The college basketball season has featured some remarkable surprises, such as Furman stunning Villanova over the past weekend. If you think these games below are going to be devoid of drama, you might be right, but Furman-Villanova serves as a cautionary tale. Here are the top college basketball games to bet on this week.
Louisville Cardinals vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Wednesday, November 21
The Louisville Cardinals might once again become strong under coach Chris Mack, but this is a transitional year for the team. The Cardinals enter this game unranked and are in a process of trying to build something back from scratch. The Tennessee Volunteers have struggled for most of this decade, but last year they came together and got a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This year they are ranked in the top 10 and have legitimate Final Four hopes. This is a good test for the Vols. It’s a huge challenge for the Cardinals. Louisville fans will get a real sense of where their team stands after this game.
Marquette Golden Eagles vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Wednesday, November 21
The Marquette Golden Eagles might have looked at the Villanova loss to Furman and concluded that they might have a better shot to win the Big East Conference than previously thought. That point aside, this game against Kansas – the winner of 14 straight Big 12 championships – will give Marquette an opportunity to put a high-value win on its resume and climb up the seed list for the NCAA Tournament. That is one component of the drama of these November games — the underdogs have a chance to make a big NCAA Tournament statement.
Texas Longhorns vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Thursday, November 22
Texas won a close game over Arkansas earlier this season. That should give them a measure of confidence heading into this game against the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are off to an unbeaten start and have handled inferior opponents very easily. North Carolina will probably get a tougher test than it received against Stanford or the other teams it has been playing. The Tar Heels’ strength of schedule will definitely become a lot greater over the next few weeks, so coach Roy Williams wants to see his team respond with a crisp, alert performance here.
Michigan State Spartans vs. UCLA Bruins
Thursday, November 22
The Spartans and Bruins are both viewed as contenders in their respective conferences, and they have undergone a number of roster changes from the previous season. This will be one of the first significant revelations of where these teams are in terms of their development. Tom Izzo of Michigan State and Steve Alford of UCLA will use this game as a guide and reference point to measure the rate of improvement on their respective squads, helping them to identify where their rosters need to adjust.
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Memphis Tigers
Thursday, November 22
The Cowboys and Tigers both missed the NCAA Tournament last season. OSU head coach Mike Boynton had a first season – in 2017-2018 – which was much better than many people expected. He was an assistant to former OSU coach Brad Underwood and was promoted to the top spot for a comparatively lower salary. Yet, he coached above his pay grade last season and is trying to build on that season this time around.
Boynton will be opposed by first-year Memphis coach Penny Hardaway, the former NBA star with the Orlando Magic. Hardaway believes he can recruit the fertile talent areas of Memphis and develop the Tigers with home-grown stars. This first season is a journey in which Hardaway will learn on the job and try to position himself for his second season in 2019-2020. This game will offer a first measuring stick.
