Michigan's Trip to IU Headlines College Basketball Saturday

The superb play of Tim Hardaway Jr. is one of the major reasons why Michigan is currently the No. 1 team in the country. (Gregory Shamus)

5. #6 Syracuse (18-2, 6-1 Big East) @ Pittsburgh (17-5, 5-4 Big East) - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN

Syracuse enters this matchup following the team's second loss of the season. Poor perimeter defense and overconfidence were their demise. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has begun to find its groove. They had won four straight contests before coming up short at Louisville. The Panthers will look to use their significant home court advantage to pull the surprising upset.

4. Oklahoma State (14-5, 4-3 Big 12) @ #2 Kansas (19-1, 7-0 Big 12) - 4:00 PM EST, ESPN3

Oklahoma State has had its share of ups and downs so far this season. They are entering this game with some momentum as winners of three of their last four. Since a November 13 loss to Michigan State, Kansas has gone on to win 18 straight games. Their defense has been dominant throughout the season. Freshman Ben McLemore has emerged as one of the best players in college basketball.

3. #14 Miami (16-3, 7-0 ACC) @ #19 NC State (16-5, 5-3 ACC) - 4:00 PM EST, CBS

Miami has been one of the biggest surprise stories of the college basketball season thus far. They have stormed out to a 7-0 start in ACC play, including dominating wins over then-No. 1 Duke and Florida State. NC State has been up and down in conference play. They have a win over Duke on the record as well. The Wolfpack will be glad to return home after a loss at Virginia this past week dropped their road record to 1-4 on the season.

2. #16 Mississippi (17-3, 6-1 SEC) @ #4 Florida (17-2, 7-0 ACC) - 7:00 PM EST, ESPNU

Ole Miss has been another one of this season's surprisingly successful teams. For those who have not seen them play, they run a high octane offense and rebound the ball well. The Rebels do enter the game on a sour note after their nine-game winning streak was snapped by a home loss to Kentucky. They hope to prove that they belong among the best in the SEC. Beating Florida would be a step in the right direction. The Gators have won nine straight and have emerged as the cream of the conference's crop.

1. Michigan (20-1, 7-1 Big Ten) @ #3 Indiana (19-2, 7-1 Big Ten) - 9:00 PM EST, ESPN

The Big Ten is widely considered to be the best conference in college basketball right now. Matchups like this remind us of why that is. Michigan doesn't simply have a strong record. They have been winning convincingly as well. Since December 4, the Wolverines have won every game by double digits except for two. One was a narrow defeat at Ohio State and an eight point win over Minnesota. Indiana has been a strong team as well. They have been rock solid as well with the exception of their two close losses, one in overtime to Butler and the other to Wisconsin by five at home. This is a battle to determine who is the top dog in the Big Ten as of right now at least.

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.

Why Duke Should be the No. 1 Team in the Country

Duke senior forward Mason Plumlee carried the Blue Devils to victory with his 21 points and 17 rebounds. (Gerry Broome)

I know that Indiana was the No. 1 team in the preseason polls. I know that they are undefeated with a 7-0 record. I watched their impressive shellacking of a young North Carolina team in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The problem is that the Hoosiers nor any other team in the country has even remotely close to as good of a resume as Duke has right now.

Tonight, the Blue Devils picked up their third win over a top five team in the polls. They even managed despite struggling badly offensively, especially in the first half. Duke shot only 30% from the field in the first half and trailed Ohio State by as much as ten in the second half. However, they weren't done yet, especially with the Cameron Crazies urging them on.

A couple of turning points were all the Blue Devils needed. The first was an incredible transition alley-oop from Quinn Cook to Mason Plumlee that further electrified an already crazy loud crowd. The second came with 6:06 left in the game. Duke senior forward Ryan Kelly buried a three-pointer to tie the score up 53-53. He nailed another seconds later to give the Blue Devils the lead for good.

