Game by game, week by week, this college basketball season just keeps getting stranger.
Eight weeks in, we've seen six different No. 1 teams in the AP Poll, a constant shuffling of the top 10 and countless unpredictable results.
And now as conference play heats up across the country, the only safe bet is that wacky results will keep coming.
Michigan and Michigan State both had an early taste of the Big Ten in early December, but as the calendar changes to 2020, it's time for the nightly grind of conference play. Call it a cliché, call it a trope, but there are no nights off in conference play. Especially not in the Big Ten, which has shaped up to be one of the toughest conferences in the country, right along with the Big East, which has nine of its 10 teams within reach of making the NCAA Tournament.
Conference play can make or break a team's season, and this week we finally get into the thick of it. Here's a look at the all the college basketball games you should be watching this week.
The Spartans had one final tune-up game before resuming Big Ten play on Sunday, and they demolished Western Michigan Sunday night 95-62, without point guard Cassius Winston, who is battling a bone bruise in his knee. The Spartans did just fine without him, as Foster Loyer, Rocket Watts and Jack Hoiberg filled in, combining for 25 points and 17 assists.
Winston is expected to play Thursday, but knowing the point guard depth behind him continues to develop has to ease the minds of Spartan fans. MSU will have its hands full with the Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn and the Illini, who beat Michigan earlier this month and took Maryland to the wire in College Park.
The Golden Grizzlies opened Horizon League play with a win over rival Detroit Mercy over the weekend and now host the conference's preseason favorite. Xavier Hill-Mais leads Oakland with 15.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
A new chapter in the rivalry is opened. Juwan Howard is set to coach his first game against Tom Izzo and the Spartans, but he could be without a key player. Isaiah Livers (13.6 PPG, 50% 3FG) missed Sunday's win over UMass Lowell with a groin injury he suffered against Presbyterian.
With or without Livers on the court, with or without Cassius Winston at 100%, the rivalry will be renewed. The Spartans will be looking for their fourth straight win over the Wolverines after sweeping all three games against their rivals last season. It would be their first such streak since 2013-2016. You can bet that Howard, who went 5-1 against the Spartans during his college career, will have his team fired up to try and put a halt to that streak. Izzo, meanwhile, has been open in the past about his disdain for the Fab Five era. The rivalry in the post-John Beilein era could become quite fiery.
While there will be plenty of marquee matchups in a much-improved Pac-12 this season, the first weekend of conference play really only has one truly intriguing game. The Buffaloes are one of the most under-the-radar teams in the entire sport this year. After cracking the AP Top 25 earlier this season, Tad Boyle's team fell from grace with back-to-back losses to Kansas and Northern Iowa, but have started to hit their stride again.
A 78-76 thriller over Dayton has Colorado carrying momentum into conference play and they could be looking at a top-notch win on their resume if they knock off the Ducks in Boulder. That's a tough order, as Payton Prtichard and Chris Duarte have Oregon playing at an elite level.
The Badgers have nice wins over Marquette, Indiana and Tennessee (by a combined 56 points), but also lost to Richmond, New Mexico and got worked at Rutgers. Which versions of these hot-and-cold teams will show up in Columbus Friday night?
The Big East is arguably the best top-to-bottom conference in the country; nine of the league's 10 teams received votes in the latest AP Poll.
The Hoosiers were on the verge of cracking the Top 25 before losing to Isaiah Joe and Arkansas last weekend. Archie Miller has a tough road ahead -- six of Indiana's next nine Big Ten games come against teams that are currently ranked, three of which are on the road.
The Terps started the season 10-0, but lost two straight at Penn State and Seton Hall. There have been games where Anthony Cowan, Jalen Smith and Darryl Morsell have all looked dominant (84-63 win over Marquette) and games that left you wondering how the Terps were ranked No. 3 earlier this season (52-48 loss at Seton Hall).
How this game isn't nationally televised is an absolute mystery. Despite becoming the fifth different No. 1 team to fall from atop the AP Poll after a narrow loss at Villanova last week, the Jayhawks have begun to look like the elite team many thought they would be entering the season, with Devon Dotson, Udoka Azubuike and Ochai Agbaji all starting to jell.
The Mountaineers, meanwhile, have burst onto the scene after relatively low preseason expectations. West Virginia just knocked off Ohio State in Cleveland, its first win of the season that really moved the needle. Despite suffering just one loss at St. John's thus far, the Mountaineers' resume had been lacking an impressive win. Now that they have it, another massive test awaits inside the Phog on Saturday.
It's been about a quarter century since the Nittany Lions were last ranked in the AP Poll. The last time State College hosted a ranked-vs.-ranked basketball game was Jan. 24, 1996 -- an 87-77 win over No. 19 Purdue. Though that season ended with the Nittany Lions being upset as a No. 5 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Lamar Stevens has Penn State fans envisioning that type of "magical" season. The senior forward from Philly is averaging 16.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game and is firmly in the mix for Big Ten Player of the Year.
The Hawkeyes have been a bit of a surprise as well this season. Fran McCaffery entered the season arguably on the hot seat, but Luka Garza (21.6 PPG) and Joe Wieskamp helped carry Iowa to a solid non-conference showing and will be looking to win its first conference road game against a ranked opponent since 2017.