Holidays over, college basketball season resumes with a super Saturday of marquee games
AP Basketball Writer
Coming off a quiet stretch in the schedule, the college basketball season kicks into full gear this week, highlighted by a super Saturday with four games between ranked teams.
It starts with top-ranked Tennessee hosting No. 23 Arkansas.
The Vols have held the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 for four straight weeks, but are losing ground to No. 2 Auburn. The Tigers picked up nine first-place votes two weeks ago and another eight this week despite not playing.
Tennessee (12-0) is one of four remaining undefeated teams in Division I — with No. 6 Florida, No. 12 Oklahoma and Drake — and is coming off a blowout win over Middle Tennessee just before Christmas. The Vols are among 10 Southeastern Conference teams ranked this week, including four of the top six.
After facing Alcorn State on Tuesday night, Tennessee gets one of its stiffest tests of the season against No. 23 Arkansas. The Razorbacks beat Oakland by 30 on Monday night and have won six straight in their first season under former Kentucky coach John Calipari.
No. 3 Iowa State (11-1) will put its highest ranking since 1956-57 to the test against No. 25 Baylor after beating Colorado 79-69 on Monday night.
The Cyclones’ only loss was by two to Auburn in their Maui Invitational opener, but they have six players scoring in double figures, led by Keshon Gilbert’s 16.5 points per game.
Baylor has been up and down this season.
The Bears opened with a 38-point loss at No. 19 Gonzaga, lost to Tennessee by 15 and played two-time reigning national champion UConn close in early December. But Baylor has one of the nation’s best forwards in Norchad Omier — 16.2 points, 10.6 rebounds per game — and a defense that can still be stifling.
No. 5 Alabama has been solid in its follow up to its first Final Four last spring.
Led by preseason All-America guard Mark Sears, the Crimson Tide have wins over No. 22 Illinois, No. 14 Houston and North Carolina on their resume while leading the nation in scoring at nearly 90 points per game. The Crimson Tide blew out South Dakota State with a barrage of 19 3-pointers to close out their nonconference schedule Sunday and open SEC play with a difficult game against No. 12 Oklahoma.
Porter Moser’s Sooners have yet to lose this season, racking up wins over Arizona, Louisville and Michigan for their best start since 1987-88. Confident guard Jeremiah Fears has been dynamic during his freshman season, leading Oklahoma with 18.1 points per game.
The early game involving AP Top 25 teams on Saturday will be must watch.
No. 6 Florida is off to its best start since opening the 2005-06 season with 17 straight wins, kicking off a run of consecutive national championships. The Gators are coming off a blowout win over Stetson to close out their nonconference schedule Sunday and are winning by an average of more than 24 points per game.
Now they get their biggest test of the season, at No. 10 Kentucky.
The Wildcats (10-2) have not had much of a letdown since Calipari left for Arkansas, picking up wins over No. 4 Duke and No. 19 Gonzaga in their first season under coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has losses to Clemson and Ohio State, but is second nationally in scoring at 89.1 points per game.
Ducks and Illini
The only other game between ranked teams should be a good one.
No. 9 Oregon (12-1) has gotten off to a great start in its first Big Ten season with wins over No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 5 Alabama and San Diego State. The Ducks’ only loss came when No. 15 UCLA’s Dylan Andrews banked in a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left on Dec. 8.
Oregon’s return to the court on Thursday won’t be easy.
No. 22 Illinois (9-3) is a difficult matchup for any team with the inside-outside combination of Croatian 7-footer Tomislav Ivisic and Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis.
Jakucionis leads the Illini with 16.2 points per game while shooting 41% from 3. Ivisic has been a load inside at both ends, averaging 14.7 points and 9.3 rebounds.
Illinois has wins over Arkansas and Wisconsin, with losses to Tennessee, Alabama and Northwestern.
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