Weekend Preview

Although the top handful of teams this year have separated themselves from the pack and a few league leaders look like favorites in their respective leagues, parity around the rest of the country is in abundance. One night, a team looks outstanding and a lock for the NCAA Tournament (more often than not, the game was at home), and the next it looks like a borderline NIT team (more than likely, this game was on the road). As a result, it makes nearly every game between potential contenders in conference play a key game. This weekend features several of those types of games, as well as other contests between teams in need of wins — it’s never too early to start thinking about the bubble. In other words, this weekend is huge in college basketball — and I guess it’s kind of big in the NFL too. So, basically, you never have to leave your couch.

Note: I’m driving up to Massachusetts today for the Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield – definitely one of the best high school events of the year. Therefore, the Weekend Preview is a little light on actual analysis this week, unless I get time to update it in the next day or so.

Top Games

No. 12 Notre Dame at No. 8 Syracuse (Saturday, 12:00 PM, ESPN): Prediction: Syracuse 84, Notre Dame 76

No. 13 Georgetown at No. 3 Duke (Saturday, 1:30 PM, CBS): Prediction: Duke 75, Georgetown 67

Oklahoma State at No. 21 Baylor (Saturday, 1:45 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV): Prediction: Baylor 87, Oklahoma State 78

No. 6 Oklahoma at Texas A&M (Saturday, 2:00 PM, ESPN): Prediction: Oklahoma 65, Texas A&M 63

No. 2 Wake Forest at No. 10 Clemson (Saturday, 3:30 PM, ABC): Prediction: Clemson 83, Wake Forest 78

No. 16 Arizona State at No. 9 UCLA (Saturday, 3:45 PM, CBS): Prediction: UCLA 69, Arizona State 63

Illinois at No. 7 Michigan State (Saturday, 4:00 PM, ESPN): Prediction: Michigan State 71, Illinois 61

No. 1 Pittsburgh at No. 20 Louisville (Saturday, 6:00 PM, ESPN): Prediction: Louisville 73, Pittsburgh 67

Ohio State at No. 25 Michigan (Saturday, 8:00 PM, Big Ten Network): Prediction: Michigan 72, Ohio State 64

Miami (Fl.) at No. 5 North Carolina (Saturday, 9:00 PM, ESPN): Prediction: North Carolina 88, Miami (Fl.) 75

Other Games to Watch

Maryland at Florida State (Saturday, 12:00 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV): Prediction: Florida State 77, Maryland 70

Iowa State at Missouri (Saturday, 1:30 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV): Prediction: Missouri 86, Iowa State 64

Arkansas at Florida (Saturday, 2:00 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV): Prediction: Florida 76, Arkansas 71

Alabama at Auburn (Saturday, 2:00 PM): Prediction: Alabama 67, Auburn 65

LSU at Mississippi (Saturday, 4:00 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV): Prediction: LSU 69, Mississippi 66

Boston College at Virginia Tech (Saturday, 4:00 PM, ESPNU): Prediction: Virginia Tech 71, Boston College 65

South Carolina at No. 24 Tennessee (Saturday, 6:00 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV): Prediction: Tennessee 87, South Carolina 77

Kansas State at Nebraska (Saturday, 6:00 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV): Prediction: Nebraska 72, Kansas State 58

Vanderbilt at Mississippi State (Saturday, 8:00 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV): Prediction: Mississippi State 66, Vanderbilt 59

No. 22 California at Stanford (Saturday, 8:00 PM, Regional TV): Prediction: California 75, Stanford 71

Arizona at USC (Saturday, 8:00 PM, Regional TV): Prediction: USC 70, Arizona 62

No. 14 Marquette at Providence (Saturday, 9:00 PM, ESPN2): Prediction: Marquette 79, Providence 71

Key Conference Clashes

Northern Iowa at Drake (Saturday, 12:05 PM, ESPN2): Prediction: Drake 67, Northern Iowa 60

Siena at Fairfield (Saturday, 3:30 PM): Prediction: Siena 82, Fairfield 77

Dayton at Duquesne (Saturday, 7:00 PM): Prediction: Duquesne 84, Dayton 78

Middle Tennessee State at Arkansas-Little Rock (Saturday, 8:00 PM): Prediction: Arkansas-Little Rock 80, Middle Tennessee State 73

UAB at Memphis (Saturday, 8:00 PM, CBS College Sports): Prediction: Memphis 73, UAB 63

Boise State at Utah State (Saturday, 9:05 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV): Prediction: Utah State 69, Boise State 57