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