Men’s Basketball Big Games of the Weekend 12/16 – 12/18
Texas A&M versus Florida
In a matchup of two future SEC foes, these are two ranked teams squaring off. Texas A&M has stumbled once against Mississippi State and slipped by St. John’s this season. Their 8-1 record could be tested come Saturday against an athletic Florida club. The Aggies have Khris Middleton though, and he is going to be a great player in the Big 12 this year. He is averaging 15 points per game and shooting 40 pecent from 3-point range despite only having played two games so far because of injury. Ray and Elston Turner also run the floor for A&M much of the time as they lead the team in minutes.
Florida comes in having lost two games – to two top-5 teams (Ohio State and Syracuse) but they didn’t lose either by much. They rank 3rd in the NCAA in points per game at nearly 87, and they are potent. Junior Kenny Boynton is the team leader. He shoots 50 percent from the field and scores nearly 19 points per game. The Gators have four players averaging double digits in scoring. As a team, they rank top-15 nationally in rebounding and assists per game. They are a force. A&M will have work to do, but it’s certainly a game either team can win. It’ll depend on who runs out of gas first.
Notre Dame at Indiana
In what might be the game of the season when all is said and done, Indiana beat top-ranked Kentucky last Saturday at the buzzer. The Hoosiers are now ranked for the first time since 2008. They have gone through some trying times in Bloomington, but Tom Crean has resurrected one of the most storied programs in the country. Christian Watford hit the biggest shot of his life. Victor Oladipo is a solid player for them as a sophomore. Cody Zeller, the elite freshman, was the type of player Indiana needed to succeed all season in the Big 10. At 15 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, he leads the team in both categories. The team runs through him.
This is an important game for Indiana because so much emotion and elation over the win against Kentucky may have taken a lot out of this team. This is the perfect spot for a letdown. Despite the fact that Notre Dame is having a tough year this year without their best player, Tim Abromaitis (torn ACL), Mike Brey is a phenomenal coach and will have his players ready to play. He has lost a lot of talent and has an inexperienced squad, which will have trouble matching up with Indiana. The Hoosiers have had a full week to recharge. They can’t let this one slip by.
Virginia at Oregon
This is a big game for a couple of programs looking to get back to a winning culture. The Cavaliers look like they’re on their way. Tony Bennett has done a great job with this team in his third season at the helm. The Cavs have not started 8-1 since 2003. Mike Scott returning to this team has paid dividends. He is their best player and their unquestioned leader. The Cavaliers had a huge win over Michigan in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and haven’t looked back since. Bennett has been building this team up. His recruiting classes have gotten better every year and his 2012 class is generally regarded as a top-20 group.
At Oregon, Dana Altman is trying to get Oregon back in the national picture like they were under Ernie Kent with Luke Ridnour and Fred Jones. Altman is in his second season as head coach (he came over after a hugely successful career at Creighton), and he and his team have had some growing pains. Last year, the Ducks went 21-18 and they are looking to build on that this year. The program took a blow when highly regarded Jabari Brown left the team at the beginning of the season (unknown reasons). Altman is also trying to build something in Eugene and has started to try and find good players for his program. Devoe Joseph leads the way for them this year (leads team in points and assists). Oregon has a new basketball arena and is generally considered a tough place to play. Hopefully home court works in their favor in this one.
