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Best college basketball games of the weekend: Christmas weekend

By Gabe Esquivel

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 08: Trae Young #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives on Jonah Mathews #2 of the USC Trojans in an 85-83 Sooner win during the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at Staples Center on December 8, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 08: Trae Young #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives on Jonah Mathews #2 of the USC Trojans in an 85-83 Sooner win during the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at Staples Center on December 8, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Here are the college basketball games you should watch this weekend as you wait for Santa to come.

The final weekend of non-conference play is upon us in men’s college basketball. After this, most conferences begin their league slate and ride that for the rest of the season.

Naturally, many teams are taking this weekend easy. Not to mention, Christmas is on Monday, and there are no games on Sunday due to Christmas Eve. Despite there not being any ranked match-ups, we will get to see some intriguing games and some interesting teams facing off. I guess this weekend has to be a little lackluster, as Santa will likely be a bit busy with some last-minute toy-making to watch any college hoops.

Northwestern- No. 17 Oklahoma: Friday, 7 p.m. ET

Trae Young takes the court again, and it has gotten to the point that he is always must-see TV. Pit him against a possible tournament team in Northwestern and you’d be foolish to not watch this game. The Sooners play host to the Wildcats in a battle of great college point guards. Northwestern’s Bryant McIntosh has seen a lot in his college career, but he probably has not faced a point guard who is playing like Young is.

Young is coming off a historic performance against Northwestern State in which he posted 26 points and a ridiculous 22 assists. The Wildcats struggled to start the season, but have gotten in somewhat of a stride and have won their last four games. A key for Northwestern to have a chance will be having Vic Law, their best defender, available for the game. Law has been in the concussion protocol and will be a late decision for his game status. Without him, the Wildcats’ job on the road got that much harder.

Texas-Alabama: Friday, 9 p.m. ET

This game sees two teams who have been somewhat struggling amidst unusually high pre-season expectations. It also features two likely lottery picks in next year’s NBA Draft. The Longhorns and the Crimson Tide both come in at 8-3 and will be looking for this win to help build their resumes. The game is technically a neutral site match, but they play in Birmingham, so it is essentially an Alabama home game.

For as chaotic as the Longhorns have played at times this year, they have consistently played good defense, largely thanks to freshman rim protector Mohamed Bamba. The Longhorns allow about 61 PPG to opponents while the Crimson Tide are letting their opponents score 72 PPG. Alas, Texas will be without its best offensive player for this game, as Andrew Jones is sidelined indefinitely with a wrist injury. In the three games without Jones, Texas’ offense has struggled mightily, only averaging 58 PPG as a unit — which is about 15 points lower than their previous 72.7 PPG average with Jones in the squad.

The key for Alabama will be getting the stops and exploiting the fact that Texas is missing itsbest scorer. The match-up between point guards Collin Sexton and Matt Coleman will be key too. Sexton is a fiery, do-it-all guard while Coleman is the cool, composed show-runner type of guard. There is a resume-building win up at stake, and both teams will be up for the fight.

No. 21 Tennessee-Wake Forest: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET

This game may not immediately jump out as one of the better games of the weekend, but there is real upset potential here. After losing four of their first five games this season, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons have found a stride and have not lost in over a month. On the other side, a Tennessee team that looked strong to start has blown a lead in a home game against UNC and nearly been upset by Furman in the past week.

Now, Tennessee gets a hot team on the road. This has chaos written all over it. The Demon Deacons are still finding themselves as a team, but have scored 80 or more in each of their last five games. This hot offense will be tested against a strong, disruptive defense in the Volunteers. Tennessee restricts their opponents to 66 PPG and is good for over seven steals per game as well.

Tennessee’s key will be using their size and dominating the paint area. They will have to manage to control the tempo and play at their pace despite being on the road. If Wake Forest gets into their own groove at home, we could be in for an upset in Winston-Salem.

Ohio State- No. 5 UNC- Saturday, 1:30 p.m. ET

The Buckeyes and the Tarheels are heading to New Orleans for an intriguing match-up. Another Saturday afternoon game sees a North Carolina team that is fresh off being upset at home by Wofford. Ohio State, on the other hand, have won five straight heading into this game. The Buckeyes have exceeded most people’s expectations this season and are looking better than advertised.

Star players Keita Bates-Diop and Jae’Sean Tate will be crucial, as well as point guard C.J Jackson. If Jackson can neutralize UNC’s Joel Berry, there is a chance at an upset. Another key will be 3-point shooting. Both squads have been up-and-down from beyond the arc this year, and if either team can get hot from deep, it will very much give them a great chance to win. North Carolina will use its frontcourt to impose their will as usual. The Buckeyes will need to compete in the paint if they want any chance at a win on a neutral court.

No. 7 Kentucky- UCLA- Saturday, 4 p.m. ET

Kentucky and UCLA are joining the party down in New Orleans, as they are facing off on a neutral site as well. The Bruins have been struggling to find their way this season. They do not have much of an identity and have lost two of their last three leading up to this game. Meanwhile, Kentucky is on the opposite end of that spectrum. The Wildcats are beginning to gel and hit a stride here before conference play starts.

The Kentucky Wildcats showed the surprising ability to hit 3-pointers at a high clip in their win over Virginia Tech last weekend. Not only is the deep ball working, but the Wildcats have recently shown a dynamic offense all-around, scoring 93-plus points in three of their last four games. For UCLA, offense has not been a problem this year. The squad averages about 83 PPG but has really struggled defensively.

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To have a chance at an upset, UCLA will absolutely need to fluster the Kentucky offense and force them to shoot from deep. If Kentucky has a bad shooting day, UCLA could use their offensive prowess to propel them to an upset. Otherwise, the Wildcats could have their way with UCLA in New Orleans.