Friday’s college basketball slate includes an intriguing Big East game and a top-10 matchup in the Big Ten.
Friday’s games are not an afterthought this week, with multiple games featuring potential NCAA Tournament teams.
6:30 p.m. – 4. UConn (12-2, 2-1) at Butler (10-4, 1-2)
At full strength, the UConn Huskies are probably a good 10-15 points better than a Butler team that has improved in year two under Thad Matta. However, Connecticut is down star center Donovan Clingan and this game happens to be at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
While Butler has lost two straight games in the Big East, they earned solid wins over Texas Tech, Boise State, and Penn State in the non-conference. Posh Alexander can lock up even the best guards in the conference and all of a sudden, 7-1 big man Andre Screen becomes the matchup nightmare, pulling a reverse Uno card on UConn.
Still, UConn’s won two straight and have enough offense to survive without Clingan. The bigger question will be rebounding. In his absence, they’ve found a way to win the battle on the boards, but how long will that sustain?
8:30 p.m. – 9. Illinois (11-2, 2-0) at 1. Purdue (13-1, 2-1)
Game one in the Big Ten without Terrence Shannon Jr. proved no problem at all, as Illinois steamrolled Northwestern by 30 points. But Friday night, the Fighting Illini will have a much harder challenge, inside Mackey Arena at Purdue.
Of course, if Illinois can find ways to score without their leading scorer, they might be just fine. Purdue’s lone loss came to Northwestern when the Wildcats dropped 92. They had two close calls, outscoring Alabama and Arizona in back-to-back games. When the Boilermakers defend, they’re unstoppable. But it’s a team that allows 74.5 PPG to Power 6 teams. I wouldn’t count Illinois out of this game, especially with Coleman Hawkins, Dain Dainja, and Quincy Guerrier – three big men who may be able to offset Zach Edey as well as any team in the country.
9 p.m. – Bowling Green (10-3, 1-0) at Akron (9-4, 1-0)
MACtion is always in season here at CBB Review. When it’s two conference contenders, you can’t ignore it.
After a 2-3 start to the season, the Falcons have rattled off 8 wins in a row. The strength of the schedule hasn’t been great, but wins are wins and with Marcus Hill, I expect more wins to follow. The junior guard is averaging over 20 PPG – something only 24 players in the country can say. And he gets to the line, averaging almost 7 free throw attempts per game.
Why is that last part important? The Zips commit 15.2 fouls per game, tied with (funny enough) Bowling Green for the second-fewest in the MAC. Simply put, if Akron and star big man Enrique Freeman can shut down Hill and keep him from getting hot at the line, the Zips will get to 2-0 in conference play. Otherwise, Bowling Green’s winning streak will live to see another game.