College basketball never disappoints. Last week, fans stormed the court in Madison, Wisconsin, as the Badgers upset No. 9 Arizona. Meanwhile, in Charleston, South Carolina, Florida Atlantic and Charleston treated fans to a double-overtime thriller in which Charleston made a three-pointer to win 119-116.
What does this week have in store? Here are five games to watch:
No. 6 Purdue (4-0) at No. 15 Marquette (4-0) | Tuesday
Both teams are coming off massive wins. The Boilermakers took down No. 2 Alabama, while Marquette earned a hard-fought win at Maryland. Two great guards highlight this matchup. Purdue’s Braden Smith was a magician in Friday’s win, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. Marquette’s Kam Jones, who’s averaging 24 points, is an electric scorer. If Purdue can slow Jones, it will leave Milwaukee with a win.
Prediction: It’s going to be close throughout, but it seems silly to doubt head coach Matt Painter and Purdue. The Boilermakers will find a way to win 87-81.
No. 25 Illinois (3-0) at No. 8 Alabama (3-1) | Wednesday
Illinois is an unknown early on this season, having remade its entire roster. Alabama suffered a tough loss at Purdue on Friday night. Is the Illini’s highly touted freshmen class (ranked 15th in the nation by 247Sports) ready for the spotlight? Wednesday night’s game for the Illini is the start of a tough stretch that includes games against No. 20 Arkansas, No. 11 Tennessee and No. 19 Wisconsin before Christmas.
Prediction: Alabama is in another class from Illinois and will win at home 84-70.
No. 13 Baylor (3-1) vs. No. 22 St. John’s (4-0) | Thursday
Rick Pitino has St. John’s nationally ranked and looking like a contender in the Big East. Keep an eye on RJ Luis Jr. for the Red Storm. The 6-foot-7 guard tallied 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in Sunday’s win over New Mexico. He’s going to go against Baylor’s own 6-foot-7 force in Norchad Omier, who averages 16 points and 10.3 rebounds.
Prediction: The Bears have too many weapons and will win 74-64.
No. 12 Duke (3-1) at No. 17 Arizona (2-1) | Friday
This is the game of the week. Arizona aims to get back into the win column after being upset at Wisconsin on Friday. Duke freshman Cooper Flagg leads the Blue Devils in points (16.3), rebounds (9.5) and assists (4.0). His legend will grow if he shows out in a raucous McKale Center environment. Expect him to. His best game of the young season came against No. 19 Kentucky (26 points, 11 rebounds). He’s made for these moments. But so is Arizona’s Caleb Love, who is facing an old foe in Duke after transferring from North Carolina, where his 2022 heroics still haunt Duke fans. Both teams are highly likely to be Sweet 16 teams.
Prediction: Duke will secure a signature win on the road 92-85.
Baha Mar Championship game | Friday
The winner of Baylor-St. John’s will face the winner of Virginia-Tennessee on Friday night. Most likely, this will be the Vols against either a tough Baylor team or an up-and-coming St. John’s team. Either way, it’s going to be a solid way to end the week. Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler (14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds) is a playmaker who will keep either opponent on its heels.
Prediction: Tennessee should leave The Bahamas with a pair of wins.
