Image Courtesy: Sports Illustrated
*All game are at central standard time and all rankings are based on this week’s AP Top 25*
Friday, Jan. 30
3.Michigan (19-1) @ 7.Michigan State (19-2)
7 p.m., FOX
No. 3 Michigan heads on the road to face No. 7 Michigan State in East Lansing. The Wolverines trailed for 36 minutes against No. 5 Nebraska on Tuesday but eventually came back and defeated the Corn Huskers 75-72, giving them their first loss of the season. The Spartans came back to beat a struggling Rutgers squad 88-79 in overtime behind Jeremy Fears’ 29 points and nine assists.
The front court of Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson, and Aday Mara all average more than ten points, seven rebounds, and are more than capable defenders inside. That will serve them well against Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler, who serves them well as he almost averages a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds per game.
In the back court, North Carolina transfer point guard Elliot Cadeau has improved his jump shot and his offensive game overall, scoring ten points and passing out over five assists a game. If Cadeau can avoid turnovers and pass the ball out to fellow guards Trey McKenney, Nimari Burnett, and Roddy Gayle Jr., the Wolverines could go into a tough environment in East Lansing and come out victorious over the Spartans.
Next to Fears and Kohler, Michigan State wing Coen Carr and forward Cam Ward will be the ex-factors against a strong Michigan front court. Their athleticism will be important against Lendeborg, Johnson, and Mara, who have been giving their opponents problems all season long.
Michigan and Michigan State are tied for first in the Big Ten with Nebraska and Illinois at 9-1 so the winner will enter February right at the top of the league with the loser just a game back. The two teams will match up again on the final day of the regular season, Sunday, March 8.
It is tough for visiting teams to go into the Breslin Center and win but the Wolverines have experience overcoming that very challenge. The Spartans will drop just their second home game of the season by just a point on Friday night.
Projected Score: Michigan 75, Michigan State 74
Saturday, Jan. 31
11.Texas Tech (16-4) @ UCF (16-4)
11 a.m., ESPN2
Texas Tech is red hot with wins over both No. 13 BYU and No. 10 Houston in the last few weeks. Another win on the road against a solid UCF team, led by head coach Johnny Dawkins. The Knights have been up and down in Big 12 play after dropping back to back games to AP top 10 Arizona and Iowa State, they bounced back against Colorado and Arizona State.
Guard Christian Anderson and forward JT Toppin have been the linchpins for much of Texas Tech’s success this season. But, it will be up to the rest of the roster to continue the success that they have been having. For the Knights to come out victorious, it will be big for them to limit Anderson and Toppin and hope that well traveled guard Riley Kugel, guard Themus Fulks, and forward Jamichael Stillwell to show up and perform on Saturday.
Last Saturday in their victory over the Cougars, four Red Raiders scored in double figures. Toppin accounted for 31 points and 12 rebounds, Donovan Atwell scored 18 points and added four rebounds, Jaylen Petty scored 18 points and had eight rebounds, and Christian Anderson scored 12 points and nine assists. UCF forwards Stillwell and Jordan Burks both average over a steal per game this season. They will have to lead the Knights’ defense against a red hot Texas Tech offense.
If the Red Raiders gets that effort from their offense, it will be difficult for UCF to win on Saturday, even in front of their home crowd. That is where dismal showings against the top of the league (outside of their victory over Kansas to begin conference play), make me worry for the Knights and why Texas Tech should win this game but it will be close.
Projected Score: Texas Tech 85, UCF 82
SMU (15-5) @ 20.Louisville (14-6)
1 p.m., ESPN
Louisville welcomes SMU to the ‘KFC Yum Center’ for a Saturday afternoon battle. Duke dominated the Cardinals 83-52 in guard Mikel Brown’s second game back from injury. SMU had the midweek off but will attempt to continue a two game winning streak going after defeating Wake Forest and Florida State in the last week and a half.
Everything went wrong for the Cardinals against the Blue Devils after an okay first half. The freshman guard Brown must hope his third game back from injury is better than his game on Monday as he was defended well and only had seven points, four assists, and went just 1-13 from the field. Brown is so important for Louisville because his passing to consistent shooters Ryan Conwell (18 points versus Duke) and Isaac McKneely (11.5 points per game) is so important to their offensive success, especially against a high-scoring SMU team.
