Big Games of the Weekend 12/30 – 1/2
Ohio State at Indiana
As conference play begins for most this weekend, this is a big one in arguably the best conference in the country. Both are top-20 teams and want to start strong in the league. Ohio State must get by a scrappy 10-win Northwestern team in the middle of the week and then head to Bloomington. That isn’t advantageous for them. However, as a team the Buckeyes are shooting 49 percent from the field and might have the most depth out of any team in college basketball. Seven of their players average over 10 minutes per game. Indiana has started so hot, it’ll be interesting to see if they cool off once they hit tough competition every game. They have an even tougher two game stretch than Ohio State, facing a good Michigan State team mid-week. Right now the Hoosiers are top 10 nationally in points per game (84.8) and field goal percentage (51.4). They are a force. The matchup to watch is in the post between two total studs in Indiana’s Cody Zeller and Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger. Zeller is a star in the making, and Sullinger would have been the number one draft pick last year if he had come out of school. Will Sullinger’s experience be the difference?
Louisville at Kentucky
In what has turned into one of the great non-conference rivalry games, Louisville and Kentucky are both top-5 teams this year, adding even more juice to this game. If Georgetown takes out Louisville on Wednesday, it might drain a little hype out of the weekend matchup. But these schools reside in the same state and there is no love lost between them regardless. Louisville is a strong defensive team for Rick Pitino. They already have 112 steals and 58 blocks on the season. The Cardinals would like a go-to scorer to emerge (no player averages above 13.5 points per game). At least they have Peyton Siva who is their quarterback and veteran leader.
Kentucky has another youthful, talented squad. Their only blemish so far has been that loss to Indiana which doesn’t look so bad anymore. Their list of studs includes: Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrance Jones, and Marquis Teague to name a few. They have six players averaging in double-digits. Two contrasting styles will be going head-to-head, and it will be interesting to see which side ultimately gets the upper hand. Rebounding will be key.
St. John’s at Connecticut
Defending champion Connecticut is looking for a hot start this year. They probably don’t want to finish .500 in the Big East again this season. Though last year with their epic run it really didn’t matter what their record was. Still, there is no Kemba Walker this year and there is less room for error. Jeremy Lamb has picked up the slack as he is hitting 50 percent of his shots. Early enrollee Andre Drummond has earned some playing time and is producing nearly three blocks per game as a freshman. The Huskies certainly have some players, but it remains to be seen if any can take over a game in a crucial situation like Walker did.
This is a big game for St. John’s. They have started off the year in disappointing fashion so far with a 7-5 record. Coach Steve Lavin did take a leave of absence for cancer treatment and perhaps that’s been a distraction. This team had a lot of promise coming into this season after their solid performances and great wins last year (one drubbing against Duke). They also are recruiting talented players at St. John’s. The team just needs to put it together. They’ve already picked up a win against Providence, which is positive. If they start hot in conference, the Red Storm could end up having something to say about the Big East results.
Illinois at Purdue
This is another Big 10 matchup between two real good teams that are overshadowed by their ranked counterparts. Illinois won’t impress you with any one team stat, but this team rattled off 11 straight wins before dropping two out of three to UNLV and Missouri, who are both ranked. Contributions from 7’1” sophomore Meyers Leonard have been much welcomed, and the leadership of Sam Maniscalco and D.J. Richardson have been vital to their success. They only score 69 points per game, which may become a problem for them against other high scorers in their league. Playing up to their competition would be recommended.
Purdue started the season ranked, but has since slipped a bit. The return of star forward Robbie Hummel from injury has been a relief for Matt Painter’s team. He is averaging nearly 18 points per game and shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range. Lewis Jackson is the assist man at 4.2 per game, and the Johnsons, Anthony and Terone (no relation), are constant contributors and scrappy players. The Boilermakers have dropped three games and two of those they had in-hand late. They have trouble finishing out games. Xavier came back from a 19-point deficit, and Butler came back from 11 down at halftime to win at the buzzer. If Purdue wants to jump back into the mix at the top end of the conference, beating Illinois wouldn’t be a bad way to start.
