We are well into conference play now with College Hoops. Each Week, I’ll highlight a few match ups to start before jumping into the Bracketology and KenPom Review
Signature Match Ups
Big TEN
#6 Michigan State at #19 Iowa – Thursday, 7 PM Eastern/6 PM Central on FS1 – Sparty is rolling winning their 20th regular season game in a row on Monday, but the Hawkeyes are formidable and want to knock them off in Iowa City. Should be a grudge match.
ACC
#21 NC State at #23 Louisville – Thursday, 8 PM Eastern/7 PM Central on ACC Network – The Wolfpack have been really good this year, but Chris Mack has Louisville playing even better in the ACC. Both teams are tournament worthy, but this is a measuring stick game for both programs.
Big12-SEC Challenge
This is a great event that pits teams from the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference (SEC) each year. There are 2 really big games here of note:
#24 Iowa State at #20 Ole Miss – Saturday, 12 Noon Eastern/11 AM Central on ESPN – The Cyclones and their position-less attack go to Oxford to take on a new Rebs squad led by new Coach Kermit Davis (MD TN Coach) who has his guys ballin’.
#9 Kansas at #8 Kentucky – Saturday, 6 PM Eastern/5 PM Central on ESPN – 2 blue bloods collide in this one at Rupp Arena. The Jayhawks have lost their big man, Azubuike, but they are still leading the Big 12, and the Wildcats are rounding into form. Should be a good one.
PAC 12
Washington at Oregon – Thursday, 9 PM Eastern/8 PM Central on ESPN 2 – The Huskies are contending for the PAC 12 title this year, but they need to win against Pacific North rival Oregon who are perennial contenders.
Mid-Major Special
Ohio Valley
Belmont at Murray State – Thursday, 9 PM Eastern/8 PM Central on ESPN U – You have to watch Murray State’s Ja Morant who is a walking highlight reel. The Belmont Bruins are always tough, but do they have enough to stop the super fast Racers?
Bracketology
The Bracketologists are pretty close this week – Joe Lunardi (JL) ESPN and Jerry Palm (JP) CBS.
They differ on 6 Teams: Florida – In (JL)/Out (JP), Butler – Out (JL)/In (JP), Texas – In (JL)/Out (JP), Arizona – In (JL)/Out (JP), UCF – Out (JL)/In (JP) and Temple – Out (JL)/In (JP)
Major Ranking Differences – Florida State – 9 (JL)/6 (JP), Auburn – 5 (JL)/8 (JP) and St. Johns – 10 (JL)/7 (JP)
KenPom Review
Top 5 Teams:
- UVA
- Duke
- Michigan State
- Zags
- Tennessee
Top Under-Rated Teams vs. AP Top 25 – Teams to Watch Rising Up: Purdue 27 (KP 9), Nebraska 29 (KP 12), Wisconsin 30 (KP 16), TCU 40 (KP 22) and Florida 38 (KP 23)
Top Over-Rated Teams vs. AP Top 25 Teams that Metrics Aren’t as Strong as Perception – Marquette 12 (KP 35), Ole Miss 20 (KP 31), NC State 21 (KP 30), Villanova 18 (KP 27) and Houston 17 (KP 26)
Take a peek at some of those key match ups or watch these Over or Under-rated Squads to see if the Metrics are right.
Wegs