February is here and with only five weeks to go until Selection Sunday, every weekend becomes more important to NCAA Tournament run for election.
It’s full of matches this weekend, with five going to air on FOX. That includes a national championship rematch in women’s basketball like number 1 South Carolina face number 5 UConn on Sunday at Noon ET in Hartford, Connecticut.
Here’s a rundown of the weekend standings and what to watch for in each match.
the state of Michigan compare to Rugers (Madison Square Garden), Saturday, 12 noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app
The world’s most famous arena will shake because Big Tenannual Super Saturday match between Tom Izzo’s Sparta team and Steve Pikiell’s Scarlet Knight team. When these two teams met 15 days ago, the Rutgers entered East Lansing after winning seven of their last eight, but the Spartans had the best record of them all. 70-57 win. AJ Hoggard won 16 points and 7 assists, being one of only five Michigan State players to hit the double.
The question in the rematch is simple: Will the Spartans find the balance of attacking twice against the Scarlet Knights? Rutgers are 15-1 when holding opponents 65 points or less and 7-0 in Big Ten competitions. Scarlet Knights are one of the best defensive teams in the country, placing 2nd in the effective adjusted KenPom in that respect.
The Great Man of Rugers Clifford Omoruyi should have the advantage of going low. He won 12 points and 12 bounces in his first meeting with Sparta, who had a lot of trouble defending the inner zone. Archer Cam Spencer could be an X factor in this match. When the impact transfer point is at least 14 points, Rutgers is 11-1.
Let the Spartans win, Hoggard and Tyson Walker need to order the game to end Paul Mulcahy and Caleb McConnell.
Michigan State’s AJ Hoggard hits 3 points against Rutgers
Michigan State’s AJ Hoggard got through the 8-point run with 3 points ahead of Rutgers.
Illinois In Iowa, Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app
Is Illini the second best team in the Big Ten? You feel that way now, but there will be days when you think it’s not. In recent weeks, Brad Underwood’s team seems to have figured it all out. Winning 7-1 out of eight games in this tournament is definitely not easy, and with the exception of a make up match IndiaIllinois looks more like the defeated team UCLA And Texas during its non-conference season.
Illini faced a tough task Saturday afternoon against an Iowa team that had won head-to-head games against Rutgers and northwest with a total of 27 points. The solo coaching battle between Fran McCaffery and Underwood, two of the more fiery personalities in the sport, will be interesting to take part in.
How will Illinois protect the Iowa star? Kris Murray? The 6-foot-8-year-old is second in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 20.6 points per game along with 8.6 rebounds. For Illini, baylor transfer Matthew Mayer has been a huge reason for the team’s recent success. In the last six games, the senior has averaged more than 15 points per game. Hawkeyes will also need to find a way to keep Terrence Shannon Jr. from looking for easy looks.
The game to watch will be the attack of Iowa, who are sixth in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, ahead of the top 15 Illinois defences.
The Hawkeyes are currently in 8th place in the FOX Sports bracket, Mike DeCourcy’s Latest NCAA Tournament predictionswhile Illinois is the 5th seed. This is a 1st Quadrant chance for each team.
Matthew Mayer scored a career-high 26 points in victory over Wisconsin
Illinois forward Matthew Mayer scored a career-high 26 points, helping Illini win over Wisconsin.
Saint John in 16th place Xavier, Saturday, 5 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app
Musketeers have their minds on a Big East regular season title race. The score was 10-2 and tied with Marquette in first place – but owning that tiebreak before the Golden Eagles – the rest of the way is taking care of the business. That includes passing a St. John’s has been a big disappointment this season.
Xavier coming soon 85-83 victory in extra time Providence in there Jack Nunge, Colby Jones And Souley Boum All score 20 points or more. Boum is a leading contender for the Eastern Player of the Year. He’s scored 20 or more points on 10 separate occasions and is on top of nine assists of the season in a dramatic win over the Friars.
While Xavier does not have Zach Freemantle (left foot) this month, the Musketeers are leading 12-1 at home and beating St. John’s in their first meeting this season, 84-79.
