener against Villanova coming up. Projected Score: Creighton 87, Alabama 85
December 20
6.Baylor (9-0) vs. 21.Duke (7-3) (New York City)
7 PM ET, ESPN
Baylor has out-performed pre-season expectations with wins over Auburn, Oregon State, Florida, and Seton Hall and faces Duke, who has not lived up to them. The Blue Devils lost back to back games to Arkansas and Georgia Tech on the road before bouncing back against Charlotte and Hofstra. They cannot let Bears freshman guard Ja’Kobe Walter (14.9 points and 4 rebounds per game) get in the paint and score with ease. Playing with a smaller center, star big man Kyle Filipowski (17.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game), it will be tougher to defend Walter, guards RayJ Dennis (14.2 points and 6.6 assists a game), and Langston Love (12 points and 2 rebounds per game). It will be up to the interior defense of forward Jalen Bridges (11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game). With losses to power conference teams Arizona, Arkansas, and Georgia Tech the Blue Devils must win this one as they head into the main part of ACC play. Projected Score: Baylor 76, Duke 70
11.Oklahoma (9-0) vs. 9.North Carolina (7-2) (Charlotte; Jumpman Invitational)
9 PM ET, ESPN
Oklahoma has raced out to an 9-0 record with a new, athletic roster put together by head coach Porter Moser. The Sooners must build on their wins over Iowa, USC, and Arkansas in their toughest match up of the season against North Carolina, another squad who has faced multiple tough tests through a month and a half. In last Saturday’s win over the Razorbacks in Tulsa, guards Javian McCollum (20 points) and Otega Oweh (14 points) forced turnovers to create open shots for themselves and their teammates in a great offensive performance. The Sooners must continue to play tight defense on RJ Davis (21 points a game), Armando Bacot (15.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game), Harrison Ingram (15.1 points a game), and Cormac Ryan (10.4 points per game) in an essential road game for them against the Tar Heels. A pro-Tar Heel environment must help the them get the win if they are unable to beat Kentucky in Atlanta this upcoming Saturday. An Oklahoma win puts them in great position to start Big 12 play on a high note. Projected Score: North Carolina 85, Oklahoma 83
Alabama (6-3) vs. 1.Arizona (8-0) (Phoenix; Jerry Colangelo’s Hall of Fame Series)
11 PM ET, ESPN
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (5 points and 2 rebounds per game) faces his former team in an essential home game for the Wildcats. Both teams are challenging themselves in the lead up to Christmas, with Arizona facing Purdue, the Crimson Tide, and Florida State on Christmas Eve Eve. The Crimson Tide competed well but lost to Purdue, head to face Creighton in Omaha, and then this showdown with Arizona. The impressive Arizona defense will match up with Alabama’s great offense, led by Mark Sears (21.4 points a game) and Aaron Estrada (15.1 points per game). The Tide must be tough up front facing forward Keshad Johnson (12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game) and center Oumar Ballo (12.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game) something they have struggled with since Charles Bediako left Tuscaloosa for the NBA. If Arizona can avoid a track meet in this game, they can continue their tough stretch playing well. Projected Score: Arizona 81, Alabama 75
December 23
15.Florida Atlantic (8-2) vs. 1.Arizona (8-0) (Las Vegas)
3 PM ET, FOX
Arizona’s final pre-Christmas battle is against a terrific Florida Atlantic team. The 2023 Final Four Owls lost to Bryant in November but quickly bounced back by winning the ESPN Events Invitational in Florida. They did lose to Illinois in the Jimmy V Classic but will look to upset the Wildcats with big games from big man Vladislav Goldin (16.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game), guards Johnell Davis (14.2 points and 7 rebounds per game), and Alijah Martin (14.2 points and 4.7 rebounds a game). Davis and Martin will have to defend Arizona guards Caleb Love (14.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game), Kylan Boswell (12.4 points and 4.8 assists per game), and Pelle Larsson (12.3 points and 3.9 rebounds a game). With the game in Las Vegas, the Owls will also have to overcome a pro-Arizona crowd. FAU can prove they are a sure fire national contender with a win in this one. Projected Score: Arizona 87, Florida Atlantic 80