Guards Boopie Miller, Jarron Pierre Jr., and BJ Edwards lead the Mustangs in scoring. Their offensive production versus Louisville will be a big reason why or why they will not go on the road and win against a Cardinal team that has been up and down defensively.
Louisville coach Pat Kelsey was upset multiple times in Monday’s loss because his team failed to rebound and grab loose balls away from Duke. Forwards Sananda Fru and Aly Khalifa have struggled this season being good rebounders to help set up their offense so it will be important to block out and grab the basketball so they can protect home court on Saturday afternoon.
The depth of the SMU roster must step up against Louisville in the Cardinals’ big bounce back opportunity if they want a victory. Mikel Brown will have a bounce back performance and Louisville should bounce back and win versus SMU to gain their fifth ACC game, move above .500 in conference play. That would cause the Mustangs to fall to .500 at 4-4 in league play.
Projected Score: Louisville 84, SMU 80
13.BYU (17-3) @ 14.Kansas (15-5)
3 p.m., ESPN
ESPN’s College GameDay makes their second Saturday stop of the college basketball season in a row again in Big 12 country, this time at one of the most famed arenas in the sport, Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence for a battle between the presumptive top two picks in June’s NBA Draft, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa.
Dybantsa scored 24 points, Richie Saunders scored 18, and Kennard Davis scored 17 in the Cougars’ loss to top ranked Arizona on Monday. BYU struggled for much of that game before a late run brought them within one with under 20 seconds to go. Rob Wright’s layup that would have given them the lead was blocked and their focus must shift to Kansas.
The Cougars must hope for a better overall performance against the Jayhawks, who hope for Peterson to be available for Saturday afternoon’s action after he suffered an ankle sprain. If Peterson is active, it would be helpful for the Jayhawks to have his almost 22 points will be helpful against the Cougars’ Dybantsa, Saunders, and Davis. If not, guards Trey White, Melvin Council Jr., and forward Flory Bidunga will have to step up, especially if they want to move their win streak to five games after a week off.
Self expects Peterson to play on Saturday. If that is the case, the entire BYU roster must be expected to step up including point guard Rob Wright and forward Keba Keita, who will be trusted to grab rebounds against Bidunga.
If Peterson plays, that is advantage Kansas at home. If he is limited, BYU must take advantage of that and bounce back after their tough loss against Arizona. However, Kevin Young’s team will be one of the few to overcome Kansas’ impressive home environment and Dybantasa will lead the Cougars to a victory.
Projected Score: BYU 81, Kansas 77
Kentucky (14-7) @ 15.Arkansas (16-5)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
A year after Arkansas won just its second SEC game of the season inside Rupp Arena against Coach John Calipari’s former team, the Razorbacks welcome Kentucky for their return trip. The Razorbacks are tied for second in the SEC with a 5-2 record and with a successful month of February, they could be in position to win the SEC regular season championship.
Kentucky struggled to open the season before a four game win streak over the last couple of weeks, which ended on Tuesday night on the road against a Vanderbilt team that had lost three of its last four games. The Wildcats will be in Fayetteville trying to upset the Razorbacks like they did a year ago in Lexington.
The Razorbacks are paced by freshmen guards Darius Acuff, who averages over 20 points, six assists, and just two turnovers a game and Meleek Thomas, who has scored 15 points and three assists and was recently added to the starting lineup. Kentucky has been without a true point guard since Jaland Lowe suffered multiple lingering injuries earlier in the season.
In Lowe’s absence, Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen havs done his best manning the playmaker role. Aberdeen score over 13 points and passes out three assists per game. Pre-season SEC Player of the Year Otega Oweh normally plays off the ball but when Aberdeen is not in the game, he dribbles the ball up the court. Oweh leads the Wildcats with over 16 points, four assists, and two assists a game.
