Men's Basketball Big Games of the Weekend – 2/4 - 2/5
Ohio State at Wisconsin
This is a game Wisconsin can use to prove to itself it belongs in the upper echelon of the Big 10. After faltering a bit, they have won six straight games heading into Saturday against Ohio State. That momentum will certainly help them. The Buckeyes will be their third ranked opponent in four games. It’s a brutal stretch for the Badgers, but there are no real breaks during conference play.
Ohio State has a four-game winning streak of their own after they handily dispatched Michigan on Sunday, 64-49. During that streak, the 15-point win over the Wolverines was their smallest margin of victory. They are rolling right now. They have averaged 75 points per games in those wins. Wisconsin is running into a buzz saw. But the Badgers have been playing solid. This game is in their house, which is a plus. However, they have been vulnerable in Madison this season. Ohio State has a great chance to continue their recent success.
Kansas at Missouri
Missouri has truly looked like one of the best teams in the country this season. Kansas is a perennial basketball power that already has four losses this season. The Jayhawks 17-4 record is not bad but they just happen to have some curious losses. In December, they lost to Davidson by six at home and just lost this weekend on the road to Iowa State. The Cyclones are better than they’ve been in past years, but they hadn’t beaten Kansas in the last 19 tries. While the Jayhawks are leading the conference right now (they only have one conference loss to Missouri’s two), they look like a vulnerable team. They have Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor, who are two very good players, but they do not have the star power like they had in the Morris twins or Sherron Collins the last few years.
Missouri on the other hand is loaded with talent that plays great team basketball. This is a senior laden team that is taking it to teams. The triple threat of Marcus Denmon (leading the team in scoring at 17.1 points per game), Kim English (49.5% from beyond the arc), and Ricardo Ratliffe (stat machine scoring from the field 75% of the time) are a lot for an opposing team to handle. They are 20-2 with their only two losses coming on the road. Frank Haith is pushing all the right buttons so far this season. His team hasn’t beaten the Jayhawks since 2009. This is a good spot for them to end that skid.
Vanderbilt at Florida
After stumbling on Tuesday to Arkansas, Vanderbilt is looking to rebound and beat Florida, which would put them back in a tie with the Gators for second in the SEC. It will be a difficult test especially on the road. Vanderbilt will have a tough time keeping up with Florida. The Gators are still one of the nation’s best scoring teams at 80.7 points per game and they shoot nearly 50% from the field. They have three players shooting over 40% from 3-point range. They are athletic enough to run opponents out of the gym. Vanderbilt is a decent team that just has hiccups at the wrong time. Two of their six losses are to Cleveland State and Indiana State. Yet they’ve beaten Marquette and NC State. If the bad Vanderbilt shows up on Saturday, the Commodores are in trouble.
Virginia at Florida State
Who would have thought that this would be a premier conference matchup at the beginning of the season? Virginia has to be one of the biggest surprises in the country this season. Tony Bennett really has a solid squad in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers have only lost three games and none have been by more than three points. Statistically, they appear to be an anomaly. They are 254th nationally in points per game, but they are winning. That’s because they are one of the better defensive teams in the country, holding opponents to only 26.2 percent 3-point shooting. Mike Scott has put this team on his back, and they will ride him as long as he can carry them. He had a double-double against Clemson on Tuesday.
Florida State finally seems to be finding its groove. After losing six out of 10, the Seminoles are on a five game winning streak, which includes a rare win against the Blue Devils of Duke on the road. That came on the heels of totally dismantling North Carolina by 33 points. Leonard Hamilton’s group is predicated on stopping the ball. They are eighth in the nation in blocked shots and hold teams to only 36.8 percent shooting from the field. When Deividas Dulkys gets hot like he did against UNC, watch out. This game will be a dream for fans of great defensive basketball.
Michigan at Michigan State
An intense rivalry game has its second act this weekend. Michigan won act one on a last second play. This time the game will be in East Lansing, where the Spartans love holding down home court. They dropped to 17-5 after losing to Illinois on Tuesday. They really could use this game to rebound and get back on track. They were on a 15-game winning streak before they hit their lull. They’ve since lost three of five. This team is solid in all areas. They are top 20 in the country in rebounding, assists, and field goal percentage. After their performance against Illinois (41 points on 24 percent shooting), they should be a little concerned about where they stand right now. They are falling out of the race for first in the Big 10. As it stands right now, they are tied for third with the Wolverines. Michigan would like to hold sole possession of that spot. A clean sweep of the Spartans could be an omen for a reignited basketball rivalry for years to come. The Wolverines have a tough test against Indiana on Wednesday before they get to Michigan State. Make no mistake, there will be no love lost during this game on Sunday.