Red Storm is 1-5 on the road this year and coming soon 84-72 losses Seton Hall in which they lead by 13 points. One bright spot for the team is Joel Soriano, who leads the country with 18 doubles. If Red Storm has a chance in this game, Soriano needs to get Nunge in trouble, which in turn could give Xavier a striker problem.
The Musketeers lead the Big East in points, averaging over 83 points per game. Meanwhile, St. John’s is eighth in the league in defensive scoring, scoring more than 73 points per game. If you like watching crime and high paced, that will be a theme.
#16 Xavier Musketeers vs #17 Providence Highlights
Jack Nunge had 23 points, while Colby Jones and Souley Boum added 20 points in Xavier’s win over Providence.
Villanova in Creighton, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app
The Big East championship rematch from last season will take place on Saturday night, but the circumstances of each show couldn’t be that far different. The Bluejays have won five games in a row and the score is 8-3 in the Big East. The Wildcats had a disappointing season, with the final scores 10-12 and 4-7 in the conference game, as life without Jay Wright wasn’t going well for them.
Justin Moore is back from an Achilles injury and will certainly add something more to Villanova, but the Cats have struggled to finish matches, as seen in Wednesday’s game. 73-64 defeat at Marquette.
Creighton, on the other hand, could be a Final Four dark horse. When the Jays lose six games in a row, it’s easy to dismiss that idea. But with 7 footer Ryan Kalkbrenner healthy and active again, Creighton is May 14th of the year. The Jays have won each of the last five games by an average of 16 points. All five of their starters have scored double digits in their last three games, and Baylor Scheierman up to ten doubles a year.
Greg McDermott’s team is also very interested in basketball. Ryan Nembhard third in the Big East with a support-to-revenue ratio of 2.7 and his backyard companion, Trey Alexandernever once turned the ball over in the team’s winning streak.
The problem with Villanova was the unusual change and difficulty in the late game. When you go from Ryan Arcidiacono arrive Jalen Brunson arrive Collin Gillespie to reposition the position guard, that’s a pretty big drop, and that’s hurt the Wildcats this year. That’s in addition to losing one of the best show builders of all time and a Hall of Famer in Wright.
Creighton’s Trey Alexander hit 3 points on the whistle
Creighton’s Trey Alexander hit three points on the whistle to widen the lead for the Bluejays at halftime against Butler.
Women’s Round: South Carolina No. 1 at 5th UConn, Sunday, 12 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app
The Gamecocks have clearly once again become the best team in the country, winning 28 straight games since last season. Dawn Staley’s team is led by the reigning AP Player of the Year, Aliyah Boston.
Meanwhile, the Huskies are on a 21-2 record of the season and have managed to cope with a string of injuries and Geno Auriemma’s absence for a while. While we know Paige Bueckers and Ice Brady will miss the entire season, the defeats of Azzi Fudd (knee) and Caroline Ducharme (concussion) have resulted in the Huskies having five players playing an average of 32 minutes or more up every game.
Sunday brings a high test for Aaliyah Edwards and Dorka Juhasz as the Gamecocks are the most dominant domestic team in the country. Staley’s team is edging out their rivals in paint by an average of 25 points per game, and Gamecocks lead the nation with nearly 10 blocks per competition.
Senior guard Zia Cooke has again excelled, leading South Carolina’s backline and averaging 15.1 points per game. Outside of Boston, 6-foot-7 junior Kamilla Cardoso is scoring 9.5 points and 8.1 goals per game. Depth is a strength for Staley’s team, with eight additional players averaging between four and seven points per competition.
In order for Connecticut to get through the upset, Lou Lopez Senechal and Aubrey Griffin will have to land slams from the nation’s support leader, Nika Muhl (8.8 per game). The XL Center is sold out and it’s shutting down in Hartford, offering one of the best atmospheres you’ll see on the men’s or women’s circuits throughout the season.
Staley and Auriemma are the fringe faces of the sport, and credit them for arranging to play together year after year.
John Fanta is the national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to being a main presenter on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter at @John_Fanta.
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