The college football bowl season kicks off this week, but there are some tremendous top-25 matchups on the college men's hardwood as well. Here's a quick look at the games to watch, headlined by a few potential Final Four previews:
Tuesday
No. 3 Kansas at Georgia Tech: Yes, the Yellow Jackets are only 4-4 this season and are allowing more points than they score (barely). And yes, the Jayhawks just started their expected starting five for the first time all season in a 37-point win over Ohio. The reason being that Brandon Rush, Kansas' All-Big 12 guard, made his first start in Saturday's rout, signaling a successful recovery from knee surgery that kept him out of the NBA draft. The Jayhawks' leading scorer each of the past two seasons, Rush had been easing back into action. Still, something tells me a young Georgia Tech squad could be competitive here.
WagerWeb.com line: Kansas -10.
Marshall at Louisville: Rick Pitino's Cardinals have been one of the season's early disappointments and fell out of the Top 25 after Saturday's loss to Purdue (which followed a home loss a week earlier to Dayton).
But it's hard to get too down on Louisville, which has been without three key players for parts or all of this season: sophomore forward Derrick Caracter (suspension, with return date TBA), senior Juan Palacios (torn cartilage in his right knee) and senior center David Padgett (broken kneecap). Pitino gets a third shot at career win No. 500 against the 5-2 Thundering Herd, who are winless on the road.
WagerWeb.com line: Louisville -15.5
Wednesday
Bradley at No. 16 Butler: One of the better early-season mid-major matchups. Butler (9-1) is coming off a throttling of Florida State, while Bradley (7-3) has beaten Iowa and Iowa State and hung tough with ranked Michigan State. This is one of those games crucial to a team's RPI in March.
No. 2 Memphis at Cincinnati: The Bearcats are not the Bearcats of old and they have lost three in a row. But Coach John Calipari's Tigers could be caught looking ahead to Saturday's mammoth clash with No. 5 Georgetown, so monitor the line closely on WagerWeb.com for this game.Thursday
No. 6 Duke at No. 11 Pittsburgh: Duke has been overshadowed by top-ranked North Carolina, but the Blue Devils are outscoring their opponents by an average of 25 points per game. However, Duke also has played only two road games thus far. Pitt has been just as impressive as Duke and is 6-0 at home, but the Panthers have not faced a true quality team. They have beaten solid squads Duquesne, Washington and Oklahoma State in their last three games and are 10-0 for the fifth season in a row under coach Jamie Dixon. I like Pitt in this game, especially considering oddsmakers will overvalue Duke - as usual.
No. 18 Gonzaga at Oklahoma: Gonzaga, everyone's favorite mid-major, has only lost to Texas Tech and at Washington State. Without Josh Heytvelt, the Zags don't have that superstar to rely on this season yet.
Two of OU's three losses are to Memphis and then-No. 24 USC. Love an Oklahoma victory here.
Saturday
No. 5 Georgetown at No. 2 Memphis: The game of the early season. Chris Douglas-Roberts and super freshman Derrick Rose against Hoyas senior Roy Hibbert. Both of these teams are among WagerWeb.com's favorites to win it all. A win like this could help with seeding come March.
No. 4 Texas at No. 9 Michigan State: Texas already has two very impressive wins this season over UCLA and Tennessee. The Spartans' only loss was to UCLA. But State never loses at home to a non-conference foe: Tom Izzo's boys have won 32 straight non-conference games in East Lansing. Look for a great one-on-matchup between All-Americans D.J. Augustin of Texas and Drew Neitzel of Michigan State.
No. 12 Tennessee at Xavier: This game is sure to be overlooked by many after the two games listed above.
But the Vols, behind Chris Lofton, will fire away at will. Xavier had won six in a row, including a rout of ranked Indiana, before losing last Saturday to Arizona State and falling out of the Top 25. But it's always tough to win at Xavier, and an upset here would not be a surprise at all.
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