College Hoops Weekend Preview: Rivalries, Upset Alerts, and Rematches—Oh My!

At a time when it seems difficult to focus on college basketball because the BCS debacle makes up 99 percent of college sports news, fantasy football playoffs are just kicking off, and 18-1 has taken on a completely different meaning in the NFL, college basketball highlights Jimmy V Week, which runs from Wednesday, Dec. 3 to Tuesday, Dec. 9 in memory of Jim Valvano and cancer research.

It forces all of us to remember what is most important in life and that while we may have all sorts of rivalries, we all need to work together in the fight against cancer.

That being said, there are some great rivalry games, upset potentials, and rematches this weekend that you definitely do not want to miss.

(4) Duke (8-0) @ Michigan (5-2)—3:30 EST Saturday—ESPN

What better reminder of Jimmy V is there then a rematch of the Coaches vs. Cancer Final from two weeks ago? The Wolverines were coming off an upset of UCLA with buzz about them stomping out two top five teams in as many days. But the Blue Devils put a fork in them and never trailed, crushing them 71-56.

Duke has now won seven in a row against Michigan, but the Wolverines are still hungry for their second upset of the season and revenge is a dish best served cold—good thing Ann Arbor’s forecast calls for snow showers on Saturday.

Ohio State (4-0) @ (7) Notre Dame (6-1)—4:00 EST Saturday—ESPNU

Ohio State has been teetering on the edge of the top 25 since the preseason, and they kicked the week off with an upset over Miami (FL) (#21 AP, #22 Coaches), proving that they deserve to be there.

Reigning Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody looks like he will be out for a third straight game due to pneumonia, but the Irish have not missed a beat without him, outscoring their opponents in the last two games by an average of 29 points. The lone Irish loss came at the hands of top-ranked North Carolina in the finals of the EA Sports Maui Invitational, the last game that Harangody played.

(22) Miami (FL) (4-2) @ Kentucky (5-2)—5:30 EST Saturday—ESPN

The Hurricanes will storm into the blue grass state this Saturday and look to avoid a second straight upset on the week. But they are visiting a Kentucky team that is on a 5-0 run who, after losing the first two games of the season, have regained the confidence needed to be victorious in the SEC.

Forward Raymon Harris was released from the hospital Thursday after colliding with a teammate Wednesday night—he is listed as day-to-day and it is unknown whether he will play against Miami this weekend.

A victory over a ranked opponent could be all it takes for the winningest team in college basketball to get back into the national spotlight, while a decisive win for a floundering Miami team could prevent them from slipping out of top 25.

(22) Wisconsin (6-1) @ Marquette (6-1)—9:30 EST Saturday—ESPNU

Wisconsin escaped Virginia Tech by handing them their second last-second loss of the season on Monday, while Marquette is still trying to figure out how they lost to Dayton and got knocked out of the top 25.

The Badgers are Marquette’s only in-state rivals, and of the 113 times they have faced off, Wisconsin has won 62 of them. But do not let the numbers fool you—Wisconsin is ranked 22 on the coaches poll but is unranked in the AP, and Marquette is ranked 25 in the AP poll while unranked in the coaches poll.

Any way you spin it, this will be a great addition to an age-old rivalry.

(21) Florida (6-1) @ Florida State (7-1)—6:00 EST Sunday—ESPN Full Court

The Gators visit their in-state rivals on Sunday, and the Seminoles will try to do what their football brethren could not—upset Florida.

The Gators’ lone loss of the season came at the hands of a very hot Syracuse Orange team in the semifinals of the CBE Classic, while the Seminoles will be looking to avenge their ACC/Big Ten Challenge loss that Northwestern handed them on Wednesday.

Despite the Gators winning the 2006 and 2007 national championships, the last time they won this annual rivalry was at the start of the 2005-2006 season.

UAB (5-2) @ Cincinnati (5-1)—12:00 EST Saturday—ESPN Full Court

UAB is arguably the best team in Conference USA behind Memphis. Their two losses came in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament, where they fell to a powerful Oklahoma team and then to a Boston College team that clearly understands the power of the rally monkey.

The Bearcats will be the Blazers’ second Big East team in a row—they escaped South Florida 78-77 Wednesday night in overtime. Cincinnati has their work cut out for them this season as they face an uphill battle against the toughest division in college basketball and a solid non-conference win would reinforce that title for the Big East.

Maryland (5-2) vs. George Washington (3-1)—7:30 EST Sunday—ESPN Full Court

As part of a double-header kicking off the 14th annual BB&T Classic, which benefits the Children’s Charities Foundation of Washington, D.C., the Terps take on the Colonials Sunday night.

Maryland has played two roles so far, being both the victim of a more powerful team (falling to 10th ranked Gonzaga and 16th ranked Georgetown), and as David taking down Goliath when they defeated Michigan and sixth ranked Michigan State.

While this is not expected to be a great game, it is a good opportunity for you to become acquainted with the Terps if you do not already know them.

Key Player Matchups

Kyle Singler (Duke) vs. Manny Harris (Michigan)

The key to stopping Duke is shutting down Singler.

Michigan knew this last time they faced off, and while they held him to only 15 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, it was not enough. Manny Harris, on the other hand, leads Michigan in scoring and two weeks ago he hit 25 points, four assists, and only two rebounds. He is averaging 7.7 rebounds per game, so the key to slowing down Michigan is holding Harris off the boards.

What makes this matchup interesting is that both teams have plenty of tape to review and can work on fixing their mistakes from two weeks ago.

Evan Turner (Ohio State) vs. Kyle McAlarney (Notre Dame)

Turner has gotten better as the season has progressed and now leads the Buckeyes in points, assists, and rebounds per game. He is a versatile guard who has the ability to penetrate and dish the ball to fellow sophomore guard Jon Diebler.

With Harangody out, McAlarney will need to keep stepping up his leadership and presence beyond the arc. In the two games without Harangody, he has scored 32 and 27 points and hit 16 threes, in addition to draining 10 long shots against UNC, when Harangody was clearly not 100 percent.

Watching these two team leaders face off should be nothing less then spectacular, and expect a fast paced, high energy game from both sides.

Trevon Hughes (Wisconsin) vs. Wesley Matthews (Marquette)

Hughes has double-digit points in five of seven games this season, and in the two games where he has been held in check, the Badgers have either lost or come too close for comfort. Matthews, on the other hand, has taken his new leadership role in stride this season and has averaged 22 points per game.

The question now is which one of these dynamic players can slow the other down? Watching these two guards match up this weekend should make for a great game, especially since this will be the third time they have met head-to-head.

As you watch what will surely be some great games this weekend, remember that while we may have rivals on the court, there are many other aspects of life that are more important. This is the message that coach Valvano tried to send all of us, and what the Jimmy V Foundation continues to spread every day.