Men’s Basketball Games of the Weekend 2/4 – 2/5
A heavy dose of college basketball is coming your way this weekend, but it’s mostly on Saturday. Why is that, you ask? Well, there’s this little… er, BIG… game on Sunday night that practically half the nation will watch. Before that game hits the TV screens, treat yourself to a couple of solid Big Ten Conference matchups and big games in the ACC, Big East and Big 12, among others.
No. 14 MARQUETTE at NOTRE DAME (1 p.m. Saturday at Purcell Pavilion-Joyce Center in South Bend, Indiana)
Sure, we all know Syracuse has been top dog in the Big East all season. One more loss by Syracuse, however, and the Big East could be up for grabs. That’s why it is important Marquette (19-4, 8-2) comes out strong. After back-to-back losses against Georgetown and Syracuse, Marquette has come on stronger with a seven-game winning streak. The Golden Eagles used 20 points and 12 rebounds from Jae Crowder to help down Seton Hall 66-59 in their last game. Notre Dame (14-8, 6-3) is tied for fourth place with South Florida and has beaten Syracuse, Seton Hall and Connecticut in the last three games. There are still plenty of league games remaining, but the Irish need a win and a Syracuse loss badly in order to narrow the conference gap.
No. 13 VIRGINIA at No. 24 FLORIDA STATE (1 p.m. Saturday at Donald Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida)
Unlike most years, when either Duke or North Carolina would run away with the Atlantic Coast Conference, this year there is a bit of a jam atop the league. Duke and North Carolina are tied with Florida State atop the ACC, with Virginia in second place. That is what makes this conference matchup so appealing. A win by Virginia and further difficulties for Duke or North Carolina could make this conference race a mess by the end of the month. Virginia (18-3, 5-2) is having a solid season, punctuated only by losses to TCU, Duke and Virginia Tech. Virginia won’t see Duke again in the regular season but it has two meetings with North Carolina. Virginia scored a 65-61 win over Clemson in its last go-round. Florida State (15-6, 6-1) has only lost to Clemson in league play and is on a six-game winning streak.
No. 4 OHIO STATE at No. 20 WISCONSIN (2 p.m. Saturday at Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin)
By weekend’s end, the Big Ten race might look different. This game and Sunday’s Michigan-Michigan State rivalry may give the conference face a fresh coat of paint. Ohio State (19-3, 7-2) is all alone in first place, a half-game ahead of Wisconsin (18-5, 7-3); more on the Michigan part of the race a bit later. The Buckeyes haven’t seen Wisconsin this season; their losses have come against Kansas, Indiana and Illinois. Ohio State’s last game was a 64-49 win over Michigan in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score indicated. Lenzelle Smith Jr. had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the Buckeyes’ win. Wisconsin has won six straight after losses to Iowa, Michigan State and Michigan, but its last win, a 52-46 victory over Penn State, wasn’t as impressive as it could be.
STONY BROOK at ALBANY (7 p.m. Saturday at SEFCU Arena in Albany, New York)
Four teams are within two games of the lead in the America East Conference, making this mid-major showdown quite appealing. Stony Brook (14-7, 9-1) has already scored an 81-68 win over Albany this year and is 11-1 in its last 12 games after a horrendous 3-6 beginning. The Seawolves have won five straight since falling to Boston University earlier this year. Anthony Jackson scored 14 points in Stony Brook’s last game against Binghamton. Albany (15-9, 7-3), which is tied with Boston for third place, one game behind runner-up Vermont and two behind Stony Brook, has also lost to Boston and has losses to Vermont and Stony Brook in league play. Gerardo Suero poured in 32 points as Albany topped Maryland-Baltimore County in its last game.
IONA at MANHATTAN (7 p.m. Saturday at Draddy Gymnasium in New York, New York)
The Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference has turned into a three-horse race between Loyola (Maryland) and these two schools. Iona (18-5, 10-2), led by Michael Glover and his 18.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, has a three-game winning streak entering this contest, and six games remain in the regular season following this one. The Gaels have lost to Manhattan and Siena in the last month, but the Manhattan game was a close one. Manhattan (17-7, 10-2) beat Iona 75-72 as part of an eight-game winning streak for the Jaspers, who haven’t lost since a 61-60 heartbreaker to Loyola (Maryland) at the start of January. George Beamon’s 17.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game pace the Jaspers.
No. 5 KANSAS at No. 8 MISSOURI (9 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri)
This Big 12 border war puts first place on the line, as a win by Missouri would really create a tight race. As it is now, it’s not too bad. Kansas (18-4, 8-1) leads both Missouri and Baylor by one game, and Baylor plays mediocre Oklahoma State this weekend. The Jayhawks recovered nicely from their surprise 72-64 loss to Iowa State and handed Oklahoma an 84-62 setback as Tyshawn Taylor scored 21 points and Thomas Robinson grabbed 17 rebounds. Kansas hasn’t seen Missouri yet this season so the end of the Big 12 campaign could get mighty interesting… and did we mention the Jayhawks face Baylor in the next game? Missouri (20-2, 7-2) has quietly turned into one of the nation’s hottest teams, with scoring and shooting in the top 10 in Division I all season. Like Kansas, Missouri had a game get away as the Tigers fell to Oklahoma State, but Mizzou has beaten Texas Tech and Texas since then.
OREGON at COLORADO (9 p.m. Saturday at Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado)
Assuming the state has dug out from its blizzard by now, this game should go on as scheduled. If so, Colorado hopes to bury the Ducks under an avalanche of baskets. Oregon (16-6, 7-3) and Colorado are tied with California for second place in the Pac-12, one game behind league-leading Washington. Oregon just lost an in-state rivalry game to Oregon State 76-71, but it recovered for a 79-68 win over Utah last week behind Devoe Joseph’s 20 points. It has been a strong season for Colorado (15-7, 7-3) thanks to the play of stars like Andre Roberson, who had 16 points and 15 boards in an 82-60 win over Oregon State. Following losses to California and Stanford, the Buffaloes have won four of five, with a 77-60 loss to UCLA the only thing standing in the way of a five-game winning streak.
No. 18 MICHIGAN at No. 10 MICHIGAN STATE (1 p.m. Sunday at Jack Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan)
Nothing like a strong in-state rivalry to get the appetite set for a big game later in the day. If Michigan wins this contest, the Wolverines will have beaten Michigan State four times in a row, and that hasn’t happened since the mid-1990s. Michigan (17-6, 7-3) is 4-3 since January 11 and has lost to Iowa, Arkansas and Ohio State in that stretch, but the Wolverines handed Indiana a 68-56 setback as Trey Burke led Michigan with 18 points. Michigan and Wisconsin are tied for second in the league, a half-game behind Ohio State. Michigan State (17-5, 6-3) is one game off the lead in fourth place. The Spartans are recovering from a 42-41 loss to Illinois; Branden Dawson had 12 points and 13 rebounds in defeat. The good news for the Spartans is leading scorer and rebounder Draymond Green is expected to play. It was thought he’d suffered a knee injury during the team’s loss to the Illini.
