North Carolina at No. 2 Duke — Youngchan
Saturday, Feb. 1 — Cameron Indoor Stadium — Durham, North Carolina
5:30 p.m. on ESPN
The North Carolina Tar Heels haven’t had the season that they wanted. Despite a 13-8 record, the Tar Heels are currently unranked and have zero wins against ranked teams. But graduate guard RJ Davis and freshman G Ian Jackson have been a lethal scoring duo so far this season, with Davis averaging 17.7 points and Jackson with 15.0 points per game.
No. 2 Duke has been playing some of the best basketball so far this season, only losing to No. 9 Kentucky and No. 12 Kansas. It’s all thanks to freshman G/forward Cooper Flagg, who emerged as one of the best players in college basketball. He’s averaging 19.5 points per game on 48.8% from the field.
This matchup had lots of memorable moments in the past between these two bitter rivals. Despite North Carolina leading the all-time matchup, Duke will edge out a close win with their home-court advantage.
Prediction: Duke 84, North Carolina 77
No. 25 UConn at No. 9 Marquette –Mathias
Saturday, Feb. 1 — Fiserv Forum — Milwaukee, Wisconsin
7:00 p.m. on FOX
As UConn travels to Wisconsin to take on Marquette, it’s not just a matchup between two ranked perennial contenders — it’s a chess match between two of the best coaches in the sport.
For what UConn coach Dan Hurley and Marquette coach Shaka Smart follicly lack in the hair department, they more than make up for by maximizing their rosters on the hardcourt.
Coming off back-to-back national titles with UConn and withstanding key player departures, Hurley has again found a way to have the Huskies punch above their weight class. Despite not having a player in the top 200 in points per game, UConn’s brand of team basketball has it averaging more than 80 points a game. Pure coaching.
Similarly, Marquette is dialed in with only 9.1 turnovers a game, the third-best mark in the nation. Pair this with star senior guard Kam Jones, and the Golden Eagles are flying. Jones is averaging 19 points and 6.5 assists as he carries the Marquette offense.
These games between old-school coaches tend to slow down and require patience from the players as the defenses tighten up, so we’re rocking with the best player in the game, Jones, to make enough plays to eke out a win in The Bald Bowl™.
Prediction: Marquette 75, UConn 71
Providence at No. 15 St. John’s – Roman
Saturday, Feb. 1 — Jack Kaiser Stadium — Queens, New York
11:00 a.m. on CBSSN
The No. 15 St. John’s Red Storm is set to host the Providence Friars at the Jack Kaiser Stadium in Queens, New York on Saturday, Feb. 1. The Red Storm are yet to lose a game at home with a 13-0 record on their home court and are definitely looking to continue this streak.
In its last matchup, St. John’s faced off against Xavier, a team who has a respectable 12-8 record. This game was a battle and after St. John’s forced overtime, they would outscore Xavier 14-6 in the extra time to claim the victory.
Graduate G Kadary Richmond came up huge in this game, scoring 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists while shooting 53% from the field. Junior F Zuby Ejiofor came up big as well, contributing 16 points and eight rebounds while shooting an efficient 64% from the field.
While the Red Storm struggled from behind the arc, they were very good at getting to the basket for easy finishes.
In its last matchup, Providence battled Georgetown on their home floor in front of 12,400 fans. This game was close, after being up by just four points in the second half, the Friars would eventually pull away with a 78-68 victory over the Hoyas. In this game, Providence’s scoring was evenly split with five guys in double-figures led by junior G Jayden Pierre who had 14 points and two steals. Senior G Bensley Joseph also made huge contributions, scoring 14 points while grabbing six rebounds for the game.
St. John’s is favored in this match but I will be interested to see if Providence lets them shoot from behind the arc, knowing they aren’t a great shooting team, I will also be interested to see how St. John’s responds to pressure.
All in all, I am going to take the Red Storm in this one.
Prediction: St. John’s 79, Providence 67
No. 22 Tech Texas at No. 6 Houston – Braxton
Saturday, Feb. 1 — Fertitta Center — Houston
5:00 p.m. on ESPN 2
The Red Raiders have already outperformed season predictions of a middle-of-the-row finish with a current fourth-place sitting, while the Cougars aim their sights for a second conference championship appearance after falling short against Iowa State last year. The Cougars have a firm grasp of the top spot in the Big 12 so far, but still have three possible top-25 matchups in the near future.
With an ankle injury plaguing junior F Darrion Williams — who is averaging the third most points on the team with 14.7 — Tech’s offense will undoubtedly slow as they turn to sophomore F JT Toppin and senior G Chance McMillian. Toppin’s eight and a half rebounds a game is good for 46th in the country, as he will face a fierce battle in the paint against Cougars’ senior F J’Wan Roberts.
Look for both teams to come out hammering the paint and even though Texas Tech averages more points per game than Houston, expect the Cougars to get the win behind standout performances by Roberts and senior G L.J. Cryer.
Prediction: Houston 70, Texas Tech 65
