College Hoops TV Guide
By Steve Merril
Covers.com
Wednesday - Duke at Wake Forest
Wake Forest will continue their gauntlet of opponents here against Duke. So far this season, the Demon Deacons have faced Indiana, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Xavier, LSU, and Louisville. They had to play all but one of those games on the road; they only lost by 8 points to Xavier at home. Duke is 12-2 SU on the season with their two losses coming to Kentucky and Utah in overtime.
Thursday - Cincinnati at SMU
Cincinnati got some confidence back after blowing out Tulsa 76-57 on Saturday. The Bearcats had lost their previous two home games because of some serious defensive slippage. SMU is playing with a chip on their shoulder because of the ridiculousness of them being banned from any post-season basketball. The Mustangs are 13-0 SU, and they are playing each game like it’s their last. This is one of the best games of the week to watch.
Friday - Valparaiso at Oakland
Two strong mid-major teams will play on Friday night, and it’s nice to see the teams will get some exposure on national TV. Valparaiso is 11-3 SU on the season, including some tough road wins at Rhode Island and at Oregon State. They came up 6 points short at Oregon. Oakland is only 9-6 SU, but the Golden Grizzlies have played Virginia and Michigan State; they took the Spartans to overtime in a 6-point loss.
Saturday - Kansas State at Oklahoma
Kansas State and Oklahoma both come into this game off tough losses. The Wildcats lost by 3 points after blowing a halftime lead at Texas on Tuesday night. The Sooners also lost by 3 points after blowing a halftime lead at Kansas on Monday night, but their game went to three overtimes. Oklahoma had to be drained from that effort, so it’s a good thing they’ll have four full days to get over that tough loss.
Sunday - Villanova at Butler
Villanova is 12-2 SU on the season. Their two losses came against Oklahoma and Virginia who are two of the best teams in the country. Before playing this difficult game at Butler on Sunday, the Wildcats will host Seton Hall on Wednesday; a game they should win. Butler is 12-3 SU on the season; all three losses have come by 8 points or more. But Hinkle Fieldhouse is a tough place to play, so expect the Bulldogs to be a tough out for Villanova.
Monday - Bucknell at Lehigh
Bucknell and Lehigh are both having disappointing seasons. The Bison have just 5 wins as of this writing; they’ll play two games before facing Lehigh. They’ve already played 7 true road games, so that has something to do with their losing record. Lehigh has just 3 wins; they’ll play two road games before Bucknell. The Mountain Hawks have played the much tougher schedule with games at Virginia, Purdue, and Syracuse.
Tuesday - Miami Florida at Virginia
Two of the better teams in the ACC will play on Tuesday night. This will also be a contrast in styles as Miami prefers to play at a quicker pace while Virginia plays at one of the slowest paces in college basketball. Both coaches are outstanding, so this will be an exciting chess match to watch on both ends of the court.