Football season has started to die down, at least in this part of the country, and many fans are ready to get into full college basketball mode.
Good news, bad news. The good news is, there are a ton of great storylines to follow in what has been a wacky start to the season. The bad news is, this week is a little light on glamorous matchups, as most schools have final exams ahead of Christmas break.
This season has already seen three different No. 1 teams knocked off -- and a litany of other upsets -- in just five weeks, and we could see it happen again this week.
As Michigan State continues to try and find its footing after falling from their perch as the top preseason team, the Spartans get a neutral court game in Detroit that could feel more like a home game. Meanwhile, in the spirit of finals week, Michigan has a pair of tough tests on the docket this week that can help prove their success in the Battle 4 Atlantis over Thanksgiving wasn’t a fluke.
Aside from the local slate, there are only a handful of truly exciting games to check out this week. Here’s a look at what you should be watching this week in the world of college basketball.
Michigan will have to stay on top of its game Wednesday night to improve to 2-0 in Big Ten play as they visit an up-and-coming Illinois team. Though they’ve taken three losses – two of which were excruciatingly close -- Brad Underwood’s team is clearly improving from last season. Illinois had No. 3 Maryland on the ropes Saturday night, but fell apart late and the Terps won a wild one. Make no mistake – Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn and co. are for real. Michigan will have its hands full inside Assembly Hall.
The Spartans have looked like anything but the preseason No. 1 team of late. That doesn’t mean they can’t still end up as one of the best teams in the country by season’s end. But it’ll be an uphill battle to earn back the praise from fans and media. Cassius Winston is still playing at a high level, but MSU isn’t getting the production it needs out of its other guards, and the backcourt is still shaky.
Saturday’s game downtown Detroit is a unique opportunity for Greg Kampe’s Golden Grizzlies, who have been notorious for give the Spartans tough games over the years. With MSU floundering a bit in recent weeks, Xavier Hill-Mais (15.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG) and the Grizz will be gunning for the upset on what could be their biggest stage of the season.
The Wolverines have gone from unranked in the preseason to playing in their second top-10 matchup in two weeks. Of their two tough tests this week, a win in this one could really prove Juwan Howard’s team has staying power after their meteoric rise to the top-5.
The Ducks’ only two losses this season came in the Bahamas to a pair of teams Michigan beat – North Carolina and Gonzaga, by a combined five points. This one could turn into a thrilling Saturday afternoon shootout. Dan Altman’s team is one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the country, ranking just ahead of the Wolverines at 40.4% on the year.
The top-ranked Cardinals are one of only two teams (also Ohio State) to be ranked inside the top 10 of KenPom’s adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. They’ll be up against a tough Red Raiders defense at the Garden Tuesday night.
Though Tech has lost three straight games they probably should have won (Iowa, Creighton and DePaul), the Red Raiders are still a formidable foe and are capable of making Louisville the fourth No. 1 team to lose this year.
Indiana was cruising through its first eight games before suffering its first loss in ugly fashion at Wisconsin on Saturday. The Hoosiers are getting 14.8 PPG each from senior guard Devonte Green and freshman guard Trayce Jackson-Davis, and they’re emerging as a probable NCAA Tournament team.
UConn has been a little hot and cold to start the year, with impressive wins over Florida and Miami, but also a bad loss to St. Joe’s. Which team will show up Tuesday?
This is one of four ranked-v-ranked games this week, and the only one before Saturday’s loaded slate. The Bulldogs are one of eight remaining undefeated teams in the country, thanks in large part to senior guard Kamar Baldwin, who suddenly developed a deadly jumpshot over the offseason. Baldwin put up 31 at Ole Miss last week and a solid 12 against Florida on Saturday.
Baldwin will need to be on his game on both ends of the floor Tuesday night in Waco to keep the Dawgs unbeaten. Baylor has been very sound defensively (61.4 PPG) and held a high-powered Arizona team to 58 over the weekend. The Bears are also liable to go off from 3-point range, ranking inside the top 50 in the country.
This is one of the best on-campus games of the non-conference slate in all of college basketball. I’ll step out on a bit of a limb (though it’s probably a very sturdy one) and say Gonzaga is and will be one of the five best teams in the country. Filip Petrusev is turning into a star, Killian Tillie is getting back into form after returning from injury, and Mark Few has a host of other high-quality guys on his roster.
The Zags will go up against one of the country’s most exciting duos in Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji, on the road. Though the Cats just took their first L of the season Saturday at Baylor, they are arguably the best team in a notably improved Pac 12.