On the wing and inside the paint for the Razorbacks, Trevon Brazile, Karter Knox, Malique Ewin, and Nick Pringle have all been inconsistent. But Arkansas has played much better at home, winning all 13 of their games inside the friendly confines of Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville so far. Last season, Kentucky’s front court had few answers for the Razorbacks’ that were driving to the paint to either dunk or lay it in. Overall average to good showings from Brazile, Knox, Ewin, or Pringle in addition to another quality game from one of the best bench players in the country, Billy Richmond, should mean a win for Arkansas.
The Kentucky wings and front court have both been up and down this season and they will face an Arkansas front court that has been allowing lots of points in the paint. Veteran Alabama transfer Mouhamed Dioubate and freshman Malachi Moreno have been a big part of why the Wildcats went on a four game winning streak before losing to the Commodores on Tuesday.
Saturday will be a war. Like I previously mentioned, Arkansas has been great at home, but that doesn’t mean Kentucky won’t keep the game close. The Razorbacks and Wildcats should battle into the second half. But Arkansas will take over in the last eight minutes and win their 17th game of the season.
Projected Score: Arkansas 86, Kentucky 81
Auburn (14-7) @ Tennessee (14-6)
7:30 p.m, ESPN
A huge SEC matchup looms on Saturday night between two original members of the league. Auburn came back and beat Texas 88-82 and Tennessee defeated Georgia 86-85 in an overtime thriller both on Wednesday night. The Tigers come in to Saturday night’s action at 5-3 while the Volunteers are a half game back at 4-3 after last week’s bye in midweek action.
Auburn’s leader has been veteran UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall, who has scored north of 20 points and added almost eight rebounds a game from his forward spot. Matching up with him will likely be talented freshman Nate Ament, who has emerged over the past few weeks as a more willing driver and scorer. Ament now averages over 16 points over six rebounds, and over one steal a game.
The Tigers’ KeShawn Murphy will have to challenge a Tennessee front court that has depth. Jaylen Carey, J.P. Estrella, and Felix Okpara are vital for the Volunteers average a combined 22 points and 15 rebounds a game and will be thrown at Murphy trying to get him in foul trouble.
Auburn’s only returner for this season, Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton have scored the ball well but average only a combined four assists so they will have to move the ball well against a strong Tennessee defense. Tennessee’s leading scorer Ja’Kobi Gillespie has taken a bit of a backseat to Ament the last couple of weeks but he still leads his team in scoring per game with almost 19 points, five assists, and almost two steals per game. Next to him on the perimeter Bishop Boswell and Amaree Evans must be ready to play fast against Auburn guards that are known to get up and down the floor.
Because this game is at the Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee should get the edge in this game over Auburn. The abilities of Gillespie and Ament were overcome Hall’s scoring and the Volunteers will defeat the Tigers in what should be a close game. Tennessee would get their fifth win of SEC play and Auburn would drop game number four of conference play.
Projected Score: Tennessee 84, Auburn 80
Saint Mary’s (19-3) @ 6.Gonzaga (21-1)
9:30 p.m., ESPN
Both Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga had the mid-week off before the Gaels final trip to Spokane for a conference battle with the Zags before they move to the Pac-12 in July. Saint Mary’s fell to Santa Clara, their first loss in conference play, two weeks ago before back to back victories over Oregon State and Portland. Gonzaga has yet to lose a West Coast conference game and have not fallen since the day before Thanksgiving against Michigan at the Player’s Era Festival in Las Vegas.
Saint Mary’s Paulius Murauskas’ 19 points and seven rebounds and Andrew McKeever’s eight points and nine rebounds per game make up one of the West Coast conference’s top front courts. They will square off versus one of the nation’s top units on the other end versus Gonzaga, including Graham Ike, who could return from injury on Saturday. Ike leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 18 points and almost nine rebounds per game. Ike’s running mate Braden Huff remains out due to a left knee injury.
Gael back court mates Joshua Dent and Mikey Lewis both score north of 13 points a game and will be treated to a similar challenge versus the Bulldogs. Dent and Lewis match up with Tyon Grant-Foster Mario Saint-Supery score more than they assist their teammates so they will have to get the ball inside to Ike if they want to beat their rival one more time at home.
