Previewing the Final Weekend of January College Hoops

Trey Burke will look to lead Michigan to a victory in Champaign over Illinois with another shot at being No. 1 on the line. (Mike Stobe)

This is already the last weekend in January. It's hard to believe, but we only have one more full month until the NCAA tournament tips off. Conference matchups becoming increasingly important this time of year. My blog post will briefly preview the top five games to watch this weekend.

5. North Carolina (13-5, 3-2 ACC) at #18 NC State (15-4, 4-2 ACC) - Saturday, 7:00 PM EST, ESPN

This game features two rival trending in opposite directions. On January 10, North Carolina lost at home to Miami by nine points. The loss dropped their record to 10-5 and 0-2 in the ACC. Despite doubters and critics ripping them apart, they have used a solid two weeks to turn around their season. The Tar Heels won at Florida State and defeated both Maryland and Georgia Tech by double digits. Reggie Bullock and James Michael McAdoo have led the way offensively. The team has also cut down its turnovers and defensive lapses.

On January 12, NC State looked like a national championship calibar team. They capped off a 3-0 start in ACC play, their best since 1973-74, with an impressive 84-76 victory over No. 1 Duke. However, they have looked like a completely different team since. In a span of six days, the Wolfpack dropped two of their past three games. Poor shooting doomed them in a narrow defeat at Maryland, and a poor defensive performance in the second half saw them fall at Wake Forest on Tuesday.

4.  Temple (13-5, 2-2 A-10) at #9 Butler (16-3, 3-1 A-10) - Saturday, 6:00 PM EST, ESPN2

Temple wants to prove it belongs with the top teams in the Atlantic 10. They will have a chance to prove it on Saturday when they look to hand Butler their first home loss of the season. The Owls have had their share of ups and downs this season. Their best win to date is there upset of Syracuse in Madison Square Garden. Home losses to Canisius and St. Bonaventure have been disappointing performance for Temple. They have played a tough schedule getting blown out by Duke and falling short in an upset attempt at Kansas. Butler is the Owls' fourth top ten opponent of the season, so they won't be intimidated by playing in a hostile environment on the road.

Butler has been on an emotional roller coaster over the past week. One week ago, Roosevelt Jones made a steal and game-winning shot to knock off Gonzaga. However, they watched an opponent become the hometown hero just a few days later. La Salle senior Ramon Galloway drove coast-to-coast to lift the Explorers to their first victory over a top ten team since 1980. The loss was the Bulldogs' first in over two months. They will get a huge boost from the return of Rotnei Clarke from injury. The senior leads Butler in scoring with 16.3 points per game and is expected to play on Saturday.

3. #15 New Mexico (17-2, 4-0 MWC) at San Diego State (15-4, 3-2 MWC) - Saturday, 4:00 PM EST, NBCN

New Mexico has established itself at the top of the Mountain West Conference, but it has been far from pretty. Five point wins over UNLV and at Boise State in overtime have been far from certain outcomes. They also almost blew a 22-point lead to Colorado State before winning by five once again. The Lobos are a talented team with three top 25 wins and haven't lost in the new year. Junior Tony Snell has stepped up his game lately. Over his past three games, he has averaged 20.3 points per game.

San Diego State has looked strong for much of the season, but a recent rough patch knocked them out of the polls. They were ranked until they lost back-to-back games to UNLV and Wyoming. On Wednesday, they bounced back with a 21-point victory at Nevada. If the Aztecs hope to win the Mountain West, they would take a big step in the right direction with an upset of New Mexico. They will need to get strong play out of senior Chase Tapley and junior Jamaal Franklin if they hope to do that.

2. #13 Michigan State (17-3, 6-1 Big Ten) at #7 Indiana (17-2, 5-1 Big Ten) - Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

Since losing their Big Ten opener at Minnesota, Michigan State has won six straight conference games to take the lead in the nation's deepest and most difficult conference. Despite knocking off Ohio State and winning at Wisconsin, their schedule does not get an easier as they must travel to Assembly Hall to take on Indiana. The Spartans have played very well this season, but the end of the Wisconsin game showed that this team can be inept on the offensive end at times. Junior point guard Keith Appling can be the leader that can make the difference on the court when he is needed to.

Indiana has been No. 1 in the country twice this season, but has been unable to hold on to the spot. The first time the came up short in overtime to budding rival Butler. The second time around they were surprised at home by a confident Wisconsin team. Even though they are now ranked #7 in the country, this is one of the nation's best teams. Sophomore Cody Zeller is one of the nation's best players. Junior Victor Oladipo and senior Christian Watford are hard-working team players who are coaches' dream athletes and hustlers.

