With conference play now in full swing, programs are looking for consistency. This week has already featured losses by ranked teams to unranked opponents, including Duke falling to Clemson on the road, South Carolina upsetting Kentucky on a last-second three-pointer, and Alabama with a 19-point victory over then-undefeated Auburn. The trend figures to continue, which should make for lots of quality viewing options come March.
No. 10 Louisville at No. 3 Duke
Saturday at 6:00 p.m. EST
ESPN
The Blue Devils were among the upset victims already this week and host a Cardinals team riding a three-game winning streak. Duke is hard to beat when Tre Jones is putting up points on top of dishing out assists. Look for freshman big man Vernon Carey, Jr. to get plenty of touches early. If Louisville is to keep up with the pace of play of Duke, a secondary scoring option will need to step up to take some of that pressure off star junior forward Jordan Nwora.
No. 4 Auburn at Florida
Saturday at 1:30 p.m. EST
CBS
Unlike the Blue Devils, the Auburn Tigers are back on the road to face a Florida team that is in desperate need of a win. Things have not gone well for the Gators since they opened the season in the top 10, so Mike White and his team could use a signature win early on in conference play. Florida has struggled in their half-court offense this season, ranking near the bottom in all of D-1 in assists averaging just 11.6 as a team. Auburn was not sharp themselves Wednesday night as they turned the ball over 21 times in Tuscaloosa.
No. 12 Kentucky at Arkansas
Saturday at 4:00 p.m. EST
ESPN
In another SEC contest, Kentucky will again be on the road in a hostile environment as the Razorbacks and first-year head coach Eric Musselman seek a signature win for the committee. The Wildcats have as much talent as any team in the country but could not put away the Gamecocks on Wednesday night, and the Wildcat faithful are now wondering if this team has what it takes to make a deep run in March. The Razorbacks’ schedule has not drawn much attention so far this season, but the backcourt duo of Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe should help bring some attention back to Arkansas.
No. 8 Oregon at Washington
Saturday at 3:45 p.m. EST
CBS
The Pac-12 does not get much love in college basketball, and rightfully so. The Oregon Ducks are trying to change that as they finish their trip in Seattle with a matchup against the Huskies. Freshman Isaiah Stewart has started all 17 games and leads the team in points with 18.2 per contest. Second-year head coach Mike Hopkins is looking to right the program and make them a national powerhouse and bring some respect back to the west coast. For the Ducks, senior guard Payton Pritchard has plenty of experience against this Washington team and will be relied on heavily to knock down open threes against the zone.
North Carolina at Pittsburgh
Saturday at 12:00 p.m. EST
ESPN
Why would we have two unranked teams considered a headliner for the weekend? The turnaround of this Pitt Panther program under Jeff Capel; that’s why. The Panthers already have some impressive wins over Florida State and Kansas State. It was less than two weeks ago that Pittsburgh went into Chapel Hill and took down this Tar Heel squad. Get ready for another Roy Williams post-game presser of pure disgust.
