This weekend in college basketball
The holidays are right around the corner, and that means college basketball is in full swing. With most teams having approximately 10 games under their belts, we are getting a decent idea of which might make noise, and who could be a surprising contender.
This Saturday, 17 teams in the top 25 are in action, with the schedule as follows:
UCLA at No. 1 Kentucky
No. 4 Louisville at Western Kentucky
Syracuse at No. 7 Villanova
Cal Poly at No. 8 Gonzaga
Long Beach State at No. 9 Texas
Lafayette at No. 10 Kansas
No. 24 North Carolina at No. 12 Ohio State
No. 13 Iowa State at Drake
No. 14 Utah at UNLV
No. 15 Oklahoma at No. 16 Washington
Ball State at No. 19 San Diego State
Purdue at No. 21 Notre Dame
North Carolina State at No. 22 West Virginia
Indiana at No. 23 Butler
Texas Southern at No. 25 Michigan State
The first game that jumps off the list is Syracuse traveling to play Villanova. This used to be a terrific Big East rivalry until football and money got in the way, luring the Orange to the ACC. The Wildcats are once again a power this season under head coach Jay Wright, who has his team 10-0 in the early going.
Villanova is without a signature win to this point, although it did beat two previously-ranked teams in VCU and Michigan. The Wildcats present Syracuse with a young and balanced team, boosting a backcourt of Josh Hart, Dylan Ennis and Darrun Hillard II. The trio has combined for 34.0 points, 12.7 rebounds and 4.7 steals per game. Against Syracuse’s patented 2-3 zone, they will have to knock down outside shots to force the Orange out on the perimeter. Ennis, Villanova’s leading scorer, also leads the team in three-point percentage at 45.7.
Syracuse is not off to a typical start under Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim. The Orange are notorious for playing weak non-conference schedules, but 2014 is a different story. Syracuse is only 6-3 with losses to California, Michigan and St. John’s. The Orange has struggled to score, ranking 190th in the nation at 68.2 points per game. The only consistent scorer has been Rakeem Christmas, who is leading the Orange with 16.4 points and 8.9 rebounds/game.
Another contest to keep an eye on is No. 15 Oklahoma vs. No. 16 Washington in the MGM Grand Showcase. The Huskies are 9-0 including an impressive win over San Diego State, 49-36. In that game, Washington held the Aztecs to 20.4 percent shooting, forcing 12 turnovers. The Huskies are strong inside, checking in seventh in defensive rebounds and second in blocks, amassing 8.2/game. Junior Robert Upshaw is the anchor defensively, a 7’0” center averaging 7.1 rebounds and 4.8/blocks game.
Oklahoma counters with its own tough interior, second nationally in defensive rebounding. Ryan Spangler patrols the paint, pacing the Sooner with 8.4 rebounds/game and shooting 64.8 percent from the field. On the outside, Oklahoma’s main weapon is Buddy Heild, a junior guard averaging 16 points and 5.4 rebounds/game. Heild is one of the more well-rounded guards in America, but he has struggled against elite teams this year. When facing teams in the Top 25, Heild is averaging just seven points on 4-of-21 shooting.
