A Huge Day on the Hardwood!

OK, so I know a lot of you are missing college football big time already but the bowl games start up today and that makes for some good news for you. There are four today, which the GM has done an excellent job previewing. I hope you enjoy the action.

I, however, will be very interested to see what happens inside on the hardwood. There are some incredible non-conference games today which should be intriguing as well as exciting.

Let me just start by saying there are 5 games between top 25 teams. I am going to break each of them down game by game and let you know how I think they will all shake out.

A few of the top teams play cupcakes. North Carolina plays Valparaiso and Oklahoma plays Virginia Commonwealth. Neither team is horrible but neither of these games should be decided by less then 15 or 20 points.

Now onto the headliners. I'm going to preview the games in order of their tip-off time.

Here we go!

No. 22 Michigan State @ No. 5 Texas

-Michigan State was a preseason top 5 team but has lost twice already this year both to ACC teams. Maryland who isn't very good but to North Carolina who is. The Carolina game was ugly though.
-Raymar Morgan is leading the team in scoring and is going to have to be big in this game if the Spartans want to keep this one close.
-State is averaging 81 points per game so they can definitely get up and down the court with anybody.
-Point Guard Kalin Lucas is going to have to limit his turnovers and play a very smart game and control the tempo if he wants to give his team a chance.

-Texas was also a preseason top 5 team and is coming in with a 9-1 record with its only loss coming in Maui to Notre Dame. The final score of that game was 81-80 and could have gone either way.
-A.J. Abrams is one of the nations most talented pure scorers and is going to be hard for anyone on Michigan State to guard.
-Damion James is a swingman who is getting 7.8 rebounds a game. I'm impressed.

In the end, I think the homecourt plays a major role. I think this game comes down to the end but Texas pulls out a 74-69 victory.

No. 7 Xavier vs. No. 6 Duke

-I typically try not to write about my favorite teams and I don't want to show any bias. This game is different though because it's huge for both teams. I think this is a game where Xavier can validate itself on the National stage and for Duke it's a game everyone expects them to win so they need to go out and take care of business.

-Xavier comes into this one still undefeated at 9-0.
-They do have 2 impressive wins in my eyes. Virginia Tech in overtime and they beat Memphis earlier this season. Obviously, the Memphis game was a huge win but I still don't think that validates this team as a contender for the title.
-They know how to grind teams out as they are only scoring 72 points a game. This should help them in this one and really I think the only way Xavier can win is by making it a defensive oriented game.
-The Musketeers have 3 guys averaging in double-digits which may also help them because a balanced attack against Duke can do some serious damage.

-Duke comes in 9-1 with its only loss being a game two weeks ago at Michigan.
-Duke can score with anyone as long as they are making their 3-pointers. In the second game against Michigan, they one they lost, they only went 7 for 23. That will put you behind in any game on any day in any gym. This team needs to shoot the ball well to win.
-Kyle Singler is the main guy on the offensive end but three of his teammates are averaging in double-digits as well.

When it comes down to it, I don't think this game will be close. I just think the depth in this game that Duke has is going to be a huge advantage in the second half. Duke wins 87-72.

No. 2 Connecticut vs. No. 7 Gonzaga

-This could potentially be the game of the day. It would be easy to overrate both of the teams because in the past both of these teams have proven to be more hype then skill. I know way back when Gonzaga was coming out of nowhere every year but we have all learned they are definitely a good team. Connecticut has the talent to play with anyone every year but I just don't think they have figured out the teamwork and cohesiveness yet. Once they do look out.

-As I just mentioned once this team figures out how to play together they will be great. Jim Calhoun has them on their way to that right now so this is a very dangerous team.
-Connecticut comes in 9-0 and has only really been tested once this year. That was by Buffalo. I don't know what happened that night but if it happens again this game will be one-sided and not in the Huskies favor.
-Hasheem Thabeet is a monster. 14.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game. If Thabeet stays out of foul trouble he could play a major role in the outcome of this one.
-Connecticut has five guys averaging in double figures so the balance and the tempo in this one are going to be keys for the Huskies. They are winning games by an average of 23 points per but they haven't played anyone nearly as good as the Zags so let's see what they can do against a really good team.

