| With the college basketball season in full swing, | | | | on a neutral floor. |
| Matt Fargo takes a look at three big games on | | | | The Patriots are hot as they have won seven of |
| tap that you cannot miss this Saturday. | | | | eight games and their last three losses have been |
| Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan Wolverines 2:30 PM | | | | by a combined nine points. George Mason dropped |
| ET | | | | its second league game of the season last |
| Wisconsin is the lowest of the five ranked teams | | | | Saturday at NC-Wilmington but rebounded on |
| from the Big Ten yet the Badgers are alone in | | | | Thursday with a 23-point win over William & Mary. |
| first place. With a win they can knock one of the | | | | The Patriots are 7-1 at home this season, losing |
| five teams that trail them by a single game down | | | | only to Creighton way back in November in their |
| further in the standings. Michigan is one of those | | | | home opener. |
| teams and the Wolverines have quietly gone | | | | The first meeting was won by the Monarchs in |
| about their business this season with a 14-3 | | | | dramatic fashion as they hit a buzzer-beating |
| record including a 4-2 mark in the conference. | | | | 3-pointer from 25 feet to pull out the one-point |
| Surprisingly, they are not ranked. | | | | victory. George Mason held the Monarchs to just |
| Wisconsin bounced back in fine fashion following a | | | | 32.2 percent shooting but the difference was at |
| loss last Saturday at home to North Dakota St. | | | | the free throw line as the Patriots had only eight |
| by taking its frustrations out on Penn St. on | | | | attempts on the night. These teams have |
| Wednesday with a 29-point win. The Badgers | | | | swapped wins over the last eight meetings |
| improved to 5-1 in the Big Ten but four of those | | | | meaning the Patriots are next but it certainly |
| wins came at home and Wisconsin is just 1-3 on | | | | won't be easy. |
| the road this season. The lone victory came in a | | | | Texas Longhorns at Oklahoma Sooners 9:00 PM |
| nail biter at Minnesota that the Badgers won by a | | | | ET |
| field goal. | | | | Surprisingly, these are the only two ranked teams |
| Michigan is coming off a win over rival Michigan St. | | | | in the Big XII but Oklahoma is starting to make |
| on Wednesday and has now won three straight | | | | noise once again. These were the two preseason |
| games. Both conference losses came on the road | | | | favorites and while Texas isn't running away with |
| at Iowa and Illinois, who are a combined 23-0 at | | | | it yet, the Longhorns are doing their best to |
| home, by a total of 12 points. The Wolverines are | | | | prove that they are the team to beat. Their five |
| 10-1 at home this season with the lone loss | | | | Big XII wins have been by an average of 26.4 |
| coming against 17th ranked UCLA. After finishing | | | | ppg. Parity is evident as a game and a half |
| last season with 12 losses in their last 13 games, | | | | separates nine teams between second and 10th |
| Michigan is looking to avoid a similar finish. | | | | place. |
| Wisconsin has dominated this series of late | | | | Back-to-back blowout losses against Duke and |
| winning four of the last five meetings including an | | | | Tennessee has recharged the Longhorns are they |
| 11-point victory in Ann Arbor last season. The | | | | have won nine straight games with only one of |
| home team has won seven of the last eight | | | | those being decided by single digits. They are a |
| meetings however and Michigan is poised to | | | | perfect 4-0 on the road including big wins at Iowa |
| continue that trend on Saturday. Wisconsin though | | | | St. and Memphis and all four of those wins have |
| will be focused once again as the loss last | | | | been by at least 11 points. On Monday, Texas |
| Saturday woke it up and the Badgers want to | | | | blew out a very good Oklahoma St. team by 34 |
| keep their hold on the Big Ten lead. | | | | points and is peaking but it could be peaking too |
| Old Dominion Monarchs at George Mason Patriots | | | | soon. |
| 2:00 PM ET | | | | The Sooners have won three straight games and |
| First place will be on the line in Fairfax on | | | | six of eight with those two losses being by a |
| Saturday as the two preseason favorites are | | | | combined three points against Nebraska and |
| living up to their billing. Both teams have just one | | | | Missouri. The Missouri loss was their only loss at |
| loss in the month of January and both sit atop the | | | | home this year where they are 8-1 on the |
| Colonial with 8-2 conference records. A game and | | | | season and they have won 25 of their last 27 |
| a half separates the top six teams in the league | | | | home games and 73 of their last 79. The Sooners |
| so every game at this stage of the season is | | | | held leads of at least seven points in all four |
| important and the teams that can pull out road | | | | losses proving even more that they have had |
| wins will benefit come conference tournament | | | | tough luck along the way. |
| time. | | | | Texas had won five straight meetings until the |
| Old Dominion overcame a halftime deficit at home | | | | Sooners swept the season series last year |
| against Drexel on Thursday and now must hit the | | | | including a 16-point win in Austin. The Longhorns |
| road the where the Monarchs are 4-3 on the | | | | remember that defeat as it was one of only two |
| season. They have won three straight away from | | | | losses on their home floor. ESPN College |
| home, all in dominating fashion, but this will be the | | | | GameDay will be in Norman for this game and it is |
| toughest CAA road test hands down. Road | | | | being billed as the "WhiteOUt the Lloyd Noble |
| games against Georgia, Wisconsin and UAB have | | | | Center" game so this contest is obviously taking |
| helped in the preparation but those first two were | | | | on special meaning for the home team. |