The first Saturday in months without a full slate of college football games is here. But never fear: In its place is one of the best college basketball days of the year. It’s a loaded day of hoops that includes a few major rivalry games, top teams going on the road and big brands facing off in needle-moving, early-season showdowns.
Which games should you have an eye on? Here’s a look at the best games of the day on Saturday and what to watch for in those high-profile matchups.
No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. No. 18 UConn Huskies, 8 p.m. ET
UConn is still undefeated in the continental United States, bouncing back well from its all-systems failure in Maui with wins last week over Baylor and Texas. The Huskies can make Maui look more like one bad week if they can knock off Gonzaga in what UConn fans have coined “Storrs South”. Gonzaga’s dynamic offense, especially dominant post presence Graham Ike, could cause problems for a UConn team that has struggled on that end of the floor and lacks frontcourt depth. But the Bulldogs have shown cracks in recent weeks, collapsing in the second half last week against Kentucky and blowing another lead at Atlantis against West Virginia.
No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers at Illinois Fighting Illini, 5:30 p.m. ET
The No. 1 Volunteers aren’t just undefeated, but untested. In five games against high-major competition, Tennessee has won by an average of 19.6 points, despite all but one of those games being played away from home. Theoretically, Illinois poses the biggest challenge yet, especially in what should be a rocking State Farm Center in Champaign. The Illini have one of the best players in the country in freshman point guard Kasparas Jakučionis and tons of three-point shooting, an interesting matchup for a Tennessee defense that encourages opponents to fire away from distance. The other storyline to watch is whether Tennessee star guard Chaz Lanier can continue his remarkable start to the season… if he can, it will help the Vols keep the No. 1 spot in the polls for another week.
Louisville Cardinals at No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats, 5:15 p.m. ET
You couldn’t have scripted a better start to the Mark Pope era in Lexington, with the Wildcats 9–1 and owning neutral court wins over Duke and Gonzaga in the first six weeks of his tenure. He can further add to that goodwill he’s built up with Big Blue Nation by winning this rivalry showdown with Louisville. The Cardinals are far feistier than they were under Kenny Payne, but have been ravaged with injuries early on and will be pretty substantial underdogs in this one. We’ll see if Pat Kelsey can engineer a game plan that puts Louisville in position to pull an upset.
Xavier Musketeers at No. 22 Cincinnati Bearcats, 2 p.m. ET
This may not be the best game of the day, but I’d argue it’s the most pressure-packed. The 92nd meeting of one of the most heated rivalries in the sport feels like close to a must-win on both sides. For Cincinnati, if not now, when? The Bearcats haven’t beaten Xavier since Wes Miller got the job, and with what is widely believed to be his best team yet at Cincinnati and the game being played on Cincy’s home floor, there are few excuses not to win it. On Xavier’s side, a rivalry win would flip the narrative on what otherwise has been a disappointing nonconference start for the Musketeers. A loss here, and Xavier enters Big East play without a clear Quad 1 or 2 victory while staring down the fact that the Big East as a whole has had a rough showing in the nonconference.
No. 24 UCLA Bruins vs. Arizona Wildcats, 3 p.m. ET
This longtime Pac-12 rivalry between two West Coast powers has been renewed as a nonconference clash, played this year at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. Arizona has been one of the sport’s more disappointing teams thus far, starting 0–4 in games against high-major competition and in need of a win here to leave nonconference play with some meat on the bone résumé-wise. But for a team that has struggled some on the offensive end (especially in the halfcourt), taking on a UCLA team that currently owns a top-5 defense nationally per KenPom might not be fun.
Five more to watch:
- No. 6 Marquette at Dayton: A massive opportunity for Dayton to pick off a potential No. 1 seed before A-10 play begins.
- No. 2 Auburn vs. Ohio State: The biggest test yet for new Ohio State coach Jake Diebler comes in the form of Auburn, KenPom’s No. 1 team right now.
- No. 9 Florida vs. Arizona State: The undefeated Gators face their most talented foe of the season to date in Bobby Hurley’s young Sun Devils.
- Memphis at No. 16 Clemson: Memphis, fresh off its worst performance of the season in a loss to Arkansas State, looks to bounce back against a quietly excellent Clemson squad.
- Creighton at No. 7 Alabama: Creighton has won three straight, but handling a road trip to Tuscaloosa to take on the loaded Tide is a different beast.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Men’s Basketball Watchability: UConn Seeks to Continue Maui Bounce Back vs. Gonzaga.
