Men’s Basketball Games of the Week 1/30 – 2/3
Monday and Tuesday may be slow days for the college basketball scene, with no games of note on the schedule, but don’t worry. Things heat up pretty quickly after those days, with two major-conference showdowns and a slew of high and mid-major contests that may help straighten the NCAA picture a bit.
INDIANA at No. 18 MICHIGAN (6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan)
If you saw Sunday’s 64-49 loss to Ohio State, you’d swear Michigan was the gang that couldn’t shoot straight. The Wolverines were lackluster in the second half and, as a result, fell out of first place in the Big Ten Conference. Indiana (17-5, 5-5) is a darkhorse candidate in the Big Ten, tied with Illinois for sixth place. The Hoosiers score 78.4 points a game, good for 19th in Division I, and their 49.8 shooting percentage is fifth overall. Indiana just came off a 103-89 win over Iowa, just its second win in the past six games. Michigan (16-6, 6-3) and Wisconsin are now tied for third place in the Big Ten, a half-game behind Michigan State and one game behind the Buckeyes. Tim Hardaway Jr. came away with 15 points and five rebounds in the loss to Ohio State.
CONNECTICUT at No. 12 GEORGETOWN (7 p.m. Wednesday at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.)
The Big East Conference takes center stage to start the week as the Huskies, fresh off an upset at the hands of Notre Dame, try to stay in the league hunt. Connecticut (14-6, 4-4) has lost three straight to Cincinnati, Tennessee and the Irish, threatening to drop out of the regular-season title hunt in a hurry. Connecticut is 2-5 in its last seven games, which is not good news for a team that needs all the wins it can get in one of the toughest conferences in the country. Andre Drummond had 15 points and 11 rebounds in the 50-48 loss to Notre Dame. Georgetown (16-4, 6-3) just suffered an upset loss as well, falling 72-60 at the hands of Pittsburgh. The Hoyas are 3-3 since their 11-game winning streak came to an end with a January 7 loss to West Virginia.
VERMONT at BOSTON UNIVERSITY (7 p.m. Wednesday at Case Gym in Boston, Massachusetts)
The America East Conference has a midweek showdown coming up with these two teams, which stand one game behind league-leading Stony Brook in the standings. Vermont (13-10, 7-2) has won seven of eight following a sluggish start, interrupted only by a loss to New Hampshire. Vermont got a bit of revenge with a 77-60 victory over New Hampshire. The Catamounts have beaten Boston before in an 83-69 win on January 5. The Terriers (11-12, 7-2) were 4-11 at one point yet have warmed up considerably. Boston just lost 66-57 to Stony Brook to snap a seven-game winning streak. Darryl Partin had 21 points and six rebounds in the defeat.
UTSA at TEXAS-ARLINGTON (9 p.m. Wednesday at Texas Hall in Arlington, Texas)
The Southland Conference is one of those two-division leagues, and it is the West Division in the spotlight when Texas-San Antonio travels to Arlington. The Roadrunners of San Antonio (14-7, 6-1) has two meetings with Arlington, the second one coming in the final game of the regular season. UTSA is on a five-game winning streak, with the most recent win coming in a 78-66 victory over Sam Houston State as Melvin Johnson III scored 18 points. Arlington (15-5, 7-0) has won 11 in a row since a 4-5 start, the last victory a too close for comfort 82-79 victory over cellar-dwelling Texas State. Lamarcus Reed III scored 17 points for Arlington in this game. Arlington ranks in the top 25 in scoring and rebounding.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE at No. 11 MURRAY STATE (8 p.m. Thursday at CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky)
The nation’s lone unbeaten team could be one more win from an Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship. Southeast Missouri State (11-9, 6-2) is two and a half games behind Murray State and would fall further off the pace. Southeast Missouri State faces Eastern Illinois on Monday, so an upset by EIU could make this game a moot point before it is even played. Leon Powell had 12 points and 18 rebounds in the Redhawks’ 65-60 win over Austin Peay. Murray State (21-0, 9-0) is seven games away from a perfect regular season, but it should be noted the Racers have to play Southeast Missouri State twice in that last stretch.
ORAL ROBERTS at SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (8 p.m. Thursday at Frost Arena in Brookings, South Dakota)
Another game that could end a regular-season title chase takes place Thursday as Oral Roberts puts its unbeaten Summit League record on the line. Oral Roberts (20-4, 12-0) hasn’t lost since a 67-61 defeat to Gonzaga on Dec. 15, and that includes a 97-75 win over South Dakota State. There are only five games remaining in the regular season after this, so an Oral Roberts win could end the regular season title hunt. South Dakota State (17-6, 9-2) boasts a 12th-best 79.9 points per game and has won eight of its last 10 contests. South Dakota State defeated IPFW 74-43 in its last contest.
DENVER at LOUISIANA (8:05 p.m. Thursday at Cajun Dome in Lafayette, Louisiana)
These two teams are tied with North Texas for second place in the Sun Belt Conference’s West Division, one game behind division leader Arkansas-Little Rock. Denver (16-6, 6-3) just lost 64-57 to Little Rock despite 19 points and four assists from Brian Stafford. The Pioneers get two cracks at Louisiana-Lafayette, here and on February 16. The Ragin Cajuns (12-11, 6-3) have won four of their last five, including a 64-62 win over North Texas and a 67-60 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Josh Brown scored 14 points in the Monroe victory. Little Rock still has one game apiece against Lousiana and North Texas.
PENNSYLVANIA at YALE (7 p.m. Friday at John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, Connecticut)
The odds are no one will catch red-hot Harvard in the Ivy League, but these are the two teams behind the Crimson in the league standings and one is still unbeaten in Ivy play. Pennsylvania (10-9, 2-0) has beaten Columbia, Cornell and St. Joseph’s in the last three games and has to face Princeton on Monday before the Yale contest. Yale (13-5, 3-1) has had better overall luck. The Bulldogs fell 65-35 to Harvard for their only league loss but quickly recovered to top Dartmouth 62-52 behind Reggie Willhite’s 16 points and three assists.
