Clear your schedule, keep the snacks handy, and sink into your couch. If you’re a college basketball fan, Christmas comes early.
Brace yourself for an epic Saturday viewing experience. There are so many premier matchups that you’d better be sure you have access to multiple screens. Or at least, park your butt at your favorite sports bar. Eighteen teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll are in action, including 10 of the top 13 on Saturday.
College basketball has premier holiday tournaments, including the Maui Invitational and Battle 4 Atlantis. There are good games sprinkled throughout November and December. However, you usually don’t see this many high-quality regular-season matchups on the same date this time of year.
College basketball Saturdays are in full swing 💯@TheAndyKatz gives his top games for this Saturday 👀 pic.twitter.com/2U1k6oDrgK
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 9, 2024
Is this the greatest single day of December college basketball?
“I think it is arguably one of the best we have ever seen in December,” digital reporter and analyst Andy Katz said. “All the stars aligned. It just so happens that these games happen to be all on the same day…
“The other beautiful part of this for men’s college basketball is it’s the weekend off (before the) playoff for college football. So, if you’re ever going to grab the attention of the college sports fan, or the traditional sports fan, this would be the day to do it with wall-to-wall coverage across different networks.”
You’ve got classic rivalry games such as:
Louisville at No.5 Kentucky
Xavier at No.22 Cincinnati
No.13 Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State
You’ve got neutral-site showdowns such as:
No.8 Gonzaga vs. No.18 Connecticut in New York City
Arizona State vs. No.9 Florida in Atlanta
No.2 Auburn vs Ohio State in Atlanta
No.17 Texas A&M vs. No.11 Purdue in Indianapolis
No.24 UCLA vs. Arizona in Phoenix
You’ve got other intriguing tilts such as:
No.1 Tennessee at Illinois
Memphis at No.16 Clemson
No.6 Marquette at Dayton
Creighton at No.7 Alabama
NC State at No.10 Kansas
These are games that matter. Yes, everyone enjoys March Madness. But winning games during the non-conference slate factor in for seeding and at-large bids for the NCAA tournament. From the late morning until the evening, you can consume as much college basketball as you want. We asked Katz, who will be at Gonzaga vs UConn, to break down his top five games for Saturday.
Louisville (6-4) at Kentucky (9-1)
Tip-off: 5:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Site: Lexington, Ky.
What to know: This is a matchup of coaches in their first year with their respective schools: Pat Kelsey (Louisville) and Mark Pope (Kentucky).
Katz says: “It’s too bad that Louisville is not healthy after having a good showing where they upset Indiana in Atlantis. Pat Kelsey’s got so much energy and enthusiasm like Mark Pope. So that right off the bat, will add a little pop to the rivalry. Kentucky’s playing really well. Now, Kerr Kriisa is out and Lamont Butler has been hurt. I think Kentucky’s going to win, but I think we’ll get a great atmosphere.”
Xavier (8-2) at Cincinnati (9-1)
Tip-off: 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+
Site: Cincinnati
What to know: Xavier has won five straight in the Crosstown Shootout.
Katz says: “The fan bases, I think, dislike each other more than the coaches. That wasn’t always the case. There was some heated chippiness between the head coaches. That’s not the case with Wes Miller and Sean Miller. I’m sure this will be pretty close. But there’s no question, I think Cincinnati needs it. They need a marquee win.”
Tennessee (9-0) at Illinois (7-2)
Tip-off: 5:30 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Site: Champaign, Ill.
What to know: Tennessee is ranked No.1 for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Katz says: “Tennessee, they’ve already proven themselves. If they lose a road game like this, that’s completely fine. I think this is a monster game for Illinois. (Kasparas) Jakucionis is going to be a star. (Tomislav) Ivisic is one of the better passing big men in the country. Will Riley’s an NBA-type player. They’ve got so much young talent. (Tennesee’s) Chaz Lanier is playing like a first-team All-American right now. (He) did not get the preseason buzz that we all should have given him.”
Gonzaga (7-2) vs. UConn (7-3)
Tip-off: 8 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Site: New York City
What to know: UConn is 5-2 all time vs. Gonzaga.
Katz says: “This is going to be a huge test for the Zags. They have the advantage inside. Graham Ike is a better scorer than (UConn’s) Samson Johnson, although Johnson’s a better defender. On the perimeter, Aidan Mahaney from UConn is going against Ryan Nembhard from Gonzaga. They used to go against each other when Mahaney was at Saint Mary’s. That’s going to be intriguing.”
UCLA (8-1) vs. Arizona (4-4)
Tip-off: 3 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Site: Phoenix
What to know: A meeting of former Pac-12 teams. UCLA is now in the Big Ten and Arizona is a Big 12 member.
Katz says: “I was at the UCLA (vs.) Oregon game on Sunday. They are finally playing up to their potential. Arizona has been very inconsistent in their elite games. I saw them get blown out by Wisconsin. They lost at home to Duke. They didn’t play as well in Atlantis. So they need this game. They need to beat a team that we think is going to be in the field.”
Enjoy the games!
