7:00 pm: No. 21 Wisconsin @ No. 24 Michigan State: Everyone has a theory as to what is wrong with Michigan State. They aren't rebounding like they used too. Their big man aren't as tough as we expected. Kalin Lucas, Korie Lucious, and Durrell Summers are shooting, and missing, too many jumpers. Regardless of your personal opinion on the matter, the bottom line is that this Michigan State team, which was widely considered the second best team in the preseason, has not lived up to expectations.
Currently sitting at 10-5 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten, the Spartans really need a win. Not just for their tournament profile -- which, aside from the loss at Penn State, is far from terrible as their other four losses are to quality opponents -- but for their confidence. The term swagger is dreadfully over used, and if you'll excuse the cliche, the Spartans just aren't playing with the swagger that a Michigan State team should have. They have been to back-to-back Final Fours. As Tom Izzo said yesterday, this team needs to play like it instead of believing they deserve to win simply because they have been there.
Wisconsin has, well, been Wisconsin this season. They control the pace of the game and execute their offense to perfection. The Badgers biggest strength this season has been their lack of turnovers -- they lead the country in TO% and their point guard Jordan Taylor is averaging one turnover for every 30.6 minutes he is on the court. That's incredible for a point guard.
9:00 pm: Florida @ Tennessee: The Vols desperately need a win. As disappointing as teams like Kansas State and Michigan State have been this season, there is a fair argument to be made that Tennessee is the most disappointing team in the country simply because they have proven capable of beating some of the best teams in the country. The Tony Jones era kicked off on Saturday with a loss at Arkansas, one of those SEC West teams that is expected to compete for nothing more than a .500 record in conference play.
As far as Florida is concerned, the Gators look like they have turned things around. After losing to Jacksonville and knocking off Radford in a close game, Billy Donovan's club has gone into Xavier and won, blown out Rhode Island, and opened SEC play with a win over Mississippi. How much of that can be attributed to Chandler Parsons' play the last three games? He's averaging 13.3 ppg, 10.0 rpg, and 5.7 apg over that stretch.
9:00 pm: NC State @ Boston College: The middle of the ACC is a mess, so there are going to be games like this one every night. The Wolfpack haven't quite lived up to expectations this season, but that is in large part due to Tracy Smith's knee injury. Smith is back, NC State has won five in a row, capped off by a 21 point win over Wake Forest in which Smith went for 23 points and 11 boards.
Boston College is another interesting team. They've lost to two Ivy League schools at home. But they've also beaten Texas A&M, won at Maryland, and started ACC play out 2-0. Reggie Jackson is one of the most underrated guards in the conference as well. The ACC's second spot is wide open, and either of these two teams could slide into that spot if they can get hot in conference play.
8:30 pm: No. 10 BYU @ Utah: On paper, this doesn't look like a great matchup. Utah is down this season and BYU just went into Thomas and Mack Arena and smacked UNLV. But as far as rivalries go, this one is up there. Worst case scenario, you tune into the Jimmer Show.
Other Notable Games:
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tuesday's Pregame Beat: Michigan State and Tennessee looked to jump start their season |
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1 comment:
JIMMER SHOW!!!!!!! 32 at half, gotta love it!
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