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NCAA basketball Week 4: 5 things college basketball fans need to know this week

By Mike Phillips

LEXINGTON, KY - DECEMBER 12: Terrence Clarke #5 of the Kentucky Wildcats drives to the basket between Juwan Durham #11 and Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Rupp Arena on December 12, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - DECEMBER 12: Terrence Clarke #5 of the Kentucky Wildcats drives to the basket between Juwan Durham #11 and Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Rupp Arena on December 12, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Kentucky’s struggles and a Super Saturday are big NCAA basketball stories this week.

The NCAA basketball season isn’t even a month old yet and it feels like things are going haywire. Several programs have yet to even take the floor due to coronavirus-related pauses while some top contenders have struggled out of the gate.

What storylines should college hoops fans keep an eye on this week? Let’s take a look at five to watch, beginning with the struggles of the Wildcats.

Team to watch: Kentucky Wildcats

This season has been a rough one for John Calipari’s crew, which is off to a 1-4 start that includes a pair of losses at Rupp Arena. Kentucky fell behind 48-26 against Notre Dame on Saturday, the worst first-half deficit at home in program history, but their furious comeback fell just short when Olivier Sarr and Devin Askew missed potential go-ahead bucket in the final seconds.

Calipari remains optimistic about his team, telling reporters after the loss that dealing with adversity this early will make the Wildcats a stronger team. The second-half comeback is a good sign and the fact that Keion Brooks should be coming back from a calf injury soon should further strengthen the Wildcats’ rotation. Kentucky is set to take on UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday in a game that should be a must-win affair for them.

Story to watch: Duke among teams pausing non-conference play

Mike Krzyzewski made some headlines this week when he announced that Duke was canceling the remainder of its non-conference schedule. It hasn’t been a great start for the Blue Devils, who have lost home games to Illinois and Michigan State so far, but Krzyzewski cited this decision was tied to an abundance of caution due to the ongoing pandemic as well as a desire to let his players see their families over the holidays.

The mental stress of this college basketball season has been underreported as players have been separated from their families for months in order to maintain the strict protocols necessary to play this season. Duke has already played four non-conference games, so they have met the NCAA selection committee’s suggestion for that metric, and it will be interesting to see if other programs follow Duke’s lead. Northern Iowa just announced a pause this week and will let their players see their families for a couple of days, so keep an eye on if other programs announce pauses of their own.

Cinderella watch: San Diego State

As always, our weekly mid-major spotlight takes a look at non-power conference schools with a chance to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament. This week we’ll examine San Diego State, which made a big statement by upsetting Arizona State in a resounding 80-68 win in Tempe by emphasizing defense and rebounding.

Brian Dutcher made sure to send three guys back in transition defense on most occasions to prevent the Sun Devils from dominating off misses, which proved to be an effective strategy. The Aztecs also controlled the paint, outscoring Arizona State 36-9 down low, with junior forward Nathan Mensah contributing 17 points and 15 rebounds in the win.

Malachi Flynn may be in the pros but the nucleus of this San Diego State program is pretty much the same as the one that was in the mix for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament last March. The Aztecs have a big non-conference showdown against BYU on Friday.

Freshman to watch: Kansas forward Jalen Wilson

Many expected Bryce Thompson to be the star freshman for Kansas but it has turned out to be Jalen Wilson, a 6-foot-8 forward who took a redshirt after appearing in just two games a year ago. Wilson leads the Jayhawks in scoring (15.3 points per game) and rebounding (8.7 rebounds per game) as a big factor in Kansas’ 6-1 start.

Kansas got a huge game from Wilson in a tight win over Creighton on Monday, with the young big chipping in 23 points and 10 rebounds. Wilson will get his first taste of Big 12 action this week when the Jayhawks hit the road to take on no. 17 Texas Tech on Thursday.

Games to watch: Saturday offers a ton of top action

The week as a whole is light on top games but if you finish your Christmas shopping early Saturday will have a nice array of games on the schedule. The CBS Sports Classic, taking place in Cleveland, will feature matchups between Kentucky and UCLA as well as Ohio State against North Carolina, but those aren’t even the headliners of the day.

One marquee game tips off right at noon as No. 1 Gonzaga is slated to return from its COVID pause with a massive non-conference showdown against No. 3 Iowa at a neutral site in South Dakota. The other monster matchup comes in New York City as Virginia is scheduled to face off with Villanova at Madison Square Garden. Make sure you find some time to check out these huge games this week.

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