All times ET and rankings are from the latest AP poll.
Men’s college basketball weekend schedule
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| Game | Time | TV | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
Wisconsin vs. Villanova | 8 p.m., Fri. | Fox | |
St. John’s vs. Kentucky | 12:30 p.m., Sat. | CBS | |
Ohio St. vs. UNC | 3pm, Sat. | CBS | |
Houston vs. Arkansas | 5:30 PM, Sat. | CBS | |
Auburn vs. Purdue | 6:30 PM, Sat. | Peacock | Peacock |
Duke vs. Texas Tech | 8:00 PM, Sat. | ESPN | |
San Diego St. vs. Arizona | 10:30 PM, Sat. | ESPN2 | |
Vanderbilt at Wake Forest | 1pm, Sun. | The CW |
CBS and Fox are free on the air. ESPN and ESPN2 are available on ESPN Unlimited. CBS also streams on Paramount+, and FS1 also streams on Fox One.
Wisconsin vs. Villanova
Friday, 8 p.m. | Milwaukee Hoops game
This is a Friday warm-up. Viewers will see red, because Fiserv Forum is obviously much closer to Madison than to Philadelphia. Villanova’s scoring surge is slow (327th in pace) but compact (25th in offensive rating at KenPom). Senior big man Duke Brennan is coming off a 24-point performance on 8-for-8 shooting against Pittsburgh. The Badgers counter with guards Nick Boyd (36 points against Providence last month) and John Blackwell (30 points against Marquette two weekends ago).
No. 22 St. John’s vs. Kentucky
Saturday, 12.30 pm | CBS Sports Classic
Both teams need a win here to boost their flat atmosphere. The Red Storm have a defined ethos (run hard, defend hard). Senior Zuby Ejiofor is starting to highlight block parties. But Rick Pitino and the Queens crew are 0-3 against ranked opponents. That first victory will not come against Kentucky on Saturday because Mark Pope’s team has fallen out of the rankings with four defeats. There is some momentum to be had at this meeting in Atlanta.
CJ Moore on the Wildcats’ strange start: “Pope’s intent in building this year’s roster was clear: While last year’s team that reached the Sweet 16 could score, the defense wasn’t good enough to compete for championships, so he looked for a team that could. But now it lacks the skilled big man and shooters that thrive in Pope’s system. And the defense is no better than it was a year ago. In games that matter, it’s even worse.”
Ohio State vs. No. 12 North Carolina
Saturday, 3 p.m. | CBS Sports Classic
Don’t sleep on Bruce Thornton, who is scoring up to 21.8 points per game for the Buckeyes. The smooth-shooting senior comes in with sublime field goal percentages of 60/50/86. Last time, Ohio State outlasted West Virginia in a double-overtime banger thanks to Thornton’s leaning go-ahead goal. North Carolina comes into State Farm Arena on a more calm note, having won its last four games and is 10-1 overall. It was the Big Ten that did the previous damage, when Michigan State blew out UNC on Thanksgiving Day. But the Tar Heels look great around freshman Caleb Wilson (19.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game). Get to know his game before he’s drafted in next June’s NBA Draft.
No. No. 8 Houston vs. No. 14 Arkansas
Saturday, 5:30 PM | Never forget Tribute Classic
Kelvin Sampson coaches Houston in swarm pressure. As of Friday, the Cougars are second in scoring defense and seventh in KenPom’s defensive rating. Five of their players average at least one steal per game. Senior Emanuel Sharp faces an aggressive perimeter for last season’s national runner-up. Right on cue, John Calipari comes in with a rustling Arkansas. The offense ranks second in fast-break scoring and routinely scores 90 points. Freshman gem Darius Acuff Jr. averaged nine assists per outing during the Razorbacks’ four-game winning streak. The Prudential Center (Newark, NJ) is a true neutral floor for this major style clash.
No. 21 Auburn vs. No. 6 Purdue
Saturday, 6:30 PM | Indy Classic
Purdue is 10-1, its only negative against 10th-ranked Iowa State. Auburn is 8-3, but those losses are to elite teams, all ranked in the top 10. Keyshawn Hall, Tahaad Pettiford and the Tigers, who are having a lot of success, have another main stage in their gauntlet schedule. The game will take place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, so the supposedly neutral crowd should shine black and gold.
Jim Root has Purdue at No. 2 in his watchability rankings: “The Boilermakers currently have the top offensive ranking in the country according to KenPom, and that’s no surprise with indefatigable point guard Braden Smith leading the way. Smith is a candidate for National Player of the Year who could set the NCAA’s all-time assists record. Smith’s vision and ability to connect through small passing windows make for eye-popping highlights. Smith isn’t the only reason to tune into Purdue, though. The Boilermakers are loaded with perimeter shooters and Trey Kaufman-Renn has the nation’s best push shot in the lane.
No. 3 Duke vs. No. 19 Texas Tech
Saturday, 8 p.m. | SentinelOne Classic
The Blue Devils are 11-0, with top-10 KenPom marks on both ends of the court. They are in the rhythm of many contributors, but the star is freshman Cameron Boozer, who hoops with control and conviction. He collects points without overextending himself. The 8-3 Red Raiders have issues to solve, but they’re not on offense. Junior forward JT Toppin leads the way which ends with a charged motor and weightless hop. Toppin (21.9 points per game) vs. Boozer (23.3) is a great head-to-head battle for the Madison Square Garden tent.
Boozer is the No. 2 pick in Sam Vecenie’s updated NBA draft: “The only question is whether he’s a true No. 1 option in the NBA or more of an elite No. 2 if he struggles to differentiate himself at that level. But if I had to bet a large sum of money on one player making an All-Star team in this league, it would be Boozer.”
San Diego State vs. No. 1 Arizona
Saturday, 10:30 PM | Hall of Fame Series
Another neutral site in name only. Saturday’s nightcap is at the home arena of the Phoenix Suns. So all of Arizona, and for good reason. The 10-0 Wildcats are a wagon. Freshman Koa Peat is elastic at 6-foot-1. He joins senior Jaden Bradley to put Arizona on offense in desert heat. Fellow senior Tobe Awaka leads a unique rebounding effort. Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher, who already has two Sweet 16s and a national championship game appearance on his resume, could add to his legend in a jolt.
CJ Moore on Arizona glassware: “Arizona’s bigs are strong and good at getting their men closer to the goal line. It’s a strategy called tagging up that’s becoming increasingly popular in the NBA… What’s different about Arizona than most of the top offensive rebounding teams is that the Wildcats often send just three and sometimes just two to the glass, but still recover 41.8 percent of their misses.”
No. 13 Vanderbilt at Wake Forest
Sunday, 1 p.m
While the top-ranked Wildcats turned to national fixation, the Commodores hit the Kevin James press photo shrugs. Vandy is also undefeated at 11-0 and enters the weekend with the fifth best scoring offense in the country in Division I. Sunday is a real road game (we forgot about that). Wake Forest is a rather cool sleeper, 9-3 with one-point losses to Michigan and Texas Tech. Each party must look committed. It’s also sports on The CW. First Winston-Salem and then on to ‘Riverdale’ or whatever programs are still on that network.
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