| Weekend Picks |
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No. 1 Kansas (12-0) at No. 18 Temple (11-2)
How is it that the top-ranked team in the country has played one true road game all season? That is not the best way to prepare for a game in the Liacouras Center, where the Owls knocked off then-undefeated Villanova on Dec. 13. The Jayhawks are the better team, but they also rely on scoring in transition, and Temple is ranked sixth in the U.S. in turnovers per game (10.2). We all know nobody is going undefeated this season, so Kansas might as well get that first loss out of the way.
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69 |
68 |
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Louisville (10-3) at No. 3 Kentucky (14-0)
The good news for Louisville is, they're finally getting healthy and Samardo Samuels is finally starting to rebound like he should. The bad news is that if Kentucky loses this game, John Calipari will have his players running stairs for a month. Chances of a letdown: zero.
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79 |
68 |
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No. 8 Villanova (11-1) at Marquette (9-4)
Three of Marquette's four losses this season have come by 4 points or less -- including Tuesday night's 63-62 loss at West Virginia, when the Golden Eagles missed the front end of two one-and-ones in the final 30 seconds to cough up a five-point lead. Still, while Marquette is once again lacking interior firepower, so too is Villanova. The Eagles proved they can play with anyone, and since this is the second of four consecutive games against ranked teams, it classifies as a must win. And you all know how much I like desperate teams at home.
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74 |
70 |
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Notre Dame (12-2) at No. 10 Connecticut (9-3)
UConn has some very real concerns that were exposed in Wednesday night's loss at Cincinnati, but there is no way Jim Calhoun will let them come home and lose their second straight game. The Huskies' big men are offensively deficient, but they are big, strong and mobile enough to do a good job defensively on Luke Harangody. The real secret weapon for Notre Dame is 6-8 junior forward Tim Abromaitis, who is averaging 21 points over his last six games.
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77 |
67 |
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No. 11 Michigan State (10-3) at Northwestern (10-2)
Far be it from me to point out that the best win during Northwestern's 10-1 start came on a neutral court over Notre Dame. The Wildcats will need a signature win to get on my top 25 ballot, but it won't happen this week. They could not quite knock off Illinois in Champaign Wednesday night, and now they have to face a Spartans team that still has fresh memories of their loss to Northwestern last year in East Lansing. I also expect Kalin Lucas to play with renewed intensity after Tom Izzo took him to the woodshed this week.
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79 |
64 |
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Gonzaga (10-3) at Illinois (9-4)
No team plays a tougher nonconference schedule every year than Gonzaga. This, of course, is by necessity, since the Zags typically disappear from view once conference play begins. As a result, they tend to get mentally and physically worn down by this time, and flying across the country to play a true road game just 48 hours after taking on Oklahoma in Spokane is too tall a task. Illinois, meanwhile, needs better guard play to complement the steady production of forwards Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis, who combined to score 51 points in Wednesday's OT win over Northwestern.
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74 |
70 |
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Arizona (6-7) at UCLA (6-7)
Both teams hurt themselves during the nonconference season, so anything less than a top-three finish in the Pac 10 would pretty much eliminate their chances for an at-large bid. The Bruins' top freshman, Tyler Honeycutt, is still getting up to speed after missing the first six games of the season with a broken leg. On the other hand, Arizona's top freshman, Jordan Williams, is ranked in the top 10 of the conference in both scoring and rebounding.
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74 |
63 |
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Seton Hall (9-3) vs. Virginia Tech (11-1 in Cancun, Mexico
Psychologically, this is a very dangerous game for Seton Hall. The Pirates are coming off two emotionally difficult losses at home to conference teams that are ranked in the AP's top 10. Now they have to play a game that will feel like it doesn't mean much by comparison. On the flip side, the Hokies have played some decent basketball, but have amassed their 11-1 record by feasting on lesser opponents at home. They have been waiting a while to play a game that matters, and Seton Hall will provide the perfect fodder.
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80 |
73 |
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No. 21 Clemson (12-2) at No. 7 Duke (11-1)
I doubt Coach K will need to mention what happened the last time these two teams played, much less show the game tape. The Tigers throttled Duke by 27 points, but this one will be different for more than the the fact that it will be played in Cameron. The main difference is on the perimeter, where Clemson has lost two of the guards who started that game, and where Duke has figured some things out -- namely, that Nolan Smith is not a point guard. Jon Scheyer is also a far superior player than he was the last time, when he shot 1-for-8 and finished with three measly points.
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79 |
70 |
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Xavier (8-4) at Wake Forest (10-2)
I deeply wish this game were not being played at all. The schools agreed to a 10-year series in honor of the late Skip Prosser, who coached at both institutions. For this first meeting, I'll go with the Demon Deacons at home. Al Farouq-Aminu is getting a lot of attention, but senior point guard Ishmael Smith is quietly putting up the best numbers of his career.
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73 |
68 |
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| Record Last Week: 8-2 Overall: 15-5 |
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