Just two weeks into the season, many of college basketball’s best prospects have already had some epic performances to stake their claim among this NBA Draft’s elite. Who amongst them could eventually
be a Dallas Maverick? At this point, any number of these guys would be excellent choices.
Last week, Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. delivered a 29-point masterpiece against Kentucky to help the Cards to a top ten win. Braden Smith outdueled Alabama’s backcourt of Philon and Holloway to deliver the Purdue Boilermakers a road win against eighth-ranked Tide. Cam Boozer scored 35 for Duke in a blowout win of Indiana State. And finally, BYU versus UConn lived up to the hype Saturday night, as Silas Demary Jr, Tarris Reed and Alex Karaban combined for 62 of the Huskies’ 86 points in a two-point win over BYU. AJ Dybantsa had a great second half to will the Cougars back into the game, scoring 25 points to lead all scorers.
What will this week bring? The stage is set for some big-time moments. Here is your college basketball week at a glance.
November 18th
Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden
17 Michigan State vs 12 Kentucky – 5:30p CT (ESPN)
24 Kansas vs 5 Duke – 8:00p CT (ESPN)
The Champions Classic always delivers two great matchups, and this time is no different. Kentucky will look to bounce back after their loss to Louisville against the Spartans of Michigan State. Prospect wise, this matchup is a bit light on star power, but do keep an eye on Kentucky’s Denzel Aberdeen. The senior guard is leading the Cats in scoring to start the year.
Kansas and Duke will be a great matchup. It’s a shame that Darryn Peterson, widely regarded as the best guard prospect in the class, will miss the game due to a hamstring injury. Nonetheless, it’s a spotlight game for Duke’s many talented freshmen against a proud program with plenty of great players, even without Peterson.
November 19th
4 Arizona at 3 UConn – 6:00p CT (Fox Sports 1)
11 Alabama vs 8 Illinois (United Center in Chicago) – 8:00p CT (Fox Sports 1)
Wednesday night, you can just turn the TV to FS1 and you will be treated to a pair of outstanding games.
Arizona will be heading to Gampel Pavillion for this top five clash against UConn. The Wildcats feature Koa Peat down low, and he’ll have his hands full here against the Huskies, who will counter with Tarris Reed. Reed, a senior center for the Huskies, is averaging 20 points and over nine rebounds per game to start the year. The guard play will also be a huge determining factor here. The Huskies and Cats both have experienced guards. UConn will start both Solo Ball and Silas Demary Jr., while Arizona will counter with Jaden Bradley, Anthony Dell’orso and true freshman Brayden Burries. This game will be an absolute banger.
The late game will feature two offenses that are high powered and willing to run. Alabama, led by guards Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway, are coming off of a tough loss to Purdue at home where they were outrebounded by 24. Illinois, meanwhile, is coming off of an excellent home win against Texas Tech last week. Andrej Stojakovic led the Illini with 23 points in that game. What an excellent night this will be.
Baha Mar Championship
November 20th and 21st (CBS Sports Network)
Teams: 1 Purdue, Memphis, 15 Texas Tech, Wake Forest
If things go according to plan, we’ll get Purdue against Texas Tech in the Championship on Friday. That would be a very fun matchup!
November 21st
23 Wisconsin vs 9 BYU (Delta Center in Salt Lake City) – 3:00p CT (Peacock)
6 Louisville at Cincinnati – 5:30p CT (ESPNU)
Another game of clashing styles for BYU. This will be Wisconsin’s first test of the season, while BYU will already be in their third marquee matchup. The Badgers are led by guards Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, both upperclassmen who are on the fringes of NBA Draft territory. The duo combines to average over 37 points per contest and could find success against BYU’s defense. This will be a great test for Dybantsa, as Wisconsin has an identity of toughness and defense.
Mikel Brown Jr. takes his Cardinals on the road to Cincinnati. This will be a test for Brown Jr., as Cincy plays hard-nosed ball and will try to drag this game down into the mud.
Feast week looms next week, folks. Prepare yourselves accordingly!
