Best college basketball weekend games: December 8-10
These are the five best games of the college basketball weekend.
What a week it has been in college basketball. Multiple top-10 teams lost to unranked opponents, including Texas A&M, Florida, Notre Dame, and Kansas. Now, its time for such teams to look to bounce back, and for others to capitalize on their faltering. It has been a wild year in college hoops so far. I mean, an Indiana-Louisville game doesn’t even make the top five games of the weekend. Neither does a UCLA – Michigan game. Yet Alabama headlines a weekend — in basketball! Weird, right?
Anyways, here are the five best games to watch out for this weekend.
Oklahoma vs. No. 25 USC: Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET
Leading NCAA scorer Trae Young leads the Sooners to Staples Center to take on a struggling USC team. USC has lost back-to-back games by 15-plus points and is desperate for a bounce back. De’Anthony Melton isn’t back yet and USC will have to cope, especially against a guard like Young.
The Trojans shot below 30 percent in their two losses, but face one of the worst 3-point defenses, and not a good one in general, in the country in Oklahoma. When you see an exploitable aspect of a team, you have to take it. USC’s offense has been in need of a spark and getting their frontcourt going, and this needs to be the game. This is a big-time test for an inexperienced Sooners team, and they could likely vault themselves into the top 25 with a win here. Meanwhile, this is a must-win for USC in order to stop a potentially season-derailing skid.
No. 22 Nevada- No. 20 TCU: Saturday, 1 a.m. ET
Yes, it is at 1 a.m. on the east coast. That is not a typo. It will be worth the wait. Two high-powered offenses that you will want to get to know before March.
Nevada is coming off an overtime loss at Texas Tech while TCU comes in unbeaten. The Horned Frogs haven’t really been tested apart from a game against SMU, so this game will be a big test. Both teams average over 80 points per game, while TCU allows just three more points per game than the Wolf Pack.
Jamie Dixon’s team will look to exploit some depth issues that Nevada may have.The Wolf Pack only had a total of three bench points in their loss to Texas Tech. An aspect that will have to change if they want to win on Saturday morning.
No. 5 Florida vs. No. 17 Cincinnati: Saturday, 6 p.m. ET
Florida has lost three straight games, two to unranked opponents in this past week. Meanwhile, the Bearcats have had a week off since their loss to rival Xavier. Both teams are looking to bounce back and get a win to jumpstart their season.
The Gators are on a skid that could really derail their season and hurt any SEC run they wanted to make. They scored less than 70 in both losses to unranked teams after being among the best scoring teams in the country. A poor defensive team already, the inability to outscore teams have proved to be their Achilles heel. Cincinnati is a terrific defensive team under Mick Cronin, meaning a potentially long night for the Gators.
The Bearcats could enforce their will and add to their struggles, especially having a week to prepare. Florida’s Jalen Hudson will need to be the scorer to lead the team against this elite defense.
Alabama vs. Arizona: Saturday, 10 p.m. ET
Two of my personal favorite players in college basketball face off in this one. Elite freshman guard Collin Sexton takes on the revered Alonzo Trier. The Wildcats have won three straight as they come back from their miserable Battle 4 Atlantis run and now they get star sophomore Rawle Alkins back. Freshman sensation DeAndre Ayton has proved himself to be one of the best players in the country and will be a key figure in this guard-oriented game.
These two teams are probably among the best squads that have multiple losses. Two offenses that aren’t consistently powerful but have potential to explode at any moment. I mean, Alabama outscored another team when it was 3-on-5. The difference will, simply, be on the quality of the defense. Arizona’s defense has been very spotty this year and Alabama holds the advantage in that aspect. The Crimson Tide allow fewer points per game and also average more blocks and steals each game. The addition of Alkins could help Arizona make up ground, but Trier, Ayton and Ristic have all been mediocre at best on that end.
In a potentially explosive offensive games, it will be which defense can produce a few stops that wins this one in Tuscon.
No. 16 Arizona State vs. No. 2 Kansas: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET
Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils are, simply put, rolling. Unbeaten thus far in 7 games, while Kansas is fresh off their first loss of the season against unranked Washington. Both teams rank in the top 12 in scoring, so the game could come down to just one or two stops.
Next: Best college basketball player from every state
Devonte Graham of Kansas is one of two players that are in major conferences to average at least 18 points per game, eight assists and two steals — everything you want in a lead guard. On the other side, Tra Holder ranks in the top 15 in scoring in the country. Titans will collide. Both teams are hyperactive on defense and produce a lot of turnovers as well, making for a game that could be extremely explosive.
The game is in Lawrence, so Kansas will have a great advantage for this one. Now, they have only been tested a couple of times, they did lose their most recent game against a high-major team. Arizona State has an incredibly impressive 16-point victory against Xavier under their belt, but face a much bigger test on the road Sunday night. This game has game-of-the-season candidate potential.