College Basketball on Sling: Villanova Stays on Top, Buts Lots of Movement in the Top 25
There was a huge shakeup in the world of college basketball last week, as three previously undefeated teams fell, and both Duke and North Carolina lost as well, while the Oregon Ducks made a big leap following a win over UCLA, and the Indiana Hoosiers tumbled big time after a pair of losses. But fret not, ‘Nova’s still #1.
Tuesday
#13 Wisconsin (12-2) vs #25 Indiana (10-4)
7pm ET on ESPN
The Wisconsin Badgers notched a pair of wins last week, devastating the Florida A&M Rattlers 90-37 (Badgers coach Greg Gard tried to take his foot off the gas, as he played 15 guys, letting none of his starter go more than 22 minutes, but there was only so much he could do, given that FAMU shot just 26% and was outrebounded 50-20) before starting Big Ten play with a 72-52 win over Rutgers. The Badgers are deadly inside the arc, making 57% of their 2-pointers, while allowing opponents to make just 41%, both figures ranking among the top 15 in the country.
It was a tough week for the Indiana Hoosiers, who had their 26-game home winning streak snapped last Wednesday by Nebraska, 87-83, before spending New Year’s Eve getting smoked by the Louisville Cardinals 77-62. The Hoosiers’ starting five couldn’t find the basket against Louisville, hitting on just 12 of 40. It’s been a weird year for the Hoosiers, who opened the season with a 103-99 OT win over then #3 Kansas, only to lose to the IPFW Mastodons (who?), then beat then-#3 North Carolina, only to lose to Butler. What’s their deal, man?
#14 North Carolina (12-3) vs Clemson (11-2)
7pm on ESPN2
Ole Miss (9-4) vs #24 Florida (10-3)
7pm on ESPNU
Texas A&M (8-4) vs #6 Kentucky (11-2) 9pm ET on ESPN
Kansas State (12-1) vs #3 Kansas (12-1)
9pm ET on ESPN2
#7 West Virginia (12-1) vs Texas Tech (11-2)
9:15pm ET on ESPNews
Wednesday
#1 Villanova (14-0) vs #18 Butler (12-2)
6:30pm ET on FS1
The defending champs opened Big East play with a squeaker, just getting past DePaul 68-65 on Wednesday, before making a statement on NYE with an 80-70 win over previously undefeated Creighton. After watching Creighton’s Isaiah Zierden tie it at 66-66 with a 3-pointer with just under 5 minutes to play, the Wildcats went on a 12-3 run to take control. Sophomore Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 27, and had a team-high 5 assists, while Josh Hart had 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
The Butler Bulldogs lost to St John’s 76-73 on Thursday, and then bounced back to defeat Providence 78-61 on Sunday. The Bulldogs had seven guys with at 8 points, led by Kellen Martin, who scored 15, and now leads the team with 18.1 ppg. Butler is 3-0 against ranked teams, while it’s two losses – by a grand total of 4 points – have come against the 6-8 Indiana State Sycamores and the 7-8 St John’s Red Storm.
Georgia Tech (9-4) vs #8 Duke (12-2)
7pm ET on ESPN2
Iowa State (9-3) vs #2 Baylor (13-0)
8pm ET on ESPNews
#10 Creighton (13-1) vs St John’s (7-7)
8:30pm ET on FS1
#15 Oregon (13-2) vs Washington (7-5)
9pm ET on ESPN2
Thursday
#20 Purdue (12-2) vs Ohio State (10-3)
7pm ET on ESPN
Cal (9-4) vs #4 UCLA (14-1)
9pm ET on ESPN
Pac-12 play started inauspiciously for the Cal Bears, as they blew a 13-point lead Friday night over the then #18 Arizona Wildcats to lose 67-62, wasting a 16-16 effort from 6’-11” sophomore Ivan Rabb. The loss was their second in a row, the previous coming against then #12 Virginia.
Among the huge upsets last week was the then #2 UCLA Bruins’ defeat at the hands of the Oregon Ducks, who won 89-87 with Dillon Brooks’ 3-pointer with .8 seconds on the clock providing the difference. But the Bruins would rebound two days later with a 76-63 win over the Oregon State Beavers, as freshman TJ Leaf went 21-10 and fellow frosh Lonzo Ball posted 23-6-7. Despite the loss, UCAL remains the best field goal shooting team in the land, hitting 54.2% of the time.
#5 Gonzaga (14-0) vs San Francisco (11-4)
9pm ET on ESPN2
Utah (9-3) vs #17 Arizona (11-2)
10pm ET on FS1
BYU 11-4 vs #19 Saint Mary’s (12-1)
11pm ET on ESPNU
Saturday
#18 Butler (12-2) vs Georgetown (8-6)
Noon ET on FOX
TCU (11-2) vs #7 West Virginia (12-1)
1pm ET on ESPNU
St John’s (7-7) vs #16 Xavier (12-2)
2:30pm ET on FS1
Clemson (11-2) vs #23 Notre Dame (12-2)
3pm ET on ESPNU
Illinois (10-4) vs #25 Indiana (10-4)
5pm ET on ESPNU
Tennessee (8-5) vs #24 Florida (10-3)
5:15pm ET on ESPN2
#15 Oregon (13-2) vs Washington State (7-5)
7pm ET on Pac-12 Network
Oklahoma State (10-3) vs #2 Baylor (13-0)
7pm ET on ESPNews
Texas Tech (11-2) vs #3 Kansas (12-1)
7:15pm ET on ESPN2
Marquette (10-3) vs #1 Villanova (14-0)
7:30pm ET on FS1
NC State (11-3) vs #14 North Carolina (12-3)
8pm ET on ESPN
Arkansas (11-2) vs #6 Kentucky (11-2)
8:30pm ET on SEC Network
Daryl Macon was white hot last Thursday for the Arkansas Razorbacks, hitting on 7 of 10 for a game-high 22 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough to drag the Hogs kicking and screaming to victory, as his teammates combined to shoot 35.3% from the floor, en route to a 81-72 loss to the Florida Seminoles, snapping a nine-game winning streak. Moses Kingsley went 13-14 for his third double-double, and on the season is averaging 11.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Malik Monk exploded for 34 points on 11-of-16 shooting, and Isaiah Briscoe posted a triple-double with 19-10-11 on Thursday to lead the Kentucky Wildcats to a 99-76 win over Ole Miss. Monk is now averaging an SEC-best 22.4 points per game, tops among freshmen in the country, while teammate De’Aaron Fox leads the conference in assists with 6.8, which is best among all freshman.
#22 Cincinnati (11-2) vs Houston (11-3)
9pm ET on ESPNU
Colorado (10-3) vs #17 Arizona (11-2)
9:30pm ET on Pac-12 Network
#5 Gonzaga (14-0) vs Portland (9-5)
10pm ET on ESPN3
Sunday
Wake Forest (9-5) vs #11 Virginia (11-2)
8pm ET on ESPNU
Stanford (8-5) vs #4 UCLA (14-1)
8pm ET on FS1
Cal (9-4) vs #25 USC (14-1)
10pm ET on ESPNU
Watch college basketball on ESPN & ESPN2 by subscribing to Sling Orange; on ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, and SEC Network by subscribing to Sling Orange + Sports Extra; on FOX and FS1 by subscribing to Sling Blue; on Pac-12 Network by subscribing to Sling Blue or Orange + Sports Extra