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Weekend Preview: Michigan-Iowa, Gonzaga-Memphis, and Lumberjack Night!

Nik Stauskas, Walter Pitchford

AP Photo

AP

Nik Stauskas, Walter Pitchford

AP Photo

AP

GAME OF THE WEEKEND: No. 10 Michigan at No. 17 Iowa, Sat. 2:00 p.m.

Just how good is Iowa? That’s the question that everyone has on their mind at this point in the season. Looking at the numbers, the Hawkeyes look like a top 10 team. Looking at their roster, that theory is more or less confirmed. They are deep, they have lineup versatility, and Roy Devyn Marble and Aaron White are two of the best players you don’t hear talked about.

The problem? Iowa hasn’t beaten anyone this season. Their best win is against an Ohio State team that collapsed after playing them. But here’s the thing: they haven’t lost to anyone that’s not really good. Their six losses are all against teams that are ranked in the top 20 on KenPom, including Ohio State.

We know what Michigan is at this point. They’ve been the best team in the Big Ten during league play, currently sitting in a tie for first place with a Michigan State team that they’ve beaten. The Hawkeyes are just two games behind them. Are they really going to be a contender in this conference, or is Fran McCaffery’s club nothing but a pretender.

THE OTHER GAME OF THE WEEKEND: No. 23 Gonzaga at No. 24 Memphis, Sat. 9:00 p.m.

Gonzaga probably needs this win more than Memphis. The Zags have eight top 100 RPI wins this season, but just one of them against a team in the top 50. That was BYU. So while Mark Few’s club has once again put up an impressive record, how many people are going to think back to last season’s gaudy record and NCAA tournament collapse with this year’s Gonzaga. Memphis was smacked around by SMU and lost to UConn at home, but at least they already own wins over Oklahoma State, LSU and Louisville.

FIVE MORE TO WATCH


  • No. 15 Texas at Kansas State, Sat. 1:30 p.m.: Ahh, the Big 12, where every weekend yields matchups between tournament teams. This may be the best of the bunch, as a Texas team that owns the league’s only win over conference-leading Kansas will pay a visit to the Octagon of Doom.
  • West Virginia at No. 8 Kansas, Sat. 4:00 p.m.: West Virginia has been one of the most surprising teams in the country in conference play, but it will take a minor miracle for them to pull off an upset in Phog Allen Fieldhouse.
  • Missouri at Ole Miss, Sat. 5:00 p.m.: Missouri whiffed on two chances to land a season-defining win over Kentucky or Florida, which makes Saturday’s matchup with the Rebels that much more important. They’ll only have so many more chances to land quality wins.
  • Baylor at No. 21 Oklahoma, Sat. 7:00 p.m.: Is Baylor ever going to turn their season around? A win at Oklahoma State looked like it could be a catalyst, but they followed that up by getting drilled by Kansas at home.
  • No. 9 Michigan State at Wisconsin, Sun. 1:00 p.m.: The Spartans finally have Adreian Payne back in the lineup, which is not a good thing for a Wisconsin team that has lost five of their last seven games. .

WHO’S GETTING UPSET?


  • No. 13 Saint Louis at La Salle, Sat. 5:00 p.m.: Defensively, the Billikens are as good as anyone in the country, but they are middle-of-the-pack in the Atlantic 10 in offensive efficiency. Can the Explorers take advantage?
  • No. 7 Cincinnati at SMU, Sat. 7:30 p.m.: The Mustangs have knocked off a pair of top 25 teams in Dallas this season, and they have the pieces to matchup with Cincinnati. They have size inside, a quality point guard and talent on the wings. They’ll have their work cut out for them scoring on the Bearcats.
  • No. 4 Wichita State at Northern Iowa, Sat. 9:00 p.m.: This may be the last real chance for someone in the MVC to knock off the Shockers this season. Wednesday’s loss to Illinois State isn’t exactly promising for the Panthers, however.
  • No. 19 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, Sat. 9:30 p.m.: The Cowboys are reeling and Marcus Smart is struggling. Texas Tech? They’ve got some size, they’ve got some athletes and they can be tough at home.
  • No. 12 Creighton at St. John’s, Sun. 7:00 p.m.: The Bluejays nearly lost to a streaking St. John’s team a couple of weeks ago in Omaha. Now, the Johnnies will get a crack at them at home. Doug McDermott had 39 in that game and hit the game-winner. Maybe try to slow him down?

FIVE THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

1) Three other top five teams will be in action on their home floors this weekend:


  • Clemson at No. 1 Syracuse, Sun. 6:00 p.m.
  • Oregon State at No. 2 Arizona, Sun. 7:00 p.m.
  • Nevada at No. 5 San Diego State, Sat. 10:00 p.m.

2) Four more top 25 teams will be heading out on the road this weekend:


  • No. 20 Virginia at Georgia Tech, Sat. 12:00 p.m.
  • No. 18 Kentucky at Mississippi State, Sat. 2:00 p.m.,
  • No. 11 Duke at Boston College, Sat. 6:00 p.m.
  • No. 22 UConn at UCF, Sat. 6:00 p.m.

3) Everyone is talking about Saint Louis in the Atlantic 10, but VCU has been pretty impressive in their own right. They’re just a game out of first place, but they’ll visit a St. Joseph’s team playing for their tournament lives on Saturday.

4) Lumberjack Night!!!

5) Minnesota was safely in the NCAA tournament before they lost three straight games to Nebraska, Northwestern and Purdue. Indiana was out before they beat Michigan. The Hoosiers probably need the win more than Minnesota.

Follow @robdauster