Top 5 Men’s Basketball Games Breakdown 11/14-11/17
Well, college basketball didn’t take too long to get very interesting! Vanderbilt was the victim was one of the season’s first upsets… Duke almost fell prey to the upset bug when it won by only one point against Belmont… and Connecticut suffered through a lackluster performance. The first full week of the season starts up with a few strong matchups, but like college football, the week is loaded with more mismatches than anything else. (Or ARE they mismatches?)
NO. 2 KENTUCKY VS. NO. 8 KANSAS (9 p.m. Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York)
The State Farm Champions Classic plays out Tuesday with the first meeting in four and a half years between these two powerhouse programs. The last time these teams met was in the NCAA tournament on March 18, 2007, when Kentucky lost to Kansas 88-76. Kentucky has won 19 of the teams’ 25 meetings but this one is on neutral ground. Freshman Anthony Davis had a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds as Kentucky beat Marist 108-58 to start the season on a high note. Six Kansas players were in double figures as the Jayhawks swamped Towson 100-54 in their season opener, led by Thomas Robinson’s 18 points and 11 rebounds.
NO. 12 FLORIDA AT NO. 3 OHIO STATE (8 p.m. Tuesday at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio)
A non-conference clash between Southeastern Conference and Big Ten powers, not to mention defending conference champions, is the second big game of the Tuesday night calendar. Ohio State has won seven of the teams’ 11 meetings, including a 93-75 win over the Gators last year at Gainesville, Florida. Patric Young’s 12 points and 10 rebounds helped Florida to a 99-59 win over Jackson State in the season opener for the Gators, while three of Ohio State’s starting five accounted for double digits in the Buckeyes’ 73-42 win over Wright State. Jared Sullinger’s 19 points and nine rebounds led the way, and William Buford contributed 13 points and four assists.
BUCKNELL AT NO. 9 VANDERBILT (8 p.m. Tuesday at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee)
What gets a seemingly innocent game between an unranked foe and a top-10 team in the games to watch list THIS early? After Vanderbilt’s shockingly bad performance in a 71-58 loss to Cleveland State, all bets are off on whether this game will be a mismatch. Keep in mind Festus Ezeli, the center who stirs most of the Vanderbilt offense, is out 6-8 weeks with a sprained right knee and had to miss six games anyway due to school violations. Will Ezeli’s absence affect the Commodores this much? Time will tell. As for Bucknell, it lost to Minnesota 70-58 despite 16 points from Bryson Johnson.
NO. 5 DUKE VS. MICHIGAN STATE (7 p.m. Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York)
No matter how you feel about Duke men’s basketball, you have to respect the talents of coach Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K picked up his 902nd career win, tying Bobby Knight atop the all-time wins list for coaches, in a 96-55 win over Presbyterian on Nov. 12. Reserve Ryan Kelly’s 17 points led six players in double figures. Krzyzewski nearly missed out on his tying victory against Presbyterian thanks to a 77-76 win over Belmont that nearly turned into a shocking season-starting upset. Coach K can go for 903 assuming Michigan State cooperates. Duke beat Michigan State 84-79 last December in the previous meeting, and Krzyzewski has won six of seven contests against MSU. The Spartans dropped their season opener 67-55 against #1 North Carolina but were quite competitive at times against the Tar Heels.
MAINE AT NO. 14 CONNECTICUT (7 p.m. Thursday at XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut)
The Huskies nearly ended up in upset city in their season opener, in a too close for comfort 70-57 victory against Columbia, but Jeremy Lamb’s 30 points helped save the day. Connecticut needs to turn on the power if it is to get more victories against weaker schools like Coppin State, and games like Maine are a good place to start. Maine’s first game is Monday night against Maine-Mechias and Connecticut also has another game against Wagner before the Maine matchup. If the Huskies struggle against Wagner, then this game could get very interesting.
Men's Basketball Games and Tournament Breakdown Page
