Predicting the 10 Best Individual Matchups in College Basketball Conference Play
We are now descending into the real meat of college basketball's regular season. It is, that which we call, the conference schedule.
This is where bad blood and high stakes pool and congeal into rivalries. It's where, fueled by familiarity and regional rivalries, some of the season's most memorable battles happen. People who think the tournament forms the sum total of this sport's emotional fabric are just plain old missing out.
And what about those matchups that exist at a more granular level? What about the best individual pairings awaiting us in the 2015 conference schedule? There is more talent than ever out there, with many of the traditional blue bloods loaded and on the hunt for hardware.
These are the 10 best such matchups. Are you ready for a little player-on-player violence? Read on and set your DVRs today.
Guards and bigs, East and West, North and South, high majors and mid. They are all talented, and they are all important to their teams. And their teams are pretty good. These individual matchups could showcase the games of both men and should be meaningful (maybe very meaningful) to their clubs. And all of these factors are how we'll rank these matchups.
10. Seth Tuttle vs. Darius Carter
1 of 10
Conference: Missouri Valley
Seth Tuttle: Power forward, Northern Iowa
Darius Carter: Power forward, Wichita State
When Do They Play: January 31, February 28
When talk turns to the Missouri Valley Conference, it's either Wichita State or nothing. And when the talk turns to players, the Wichita State guards dominate.
Northern Iowa and Seth Tuttle take exception to all of that. The 6'8" post presence leads his team in points (14), rebounds (6.2) and assists (3.3) while ranking second in the conference in field-goal percentage and fifth in boards.
For the Shockers, Carter is right there and then some, edging Tuttle on the conference rebounding list with 6.3 boards per game while chipping in 11.9 points and almost a full steal per contest.
Wichita State swept the series last year, but it may not be so easy this time. Though Wichita State (11-2) currently sits at No. 16 in the nation, 11-2 Northern Iowa is making plenty of waves and ranked at No. 23 (though probably not for long after Thursday's loss to Evansville).
The battle between these two talented, if unsung, big men could go a long way toward determining which of these impressive mid-majors snags an automatic bid—and which is left to sweat it out on Selection Sunday.
9. Melo Trimble vs. D'Angelo Russell
2 of 10
Conference: Big Ten
Melo Trimble: Point guard, Maryland
D'Angelo Russell: Shooting guard, Ohio State
When Do They Play: January 29
Two of the nation's best freshmen are lightning-quick guards with basketball IQs beyond their years.
Trimble tops the 12th-ranked Terps in scoring with 15.9 per contest and is tied for the team lead in assists (3.1). More than that, Trimble keeps Maryland stable when he's on the court and sees things a beat faster than most others.
Russell just might be the best non-Jahlil Okafor freshman in the nation right now. Another precocious floor leader, Russell is pacing the No. 20 Buckeyes with 17.7 points per game and is second on the team with 5.2 dimes. Throw 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest into the mix as well.
Though they don't play the exact same position, there's a good chance these two would be matched against each other for substantial stretches. And that could mean some good guard dueling later this month in Columbus.
8. Tyler Haws vs. Kyle Wiltjer
3 of 10
Conference: West Coast
Tyler Haws: Shooting guard, BYU
Kyle Wiltjer: Power forward, Gonzaga
When Do They Play: February 28
Gonzaga's depth and Wiltjer's inside-outside flexibility mean a variety of matchup permutations. Nevertheless, Haws and Wiltjer spent a lot of time together in the WCC opener for both teams, and they stand to do so again when they face off again in February.
Though the Zags got the better of the Cougars in a nip-and-tuck 87-80 affair in Utah, Haws played that one on a bum ankle. He still managed 17 points but missed all three of his three-point attempts. That won't happen next time.
On the defensive end, Haws had a hard time keeping up with Wiltjer, who went for 24 points on 11-of-23 shooting.
The Bulldogs and their proud defense may have a tougher time with the Cougars next month. If BYU wants to get back to the dance, Haws better see that that's the case, as a big upset in Spokane would work wonders for the team's resume.
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7. Myles Turner vs. Rico Gathers
4 of 10
Conference: Big 12
Myles Turner: Center, Texas
Rico Gathers: Power forward, Baylor
When Do They Play: January 31, March 2
Turner helped invigorate the No. 11 Longhorns with his charismatic style and effective play. It will be interesting to see what happens when he meets a decidedly less-flashy but fully functional foil in Gathers, Baylor's bruising post man.
Gathers anchors a No. 22 Bears group—a very underrated group—that ranks ninth nationally in points allowed. Gathers himself and his 10.5 rebounds per game lead the conference in that category and clock in at eighth for the nation.
It will be a severe test for Turner and his 12 points per game. How he performs will reveal a lot about his current status, his future status and the status of his team as it attempts to get back to the dance.
6. Frank Kaminsky vs. Aaron White
5 of 10
Conference: Big Ten
Frank Kaminsky: Power forward/center, Wisconsin
Aaron White: Power forward, Iowa
When Do They Play: January 20, January 31
Iowa's four losses have all come against teams that either were ranked at the time or ranked at the moment. So it might be better than its 10-4 record indicates, and it might be ready to make its first proper NCAA tournament appearance since 2006.
Upsetting No. 4 Wisconsin would be helpful in that endeavor. And it's entirely possible its home-and-home series—taking place within a two-week stretch in January—will hinge on the play of Aaron White.
