Games To Watch From The ESPN College Gameday Schedule

Florida and Kentucky will face off on ESPN's College Gameday on Feb. 15. (espn.com)

I actually have to give the four-letter network some credit here; there's only one "Big East" game and one ACC matchup here. Giving the Palestra some love is a nice touch, too. Of course, they do have the Dukies on twice, and Digger Phelps will have a live microphone, but...let's stay positive! Good set of matchups.

In no particular order, these are the games I would consider to be appointment viewing.

Florida at Kentucky - Feb. 15:
If you only had to pick one SEC matchup, well, yes, this is it...and both teams will know it. For the perpetually baby-faced Wildcats, this will be a chance to make a statement both to the selection committee and the draftniks. If anyone still cares about regular season conference titles, well this game will matter for that as well. The Gators have a couple star frosh coming in, Kasey Hill at point guard and big man Chris Walker will compete for starting spots. Patric Young and Scotty Wilbekin headline the returning class.

At this point, Calipari's boys will have already faced off against Baylor, North Carolina, Louisville and Michigan State in non-conference play, so they won't be too green. Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein are (gasp) sophomores, so you can be sure they'll be looking to rectify the failure to be drafted in the first round last season. I'm only half-kidding on that, because UK has reloaded as usual with a horde of top recruits who are all looking ahead to draft day already, most notably Julius Randle, Marcus Lee, Dakari Johnson, James Young, and twins (for real) Aaron and Andrew Harrison. They're all tall and athletic, if that helps. I suggest you buy a program to keep all this straight. The Lexington crowd should be live as well, which always helps when you're watching college hoops.

Michigan at Michigan State Jan. 25:
Oh, if you didn't know - Sparty did NOT like watching the wolverines in the title game. No, sir. Roundball is where they can really throw their weight around against big brother, so that event was a real eye-opener for the MSU folks. This, naturally, is their chance to reassert the old world order: y'all are a football school, and Izzo is king.

As for an impartial fan such as myself, I'm going to enjoy watching Mitch McGary and Adriean Payne thump-thump under the boards. If Keith Appling can get out of the way, Gary Harris and Brendan Dawson could break out to be the superstars they showed potential for last year. Lot of great matchups in this one.

Also will be a great chance for Lil-Big Dog (is that a thing yet?) Glenn Robinson III to make his lotto case against one of the closest NBA-defense simulators that the college game has to offer. Bump-n-grind, young fella. Jump shots are nice, but as the seer Rasheed once declared: "buttholes get tight".

Gonzaga at Memphis Feb. 8:
Okay, fair warning: some hating here...this feels like a fake nod to the "mid majors", and while these are both fine programs in their own right, they shouldn't have to play each other to get ESPN's attention. Like arm-wresting for the wishbone at the kid's table on Thanksgiving. If you want to do a real mid-major spotlight, put Wichita and Creighton on the tube or something bold like that. This has that "Boise St vs TCU" bowl game feel, and while it's a great opportunity for these schools, it feels patronizing from the network types.

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Friday Roundtable: Best College Gameday Matchup

ESPN's College Gameday will be in Syracuse when the Orange look to break the record for attendance at an on-campus basketball game. (cbssports.com)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: The ESPN College Gameday schedule was released this week. What game are you most looking forward to seeing?

Alex:
Mark March 1 on the calendar and don't plan anything else for the evening. On the surface, Kansas traveling to Gallagher-Iba to duel with Oklahoma State doesn't have the sheen of a "classic" matchup or rivalry. Dig into some recent Big 12 history and you'll find the Cowboys, even in down years, almost always play the Jayhawks close, if not winning outright.

Gallagher-Iba in Stillwater, Okla., is about as underrated as college basketball arenas get; the atmosphere will be super-charged with Cowboy fans and a large, well-traveled Jayhawk contingent. The stage will be set before the two young, highly hyped teams take the court. Two of the best players in college hoops - two projected to be lottery picks in the 2014 NBA Draft, at that - will each try to propel their teams to a win, as Marcus Smart holds down the point for OSU and Andrew Wiggins goes for what would be one of his most sterling accomplishments in his (probably) lone NCAA season. Check out the rosters and you'll see multiple other high school All-Americans filling roles across the board. Between the Dukes, Kentuckys and Louisvilles, don't overlook KU and the Pokes.

Kyle:
I live in Big 12 country, and I have grown up watching and being a fan of the conference. So naturally I can't wait for Kansas and Oklahoma State. These two teams are the clear favorites to battle for the conference crown, and KU's Andrew Wiggins and OSU's Marcus Smart should be two of the best players in the country this year.

But because of my Big 12 ties, I am going to pick another game that I'm very interested in seeing, and that is Duke vs. Syracuse. The storylines here make for must-see TV. Two blueblood programs. Two hall of fame coaches. Syracuse playing its first season in the ACC. That would be enough there, but add in the fact that Syracuse is considering moving the court to the center of the Carrier Dome to break the all-time attendance record for a basketball game on a college campus, and this could be one of the biggest games of the year. Syracuse already has the record for attendance, with 35,012 fans on Feb. 23, 2013 when the Orange and Georgetown faced off for the final time in what is now the old Big East. Kicking off a new conference rivalry is great, and breaking an attendance record with a atmosphere that is sure to be going crazy makes this a game fans will be circling on their calendars now.

Fred:
I can't wait to see Kansas and Oklahoma State go at it. These two teams will be battling for the Big 12 crown after putting on two classic games last year. One of their two games went into double overtime with the Jayhawks coming on top.

This year Kansas adds one of the most intriguing prospects we've seen in years to the mix with Andrew Wiggins. In my opinion, seeing Wiggins in the national spotlight makes this a can't miss game.

