Kansas, Kentucky Among Top Men’s Hoops Teams on Upset Watch This Weekend
It has already been a historic week in men’s college basketball, with upset after upset throwing early conference title races in disarray and likely causing quite the shake-up at the top of the national rankings. Four of the top five teams in the AP poll lost to unranked teams Tuesday and Wednesday, with only the No. 4 UConn Huskies able to escape unscathed from a 48 hours loaded with surprising results.
All that sets the stage for an interesting weekend of action, headlined by more than 130 games Saturday. The slate is light on ranked-vs.-ranked matchups, but if we’ve learned anything this week, it’s that it doesn’t take high-profile on-paper showdowns to produce some epic results.
Here’s a look at the best of Saturday’s action.
The Headliners
No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 3 Kansas, 2 p.m. ET
It’s never fun to face a Bill Self team after a loss … particularly a bad one like the one the Kansas Jayhawks suffered to UCF on Wednesday. The Jayhawks have lost consecutive games just five times since the start of the 2014–15 season, and will look to avoid that fate against an Oklahoma Sooners team playing just its second true road game of the season Saturday. The Sooners have pushed Kansas to the brink at Allen Fieldhouse in each of Porter Moser’s first two seasons, but is this the year for a breakthrough? It will take a special performance from Siena transfer guard Javian McCollum, Oklahoma’s best shot-creator. This game should serve as a fairly good litmus test for what our concern level is with the Jayhawks, whose loss at UCF highlighted some of the team’s recent struggles that have been masked by narrow wins over the likes of Indiana and TCU in the last month.
McCollum is Oklahoma’s best shot creator and the key for the Sooners to beat the Jayhawks.
Nathan J. Fish/The Oklahoman/USA TODAY Network
No. 6 Kentucky at Texas A&M, 2 p.m. ET
Wins like Kentucky’s road victory at the Florida Gators last weekend lend credence to the idea that the young Wildcats have a chance to seriously contend for an SEC championship. Another road win, this time against the Texas A&M Aggies, would move the needle even further. Texas A&M has stumbled early in SEC play, with a pair of sputtering offensive performances against the LSU Tigers and Auburn Tigers. But the one thing the Aggies will always do well against Buzz Williams is pressure the ball and turn you over, and that could be a rare disruptive force against a Kentucky team that has been among the best in the land at taking care of the ball.
St. John’s at No. 22 Creighton, 1 p.m. ET
Rick Pitino has the St. John’s Red Storm playing at a high level right now, winners of four straight including a road win at Villanova last weekend. The Red Storm could announce themselves further as Big East contenders with a win here at Creighton, which could also use a signature victory. Ryan Kalkbrenner’s ability to protect the rim for the Bluejays could cause problems for a St. John’s team that loves to attack the paint, but the Red Storm’s defensive pressure has been disruptive lately.
Northwestern at No. 15 Wisconsin, 12 p.m. ET
The Wisconsin Badgers are rapidly emerging as a threat to the Purdue Boilermakers at the top of the Big Ten, off to a 4–0 start in conference play behind a resurgent offense approaching the top five of KenPom’s efficiency metrics. Can they keep the good vibes rolling against a Northwestern Wildcats team that swept them in two meetings a season ago? The Wildcats’ guards, led by Boo Buie, have shown the ability to take over games, and they’ll need a special performance to match AJ Storr and the Badgers’ newfound offensive firepower.
Bubble Battles
- Seton Hall at Butler: The Butler Bulldogs gave their hopes of going dancing a huge boost by winning at Marquette on Wednesday. Now, they host the Big East’s hottest team with a chance to further build their NCAA tournament résumé.
- Virginia at Wake Forest: The Wake Forest Demon Deacons had a nine-game winning streak snapped Tuesday at Florida State, but have played their way into the upper echelon of the ACC thanks to dynamic backcourt play. Can they continue their winning ways against a slumping Virginia Cavaliers team that could desperately use a needle-moving win?
- Kansas State at Texas Tech: This matchup pits two members of the Scott Drew coaching tree in the Kansas State Wildcats’ Jerome Tang and Texas Tech Red Raiders’ Grant McCasland against each other. Expect a lower-scoring affair given each coach’s sharp defensive reputations.
- Arkansas at Florida: Two of the SEC’s biggest brands are off to 0–2 starts in league play and could really use a win here. Florida came up just short against the Kentucky Wildcats before struggling defensively vs. the Ole Miss Rebels, while the Arkansas Razorbacks got blown out at home against Auburn before dropping a road test at the Georgia Bulldogs.
- San Diego State at New Mexico: The Mountain West race is quite the battle early on. The New Mexico Lobos’ slow start has raised some eyebrows in Albuquerque, but the Lobos are still incredibly talented, especially in the backcourt. A big win Saturday over defending national runner-up San Diego State Aztecs would certainly qualify as righting the ship.
Mid-Major Game of the Day
Belmont at Indiana State, 2 p.m. ET
If you love offense, tune in. These two coaches (Belmont’s Casey Alexander and Indiana State’s Josh Schertz) are among the most sharp tactical minds in the nation and will be high on ADs and search firms’ lists this spring. These teams last met in the Missouri Valley tournament a year ago, and each posted better than 1.25 points per possession in one of the more beautiful games played all of last season.
