As we dive into another week of college basketball matchups, here is what you should know going into Week 13:
The SEC was known as one of the most dominant college basketball conferences in the country last season, with 14 of their 16 members qualifying to play in March. The SEC has multiple teams on display tonight with Tennessee taking on Georgia. Both squads have shown success, with Tennessee taking down ranked Alabama on the road last week.
Georgia also defeated a ranked opponent, taking down Arkansas two weeks ago. With both teams taking down ranked squads, they look to find other teams to build up their March resume.
Staying in the conference, Texas will take on Auburn. Similarly, these two programs have taken down ranked opponents with Texas defeating No. 13 Alabama, No. 10 Vanderbilt and No. 21. Georgia all within the past two weeks. Auburn has shown their strength defeating No. 15 Arkansas and No. 16 Florida in the past two weeks.
Another notable conference matchup will take place tonight in South Carolina when the Gamecocks take on No. 19 Florida. The defending national champions are still trying to find their missing pieces after notable players declared for the draft following the cutting of the nets last March. The players’ time to step up in their roles is running out as we approach February and continue our journey to March.
On Friday in the Big East, Providence will take on Villanova in a key matchup between strong programs. Although the Friars have struggled in conference play, they have shown promise, defeating Creighton along with St. John’s who both rank near the top. Villanova has been more successful in their conference play with a 6-3 record, only falling to top programs.
The big game to watch on Friday night will be the battle for the state of Michigan as No. 3 Michigan takes on No. 7 Michigan State. Both teams have dominated programs so far and are looking to add another quad-one victory to the tally. They both have shown that they have what they need to make it far in March; however, their squads will be tested early.
The following day, red-hot No. 4 Duke will travel to Virginia Tech after their explosive second half against No. 20 Louisville, beating them 83-52. Since Duke’s only loss this season to No. 19 Texas Tech back in December, the blue blood has gone on to win eight straight, including three against ranked opponents. The question will be if the Hokies have what it takes to stay with the fast-paced offense of Cameron Boozer.
A top 25 matchup is scheduled to take place later in the day with No. 13 BYU traveling to Allen Fieldhouse to take on No. 14 Kansas. The Jayhawks have only dropped a few games so far this season to top programs. They are hoping to add a quad-one win to their resume as they take on BYU following their loss to top-ranked Arizona on Monday.
Following that game also on ESPN, No. 15 Arkansas will host Kentucky in a high ranked SEC matchup. Both teams sit atop the conference, taking down multiple opponents while falling short against others. This battle for the top is sure to come down to the wire as it always does when these successful programs take the court.
The Connecticut Huskies will also continue their successful run taking on Creighton. With the Huskies standing alone on top of the Big East, the Blue Jays will look to slow them down. As a top favorite to make a run in March, the Huskies will hope to continue their scrappy Big East schedule and prepare for the madness.
To end the weekend on Sunday, No. 23 Alabama will travel to No. 19 Florida in yet another SEC clash. Both programs went far in March last year with the Gators cutting down the nets. Both are new programs this year though, not sitting exactly where they want. With Florida dropping more games than expected and Alabama struggling in the final push, both are itching for this win. A victory against a top opponent is just what both teams need to get back on track.
Lastly, a top 10 matchup will take place on Sunday with No. 9 Illinois taking on No. 5 Nebraska. The Big Ten has highlighted some fantastic basketball this year, with five teams ranked in the top 15 currently. Any win is valuable in this conference, often separating the good teams from the best.
With the final week of January basketball upon us, the weeks to March descend.
Many shifts have been made in the rankings so far, with some preseason favorites like Purdue and Houston falling.
Can these programs rebuild and get red-hot when you need them to?