1. #2 Michigan (18-1, 5-1 Big Ten) at Illinois (15-5, 2-4 Big Ten) - Sunday, 6:00 PM EST, BTN

Exactly two weeks prior, Michigan played on a Sunday with a chance to win and become the No. 1 team in the country. They got off to a slow start and came up short at Ohio State. On Sunday night, they will get another chance when they travel to Assembly Hall to take on Illinois. The Wolverines boast a balanced attack and strong defense. Junior Tim Hardaway Jr. and freshmen Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III all are averaging in double digits scoring. As good as they have all been, it is sophomore point guard Trey Burke who runs the show as good as anyone in the country.

Illinois was one of college basketball's surprise stories in the early stages of the season. They got off to a 12-0 start and won the Maui Invitational. Beginning with a loss to Missouri, the Fighting Illini's season success came to a sudden and dramatic stop. They lost five out of seven games to fall to 1-4 in Big Ten play. Illinois did end a three-game losing streak with a 20-point win at Nebraska on Tuesday. Senior D.J. Richardson led the way with 30 points. The Illini will look to use a similar formula as they hope to upset Michigan.

Van Noy and the BYU Defense Took Over the Poinsettia Bowl

BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy's forced fumble and recovery in the endzone proved to be the decisive play of the game. (Kent Horner)

With San Diego State leading the Poinsettia Bowl 6-3 heading into the fourth quarter, someone had to step up and make the big play. BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy had already made a number of big plays earlier in the game, but he reminded the Aztecs of his presence down the stretch.

In the red zone, the BYU offense looked poised to at least tie the game up if they could not punch the ball in for the game's first touchdown. However, BYU quarterback James Lark's pass was intercepted by San Diego State cornerback King Holder at the two-yard line.

That's when Van Noy decided to take matters into his own hands. He rushed San Diego State quarterback Adam Dingwell in the end zone, forced a fumble and recovered it for a touchdown. The very next play from scrimmage did not go any better for the Aztecs. Dingwell fumbled the exchange from the center and Cougars cornerback Jordan Johnson emerged from the pile with the football. One play later, it was Jamaal Williams dancing his way into the endzone on a 14-yard run. A missed extra point made it a 16-6 BYU lead.

With the outcome of game still undetermined, Van Noy decided to finish San Diego State off. With just over six minutes to go in the game, Dingwell's pass was intercepted by Van Noy, who elusively returned it 17 yards for a touchdown. Van Noy's teammate Alani Fua added another interception of Dingwell on the Aztecs' next drive for good measure. When it was all said and done, the Cougars had decisively won 23-6.

The victory was not because of their anemic offense. Instead, it was their leader on defense that made it all happen. Van Noy wasn't only BYU's defensive MVP, but their offensive one as well. He finished the game with eight tackles, including three for loss and 1.5 sacks. Van Noy also had a blocked punt, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and two defensive touchdowns.

The Cougars defense had only had one defensive touchdown all season, but Van Noy came up with two when they needed them the most. He finished the season with 51 tackles, including 21.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. Van Noy is considering joining teammate Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah in entering the NFL Draft. He certainly gave the scouts watching plenty to think about. If this Van Noy's last game as a Cougar, he will long be remembered as the reason they won the 2012 Poinsettia Bowl.

Aztecs Putting on a Show Out West

Prior to 1999, San Diego State's basketball program had done nothing of note. In their thirty year history in NCAA Division I, they had only made the NCAA tournament three times and had no wins to show for it. This led former athletic director Rick Bay to make a risky move. He decided to hire Steve Fisher as his new basketball coach.

At Michigan, Fisher become the first interim coach ever to lead a team to a national championship. However, soon after, a federal investigation dug up that a bookmaker had paid four of his players over $600,000. While Fisher was never directly linked, the scandal cost him his job and in many eyes, his reputation. Bay, a Michigan alum, decided to give Fisher another chance.

Fisher came in and slowly but surely turned things around. In 2002, 2006 and 2010, the Aztecs made the NCAA tournament, but lost in the opening round each year. Last year, they finally made their breakthrough. The Aztecs were ranked as high as #4 in the regular season polls, finished the season with a record of 34-3, and most importantly, won their first tournament game, making it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen.

