Key clashes in the Pac-12 and Big 12 will headline the Week 13 college basketball schedule.
Following the wildest week of college basketball in recent memory, the stretch run of the 2016-17 regular season promises to be exciting.
Seven teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll suffered at least one loss in Week 12. Only Gonzaga, Baylor and Arizona escaped unscathed, setting up a scramble for seeding prior to Selection Sunday.
The week was highlighted by Saturday’s Big 12-SEC Challenge, which finished in a tie at five games apiece. While the Big 12 might be disappointed with that overall result due to the relative weakness of the SEC, the conference picked up a huge win with Kansas knocking off Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
With all the upsets, conference title races all around the nation are heating up. Week 13 will feature a number of marquee matchups that could determine first place in the Pac-12, Big 12 and Big Ten.
The previous week will be tough to top, but these five games are worth watching over the next few days.
5. Kentucky at Florida, Saturday 5:15 p.m. ET
Following a pair of losses this week, John Calipari has plenty of work to do before the Wildcats head into Gainesville on Saturday evening.
Kentucky cracked the top four heading into Week 12 with a mark of 17-2 and looked to be well ahead of the rest of the SEC. The Wildcats now look a little vulnerable after suffering a shocking road loss at Tennessee on Tuesday before blowing a lead against short-handed Kansas.
Florida looked to be Kentucky’s main competition in the SEC prior to a poor stretch two weeks ago that included a bad home loss to Vanderbilt. Michael White’s squad managed to turn things somewhat around with a pair of easy road wins against poor teams in LSU and Oklahoma.
While Kentucky’s overall defensive numbers are good, it has struggled on that end of the floor against better competition like North Carolina, UCLA and Kansas. The big question on Saturday is if a Florida offense that put up an ugly showing in those two conference losses can take advantage.
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Florida plays strong enough defense to slow down Kentucky, but the athleticism of the Wildcats’ backcourt is going to be a tough matchup for the Gators. Calipari will have Kentucky motivated to play after the two losses, although a win won’t come easy on the road in a hostile environment.