The last week of the college basketball season was highlighted by two previously Top 10 teams falling victim to a conference foe on the road. First, Maryland was knocked off Thursday night in Bloomington by a hot-shooting Indiana squad. Then on Saturday, Iowa State – fresh off of home victories over Kansas and Kansas State – went down to Lubbock and suffered a surprising defeat to Big 12 cellar-dweller Texas Tech. While the Terps and Cyclones were unable to avoid the road upset bug, #2 Virginia and #9 Notre Dame overcome road deficits Sunday to earn key victories. The Cavaliers trailed for most of the game at Virginia Tech before finally grabbing the victory. The Fighting Irish trailed by as many as 18 points at North Carolina State before storming back and securing an overtime victory. With the calendar flipping to February next Sunday, expect conference play to continue to deliver the good as we get closer and closer to March.
This week’s Quick N’ Dirty after the jump…
Quick N’ Dirty Analysis.
- Kentucky remains the consensus #1 for the 10th consecutive week. The Wildcats moved to 19-0 on the season after picking up wins over Vanderbilt and South Carolina last week. John Calipari’s squad will look to move into February with a 21-0 mark as it goes to Missouri on Thursday before hosting Alabama on Saturday. Kentucky figures to be significant favorites in both games, as it has already once blown out both the Tigers and the Crimson Tide this season.
- Wisconsin, Duke, and Gonzaga are duking it out for the #3 spot. Undefeated Kentucky and undefeated Virginia are clearly the top two teams in the country right now, but the fight for the third spot is really picking up steam as the season progresses. In this week’s RTC25, Wisconsin and Duke are tied for third with Gonzaga just shortly behind them. Coming off a hard-fought overtime victory at Michigan on Saturday night, the Badgers look to continue on the winning track this Saturday at Iowa. Duke had to rally in the second half Sunday at St. John’s to earn Mike Krzyzewski’s 1,000th career victory, and things will not be any easier for the Blue Devils this week as they face incredibly difficult road games at Notre Dame on Wednesday and at Virginia on Saturday. Gonzaga has not lost since December 6 and it appears that trend will continue at least through this week, as the Bulldogs will be heavy home favorites against both Portland and Memphis. While all three of the aforementioned teams are very good, expect for there to be more clarity about who is the best of the bunch at this point next week.
- Georgetown has found its groove. The Hoyas have won four consecutive games and currently possess a half-game lead in the Big East standings. John Thompson III’s squad scored an impressive 20-point win over Villanova last Monday before knocking off a feisty Marquette squad in Milwaukee on Saturday. Next on deck for the Hoyas is a Tuesday home battle against Xavier. Georgetown will be looking for a little revenge against the Musketeers, as Xavier thumped Georgetown at the Cintas Center on New Year’s Eve.
Game(s) of the Week. #3 Duke vs. #8 Notre Dame and #2 Virginia vs. #3 Duke. The Blue Devils are faced with their most arduous week of the season as they travel to South Bend on Wednesday and Charlottesville on Saturday. Notre Dame is in the midst of a surprising 19-2 start and possesses one of the best offenses in the country. Duke will have an advantage inside with Jahlil Okafor, but will Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook be able to contain Notre Dame’s Demetrius Jackson and Jerian Grant? The answer to that question will go a long way in determining which ACC power comes away with a victory. The battle of the perimeter will again be quite important on Saturday in Charlottesville. Virginia’s three-headed defensive monster of London Perrantes, Malcolm Brogdon and Justin Anderson have stepped up each time out this season, but they will face their toughest match-up yet against Duke’s talent on the perimeter. Both Wednesday night and Saturday night should be appointment viewing for college basketball fans, so adjust your schedules accordingly.
Keep Tabs On. #16 Iowa State vs. #19 Texas; #17 Georgetown vs. Xavier; #14 Maryland vs. #22 Ohio State; #8 Kansas vs. Kansas State; #13 Wichita State vs. #20 Northern Iowa; #10 North Carolina vs. #12 Louisville; #19 Texas vs. #21 Baylor.
Conference Call. Big 12 (6), ACC (6), Big Ten (3), Big East (3), Pac-12 (2), Missouri Valley (2), Atlantic 10 (1), SEC (1), WCC (1).