Many experts thought the run was a nice one, but expected San Diego State to return to its old history. After all, the team lost an excellent senior class and sophomore stud Kawhi Leonard to the NBA. But all the Aztecs have done so far this season is put up a record of 17-2, including a last second win over conference-favorite UNLV. It is important to note that it isn't just Fisher and his team that deserve the credit.

San Diego State has always had a wild and crazy student section. One annoyed alum complained and told the students that, "You guys think you're the show." The students took his piece of advice a different way and decided to call themselves The Show. They are now considered to be one of the craziest and loudest student sections west of the Mississippi.

Fifth-year senior forward Tim Shelton decided he wanted to show the world Aztec Nation through his two favorite mediums, basketball and hip-hop. His YouTube video called SDSU Aztec Motto showcases TES (Shelton's artist name) rapping about being an Aztec, giving shoutouts to teammates past and present, and giving props to The Show. San Diego State basketball doesn't appear to be going anywhere. The Aztecs are looking to spread the influence all over the world.

Check out TES' Aztec Motto here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXZ0iyQjTAc

Upsets a Plenty on a Busy Saturday of College Basketball

I will breakdown the Top 25 teams that were in action on Saturday.

Convincing Wins

#1 Syracuse 78 Providence 55 - The Orange showcased their supremacy once again as they routed the Friars. They host Pittsburgh on Monday.

#4 Baylor 106 Oklahoma State 65 - The Bears offense keeps getting the job done in convincing fashion. They scored 15 three pointers and nearly doubled the Cowboys on the glass.

#15 Louisville 76 Depaul 59 - The Cardinals bounced back nicely from losing two straight. The travel to Marquette next Monday.

#16 Connecticut 67 Notre Dame 53 - UConn was without Ryan Boatright (being investigated by the NCAA). The most impressive thing about the Huskies win was the play of two of their big men, Andre Drummond and Alex Oriakhi.

#25 Harvard 69 George Washington 48 - The Crimson looked convincing in their final non-conference game. Now, they just have to focus on taking care of business in Ivy League play.

Got the Job Done

#9 Missouri 84 Texas 73 - The Tigers just keep winning. They didn't get frazzled by their first loss of the season to Kansas State. They host Texas A&M on Monday.

#10 Kansas 82 Iowa State 73 - The Jayhawks overcame a sluggish first half to beat the Cyclones. This setups a big Top 10 showdown on Monday when they host the undefeated Baylor Bears.

#14 Murray State 82 Tennessee Tech 74 - The Racers are now off to a school-record 19-0 start. They are 6-0 in OVC play, and their next conference opponent is Morehead State on Wednesday.

#19 Florida 79 South Carolina 65 - The Gators improved to 2-1 in SEC play with a road win over the Gamecocks. Their next game isn't until next Saturday when they host LSU.

#24 Marquette 62 Pittsburgh 57 - The Golden Eagles improved to 3-2 in Big East play, while the Panthers fell to 0-5. Who would have believed Pitt would be struggling this badly right now?

Survived a Scare

#2 Kentucky 65 Tennessee 62 - The Wildcats displayed some poise in a tough road win. The Volunteers showed once again this week that they are much better than their 8-9 record would indicate.

#20 Mississippi State 56 Alabama 52 - Both of these teams want to make the NCAA tournament, so this was a big win for the Bulldogs. The Crimson Tide were ranked in the preseason polls, but they need to find an answer to their struggles quickly if they are going to rebound from this loss.

#23 Gonzaga 62 Loyola Marymount 58 - Coming off a blowout loss at St. Mary's, the Zags barely survived a tough win over the Lions. They look to get back to form against San Francisco at home on Thursday.

Upset Victims

Florida State 90 #3 North Carolina 57 - This might be exactly what Florida State needed. The Tar Heels had no answer for the hot shooting Seminoles. The loss was the worst in the Roy Williams era.

Northwestern 81 #7 Michigan State 74 - The Wildcats showed they still have a shot in the Big Ten, as Michigan State's win streak of fifteen games was snapped. The Spartans look to get back on track on Tuesday when they travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan.

Iowa 75 #13 Michigan 59 - The Hawkeyes are a tough team to figure out. They have upset two Top 25 teams, but they have also got blown out by two of them.

Oklahoma 82 #18 Kansas State 73 - The Wildcats might be a bit overrated as they now fell to 1-3 in Big 12 play. They will look to recover on Wednesday when they host Texas.

Thriller

#22 San Diego State 69 #12 UNLV 87 - This might be a sign of what is to come in what is a tough Mountain West Conference this year. Aztec guard Jamaal Franklin made the game winning off-balance layup with 0.3 seconds left in the game.