Arizona-Purdue Could Be the Men’s College Basketball Game of the Year
There may not be a better slate all season long than this upcoming weekend of games. With three matchups between two top-15 teams (including a top-three showdown in Indianapolis), plus multiple other blueblood meetings, this weekend’s action has a chance to produce some season-changing results. Will we see more undefeated teams fall? Can anyone overtake Arizona for the top spot in the polls? And which teams will get huge wins to set themselves apart before conference play?
Here’s what to expect from this weekend’s action.
Newton is averaging 17 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists for UConn this season.
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No. 5 UConn vs. No. 10 Gonzaga (Seattle), Dec. 15, 10 p.m. ET
The defending national champions get another chance for a major win when they fly cross-country to play Gonzaga. The Bulldogs are one of the few teams in the country with the size and depth to match UConn’s physicality up front: The frontcourt quartet of Graham Ike, Anton Watson, Braden Huff and Ben Gregg is one of the better units in the country, even matching Purdue on the boards in the teams’ meeting last month. But does Gonzaga have good enough guards to pull the upset? UConn point guard Tristen Newton has played like an All-American so far this season, averaging better than 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game. Ryan Nembhard will need to match him for Gonzaga to come away with a season-defining win.
The Pick: UConn
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 3 Purdue (Indianapolis), Dec. 16, 4:30 p.m. ET
This one has game-of-the-year potential. Undefeated Arizona has been dominant so far this season, with an average margin of victory of more than 30 points per game and big wins over Duke, Michigan State and Wisconsin. Now, the Wildcats get their biggest test of the season, a matchup against a Purdue team that won the vaunted Maui Invitational and features National Player of the Year Zach Edey. Per KenPom, it’s the only game for the rest of the season that Arizona won’t be favored in, and one of only two games it isn’t favored by five or more points in. Can Arizona slow down Edey and use its backcourt athleticism to bother Purdue? Or will the Boilermakers add yet another signature win to an already-loaded résumé?
The Pick: Purdue
No. 9 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Kentucky (Atlanta), Dec. 16, 5:30 p.m. ET
Two of the more stylistically exciting teams to watch face off in the second of two games at the CBS Sports Classic. No one has looked more explosive than the Wildcats at their best: Kentucky’s backcourt is incredibly dynamic thanks to Rob Dillingham’s and Reed Sheppard’s presence off the bench, and the Cats did get deeper now that 7'1" Aaron Bradshaw is healthy. But the Tar Heels have actually been even more efficient offensively than Kentucky this season, riding a new-look roster that emphasizes shooting and skill around glass-cleaning big man Armando Bacot. This one should be awesome to watch and would be a huge momentum win for both teams heading into league play.
The Pick: Kentucky
Kalkbrenner is averaging 15.8 points per game for the Bluejays, shooting 64% from the field.
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Alabama at No. 8 Creighton, Dec. 16, 8 p.m. ET
Despite boasting the nation’s top-ranked offense per KenPom, Alabama has lost the three biggest games on its schedule to date. It could really use a breakthrough Saturday in Omaha against Creighton, though the Bluejays aren’t the team to play when going through defensive struggles. Plus, Creighton will be motivated after an embarrassing loss to UNLV on Wednesday night. How the Tide handles Creighton star big Ryan Kalkbrenner down low after really struggling to deal with Purdue’s Edey and Clemson’s PJ Hall earlier this season will be a major story here.
The Pick: Alabama
No. 2 Kansas at Indiana, Dec. 16, 12:30 p.m. ET
Yes, Indiana has struggled so far this year. But this is still a battle of two of the best brands in college basketball in an atmosphere that should be incredible. The Hoosiers could desperately use a résumé-topping win after an uneven first six weeks, and have the size with Kel’el Ware and Malik Reneau to match up with Hunter Dickinson on the interior. But to pull the upset, Indiana will have to make some outside shots, something they largely haven’t done all season. The Hoosiers have made more than four threes in a game just once this year, and it’s awfully difficult to beat an elite team like the Jayhawks without getting anything from beyond the arc.
The Pick: Kansas
Other games to watch
- Michigan State vs. No. 6 Baylor (Detroit): The 4–5 Spartans come in reeling and in desperate need of a win to turn their season around. But doing that against an undefeated Baylor team shooting 46% from three on the season won’t be easy.
- No. 13 Clemson at Memphis: Penny Hardaway has been vocal about his belief that Memphis deserves to be ranked. Win this one against a top-15 Clemson team, and it’ll have removed all doubt. How Memphis handles star big man Hall is a major question, but it has gotten great point guard play lately from Jahvon Quinerly.
- UCLA vs. Ohio State (Atlanta): Both of these teams are in need of a big nonconference win. Ohio State spoiled most of its goodwill built up from a strong November by blowing a big second-half lead at Penn State last weekend, but its guards should cause problems for UCLA’s young backcourt.
- Texas A&M vs. No. 4 Houston (Houston): Kelvin Sampson’s defense has been suffocating so far this season, ranking second nationally in effective field goal percentage defense and forcing turnovers at the highest rate nationally. We’ll see whether star Aggies point guard Wade Taylor IV can crack the code and lead them to an upset.
- North Carolina State vs. No. 12 Tennessee (San Antonio): This concludes a gantlet of a nonconference stretch for the Vols, which also featured matchups with Illinois, North Carolina, Wisconsin and three huge tests at the Maui Invitational. They’ll have to slow down outstanding Pack big man DJ Burns Jr. to come away with a win.
