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Old School Meets New School
The North Carolina Tar Heels and Clemson Tigers are both ranked nationally but have each hit a skid lately. They are both trying to firm up one of the top seeds in March Madness, so better play down the stretch is paramount....
The Michigan State Spartans are looking to set themselves up for a high seed at March Madness. The Maryland Terrapins are just hoping to get into the dance. The teams will face off in a critical Big Ten matchup this week that could have big-time postseason ramifications....
The Purdue Boilermakers will look to stay undefeated in conference play when they hit the road to face off against the Indiana Hoosiers. Purdue has been one of the dominant teams in the country this season and are heavy favorites to take care of business in this one despite playing on the road....
Even though the Big 12 is the toughest it has been in years, the Kansas Jayhawks have still found a way to be on top of the conference. Kansas is 6-2 in Big 12 play, but it hasn’t been easy. The Jayhawks have had to work for every win, failing to beat any conference opponent by more than six points. Kansas’ struggles have been enough to worry its fans, who are even offering to help the team practice their free throws. If the Jayhawks fall to the Kansas State Wildcats, they will be tied with a lot of conference foes at 6-3 in Big 12 play....
The Duke Blue Devils need to keep winning if they want to have a shot at winning the ACC regular season title. Duke is two games behind Virginia in the race to win the ACC and has a pivotal tilt against the Cavaliers on Saturday. Assuming Duke can pick up that win, it needs to keep up the pressure by taking care of the other ACC teams on its schedule....
The Villanova Wildcats have easily been the best team in the country so far this season. Villanova is 19-1 with some impressive wins on its resume, and its only loss came on the road to a good Butler team. If you exclude the loss, no team has come within six points of Nova all year long. One of their Big East rivals will look to change that when the Marquette Golden Eagles get their second crack at the Wildcats on Sunday afternoon....
The Arizona Wildcats have looked like the best team in the PAC 12 so far this season. Although this team had some struggles in non-conference play, the Wildcats have been able to take care of business against all but one of their opponents....
The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to solve their road woes against the Alabama Crimson Tide this weekend. Oklahoma has not been a good road team this season, losing each of its last three road games. Losing to West Virginia was expected, but the Sooners were short favorites against both Kansas State and Oklahoma State, and losing to those two teams hurt. Alabama has defended its home court well this season, posting a 9-1 record at home, and will be a tough test for the Sooners....
The Virginia Cavaliers and Duke Blue Devils are both in the top-five nationally and among the best teams in the ACC. They are both in the hunt for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and will face off in a critical clash this week....
The Texas Longhorns are hoping a strong finish to the season can get them in the conversation for an NCAA men’s tournament berth. They have a golden chance to add another victory to the docket when the Longhorns host the Ole Miss Rebels this weekend....
A two-game losing streak has dropped the Wichita State Shockers from the top-10 nationally. It is looking like only a speed bump, not a true worry, as the team should be able to bounce back next time out when it hosts the Central Florida Knights....
The Purdue Boilermakers have played some dominant basketball this season, and are expected to continue on that path next time out when they host the Michigan Wolverines. Even though Michigan is well over .500 in Big Ten play and nationally ranked, Purdue has been such a great team this season that it would be a big upset if the Wolverines pulled out the win....
Rather than have the Big 12/SEC Challenge take place prior to the start of conference play, the two conferences have done something against the grain. Seeing the success that mid-majors have with Bracketbusters, the Big 12 and SEC decided to move the showdown between the two conferences to the last week of January. It has now been parked here for three years, and the interest has been much higher than it was back when this was taking place in November or December....
The Michigan State Spartans are in the middle of a comfortable stretch where they get to beat up on the lesser teams in the Big Ten. It’s definitely needed for the Spartans. The school was thumped by both Ohio State and Michigan despite being a moderate favorite in each game earlier this month, and needed to get some of its confidence back. Michigan State is hoping that it can keep up its recent form when it takes on the Wisconsin Badgers this Friday night....
Former Big 12 foes will collide in one of the late afternoon games of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday when the Kansas Jayhawks play host to the Texas A&M Aggies. These two teams have not met since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012, so there is none of the familiarity that might be there if the move was more recent. Still, there is no doubt that the Kansas faithful will be there to welcome the Aggies back with a loud chorus of “Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk.”...
Although it doesn’t have the same intensity as the one on Tobacco Road, the rivalry between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the NC State Wolfpack is still pretty serious. That’s especially the case for NC State. The Wolfpack live in the shadow of their in-state rivals in nearly every sport and love to beat them whenever they get the chance. NC State already got a win on the gridiron this year, but a road win in the Dean Dome would be cause for raucous celebration in Raleigh....
The first game of this weekend’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge will highlight two teams that have never faced each other on the basketball court. The Florida Gators have been one of college basketball’s top programs over the last decade. However, Mike White is still looking to move out of the shadow of Billy Donovan and establish himself as a great coach in his own right. He can take another baby step in that direction with a win over the Baylor Bears on Saturday....
Amazingly, this weekend will mark the first time that the Texas Tech Red Raiders and South Carolina Gamecocks square off on the basketball court. Although neither one is known for its basketball prowess, both schools have had success in recent years. South Carolina made the Final Four last season, while Texas Tech made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in almost a decade two seasons ago. Currently, the Red Raiders are having their best season in years, and are looking to keep that momentum going....
The Miami Hurricanes showed well in the non-conference season, but have dealt with their fair share of struggles as the competition has improved in the ACC slate. The Hurricanes are barely hanging in the national rankings but can pick up a signature victory if they can knock off the Louisville Cardinals this week....
The Providence Friars have surprised many with their strong start to Big East Conference play, but it would be truly shocking if they keep at it this week. Providence will hit the road to face off against the No. 1 ranked Villanova Wildcats....
The Big 12 has proven to be one of the strongest conferences in college basketball this season, and the Kansas Jayhawks could take hold of it with a statement road win this week against the Oklahoma Sooners. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 nationally and are among the best teams in a stacked conference....
The Kentucky Wildcats are in desperate need of a win. Kentucky’s grip on the SEC is slipping away from it after yet another loss to a divisional opponent. The Wildcats’ loss to Florida on Saturday was their third in conference this season, putting them behind three other teams in the SEC East. As bad as the loss was, for it to come at home was even worse. Rupp Arena is one of the toughest places to play in the country and to lose there is rough. Kentucky will look to defend its home court once again when it hosts the Mississippi State Bulldogs....
It’s been a rough year for the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin did not have a great run of things during its non-conference schedule. The Badgers finished non-conference play with a 7-6 record, and unfortunately, things have not gotten better since that point. They are just 3-4 in Big Ten play....
Defending a title is always tough. You don’t have to tell that to the North Carolina Tar Heels. North Carolina has not looked too sharp this year. UNC has had a real hard time on the road and suffered one of the biggest surprises of the season when it was knocked off by Wofford. The Tar Heels already have two ACC losses and can likely only lose one or two more to have any hope of winning the ACC in the regular season. They know they need to take care of business against the Virginia Tech Hokies....
The Illinois Fighting Illini have yet to win a game in conference, but at least they have been competitive in their last two. They took Iowa to overtime and lost by just one point on the road to Nebraska earlier this week. However, now they face the toughest team in the Big Ten....