White is one of the best players in Iowa basketball history, and that would be more celebrated if he hadn't starred for such underperforming groups. He's ninth in the Big Ten in scoring (16) and fourth in rebounding average (7.3).
What a boost it would be both to White and his team if he could outduel Kaminsky, one of the best post men in the entire country. The 7-footer is second in his conference for rebounds (8.4 per game) and seventh in scoring with 16.6 points per game.
These are arguably the two best big men in arguably the nation's best conference. Don't sleep on this one.
5. Juwan Staten vs. Isaiah Taylor
6 of 10
Conference: Big 12
Juwan Staten: Point guard, West Virginia
Isaiah Taylor: Point guard, Texas
When Do They Play: January 17, February 24
The Mountaineers are undoubtedly Juwan Staten's team. The senior leads the group in points (16.1), assists (4.2) and minutes played (29.9) per game. While some other players on the roster have shown inconsistency, Staten has been nothing but a rock.
Taylor is overshadowed a bit by high-ceilinged freshman teammate Myles Turner. But the sophomore point guard leads his team in points (15) and assists (3) just like Staten.
The Longhorns are currently No. 11 in the AP Top 25, while WVU is at No. 17. It's probably not a crazy bet to think those rankings will be in similar places when they meet later in January and again in late February. With each of these Naismith Award watch-listers at the helm of proud state programs looking to hit an upswing, they'll be gunning right at each other, probably with big stakes on the line.
4. Joseph Young vs. Delon Wright
7 of 10
Conference: PAC-12
Joseph Young: Shooting guard, Oregon
Delon Wright: Shooting/point guard, Utah
When Do They Play: February 22
This is a classic something's-gotta-give matchup. The No. 10 Utes are currently 19th in the nation in team defense—giving up only 57 points per game on average—and Wright is one of their best defenders, with the ability to guard multiple positions and his 2.3 steals per game.
All Young is doing, meanwhile, is pouring in 19.6 points per game for the Ducks. That's tops in the Pac-12 and 21st nationally. When you're hitting 44 percent of your shots from the floor and 92 percent of your free throws, I suppose that sort of thing will happen.
As conference play begins, 10-3 Oregon is in need of a strong conference run. To achieve that, it'll need a strong Joseph Young run. We'll see if the Ducks can put a key feather in their cap when they welcome Utah. When there's friction like this, there's bound to be sparks.
3. Marcus Paige vs. Tyus Jones
8 of 10
Conference: ACC
Marcus Paige: Point guard, North Carolina
Tyus Jones: Point guard, Duke
When Do They Play: February 18, March 7
This is the best individual matchup in college basketball's best team rivalry.
Jones, the dynamic freshman, leads the Blue Devils and is second in the conference in assists with 5.5 per game, not to mention a scoring average of 11 points per contest on 47 percent shooting (including 39 percent from deep).
Widely expected to be one of the ACC's best players this year, Paige has hit his stride of late, leading a resurgent Tar Heel team to a strong four-game winning streak as conference play begins. He leads the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game and is second in assists with 3.8 per game.
The junior is ready to lead UNC and could have some lessons for the freshman phenom Jones. But hey, maybe the younger man will turn the tables. We'll just have to tune in to find out.
2. Jarell Martin vs. Willie Cauley-Stein
9 of 10
Conference: SEC
Willie Cauley-Stein: Center, Kentucky
Jarell Martin: Center, LSU
When Do They Play: February 10
Call this one a bit of a group award, with two of the nation's elites at its center.
Cauley-Stein, the seven-foot junior, is substantially less hyped than his younger low-block running mates like freshmen Karl-Anthony Towns and Trey Lyles or sophomore Dakari Johnson. But he may just be emerging as the MVP of the nation's best team, second in scoring behind Aaron Harrison with 10.1 per game and second behind Towns in rebounding with 6.6 per game.
He also leads the squad in minutes played with 24 per outing. Throw in two blocks and two steals each game, and you have all the makings of a good old-fashioned stat-sheet stuffer.
If anyone in the SEC is not going to be intimidated by Cauley-Stein and Company, it's Martin and the LSU Tigers. The 6-10 Martin teams up with fellow sophomore Jordan Mickey to provide a heavy one-two punch down low.
Martin paces the Tigers with 17.5 points per contest, which puts him among the nation's highest-scoring big men. Mickey is not far behind with 15.6 points per game. In rebounds, the two switch places: While Mickey is first with 10 boards per game, Martin is right there with nine.
1. Jahlil Okafor vs. Montrezl Harrell
10 of 10
Conference: ACC
Jahlil Okafor: Center, Duke
Montrezl Harrell: Power forward, Louisville
When Do They Play: January 17
It doesn't get any better—or clearer—than this.
One man, Okafor, is the offensive prodigy, the likely one-and-doner who leads the No. 2 team in the country with 18.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
The other man, Harrell, has had to blue-collar his way to prominence, but now the junior rules the No. 5 Cardinals with 9.3 rebounds per game (he's also second on the team in scoring with 16 points per game).
Harrell does surrender three inches to the younger man, but he'll yield absolutely nothing else on the floor. Harrell may be the most intimidating defensive presence in the country. But if anyone can take him to school, it's Okafor, whose array of dazzling post moves means he may not have to repeatedly fight Harrell (at least literally) for the same square of floor space.
These two players, both Naismith watch-listers, are among the very best at what they do in the country. They are both leaders on elite teams. They can both do well at the next level. And their games are the classic force-object collision in the making. I know where I'll be January 17.
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