Look for these five games to headline a loaded college basketball schedule in Week 16.
Just two full weeks remain in the college basketball regular season, as teams around the nation will make their final push for seeding in upcoming conference tournaments.
The biggest news of Week 15 came from the Big 12, where Kansas is well on its way to a 13th consecutive regular season title after taking down West Virginia and Baylor. Every remaining game in the conference will still be important, as a number of Big 12 teams are squarely on the bubble, which is shaping up to be pretty soft this season.
Villanova also clinched at least a share of the Big East crown after crushing Seton Hall on Saturday, but things aren’t quite as clear at the top of a few other power conferences. The Pac-12, SEC and ACC are still all up for grabs, and a few key showdowns over the next several days could determine all three conference champions.
Week 16 is stacked with intriguing games, particularly on Wednesday and Saturday, with these five matchups standing out as the best.
5. Duke at Syracuse, Wednesday 7:00 p.m. ET
Duke is arguably the hottest team in the nation right now but will get a major road test at the Carrier Dome against a Syracuse team that needs a big win to help its chances at an at-large bid.
The Blue Devils have won seven straight games and are finally living up to their preseason status as the national title favorite. While recent wins over Clemson and Wake Forest were a bit of a struggle, Duke owns impressive victories against North Carolina and Virginia during the recent stretch.
After an ugly showing in nonconference play, Syracuse is right on the bubble at 16-12 overall and 8-7 in the brutal ACC. A three-game losing streak that includes defeats against Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh has undone the momentum of the prior five-game winning streak, so Syracuse still has some work to do despite ranking in the top half of the conference standings.
Even in a tough environment, the Blue Devils are going to be hard to beat given their current form. Duke’s perimeter offense is clicking, with Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen and freshman phenom Jayson Tatum playing very well of late.
That’s going to challenge a Syracuse defense that ranks just 91st in adjusted efficiency per Ken Pomeroy, and the Blue Devils have been playing well enough defensively themselves to slow down a good Orange offense. Louisville is the only ACC team to win at the Carrier Dome this season, so this could be a real battle, but Syracuse is going to need a terrific defense effort to come away with a victory.