-Gonzaga comes in 8-1 with its only loss being to Arizona. I'm not sure how bad of a loss that is only because I am not sure how good 'zona is at this point. Either way the Zags need to be ready as this is probably the best team they will play all year.
-Josh Heyvelt is going to have to have a big game. Playing opposite of Thabeet, he is going to have to be great all around and hopefully for Zags fans, he gets the big man into foul trouble early.
-Janero Pargo is going to be the key to the game. He only average 9 a game but he also averages 8 assists and really is the leader for this team. With the upgrade in competition his voice on the court and attitude during timeouts could really help this team stay composed.
-I think if Gonzaga is going to win they are going to have to slow the game down and make it a defensive struggle. All the more reason that Pargo is going to be huge.

I think when it comes down to it, tempo will be the key. Whichever team can play their style will win this game. I am going with the upset here and picking the Zags to win 64-61.

No. 20 Davidson @ No. 18 Purdue

-This game is being hyped by CBS as being the game of the day. I don't see it but I still think it will be pretty good. I think the reason its getting so much hype is because of Stephen Curry. The kid can shoot but CBS needs to look at the other games on the slate.
-Both of these teams have lost to Oklahoma this year, Davidson by 4 and Purdue by 5. It should be a really good game.

-Davidson comes into this one at 8-1. Their only loss was a 4 point loss to a very good Oklahoma team. They had nothing that night for Blake Griffin. Luckily for them, Purdue doesn't have anyone like Griffin on their team.
-I probably should've started Davidson's preview by mentioning Stephen Curry. The reason I didn't is probably because I don't have to. The kid sends text messages to some guy named Lebron. Oh and he is averaging 31 points a game. Yea, I think that's really all I have to say here.
-The key in this one is whether Andrew Lovedale can make a difference inside. He is averaging a double double but Purdue is a good team. They are balanced and Lovedale is going to have to keep Davidson balanced so that Curry doesn't have to win this one on his own.

-Purdue comes into this one with an 8-2 mark with both losses coming to highly ranked teams. Duke and also Oklahoma.
-Robbie Hummel leads the team in scoring and rebounding and he is a tough matchup for any team. He is very versatile and can play a couple of different positions.
-The other key here for this team is going to be guarding Curry. I'm sure they will throw a bunch of different looks him and if they can hold Curry under his average they will have a pretty good chance of winning.

I think that even though this game is at Purdue, Stephen Curry is going to want to show off. While for some players that would result in forced, bad shots, I think Curry is a good enough shooter that it will only make him better. Curry goes off and Davidson wins 84-76.
No. 11 Syracuse @ No. 21 Memphis

-This is a very interesting matchup between two teams that no one is really sure of at this point. Syracuse just lost a star to suspension and Memphis has lost two games that most people thought they should have won.

-Syracuse just lost Eric Devendorf to an indefinite suspension. He was second on the team in scoring so its going to be interesting to Boeheim compensates for that.
-Did I mention this team just lost to Cleveland State. Yea, I know it was on a 60 footer at the buzzer but the game was at home and should have never been close. They bounced back with at 22 point win over Canisius but still, Cleveland State? Really?
-The game is on the road so defense will be a huge key for the Orange in this one. The 2-3 matchup zone will have to be on point for Syracuse to stay in it. Memphis doesn't get up and down the court like they have in past years so that may play to Syracuse's advantage.

-Memphis always has a chance to be great because of the conference they play in but so far they are only 6-2 and some people, including myself, are wondering how good this team really is.
-Now both teams, Georgetown and Xavier, are ranked but those two losses are games that most people thought were winnable games for the Tigers and this game against Syracuse could be a good way for them to show what they have.
-They game is at home and that is a distinct advantage for Memphis in this one. If they can figure out the 2-3 zone they could definitely run away with this one.
-They really only have to key on Johnny Flynn from Syracuse since Devendorf is out. If they can get that done, they will get the W.

Home court will be a big advantage and the loss of Devendorf will play a major role here. Syracuse, not Memphis, will struggle to score in this one. Memphis wins 74-61.

It's going to be a great day of college hoops! I can't wait!