After defeating San Francisco by just two points last Saturday, Gonzaga will need a much better showing against St. Mary’s to win this weekend. The Gaels will make it tougher than the Dons did on the Bulldogs but the home environment will be the difference. Gonzaga will win but will have to travel back to Moraga in less than a month may result in a loss there.
Projected Score: Gonzaga 80, Saint Mary’s 72
Sunday, Feb. 1
23.Alabama (14-6) @ 19.Florida (15-6)
12 p.m., ABC
Alabama heads to Gainesville for a rare Sunday afternoon SEC matchup against Florida in the feared O’Connell Center. The Crimson Tide handled Missouri 90-64 on Tuesday night while Florida dominated South Carolina 95-48. Both of those blowouts prove that Alabama and Florida can be the best team in the league. But injuries have hobbled the Tide and the Gators back court is finally playing better in the last couple of weeks.
Labaron Philon Jr. leads Alabama with 22 points, five assists, and a steal a game. On the other end, Florida’s backcourt has struggled but Boogie Fland and Xavian Lee have stepped up in recent weeks. Fland scores 11 points and assists on nearly four shots a game and Lee scores 11 points and adds three assists per game.
In the front court, NBA G-League transport Charles Bediako has uplifted the Crimson Tide’s front court in his two games back with the Crimson Tide. He has combined for 27 points and nine rebounds in the action but will be facing the SEC’s top challenger on the road. That group includes Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, and Reuben Chinyelu. Haugh leads Florida with over 17 points, 6.5 assists, one steal, and one block per game. In the paint, Condon and Chinyelu combine to average over 25 points, over 20 rebounds, over two blocks, and over a steal a game.
To me, the difference in the game is going to be whether Alabama guards and wings Latrell Wrightsell, Amari Allen, and Houston Mallette are key in supporting Philon Jr.’s efforts with three-point shooting, rebounding, and grabbing lose balls against Florida’s strong front court. If they can do that on the road against the Gators and guards Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown that come off the bench, I would be impressed.
Florida will outlast Alabama after what should be a fantastic 40 minutes of action. The Gators will not lose their second consecutive game at home to back to back schools from the state of Alabama. A win would keep them at least tied for second place in the SEC.
Projected Score: Florida 89, Alabama 85
9.Illinois () @ 5.Nebraska (20-1)
3 p.m, FS1
Illinois heads to Lincoln for what will begin an important month of February in the Big Ten. Nebraska welcomes the Fighting Illini to what should be a hornet’s nest after the Corn Huskers’ impressive game against Michigan ended in a three point defeat in Ann Arbor. Over a month ago, Nebraska went to Champaign and defeated Illinois 83-80 on Dec. 13. Illinois defeated Washington on Thursday night behind guard Keaton Wagler’s 22 points. Wagler exploded for 46 points in their victory at Purdue last Saturday.
Against Michigan earlier in the week, Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfordt (20 points and 4 rebounds) and guard Jamarques Lawrence (20 points, 4 assists, 4-9 from three point range) against the vaunted Wolverines in the loss. Another performance like that from both of them could mean a season sweep against the improving Fighting Illini.
Corn Husker guard Lawrence and forward Rienk Mast will have to be solid again against Illinois if they want to continue to be successful without forward Braden Frager, who’s missed the last two games due to an ankle injury. Frager should return on Sunday after being listed as a game-time decision for Tuesday’s game. As veteran guard Kylan Boswell continues to deal with a hand injury, it will be up to Wagler and Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic to continue to play well while he is out.
Forward David Mirkovic, and centers Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic have the job of dealing with Sandfordt and Mast and inside. Mirkovic and the Ivisic brothers all score efficiently but are not the best defensively so stopping Sandfordt and Mast on the road especially will be difficult.
If Nebraska shoots the three ball as well as they did against Illinois as they did against Michigan earlier in the week, the Corn Huskers should take care of Illinois if they limit Wagler and Stojakovic enough. The Fighting Illini will make this a heck of a game but this being a chance to bounce back for Nebraska at home, it will be too much for Illinois to win.
Projected Score: Nebraska 88, Illinois 87
