College Basketball Watchability Rankings: 5 games to watch in Week 2

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: USC guard Elijah Stewart (30) celebrates after USC guard Jordan McLaughlin (11) scores right before the 1st half buzzer during a college basketball game between the North Dakota State Bison and the USC Trojans on November 10, 2017, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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Baylor vs. Wisconsin

Following the Bruins-Bluejays showdown, Baylor will take on Wisconsin in the second marquee matchup of the night at the Hall of Fame Classic on Monday.

The Bears lost some significant talent from the team that was ranked No. 1 last January, but still entered the season with hopes of challenging Kansas for the Big 12 title. Baylor opened ranked just inside the top 25 in the AP Poll, and has defended that with three easy wins to open the season, including a blowout over the Central Arkansas squad that gave UCLA some issues.

Senior Manu Lecomte was one of the most effective point guards in the nation last season, and is off to a hot start with 20.7 points and 3.3 assists per contest. Having 7-0 rim protector Jo Acuil in the middle of the Scott Drew zone is a game-changer, and freshman forward Tristian Clark has also been a welcome addition thus far.

While the Badgers advanced all the way to the Sweet Sixteen in the first full year of the Greg Gard era, they aren’t getting much attention this season after Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes graduated. Wisconsin is off to a 2-1 start with a competitive loss to a good Xavier team, and deserves the benefit of the doubt given its remarkable consistency over the past two decades.

Junior forward Ethan Happ is a load for anyone to handle, and is averaging 17.3 points plus 8.7 rebounds per game while leading the Badgers in assists. Gard’s challenge will be finding production elsewhere, with sophomores Brevin Pritzl and D’Mitrik Trice emerging as solid pieces.

Baylor faces an absolutely brutal schedule so every nonconference win will be significant, while Wisconsin can show its not quite ready to be counted out of Big Ten contention just yet.