Top 5 Men’s Basketball Game Breakdowns 11/25-11/27
Instead of some key showdowns between big teams dominating the landscape, this weekend’s college basketball schedule seems to have been affected by tryptophan. That’s the chemical often found in turkey that makes you fall asleep or feel lethargic at the end of the day. That said, this weekend’s schedule is devoid of nail-biters or big matchups, so don’t say you weren’t warned.
STANFORD VS. No. 4 SYRACUSE (5 p.m. Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York)
A pair of undefeated teams put their records on the line as Stanford travels across the country to take on a Syracuse squad that traveled about three hours to the south. Stanford’s non-conference slate has been filled with easy opponents so far that include wins over Central Arkansas, Fresno State and Colorado State, so you could say this is the Cardinal’s first big test. In an 82-67 win over Oklahoma State Josh Owens hit his first nine shots from the floor and ended up with 21 points. If Owens has another hot game it could be a long night for Syracuse. The Orange haven’t been affected on the court much by the molestation allegations swirling around assistant coach Bernie Fine, with Syracuse also off to a 5-0 start and wins over Albany, Colgate and Vermont, among others. Kris Joseph led the Orange in victory against Vermont with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
SOUTH CAROLINA VS. No. 1 NORTH CAROLINA (10 p.m. Friday at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada)
Part of the Las Vegas Invitational, this will be a chance for college basketball fans out west to see the top-ranked Tar Heels in action. North Carolina has looked quite convincing at times, with the exception of maybe several minutes against Michigan State in the Carrier Classic, but the Tar Heels won that game and three others. North Carolina’s competition hasn’t been the best (over 100 points scored against Mississippi Valley State and Tennessee State), but Harrison Barnes (17 points a game) and John Benson (16.5 points, 10.8 rebounds) have been a potent combo. South Carolina comes in with a 2-2 record that includes losses to Elon and Tennessee State, but the Gamecocks just beat Mississippi Valley. Malik Cooke’s 11.8 points per game lead the way.
DENVER AT No. 22 CALIFORNIA (5 p.m. Saturday at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, California)
The Golden Bears should easily prevail in this game, but worth noting is Denver’s 4-0 record. This is the type of game that could smell of upset if everything goes wrong for California. The Pioneers have recently knocked off Southern Mississippi and Saint Mary’s behind Brian Stafford’s team-leading 17 points a game and the 15.3 points and 4.3 rebounds Chris Udofia provides. Denver hasn’t scored above 70 points in a victory, however, so that could be cause for concern. California’s 4-1 record also includes a decisive 92-53 loss against Missouri in a game where Jorge Gutierrez led with 11 points. The Golden Bears have beaten George Washington, Austin Peay and Georgia. Watch out for this contest.
PORTLAND AT No.2 KENTUCKY (7 p.m. Saturday at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky)
No NBA basketball means hoop-crazy fans in Portland have been stuck watching either Oregon, Oregon State or the Portland Pilots of the West Coast Conference. This light weekend schedule has Portland traveling to Kentucky for a chance to have the Wildcats fatten up their offense once again. After season-opening wins over Florida Atlantic and Georgia State, Portland has lost to Washington, Washington State and UC-Santa Barbara. Nemanja Mitrovic and Ryan Nicholas lead the way at 11.8 points per game. Kentucky’s 5-0 start includes a 75-65 win over Kansas and victories against Penn State and Old Dominion. Although Doron Lamb leads the way at 15.2 points per game, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has looked great at 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds.
ROBERT MORRIS AT No. 20 PITTSBURGH (5 p.m. Sunday at Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
After a brief sojourn across the state to Philadelphia to take on Penn Friday night, the Panthers return to Pittsburgh and face Robert Morris. The Colonials have a 3-1 record on the season, the only blemish coming against Pennsylvania in a 66-60 setback. Robert Morris started the season with wins over Rider and St. Peter, and in an 82-77 win over James Madison Velton Jones poured in a career-high 38 points. If he scores like that against Pittsburgh, the Panthers could be in trouble. Pittsburgh also defeated Rider and knocked off Albany and LaSalle, but an 86-76 loss to Long Beach State stings hard. Ashton Gibbs has paced Pittsburgh at 19.8 points per game, and Travon Woodall has 17.8 points and 8.5 assists.
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