As I already mentioned, this isn't Duke's first top five win. Back on November 13, they beat a young, but very talented Kentucky team. Last Saturday, they also beat Louisville, who was a Final Four team last season. Very few teams ever beat three top five teams in an entire season, but the Blue Devils have found a way to accomplish it in a span of 15 days.

As if that weren't enough, Duke beat a now ranked Minnesota team by 18 points. I have a feeling that their nine-point win over VCU will be another impressive win come March. With three top five wins, wins over at least five predicted tournament teams and a perfect 7-0 record, there is nothing that came compare to what the Blue Devils have accomplished so early in the season.

Sorry about that Indiana. You are undefeated and very talented, but there is a team that has been far more impressive against significantly stronger opposition. Duke should be the No. 1 team in the polls. There is no doubt about it in my mind. If the polls look strictly at a team's resume, there is no way that the Blue Devils cannot be the top team in the country. They have made a strong case to say the least.

Breaking Down the AP Preseason All-Americans

Indiana sophomore Cody Zeller was a near unanimous selection as a Associated Press Preseason All-Americans. (Kevin C. Cox)

We are on the verge of November, which means the college basketball season is just about to tip off. It also means that it is time for all of the preseason honors and predictions to be given out. Today, the Associated Press announced their preseason All-Americans.

A 65-member panel does the deciding voting on who will be the All-Americans. This year, there were a tie for the fifth most votes, so there are six players overall. The players are as follows with the number of votes in parentheses:

• Cody Zeller, Indiana (64)
• Doug McDermott, Creighton (62)
• Isaiah Canaan, Murray State (43)
• Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State (26)
• C.J. McCollum, Lehigh (16)
• Trey Burke, Michigan (16)

There were five main stories that jumped out at me from this year's list.

1. Three out of the six All-Americans are from mid-majors.
I doubt this has ever happened before. Not only are McDermott, Canaan and McCollum from mid-majors, they are all from different conferences. The wealth of college basketball talent seems to spread around the country more and more each season. You no longer have to play at Kentucky, North Carolina or Kansas to be the best players in the country. Each of these players led their teams on deep runs into the NCAA tournament last year and are fully capable of doing it again this year.

2. The other three All-Americans are from the Big Ten.
The AP voters love the Big Ten this year. First, they put Indiana (#1), Ohio State (#4) and Michigan (#5) in the preseason top five in the poll. Now, they named each of their respective stars All-American. Zeller is the top man on a talented and experienced Hoosiers team. Thomas may have been overshadowed by Jared Sullinger (now in the NBA) during last season's Final Four run, but he will shine as the star now. Even though no Buckeye fans will agree with this, Burke is the best point guard in the country and is the most dominant at his craft.

3. One voter is delusional or blinded by his dislike for Cody Zeller.
Zeller is the best college basketball player in the country as of right now. For standing 6-foot-11, he is extraordinarily agile and mobile. He has good scoring instincts and doesn't mind being aggressive. Zeller can be explosive at the rim, runs the floor very well and has a high basketball IQ. He has All-American written all over him. I hope the one voter who chose not to vote for Zeller gets to watch him dominant on a nightly basis.

4. There are no freshman preseason All-Americans.
This isn't about a lack of talent. It is clearly there. It's even quite likely that there will be at least one freshman on the list at the end of March. However, the problem from now is that there aren't any of them that we are confident will make an immediate impact. Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad and and Kyle Anderson and Arizona's Kaleb Tarczewski all have respectable chances at being named All-Americans by season end.

5. If this list is any indicator, this year's March Madness might be crazier than ever.
Not to downgrade their talent one single bit, but this list of preseason All-Americans is one of the weakest I have seen in a long time. The Big Ten is expected to be a tough conference at the top, but after that the rankings are pretty spread wide and far. It appears as though pretty much any team could make a shocking run to the top this season.

