No. 22 Texas Tech at Arizona — Youngchan
Saturday, Feb. 8 – McKale Memorial Center — Tucson, Arizona
9:00 p.m. on ESPN
No. 22 Texas Tech is coming into this matchup after their biggest win of the season against No. 6 Houston. Despite a controversial ejection of sophomore forward JT Toppin and coach Grant McCasland, it was fifth-year senior guard Chance McMillian who scored 23 of the Red Raiders’ points, going 7-of-14 from the field.
Arizona is coming off a rivalry victory over Arizona State. Although fifth-year senior G Caleb Love got into a heated altercation, he still led the Wildcats to a big win over the Sun Devils with 27 points and five 3-pointers.
Now with Texas Tech in the No. 3 spot in the Big 12 standings and Arizona tied for No. 1, this match has high stakes as Arizona’s only loss in the Big 12 was to Texas Tech in their first matchup on Jan. 18. Despite Arizona’s home court advantage, I have the Red Raiders sweeping the Wildcats.
Prediction: Arizona 74, Texas Tech 86
Gonzaga at University of the Pacific – Eric
Saturday, Feb. 8 — Alex G. Spanos Center — Stockton, California
6:00 p.m. on ESPN+
Let’s be honest with ourselves. When we watch basketball, most of the time we want to watch a high-scoring affair, not some defensive slugfest. Well, an offensive explosion is what you’re going to get when you watch the Bulldogs take on the Tigers in some West Coast Conference action.
The coach Mark Few-led Bulldogs are currently unranked after some uncharacteristic conference losses, but don’t let that fool you. They’re a force to be reckoned with. Gonzaga is currently second in the nation with 89.6 points per game and are also in the top five in a host of offensive metrics. In the wake of the 3-ball era, the Bulldogs buck the trend and instead look to push the ball in transition to manufacture easy points in the paint.
The dynamic duo of senior G Ryan Nembhard and senior F Graham Ike are the engines of the Gonzaga offense. Nembhard, a prototypical point guard, leads the nation with 9.9 assists per game, more than the legendary John Stockton ever averaged over a season in his Gonzaga career. His partner, Ike, is the Bulldogs’ leading scorer by using his size and strength to hunt for high-percentage looks.
The Tigers aren’t exactly a WCC powerhouse, but they have a solid pairing of their own with junior G Elijah Fisher and senior F Elias Ralph, who both average over 16 points per game. While Pacific has some sources of instant offense, the firepower of the Bulldogs will be too much to handle.
Prediction: Gonzaga 95, University of the Pacific 73
No. 2 Duke at Clemson – Roman
Saturday, Feb. 8 — Littlejohn Coliseum — Clemson, South Carolina
5:00 p.m. on ESPN
The No. 2 Duke Blue Devils are headed south to Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina to take on the Clemson Tigers on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Blue Devils are riding high on a 15-game win-streak while being undefeated in away matchups/
In its last matchup, Duke faced off against their biggest rival North Carolina, a team that has been up and down this year with a 13-10 overall record. This game was one-sided from the start, as the Blue Devils jumped out to a 22-point lead by halftime before maintaining the lead for the rest of the night to seal the win.
In this game, the freshman duo of G Kon Knueppel and F Cooper Flagg combined for 43 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in the win. Junior G Tyrese Proctor also made huge contributions with 17 points and three assists while shooting 50% from the field. Overall, Duke looked very sharp as the team shot over 50% from the field and 50% from behind the arc.
In the Tiger’s last matchup, they visited NC State, a team that has struggled with a sub-.500 record and on a six-game losing streak. This game was close as Clemson held just a three-point lead heading into the second half. However, after the Tigers forced some turnovers and got some easy scores, they were able to walk away with a 68-58 victory.
Clemson’s graduate G Chase Hunter came up big in this game, scoring 20 points with two assists while shooting 50% from the field. Rising senior C Viktor Lakhin was also dominant, contributing 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in the win. While the team struggled from behind the 3-point line, they made up for it with paint scoring.
All in all, the Blue Devils will absolutely demolish Clemson in this matchup.
Prediction: Duke 87, Clemson 68
