College basketball games to watch include Duke-North Carolina showdown
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The regular season in men’s college basketball concludes this weekend, and there are more than a few matters yet to be decided with the postseason right around the corner.
Our final edition of the Starting Five features a trio of Top 25 showdowns, headed by a certain rivalry game that nearly always appears in this space on this particular point on the calendar. Some teams on this lineup are well positioned and hope to finetune some things prior to March Madness, while others are in need of a vital datapoint to keep their bracket aspirations intact.
Without further ado then, here are your recommended viewing options for Saturday.
No. 7 North Carolina at No. 8 Duke, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
This rematch between the bluest of bluebloods will determine the ACC regular-season title – sort of. Should the Tar Heels prevail and complete a home-and-home sweep of the Blue Devils, they’ll win the league by two games. A Duke victory would create a first-place tie, and the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament would then hinge on the order of finish behind them. All of that will matter little to the participants, however, who will be motivated enough to beat their archrivals. Likely ACC player of the year R.J. Davis will undoubtedly get his share of points for the Tar Heels, but it was the interior dominance of Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram that tipped the scales for them in the prior encounter with the Blue Devils. Duke’s Kyle Filipowski is none the worse for his unfortunate brush with the Wake Forest student section a couple of weeks ago, but he and Mark Mitchell will need to do a better job on the glass in this rematch.
No. 15 Kansas at No. 1 Houston, 4 p.m., ESPN
Any questions about the Cougars’ ability to handle the step up in competition in their first run through the Big 12 have been answered emphatically as they can claim the regular-season title outright with a win. The Jayhawks reversed a recent slump with a decisive victory against Kansas State but could use a strong outing on the road to reassure their nervous fans that they still have tournament staying power. While Kansas had more than a little added incentive in its rematch with its in-state rival Wildcats, it was quite evident what a difference Kevin McCullar can make when he’s available. He’ll be needed to help ease the relentless ball pressure the Cougars will deploy. Houston’s three-point shooting is occasionally spotty, but a quick start from L.J. Cryer would keep the home crowd fired up.
No. 13 Kentucky at No. 4 Tennessee, 4 p.m., CBS
The Volunteers removed any suspense from the SEC race by clinching the top spot Wednesday night at South Carolina. But they still wouldn’t mind entering the postseason on a high note in front of their home fans. The Wildcats are in a tight battle for seeding in the league tournament, and another quality result wouldn’t hurt either. Kentucky comes to Knoxville on a four-game winning streak, during which it has scored at least 91…
Read More: College basketball games to watch include Duke-North Carolina showdown 2024-03-08 11:08:06