Kansas Jayhawks Not Frightened: Previews and Predictions of the Weekend Ahead

Only three days away from an exciting and meaningful weekend in college hoops. It gets underway with the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks set to take on Cornell tonight.

The small percentage of doubters out there expecting a Kansas loss any time soon will have to wait another day.

In a recent highlight film put together by ESPN’s college basketball team, Kansas looked cool and calm leading up to their game against Temple. The Jayhawks went on to win 84-52.

Many teams, players, analysts, coaches, and fans have criticized Kansas’ season so far.  The words “haven’t played anyone decent” have been thrown around a lot lately. Quite frankly, it's getting on many Jayhawk fans' nerves.

One thing still remains the same though. The Jayhawks, in particular Cole Aldrich and Xavier Henry, have remained calm. Each shoot-around before game time, the team looks together, complete and is almost blocking any negative thoughts or activity from getting into their organization.

This type of mindset is what makes a No. 1 team. Well, No. 1 if they keep a “cool as a cucumber” style mindset. There is no reason why they should fall from grace.

Now, on to the important stuff: the weekend ahead. With many key matchups that could ultimately decide some teams' seasons, this weekend promises a highlight reel that will possibly take up a 10-minute period.

Georgia at No.3 Kentucky, Saturday 4 p.m. on ESPN.

Georgia are fresh off an almost shocking win over Georgia Tech and are high from the feeling of gaining the upper hand in the rivalry.

The Wildcats are still ranked No.3 in the nation, but aren’t playing their best basketball as of late. They are still undefeated, but the word “Kentucky” doesn’t feature in many statistical lists in the world of college hoops at the moment.

One key man to watch is Wildcats' guard John Wall. Ranked second in the league in assists at 7.3, he may give the Bulldogs some trouble.

No. 4 Purdue at No. 20 Wisconsin, Saturday 1:30 p.m.

Like Georgia, the Boilermakers are also coming off a big win over a young but talented Minnesota team.

The Boilermakers are amongst the favourites to topple the top three at the moment along with Syracuse, but it is a lot to ask.

However, if Purdue keeps winning, we could have another Michigan State scenario on our hands. The Boilermakers could easily be hosting in the Final Four.

The Badgers are hanging on to their No. 20 spot at the moment and are going to have their hands full with the Boilermakers come Saturday. Luckily, they will have the home court advantage, which is a positive for the Badgers.

The player to watch for in this game is JaJuan Johnson. After scoring 16 points against the Gophers, expect him to outdo himself once again as he takes on the Badgers' defense.

No. 5 Duke at No. 17 Georgia Tech, Saturday 2 p.m. on ESPN.

Some people will argue that Duke should be ranked higher. With only one loss (to the Badgers) this season, I guess that case can be made fairly.

Coming off a win over Clemson that left many people believing that Duke has still got it, Blue Devil fans got a glimmer of hope that they can get back amongst the big teams and play for the top spot.

Georgia Tech suffered at the hands of Georgia yesterday, and things don’t look tooin the land of the Yellow Jackets.

Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith are arguably Duke’s top performers right now, although Georgia Tech’s Gani Lawal is a force to be reckoned with as well.

Expect Duke to come out shooting well in the first half, and Georgia Tech to follow in the second.

A loss to college rival Georgia has surely shot Georgia Tech’s confidence, but it is important that they regain it if they want any shot at finishing among the ranked teams this season.

Duke still has a game in hand against Iowa State tonight before meeting Georgia Tech. If Scheyer and Smith have impressive games again, it could be a case of Duke’s confidence winning the game for them against the Yellow Jackets.

No. 1 Kansas at No. 15 Tennessee, Sunday 4:30 p.m. on CBS.

As mentioned earlier, the Jayhawks aren’t scared. Nor should they be, considering the Volunteers' latest arrests and controversy.

Cole Aldrich is still going strong, and the same can be said about Xavier Henry. Sheron Collins is a man to watch in this game. He is not the Jayhawks' top performer at this point, but he averages 13.8 points per game. He may just make a statement against the Volunteers.

Tennessee has had its woes this season, just like their men’s football team.

With that said, the Volunteers are fresh off a highly impressive 66-59 win over the Memphis Tigers on New Yer's Eve. 

If Scotty Hopson gets moving early, they may just rally with the Jayhawks for the entire game.

No matter what the outcome though, this one is shaping up to be a game to be remembered.