Last week’s slate may not have turned out as exciting as expected, but this week has a lineup that looks to feature plenty of games that will help illuminate multiple conference races. From the Big East to the Pac-12, with everything in between, read on to see our Get More Sports Games of the Week.
DePaul at No. 24 Seton Hall: DePaul is, without question, the surprise team of the Big East. At 4-2 in conference, they’ve managed to stay near the top of the standing while teams like St. John’s have fallen off the wagon. But are they for real? Sure, a win over Stanford looks nice early in the season, but outside of that, things are dicey. Seton Hall, however, is looking to right their ship after losing two of their last three games.
Sterling Gibbs is one of the best scorers in the conference, and with this game being in New Jersey, I feel like the Pirates are a safe bet to hold serve at home. Having a second scorer step up consistently in the absence of Isaiah Whitehead would serve them well here, though.
No. 13 Maryland at. No. 23 Indiana: If Maryland wants to be taken seriously in the national conversation in March, and for the Big Ten title, this is the type of game they’ll have to win. This one will be all about the guards, pitting Melo Trimble and Dez Wells against Yogi Ferrell and James Blackmon Jr., but the match up between Jake Layman and Troy Williams could be the most telling when looking at the final box score.
Maryland has been tested on the road, and their kind of defense gives you a chance to win any game, anywhere. But Indiana has been playing some of its best ball of the year lately. Something has to give, and while I expect Indiana to be favored, I’d go with an ATS pick here for the Terps.
No. 7 Arizona at Stanford: Stanford might have been the only team in the conference outside of UCLA with enough frontcourt bodies to throw at Arizona, before they lost two of them for extended time. Now, this team relies even more on Chasson Randle, one of the premier scoring guards in the country, and outside-in threat Anthony Brown. Arizona has seen freshman phenom Stanley Johnson take full flight as of late, and has emerged as a real threat to win Pac-12 Player of the Year.
This is a dangerous game for the Wildcats, because the Cardinal can absolutely fill it up from deep. Arizona will likely kill them inside and on the glass, but a big night from deep could make this interesting. Still, I’m going with Arizona here.
Saint Mary’s (CA) at. No. 3 Gonzaga: Don’t we all love this rivalry? Whenever these two teams have matched up over the last decade, it’s felt like a bit of a classic. Games in Spokane have been tough for the Gaels, though, and this one will be against a team that many consider to be Mark Few’s best. Gonzaga can kill you all over the court, but Brad Waldow is a double-double machine and must be reckoned with.
Nonetheless, as good as the Gaels’ 7-0 conference start has been, that will come to an end against the ‘Zags. Take Gonzaga here, and it could be big.
No. 19 Oklahoma at No. 21 Baylor: This is a big swing game for each team, as both are teetering on the edge of falling out of contention in the Big 12. Baylor has been undecided about how to put their home court to use and Oklahoma has been wildly inconsistent. One has to figure that someone’s going to show up to play here, right?
Buddy Hield has to lead this team if the Sooners are going to pick up a big road win and keep pace in conference play. I think he will, and I think that Oklahoma picks up a big win. Although, if Hield can’t be efficient and the Baylor guards dictate the flow of the game, Baylor could steal one.
