Fresh off losing its first game of the season to Duke last Saturday, #2 Virginia completed a week that has to put the Cavaliers in any weekly award discussions. Tony Bennett’s squad first went to Chapel Hill on Big Monday and earned an 11-point victory over #11 North Carolina. It then returned home on Saturday to face a hot #9 Louisville squad and emerged victorious with a hard-fought five-point victory. Virginia receives a great deal of credit for its stifling defense and you could see why in that game, as it held Louisville to just 13 measly first half points. All is not perfect in Charlottesville though, as star swingman Justin Anderson suffered a fractured finger on his left hand and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Elsewhere in the ACC, #4 Duke continues to rebound quite nicely from its three previous league setbacks. The Blue Devils scored a victory over Georgia Tech last Wednesday before avenging their January 28 loss to #12 Notre Dame, annihilating the Irish by 30 points in Durham . While Virginia still has a lead in the league standings, the ACC race is definitely one to keep an eye on as the second half of conference play progresses.
This week’s Quick N’ Dirty after the jump…
Quick N’ Dirty Analysis.
- Kentucky remains the unanimous #1 for the 12th consecutive week. The Wildcats continued their quest for perfection last week with a home win over Georgia and a thrilling road victory at Florida. While Kentucky did not play perfectly in either game, John Calipari’s team made the plays necessary to ensure a key road victory. The Wildcats face one of their toughest remaining regular seasons on Tuesday this week, as they head to Baton Rouge to battle a talented but enigmatic and inconsistent LSU team. If they are able to leave the Maravich Center with a victory, expect undefeated season chatter to reach even greater heights.
- Butler has emerged as the second-best Big East team. Not much was known about Butler in the preseason. The Bulldogs had a new coach in Chris Holtmann and were coming off their worst season in recent memory, but after a win over North Carolina at the Battle 4 Atlantis, they showed they were going to be a force to be reckoned with this season. Now winners of seven of its last eight, Butler is 18-6 overall with an 8-3 mark in Big East play. The Bulldogs’ next test comes Saturday at home when it faces off with #6 Villanova. Holtmann’s group will be looking to avenge its 67-55 New Year’s Eve loss at Villanova when both teams hit the hardwood in Indianapolis.
- VCU continues to fall. Just two weeks ago, the Rams stood at #15 in the RTC25. Since then, they have lost two Atlantic 10 games (vs. Richmond and at Saint Bonaventure) as well as standout point guard Briante Weber to a serious knee injury. Leading scorer Treveon Graham also missed the Saint Bonaventure loss with an ankle ailment. Shaka Smart’s squad is still the class of the Atlantic 10, but if his team’s injury issues persist, it is not unreasonable to believe the slide will continue. This is especially true with a tough game at George Washington looming Saturday.
- Oklahoma State enters the RTC25 after two big wins. The Cowboys proved last week with a road overtime victory at Texas and a come-from-behind home victory over conference leading #8 Kansas that they are an extremely tough out in Big 12 play. Oklahoma State is receiving good performances from junior guard Phil Forte and senior forward Le’Bryan Nash right now, but the Cowboys must improve on their 1-4 Big 12 road record if they want to become a threat in the league race. They will have a chance to prove themselves tonight when they head down to Waco to face #17 Baylor in what should be a very good game.
Game of the Week. #6 Villanova vs. #18 Butler. The two top teams in the Big East will do battle on Saturday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Wildcats won the first meeting by 12 points in Philadelphia to open conference play, but the Bulldogs are currently playing some of the best basketball in the country, winners of seven of their last eight. The match-up to keep an eye on in this one will be between the backcourts. Villanova guards Ryan Arcidiacono and Darrun Hilliard II are steady and consistent, but Butler guards Alex Barlow and Kellen Dunham have also proven same. Whichever backcourt is more successful in avoiding mistakes should result in a victory for that team. This has all the makings of the game of the year candidate in the rollicking Big East.
Keep Tabs On. #17 Baylor vs. #20 Oklahoma State; #14 Iowa State vs. #15 Oklahoma; #1 Kentucky vs. LSU; #6 Villanova vs. #25 Providence; #23 Maryland vs. Indiana; #8 Kansas vs. #17 Baylor; #14 Iowa State vs. #21 West Virginia; #4 Duke vs. Syracuse; #19 Ohio State vs. Michigan State.
Conference Call. Big 12 (6), ACC (5), Big East (4), Big Ten (3), Pac-12 (2), Missouri Valley (2), Atlantic 10 (1), SEC (1), WCC (1)