No. 21 Wisconsin at No. 7 Purdue — Youngchan
Saturday, Feb. 15 — Mackey Arena — West Lafayette, Indiana
12:00 p.m. on CBS
Purdue continues to showcase why they have been one of the better teams in the Big Ten this year. The Boilermakers maintained a respectable 18-5 overall record and are No. 1 in the conference standings. Junior guard Braden Smith has been the heart and soul of this team, averaging 16.4 points and 2.5 steals per game.
Wisconsin continues to showcase why they are a dark horse contender for a Big Ten title, with a respectable 18-5 overall record and tied for fourth in the standings. Graduate G John Tonje has had a breakout season, averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting a respectable 40.7% from beyond the arc.
It’s going to be a primetime matchup between these two ranked in-conference opponents. Despite the Badgers putting up a good fight, I have Purdue with a close win due to its gritty defense.
Prediction: Purdue: 71, Wisconsin 65
No. 11 Michigan State at Illinois — Noah
Saturday, February 15 — State Farm Center — Champaign, Illinois
7 p.m. on FOX
Before No. 11 Michigan State begins its four-game ranked opponent stretch, a road matchup against Illinois will have to be taken care of first, as the Fighting Illini will be looking to add a signature victory to their NCAA Tournament resume.
The Spartans’ Big Ten conquest has been spearheaded by senior G Jaden Akins, who leads the team with 13.8 points a game while chipping in four rebounds to go with it. Rebounding machine junior forward Jaxon Kohler averages 7.6 boards and plays a strong supporting role in Michigan State’s second-place standing in the conference.
As for Illinois, Lithuanian giant freshman F Kasparas Jakucionis does the heavy lifting for his squad, averaging 15.6 points per game to go along with 5.3 assists. Fellow European and colossal 7-foot-1 sophomore F Tomislav Ivisic, makes his living snagging 8.6 rebounds a game.
With a rallying win over Oregon, Michigan State has steered itself rightward after a UCLA bear attack, followed by a Trojan horse ambush at the hands of USC. However, Illinois will be itching to rectify a one-possession, 80-78 loss in East Lansing on Jan. 19.
Therefore, this is, in fact, not Sparta. It’s east-central Illinois, and I have the Fighting Illini defending their home court.
Prediction: Illinois 80, Michigan State 69
No. 5 Houston at No. 20 Arizona — Justin
Saturday, Feb. 15 — McKale Memorial Center — Tucson, Arizona
1 p.m. on ESPN
Through 23 games thus far, the dominant presence of No. 5 Houston has been spoiled four times already this season, matching its loss record from last season. Though core players like former G Jamal Shead have moved onto the big leagues, the Cougars still have a strong backcourt in junior G Emanuel Sharp and graduate G L.J. Cryer.
However, they’ve still been pounced on by the likes of San Diego State and No. 13 Texas Tech, who’ve been on the avalanche of winning — now they face No. 20 Arizona.
Fellow cat species in-name like the Wildcats have stood tall in the Big 12, brushing off Cincinnati, West Virginia, Baylor and Iowa State. More importantly, they redeemed an early season loss to the Red Raiders, and it was all conducted by star graduate G Caleb Love.
He’s been the cog in Arizona’s top-20 offensive machine and facing up against the always-dominant Houston defense, who leads as the nation’s best defense yet again. This top-20 matchup will show just who’s the best in the conference — and the hands are dealt in Houston’s favor to come out of Tucson with a third-straight win.
Prediction: Houston 78, Arizona 68
Stanford at No. 3 Duke — Roman
Saturday, Feb. 15 — Cameron Indoor Stadium — Durham, North Carolina
3:00 p.m. on ESPN
The Blue Devils have been unstoppable at home with an undefeated 13-0 record and a 20-3 overall record.
In its last matchup, Duke faced off against Clemson in a thriller of a match. After a close first half that saw the Blue Devils lead by just six points, Clemson stormed back in the second, outsourcing the Devils 42-30 to hand them just their third loss of the year, 77-71.
In this game, junior G Tyrese Proctor was the man for Duke, scoring 23 points with two steals while shooting 60% from the field. Freshman F Cooper Flagg had a relatively off offensive night as he scored 18 points while shooting just 35% from the field. However, what he lacked on offense, he certainly made up for on defense, grabbing five rebounds, three steals and a block for the Blue Devils.
Stanford has had an up and down season, with a strong 13-2 home record but just a 3-4 overall conference record. In their last matchup, the Cardinals faced a scare against NC State, barely scraping by with a 74-73 victory on their home floor. After a sloppy first half and trailing by four, Stanford went on a late second-half run, scoring many clutch buckets down the stretch to come away with the win.
Senior F Maxime Raynaud led the charge for the Cardinals, scoring a game-high 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds while shooting 56% from the field. Junior F Chisom Okpara had a solid game as well, contributing 10 points on 63% shooting to help lead the Cardinals second-half charge.
This will be a fun matchup as we will see two teams with impressive front-court players matchup against each other. I will also be interested to see if the Cardinals could keep up with the Blue Devils Star power and offensive force.
All in all, Duke will walk away with this matchup.
Prediction: Stanford 72, Duke 84
