Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Weekend Preview: Five Storylines

Marshall Henderson

Marshall Henderson vs. BJ Young: Easily the most entertaining individual matchup this weekend will be when Marshall Henderson and Ole Miss square off with BY Young’s Arkansas team. If you’ve never seen Henderson play, he’s kind of similar to Jimmer in that he’s got no conscience when it comes to shooting, but that comparison only works if you imagine Jimmer having the personality of a professional wrestler. Young, on the other hand, is an athletic and dynamic comb0-guard that fits perfectly in with Mike Anderson’s uptempo style of play.

Making this game all the more interesting is that it is actually relevant. The Rebels are 3-0 on the season in the SEC and 14-2 overall. They have a real chance at earning an at-large bid this year. But losing to a team like Arkansas is not the best way to go about solidifying your resume.

Will someone step up in the ACC?: Here’s what we know about the ACC right now: Duke, when healthy, is the league’s best team. When they aren’t healthy, NC State and Miami might have a shot at claiming that title. Beyond that? It’s a mess, and part of the reason is that we really have no idea what is going on with Maryland or North Carolina.

Which is why the timing of the Terps’ trip to Chapel Hill couldn’t have been more perfect. Maryland is coming off of a big win over NC State at home on Wednesday, but one where they again struggled to execute and needed a last-second tip-in from Alex Len to win the game. Can UNC take advantage of Maryland’s flaws, though? That’s the big question that needs to be asked, because the Heels are very much a work in progress themselves. That said, they are coming off of a nice win over Florida State. If PJ Hairston and Reggie Bullock are both playing well, UNC can still be pretty good.

How good is Pitt?: I think that’s a question we’re all waiting to get an answer on. They had to Hartford on Saturday to take on the Huskies. Tray Woodall is back and healthy after the concussion he suffered against Marquette and will have his hands fulll with UConn’s guards. Pitt is now 2-3 in the Big East, but they’ve won their last two roads with the loss to Marquette coming in overtime when Woodall was out. If the Panthers can knock off UConn, it might be time to take them a little more seriously.

Let down for Wisconsin?: The Badgers travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m., which has been a place that Bo Ryan’s team has struggled in recent seasons. They got swept by Iowa last season and were taken to overtime on the road in 2011 by the Hawkeyes. They are also coming off of a win over Indiana in Assembly Hall, which sets them up perfectly for a disappointing performance against a scrappy Iowa team that really needs a win.

Key mid-major battles: North Dakota State travels to Western Illinois (Sat. 8:00 p.m.) for the right to first place in the Summit League. NDSU is 7-0 in conference play while WIU is 6-1. The big news, however, is that NDSU won’t have leading scorer Taylor Braun. And while Louisiana Tech may lead the WAC, Utah State at Denver (Sat. 6:30 p.m. ROOT) will be a battle for second place.

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.