Men’s Basketball Games of the Weekend 2/25 – 2/26
As we approach the final two weeks of the regular season, some conferences finish up their regular schedule this weekend. The slate of games with title implications has tailed off, leaving behind games that may make or break a team’s NCAA tournament standing. Here is a look at eight games this weekend of particular interest.
No. 3 MISSOURI at No. 4 KANSAS (4 p.m. Saturday at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas)
One of the last major conference races yet to be decided is the Big 12, where four teams are in the mix with three games remaining. It is likely Baylor and Iowa State will be eliminated from the race Saturday, leaving these two schools to try and take the championship. It is also the end of an era for the time being, as Missouri’s imminent move to the Southeastern Conference will bring a halt to one of the nation’s storied rivalries. Missouri (25-3, 12-3) beat Kansas 74-71 at Columbia earlier this month. Only Kansas State and Oklahoma State have figured out the Tigers. Kansas (23-5, 13-2) holds the lead over Missouri by one game and has a five-game winning streak coming into this contest. Each team has two games remaining following this contest. Missouri plays Iowa State and Texas Tech while Kansas has Oklahoma State and Texas.
MEMPHIS at MARSHALL (4 p.m. Saturday at Henderson Center in Huntington, West Virginia)
With three games to play in the regular season, Conference USA has a tight race going on with eight teams at or within three games of the lead. Rice, UTEP and UAB will likely be eliminated following Saturday’s action, leaving teams like Marshall to try and catch the competition. Memphis (20-8, 10-3) has overcome a shaky start to win 12 of 15 since the new year began, with Will Barton’s 18.1 points and 8.1 rebounds leading the way. While this team is nowhere near the John Calipari-coached schools of old, Memphis could be a sleeper for whichever team gets the Tigers in the tournament. Marshall (17-10, 8-5) can play spoiler with a win at home, but the team has been on a skid as of late. Starting with a 78-62 loss to West Virginia on January 18, Marshall has dropped six of its last 10 games. The upside for Marshall is it lost to Memphis in the first meeting of these teams, but not by much (83-76).
NORFOLK STATE at BETHUNE-COOKMAN (4 p.m. Saturday at Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, Florida)
While Savannah State is the team atop the Mideastern Athletic Conference for the time being, there is a pretty good battle going on for the other spots. Each school has three games remaining and plenty of time to catch Savannah State should that school stumble. Norfolk State (19-9, 10-3) faces North Carolina A&T and Florida A&M in its final two contests, but the Spartans have gone 4-4 in their last eight games after an eight-game winning streak earlier this season. Norfolk State is coming off a 66-52 win over Longwood. Bethune-Cookman (13-15, 9-4) has been pretty bad outside of MEAC play and the Wildcats are coming off a 67-44 spanking by Savannah State. Bethune-Cookman has Hampton and Coppin State left to play. If Savannah State can top North Carolina Central (8-5 in league play) on Saturday, the next two games are pretty favorable (NC A&T and Maryland-Eastern Shore).
BELMONT at MERCER (4:30 p.m. Saturday at University Center in Macon, Georgia)
Although this is a meeting of the top two teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference, it won’t be with a title on the line. Belmont already clinched that championship, and this is the final regular-season game for both teams. Still, this could be an interesting contest for the teams’ postseason hopes. Belmont (23-7, 15-2) boasts the nation’s third-best offense (82.7 points per game) and the fourth-best team in assists (18.1). The Bruins played Mercer in December and scored an 82-78 victory, suggesting this last game could be a close one. Belmont has won 10 in a row and would love nothing more than to end the regular season on a high note. Mercer (21-9, 13-4) has a recent loss to 8-21 Jacksonville on its plate, which the NCAA won’t look favorably at come Selection Sunday, but the team should get some sort of tournament bid based on its season.
GEORGE MASON at VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH (6 p.m. Saturday at Stuart Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia)
The final game of the Colonial Athletic Association regular season is a meeting between two of the Cinderella darlings to reach the NCAA tournament in recent years. We all know George Mason’s 2006 quest to the Final Four, and last year Shaka Smart introduced us to the VCU squad that made a run at the glory. This game is played with one quest in mind: Win and hope Drexel loses. George Mason (23-7, 14-3) was upset in overtime by Northeastern, 85-82, in its last game to set the stage for this contest. Virginia Commonwealth (24-6, 14-3) lost 62-61 to George Mason on Valentine’s Day but has won 13 of 14 since a loss to Drexel in January. Drexel is playing Old Dominion, which is only two games behind in the CAA race, so it is not improbable Drexel could lose and force a co-championship in the CAA.
PENNSYLVANIA at HARVARD (7 p.m. Saturday at Lavietes Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts)
While most schools are wrapping up their regular seasons, the Ivy League has a couple weeks left to run, and Saturday nights at Lavietes Pavilion have been quite fun this season. Pennsylvania (16-11, 8-2) is one and a half games behind Harvard in the league standings at the moment, and the Quakers could use a win here. In the previous meeting with the Crimson, Penn lost 56-50, suggesting it could be a close contest. Penn has won four in a row, including a 57-54 victory over Dartmouth. Harvard (24-3, 10-1) has losses to Connecticut, Fordham and Princeton this season, but the Crimson scored a 67-64 revenge win over Princeton in their last game.
No. 18 WISCONSIN at No. 8 OHIO STATE (4 p.m. Sunday at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio)
Thanks to Iowa’s stunning 67-66 upset over Wisconsin on Thursday, which enabled the Hawkeyes to capture the season series, Wisconsin must trip up Ohio State on Sunday and hope Michigan State suffers an untimely defeat. If the Spartans win, Wisconsin is eliminated from the Big Ten race. The Badgers (20-8, 9-6) still have a high national ranking and have played a tough schedule by virtue of being in the Big Ten. The last meeting between these teams was close, but Ohio State walked away with a 58-52 victory. Ohio State (23-5, 11-4) has hit a rough 2-2 stretch with losses to Michigan State and Michigan, but the Buckeyes will be up for this contest.
AKRON at OHIO (8 p.m. Sunday at Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio)
The other big Sunday game in the Buckeye State comes from the Mid-American Conference, where Akron has already won the MAC East championship but gets two more strong tests against Ohio and Buffalo. Akron (20-8, 12-1) scored a 68-63 win over Ohio earlier this season and has won 13 of 15 since the calendar flipped to 2012. Although it doesn’t appear to be an impressive team, Akron does rank in the top third in all of the major offensive categories. Ohio (22-6, 9-4) has won three in a row following an 88-77 win over Buffalo and is 9-2 since January 18. While there are no MAC implications on the line, it is still a solid game.
