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.

College Football Week 12 Preview & Predictions

5. #16 Nebraska @ #18 Michigan - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN/ESPN3

The Big Ten Legends Division is down to three contenders with one clear favorite. Both Nebraska and Michigan are 8-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play. They sit a game behind Michigan State who is 8-2 as well, but are 5-1 in conference play. The Spartans play Indiana at home (12:00 PM EST, Big Ten Network). If they win, Michigan is out. Therefore, Michigan needs a win over Nebraska and an Indiana win over Michigan State to stay alive in their pursuit of this year's Big Ten Championship. Nebraska needs either a win over Michigan or an Indiana win over Michigan State. To say there is a lot riding on the outcome of this game, is an understatement. This one should be fun. Prediction: Nebraska 20 Michigan 17

4. #17 Wisconsin @ Illinois - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN2/ESPN3

Now, it's time to watch what happens in the Big Ten's other division. In the Leaders Division, Wisconsin is in the same position as Michigan and Nebraska. Wisconsin (8-2, 4-2) sits one game behind Penn State (8-2, 5-1). After two heartbreaking losses, the Badgers responded by beating Purdue and Minnesota by a combined margin of 104-30. Illinois started the season 5-0, but upon examining their schedule, that was more or less just an illusion. The Illini have now lost four in a row. Head coach Ron Zook is back on the hot seat. How will his players respond for him? Prediction: Wisconsin 38 Illinois 13

3. #21 Penn State @ Ohio State - 3:30 PM EST, ABC Regional/ESPN/ESPN3

Penn State and Ohio State were once considered to be the epitome of what a football program should be. When these two teams played last year, the game featured the two winningest active coaches in Division I football. The NCAA is still in the midst of an investigation into Ohio State players trading memorabilia for cash and receiving discounted tattoos. Head coach Jim Tressel became history. Penn State is still shell shocked by the Jerry Sandusky scandal that has disgraced and torn apart a tight-knit community. Head coach Joe Paterno was fired and his legendary career is forever tarnished. Saturday there is football to be played. A game that is very important for both teams. Ohio State is bowl eligible, but might have to play a MAC school if they don't win one of their final two games. Penn State still sits in first place in the Big Ten Leaders Division. They control their own fate in their path to the Big Ten Championship Game. Penn State needs to do something they haven't done very much of in the past, win at the Horseshoe. They've only one once in Columbus since joining the Big Ten. This game should feature heavy running approaches and strong defenses. Prediction: Penn State 14 Ohio State 13

2. #5 Oklahoma @ #22 Baylor - 8:00 PM EST, ABC Regional/ESPN3

Without even playing last week, Oklahoma returned to the BCS National Championship picture. Two previously undefeated teams ahead of the Sooners, Stanford and Boise State, both lost. Now, the Sooners have two of their final three games against ranked opponents. If they win out, they definitely have a case for playing in the BCS National Championship Game. Their first game is against Baylor. The ranked Bears will be pumped for this showdown as they have a great chance to beat their rival Oklahoma for the first time ever. Last week, Baylor rallied and survived an overtime bout with Kansas 31-30. With Robert Griffin III at quarterback, the Bears should be able to score against the Sooners defense, but the question is whether or not their defense will be able to do enough to slow down Sooners quarterback Landry Jones. Prediction: Oklahoma 35 Baylor 31

1. SMU @ #11 Houston - 3:30 PM EST

Thanks in large part to Boise State's loss last week and College Gameday's first visit to campus, the spotlight is fully on Case Keenum and the Houston Cougars. Keenum is the NCAA all-time leader in total offense (18,434 yards), passing yards (17,537), and passing touchdowns (144). This Saturday he looks to add two more accomplishments to his resume. He needs seven completions to become the all-time leader in that category. If he passes for 300 yards or more, he will tie former Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang's record of 36 games. Additionally, if Houston wins out they will get the automatic bid to a BCS bowl game that Boise State vacated with their loss. SMU has lost three out of their last four, but won against a ranked TCU team earlier this year. Prediction: Houston 70 SMU 21

If you want to learn more about Houston, watch this video preview of their game this Saturday: http://www.cbs.com/sports/video/?pid=BQ83j5A3rSkGt81qEtipkZubz19w_4Uy&vs=Default&play=true

Things are Becoming Very Interesting in the Big Ten

The Big Ten might not be the best conference in college football, but it might be one of the most interesting and exciting.

Just when everyone thought that Michigan State looked like the cream of the crop in the Legends division, Nebraska's defense said not so fast. After beating Michigan and Wisconsin (in stunning fashion) the past two weeks, Michigan State's offense was stymied. Nebraska pulled off the victory 24-3 in front of an excited home crowd.

Michigan's Toussaint had a career day as his team beat Purdue 36-14. Penn State held on against Illinois for a 10-7 victory to give coach Joe Paterno his record 409th win.

One the main questions going into the week was how would Wisconsin respond from last week's heartbreak. Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson threw a touchdown pass and two point conversion to give the Badges a 29-26 lead with 1:18 left. However, Wisconsin's defense let them down as they allowed inexperienced freshman quarterback Braxton Miller to complete a 40 yard game-winning touchdown pass to give Ohio State the upset win. Perhaps Wisconsin should look into purchasing some Prevacid, as they are suffering some heartburn once again.

So where do we stand now. The Legends Division standings have a 3-way tie at the top with Michigan, Nebraska, and Michigan State all holding a 3-1 conference record. Penn State (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten) now holds a commanding lead in the Leaders Division. The next closest teams are Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Purdue, who all have a 2-2 conference record. The Nittany Lions are off next week and control their own fate from here on out.