Hoosier Basketball Has Returned to Normalcy

Indiana University has a rich basketball history, but the past decade was the darkest chapter. It included the Kelvin Sampson scandal, the accompanying NCAA investigation, and a 1-17 conference record that concluded 6-25 2008-2009 season. The storied program hit rock bottom, so the university decided to bring in Tom Crean as head coach to help resurrect the fallen team. That 08-09 season was Crean's first and things started out slowly. In fact, during his first three seasons, the Hoosiers were only 28-66.

But things started to change this year. Indiana's easy schedule started out as expected at 8-0. The Hoosier faithful started to believe and seemingly willed their team to buzzer-beater upset of #1 Kentucky at home. If that wasn't enough, they also beat #2 Ohio State and #5 Michigan State at home as well. Indiana finished 5th in the Big Ten and earned the #4 seed in the South Region of the NCAA tournament bracket. Plenty of folks were still critical of this team returning to the dance for the first time since 2007. The Hoosiers unfortunately lost guard Verdell Jones III to injury in the conference tournament and didn't have an impressive road resume.

Indiana started out the tournament well with a second round win over New Mexico State. Then, tonight, they survived the "havoc" defense of VCU to earn a trip to the Sweet Sixteen, for the first time in a decade. The Hoosiers balanced attack is being led by junior Christian Watford. Now, they have earned a rematch with the #1 overall seed Kentucky. Whether or not they win or lose that game, this team has returned to its place of glory. This team has proved that anything is possible. You just have to believe it can happen.

Two Unbeatens Fall, While One Rises to the Occasion

Three previously unbeaten teams entered play tonight, only one survived to remain as one of the final four unbeatens left.

As many of the top Big East teams found out, conference play is just as much of a battleground as ever. Pittsburgh got upset, Syracuse rolled in an easy game, and UConn survived a scare, but all eyes were really on the nationally televised matchup featuring the unbeaten Louisville Cardinals playing host to the Georgetown Hoyas. Louisville came in the favorites riding a 20 game home win streak. The Cardinals built a lead early, but a young Georgetown squad refused to get rattled by a frenzied hometown crowd. The Hoyas' roster features 10 freshman and sophomores. They took the lead in the second half and built it to as much as 11 points at one point. Louisville tried to rally, but Georgetown stood firm in a gritty three point win. The Hoyas were led by sophomore Markel Starks, who scored 16 of his career-high 20 points in the second half, and freshman Otto Porter, who was clutch down the stretch. The Cardinals were led by senior Kyle Kuric, who made five three pointers, and junior Peyton Siva, who added 15 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals. Louisville will need to bounce back from their first loss quickly though, as they play their in-state rival Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.

A resurrected Indiana program came into the night as the only unbeaten Big Ten team left. The Hoosiers had a tough task though as they had to survive a trip to the Izzone to face Michigan State. The Spartans came out strong (18 point first half lead at one point) with the hometown crowd roaring, but Indiana answered with a run of their own (a 25-2 run) building a considerable second half lead (up to 9 points). Ultimately, this was a game of runs, as Michigan State closed out this one in convincing fashion. Spartan sophomore Keith Appling scored a career high 25 points. Junior Christian Watford had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Hoosiers. Indiana will need to bounce back quickly from their first loss as well, as they face Jared Sullinger and the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday.

Baylor and Mississippi State met at a neutral location matchup in what was supposed to be a matchup of two premier post players, the Bears' Perry Jones III and the Bulldogs' Arnett Moultrie. The two players' defensive efforts against each other helped to limit both players to eight points each. However, the real matchup to watch turned out to be between these very similarly talented teams. Baylor led by one at halftime, and the second half tuned out to be much the same, as neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way. As time ran down, the game was tied at 52. Baylor junior Pierre Jackson had made many notable mistakes during the course of the game, but he made up for it when we came around Quincy Acy's screen and finished his layup with 28 seconds left. That proved to be the difference as the Bears remained undefeated, despite getting all they could handle and then some from the Mississippi State Bulldogs.