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Pregame Shootaround: Syracuse - Duke 2 highlights big day of top-25 battles

Duke v Syracuse

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 01: C.J. Fair #5 of the Syracuse Orange takes a shot over Jabari Parker #1 (L) of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 1, 2014 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)

Rich Barnes

GAME OF THE DAY: No. 1 Syracuse at No. 5 Duke, (7:00 p.m., ESPN):

CBT’s own Rob Dauster broke down this weekend’s top matchups in our weekend preview:

This game has lot a bit of luster, hasn’t it? Three weeks ago, the Orange and the Blue Devils played the best game of the season. The rematch was supposed to be between a streaking Duke team and an undefeated Syracuse team. Instead, the Orange lost at home to Boston College while the Blue Devils dropped a game at North Carolina.

The key here? What is Duke going to be able to do against the Syracuse zone. They struggled when Maryland went zone last Saturday. They lost on Thursday because North Carolina switched to a zone, and while the 2-3 that Syracuse runs is very different from the junk defenses that the Terps and the Heels threw at them, it still doesn’t change the fact that Duke’s offense has struggled getting the ball into the middle of the defense.

THE OTHER GAME OF THE DAY: No. 11 Louisville at No. 7 Cincinnati, (12:00 p.m., CBS) :

This is the start of Louisville’s brutal last-season slate. In their last five games, they play at Cincinnati, at SMU, at Memphis and at home against UConn. The Cardinals have been much improved from the team that we saw earlier this season, but they’ve done it beating up on lesser competition that, quite frankly, they should be beating up on. Cincinnati, for lack of a better word, big-boyed the Cardinals the first time these two got together. Russ Smith vs. Sean Kilpatrick will be fun.

WHO’S GETTING UPSET? No. 2 Florida at Ole Miss (12:00 p.m., CBS) :

I really like Florida and still believe them to be a Final Four team, but with the way the Gators played at home this week are they going to be prepared to travel into Oxford for a tough road game at Ole Miss? The Rebels have lost three straight games but at 16-10 and 7-6, they really need a high-profile win to feel safer going into March.

MID-MAJOR GAME OF THE DAY: South Dakota State at North Dakota State (3 p.m.)

Big game in the Summit League on Saturday afternoon as Dakota rivals South Dakota State and North Dakota State goes head-to-head. South Dakota State has won six straight games but its last loss came at home to the Bison. Now North Dakota has a chance to sweep the season series with a home win and they already own a one-game lead over South Dakota State in the league.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1) The Big Ten has a big top-25 battle on Saturday as No. 16 Wisconsin travels to No. 15 Iowa. The Badgers seem to have righted their ship in recent weeks, which makes this win all the more important for an Iowa team that has yet to really prove themselves.

2) The Big 12 also has a pair of top-25 teams doing battle Saturday as No. 19 Texas goes to No. 8 Kansas. Texas might be the team best-equipped to beat Kansas given the size that they have along their front line. They can match up with the Kansas big men, and as long as Isaiah Taylor and Javan Felix are making good decisions, they’ll have a shot to win at Phog Allen.

3) Can No. 18 Kentucky play better after its mediocre showing against LSU on the road? The Wildcats are playing better now and they should be aided by their home crowd, but this one is one to track.

4) St. John’s needs a win to bolster its NCAA Tournament profile and they’ll have a great chance when they go against No. 9 Villanova on the road in a Big East clash at 1:30 p.m.

5) New Mexico also gets a nice chance for a signature win with a home game against No. 6 San Diego State. The Lobos have the pieces to match-up with the Aztecs and are always very tough at home.

THE REST OF THE TOP 25:


  • Drake at No. 3 Wichita State, 8:00 p.m., ESPN3
  • No. 4 Arizona at Colorado, 9:00 p.m., ESPN
  • George Washington at No. 10 Saint Louis, 8:00 p.m.
  • Notre Dame at No. 14 Virginia, 2:00 p.m., ESPN2
  • No. 17 Iowa State at TCU, 4:00 p.m., ESPN2
  • Temple at No. 22 Memphis, 9:30 p.m., ESPNU
  • No. 23 UCLA at Stanford, 6:00 p.m., ESPN2
  • Minnesota at No. 24 Ohio State, Sat. 6:00 p.m., BTN

NOTABLES:


  • Xavier at Georgetown, Sat. 11:30 a.m.
  • Baylor at West Virginia, Sat. 1:47 p.m.
  • Marquette at DePaul, Sat. 2:00 p.m.
  • N.C. State at Virginia Tech, Sat. 2:00 p.m.
  • Tennessee at Texas A&M, Sat. 3:00 p.m.
  • Fordham at Saint Joseph’s, Sat. 3:00 p.m.
  • La Salle at Richmond, Sat. 4:00 p.m.
  • Saint Mary’s at Santa Clara, Sat. 4:00 p.m.
  • Missouri at Alabama, Sat. 8:00 p.m.

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