Just the other day, the No. 2 Maryland Terrapins crashed into a wall that was the North Carolina Tar Heels, who dealt Melo Trimble’s squad with their first loss of the season. Without a doubt, that will cause major changes in the next release of the AP poll. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though, as there’s still a lot of college ball left to play this week.
Read on for a brief preview of our select five best NCAAB games to watch until Monday. You can also read our full breakdown of Oregon vs. UNLV and of Kentucky vs. UCLA.
[sc:MarchMadness ]The Top Five College Basketball Games to Watch this Week (Dec. 3-9)
No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles
When: Thursday, December 3, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Kentucky Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Unlike in most of their previous games, the Wildcats really had to work to get a 75-63 win over Illinois State on Monday and extend their unbeaten start to the season to seven games. Kentucky didn’t have Tyler Ulis in that game, though, as the point guard was nursing an elbow injury. He’s still a probable for the UCLA game, but the Wildcats are deep enough (especially at the guard position) to give the Bruins fits even without Ulis.
In any case, the Wildcats will have to play better against a relatively more dangerous UCLA team, albeit one that has lost two of its last three contests. The Bruins are coming off a 77-45 win over lowly CS Northridge with Tony Parker and Isaac Hamilton leading the way with 14 points apiece. UCLA needs more from Bryce Alford, who scored just eight points. Alford is the Bruins top scorer with 15.3 points per game.
No. 15 Oregon Ducks vs. UNLV Rebels
Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas
When: Friday, December 4, 11:00 PM ET
Line: Oregon Ducks vs. UNLV Rebels – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Oregon has a nasty habit of letting opponents come back after building a big lead. Last Saturday, the Ducks nearly squandered a 12-point halftime lead, but managed to survive a game Fresno State team, 78-73. The Ducks, who are 42nd in the nation in defense (64.3 points allowed per game), can’t afford to take their foot off the gas against a potent UNLV team that is rapidly gaining momentum ever since it beat No. 13 Indiana in Hawaii last week.
The Rebels are on a three-game win streak that began with a 72-69 win over the Hoosiers. It’ll be interesting to see how Oregon’s tough defense would fare against UNLV’s attack that produces 83.6 PPG this season.
No. 14 Syracuse Orange vs. Georgetown Hoyas
Where: Verizon Center, Washington
When: Saturday, December 5, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Syracuse Orange vs. Georgetown Hoyas – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Syracuse vs. Georgetown? Yes please. It’s a throwback Big East game this Saturday when the Hoyas host their former conference rival in the Orange. Georgetown will show up in this game after two walk-in-a-park wins over Bryant (77-47) and Maryland-Eastern Shore (68-49).
The Hoyas are 3-3 this season, but that record fails to describe how competitive the team has been even in losses. With the tandem of D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (12.8, 4.2 APG) and top-25 recruit Isaac Copeland (14.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG) at the forefront of their attack, the Hoyas managed to lose to No. 3 Maryland and No. 5 Duke by just six total points.
Syracuse, on the other hand, looks to shut down the Hoyas with its defense that currently ranks 29th in the nation with only 63.5 points allowed per game.
No. 19 Arizona Wildcats vs. No. 13 Gonzaga Bulldogs
Where: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane
When: Saturday, December 5, 3:15 PM ET
Line: Arizona Wildcats vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
They didn’t earn a championship trophy in the Wooden Legacy but the Wildcats sure are happy that they did not suffer further damage to their record, as they beat Boise State to win the pocket tournament’s third place.
Prior to that game, Arizona lost to Providence (69-65) and nearly got slapped with a pie in the face in a close 75-73 overtime win over Santa Clara. Another difficult test awaits the Wildcats in Spokane, where Gonzaga looks to get its second win over a ranked team. The Zags recently beat No. 18 UConn in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas with preseason All-American Kyle Wiltjer scattering 17 points to lead the team.
Wiltjer paces the team in scoring with 18.8 PPG. It gets harder for Arizona now that starting big man Kaleb Tarczewski (8.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG) will be out for four to six weeks with a foot injury.
No. 16 Vanderbilt Commodores vs. No. 25 Baylor Bears
Where: Ferrell Center, Waco
When: Thursday, November 26, 2:00 PM ET
Line: Vanderbilt Commodores vs. Baylor Bears – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
It’s SEC vs. Big 12 in Waco this Thursday, as the Commodores take on the high-scoring Bears. Vanderbilt recently lost to No. 5 Kansas in the Maui title game, but showed it was no pushover by losing by a close score of 70-63. The Bears, who are averaging 87.0, look to beat a ranked opponent for the first time this season. They had their chance against No. 25 Oregon back in November, but lost, 74-67. The Commodores are 7-1 ATS in their last eight road games, while the Bears are 4-0 SU in their last four at home.
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