This Week’s Top Matchups in College Basketball
March Madness is just a few weeks away, which means Selection Sunday is just around the corner. On Sunday, March 17th, we will find out which team has the opportunity to create the most mayhem. Before we all get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at the best NCAAB games to take advantage of this week. On Saturday, February 3rd, there will be four top-25 teams going head-to-head. We will have the Battle of Tobacco Road take place between the Duke Blue Devils (#7) and the North Carolina Tar Heels (#3). Houston (#4) takes on Kansas (#8) for the first time as a Big 12 member. The Volunteers of Tennessee (#5) will compete against the Wildcats of Kentucky (#10) in their first matchup of the season. Finally, Iowa St (#12) looks to stay hot while they travel to Baylor (#18) in the final top-25 matchup of the day on Saturday.
Duke (#7) @ North Carolina (#3)
This historical rivalry is unlike any other in college basketball. Who can forget the Austin Rivers three-point shot as time expired to give Duke the last-second victory over North Carolina, an instant classic of a game. North Carolina leads the all-time series 143-1115, but in the last 100 games, the series is tied at 50-50. This will be a great test for both teams as the ACC tournament is right around the corner and getting this quad one will be a big resume builder. I expect UNC to win given how RJ Davis, a potential Wooden Award finalist, and company are playing right now.
Houston (#4) @ Kansas (#8)
This will be the first of two very competitive matchups that Houston and Kansas will play against each other this season. Kansas has not looked like the past championship-level teams, mostly due to the lack of depth they have coming off the bench. Houston plays elite defense as they rank number one in points allowed per game at a remarkable 51.9ppg and are also ranked number one in defensive efficiency as a team. Kansas loves to speed up play and create as many fast break opportunities as possible while Houston slows their opponent down to force bad shots. This game will come down to who will be grabbing offensive rebounds and generating second chance points. I lean towards the Cougars even though the Jayhawks are the home team.
Tennessee (#5) @ Kentucky (#10)
Tennessee and Kentucky are two of the most explosive offensive teams in the nation. The Volunteers have won four games in a row to this point and are looking really well defensively, holding their opponents to an average of 69.5 points per game in their last four. Kentucky is 3-2 in their last five SEC matchups and is looking to go on a run heading into the last quarter of the season. Their offense has lost the rhythm they once had to start the season, and they will need to find their groove on Saturday if they want to beat the Volunteers. I believe Dalton Knecht will be the key difference in this matchup and ultimately give them the edge to defeat Kentucky.
Iowa St. (#12) @ Baylor (#18)
Iowa St. is coming off an upset win against the Kansas Jayhawks in their last Big 12 conference game and are looking to continue to ride the wave as they progress to Waco, TX to play the Baylor Bears. Baylor is looking for a huge bounce-back win as they lost to TCU (#25) in triple overtime. Look for RayJ Dennis to have a huge game all across the box score as they need him to get the upset against the Cyclones. For this very reason, I expect Baylor to be rested and focused as they look to rebound and get the win at home.
