We’re trying a new star system out here at the Set Your Tivo desk beginning today. Let us know in the comments if you think we should change our ratings system.
SYT Star System
***** – quit your job and divorce your wife if that’s what it takes to watch this game live
**** – best watched live, but if you must, tivo and watch it tonight as soon as you get home
*** – set your tivo but make sure you watch it later
** – set your tivo but we’ll forgive you if it stays in the queue until 2012
* – don’t waste bandwidth (yours or the tivo’s) of any kind on this game
Xavier @ Temple – 7 pm on FSOhio and CSN (*****)
It is a shame more people won’t be able to watch this Atlantic Ten battle that will most likely decide the regular season conference champion. Xavier is the only 4-0 team in the A10 right now, but Temple is the conference’s representative in the top 25 rankings. Both teams are coming off four straight wins, including Xavier’s recent victory over a strong Dayton team. Needless to say, these teams are talented and should provide an entertaining game. Scouts will also be in attendance to see how potential first round pick Jordan Crawford can match up against Temple’s methodical style of play. The Owls only score 64.6 points per game, but at 56.0 points given up on defense, most of their games are close. Considering Xavier’s lack of success in big games this year (Butler, Wake Forest, Baylor, Kansas State) and Temple’s ability to perform well at home, look for the Owls to give Xavier a run for their money, but something tells me the Musketeers are ready to emerge as the best team in this talented conference.
Georgetown @Pittsburgh – 7 pm on ESPNU (****)
Those without ESPNU will unfortunately miss out on the night’s only matchup between two top 25 teams. Both Pittsburgh and Georgetown have been pleasant surprises this year, as Georgetown responded from last year’s NIT season and Pitt has been able to cope with the loss of several key players. The Panthers have all the momentum heading into this game, as they have won eight straight while the Hoyas are coming off of a loss to Villanova. Over 82 percent of ESPN voters claim Pitt will win this game at the Petersen Events Center, where they are 10-0 this year, but Georgetown will not be an easy team to take down. The Hoyas are much more balanced with four players scoring in double figures, including center Greg Monroe, who is averaging a double-double so far this season. If Georgetown’s road woes (just 3-2 on the year with losses in their last two road games) and Pitt’s ability to excel at home continue, look for Pitt to ride Ashton Gibbs and company to stay even with Villanova atop the Big East. However, Georgetown’s defense has been strong all season, and if they can find a way to lock down Gibbs or Brad Wanamaker, this game will be a close call.
Wake Forest @ UNC – 7 pm on ESPN (****)
This game looked much better a few weeks ago. The Demon Deacons were fresh off of wins against Gonzaga and Xavier, and UNC had not self-imploded in ugly fashion. But here we are, with a 12-4 Wake Forest team taking on an undeservedly still-ranked 12-6 North Carolina team. If the Tarheels want to have any shot at staying ranked, they are going to have to stop the barrage of turnovers that cost them the game against Georgia Tech. Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake’s leading scorer and rebounder, will battle against Carolina’s inside duo (used to be trio before Tyler Zeller’s injury) of Deon Thompson and Ed Davis. Both teams need this win as they will face Virginia in the upcoming days, and the more UNC loses, the more you will hear UNC’s name with “last four in” and “first four out.” This will either be UNC’s fourth loss in five games or Wake’s third loss in four games, something neither teams wants to face. Although these teams have underperformed as of late, the talent is still there and they both may find themselves battling for their tournament lives. If Wake and Carolina are as good as people thought earlier this year, they will show it now that they are facing considerable adversity during this stretch.
Michigan @ Wisconsin – 8:30 pm on the Big Ten Network (***)
Although this matchup between two highly ranked teams in the Big Ten will be important in terms of conference standings, fans will watch this one to see which Wisconsin team will show up. After forward Jon Leuer’s injury, we have seen two Wisconsin teams. One is the team that exploded in the closing minutes against Northwestern when Trevon Hughes carried the Badgers on his back over the Wildcats. The other was the team that went eight minutes without a bucket in that game and laid an egg at Ohio State. In that contest, UW exposed how thin they are when they essentially used four backups at the same time (Jordan Taylor, Ryan Evans, Rob Wilson, and Mike Bruesewitz). Although Michigan’s lineup may suit Wisconsin’s new small lineup (five of UM’s top six scorers are guards) their second leading scorer is forward DeShawn Sims. If the Badgers can’t handle Michigan at the Kohl Center, Leuer’s absence will be much more damaging that what people thought after the NU victory.