As we move into the second half of conference play in men’s college basketball, we are starting to see teams look to create separation in standings as well as to start stacking up wins against quality opponents so they can secure at-large bids to March Madness.
This weekend, we have matchups from the American Athletic Conference, the Big East and the Big Ten for your consideration as you plan your watching and your college basketball betting.
NCAA News: Top Basketball Games to Watch This Weekend
Saturday, January 23
Cincinnati at Houston
12:00 pm ET, CBS
Cincinnati (3-6, 1-3 AAC) has struggled so far in AAC play, although none of their conference losses have come by more than four points. They picked up a win against SMU on the road on January 7, handing the Mustangs just their second loss of the season. When they can control the boards, they tend to win, which they need because their offense is not as high-octane as it was before former coach Mick Cronin left for UCLA. They have not played since January 10, as games against East Carolina and Temple have been postponed due to COVID-19 cases.
Houston (12-1, 7-1 AAC) has won five in a row since that upset at Tulsa on December 29. Those wins have all been convincing, with the smallest margin of victory sitting at 14 in a January 3 win at SMU. They avenged that loss to Tulsa on Wednesday, winning at home by 27. It’s hard to imagine Houston struggling against the Bearcats right now, but Cincinnati does like to slow down the pace and grind out wins, which could be a challenge. Houston to win.
Connecticut at Creighton
12:00 pm ET, FOX
Connecticut (7-2, 4-2 Big East) lost their conference opener to Creighton on December 20, falling at home by two in overtime. They followed that up with a four-game winning streak in conference play, taking down DePaul, Marquette, Butler and DePaul again. Their matchups with Villanova and Xavier have been postponed, but their last game, at home against St. John’s, was a 74-70 disappointment.
The Huskies’ next game is a chance to avenge that loss to Creighton. The Bluejays (10-4, 6-3 Big East) had won six conference games in a row before losing at Butler in overtime and at home against Providence. Their offense has faltered a bit in those two losses, as they had put up 186 points in wins against Seton Hall and St. John’s before scoring just 136 points in those losses. Can they get their offensive momentum back? Connecticut to win.
Ohio State at Wisconsin
4:00 pm ET, CBS
Ohio State (11-4, 5-4 Big Ten) has picked up some impressive wins in Big Ten play, including victories over Rutgers (twice) and Illinois. However, losses to Purdue (twice), Northwestern and Minnesota have tarnished their start, and Purdue continued that misery on Tuesday with a two-point win. The problem that Ohio State has when facing top contenders is that their backcourt is not quite quick enough to dominate defensively or to crash the rim without fear of having a defender in position, and their shooting is not quite devastating enough to camp three guards behind the arc. They also don’t have a frontcourt that is quite imposing enough to control the paint.
Next up is a trip to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers (12-3, 6-2 Big Ten). A home loss to Maryland is really the only aberration in a quality conference slate for the Badgers, with their other loss coming at Michigan, who sits atop the conference standings with Iowa. Since that loss, they have beaten a tough Rutgers team on the road and rolled over Northwestern at home. Wisconsin likes to grind opponents down with an inside-out offense, running with a slow rhythm. Wisconsin to win.
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