Chris S: 
I actually have to give the four-letter network some credit here; there's only one "Big East" game and one ACC matchup here. Giving the Palestra some love is a nice touch, too. Of course, they do have the Dukies on twice, and Digger Phelps will have a live microphone, but...let's stay positive! Good set of matchups. In no particular order, these are the games I would consider to be appointment viewing.

Florida at Kentucky: If you only had to pick one SEC matchup, well, yes, this is it...and both teams will know it. For the perpetually baby-faced Wildcats, this will be a chance to make a statement both to the selection committee and the draft analysts. If anyone still cares about regular season conference titles, well this game will matter for that as well. The Gators have a couple star frosh coming in, Kasey Hill at point guard and big man Chris Walker will compete for starting spots. Patric Young and Scotty Wilbekin headline the returning class.

Michigan at Michigan State: ohh, if you didn't know - Sparty did NOT like watching the Wolverines in the title game. No, sir. Roundball is where they can really throw their weight around against big brother, so that event was a real eye-opener for the MSU folks. This, naturally, is their chance to reassert the old world order: y'all are a football school, and Izzo is King.

Gonzaga at Memphis:
Okay, fair warning: some hating here...this feels like a fake nod to the "mid majors", and while these are both fine programs in their own right, they shouldn't have to play each other to get ESPN's attention. Like arm-wresting for the wishbone at the kid's table on Thanksgiving. If you want to do a real mid-major spotlight, put Wichita and Creighton on the tube or something bold like that. This has that "Boise St vs TCU" bowl game feel, and while it's a great opportunity for these schools, it feels patronizing from the network types.


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BDD Alumni Bracket Elite 8

See what program's alumni teams advance on to the Final Four in our BDD Alumni Bracket. (celebritynetworth.com)

After a heavily debated Sweet Sixteen, we're on to the Elite Eight.

The greatest players in college basketball history take the court one last time for their respective school. If you need to catch up check out the Sweet 16 Part I and Sweet Sixteen Part II.

Each match up is voted on by three of our writers.


Louisville:

Point Guard: LaBradford Smith ‘88-’91
Shooting Guard: Darrell Griffith ‘77-’80
Small Forward: Billy Thompson ‘83-’86
Power Forward: Pervis Ellison ‘86-’88
Center: Wes Unseld ‘65-’68

Duke:

Point Guard. Bobby Hurley. ‘90-’93
Shooting Guard: JJ. Redick ‘03-’06
Small Forward: Shane Battier ‘98-’01
Power Forward: Christian Laettner ‘89-’92
Center: Mike Gminski ‘77-’80


Duke- 2
Louisville- 1

_______________________________________________________________

Wichita State:

Point Guard: Warren Armstrong ‘65-’68
Shooting Guard: Cleo Littleton ‘52-’55
Small Forward: Xavier McDaniel ‘82-’85
Power Forward: Cliff Levingston ‘80-’82
Center: Dave Stallworth ‘62-’65


Ohio State: 

Point Guard: Robin Freeman ‘53-’56
Shooting Guard: Jim Jackson ‘90-’92
Small Forward: John Havlicek ‘60-’62
Power Forward: Gary Bradds ‘62-’64
Center: Jerry Lucas ‘60-’62

Ohio State- 3
Wichita State- 0

_________________________________________________________________

Kansas:

Point Guard: Aaron Miles ‘01-’05

Shooting Guard: Kirk Hinrich ‘99-’03

Small Forward: Paul Pierce ‘95-’98

Power Forward: Danny Manning ‘84-’88

Center: Wilt Chamberlain ‘56-’58

Florida:

Point Guard: Andrew Moten ‘84-’87

Shooting Guard: Joe Hobbs ‘55-’58

Small Forward: Ronnie Williams ‘81-’84

Power Forward: Al Horford ‘05-’07

Center: Neal Walk ‘66-’69

Kansas- 3
Florida- 0

______________________________________________________________

Indiana:

Point Guard: Isiah Thomas ‘80-81

Shooting Guard: Calbert Cheaney ‘90-’93

Small Forward: Scott May ‘74-’76

Power Forward: Alan Henderson ‘92-’95

Center: Don Schlundt ‘52-’55

Marquette:

Point Guard: Doc Rivers ‘80-’83

Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade ‘02-’03

Small Forward: Don Kojis ‘58-’61

Power Forward: Maurice Lucas ‘72-’74

Center: Walter Downing ‘85-’86

Indiana- 2
Marquette- 1

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NCAA Alumni Bracket Part II: The Second Half Of The Sweet 16

The second part of our alumni bracket takes a look at right side of this year's Sweet 16 bracket: Kansas, Michigan, Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Indiana, Syracuse, Marquette and Miami. 

Each team is gathering their alumni to suit up one last time in an attempt to figure out which school has the greatest all-time team.

If you missed part one, you can catch up here.

Once again, I asked writers Alex, Kyle and Dakota to vote on which team they feel would win if they faced off.

Kansas:

Point Guard: Aaron Miles ‘01-’05

Shooting Guard: Kirk Hinrich ‘99-’03

Small Forward: Paul Pierce ‘95-’98

Power Forward: Danny Manning ‘84-’88

Center: Wilt Chamberlain ‘56-’58

________________________________________________________________

Michigan:

Point Guard: Jalen Rose ‘92-’94

Shooting Guard: Cazzie Russell ‘63-’66

Small Forward: Glen Rice ‘86-’89

Power Forward: Chris Webber ‘92-’93

Center: Juwan Howard ‘92-’95

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Kansas:3

Michigan: 0

Chamberlain (Via http://www.jakestakeonsports.com)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Florida:

Point Guard: Andrew Moten ‘84-’87

Shooting Guard: Joe Hobbs ‘55-’58

Small Forward: Ronnie Williams ‘81-’84

Power Forward: Al Horford ‘05-’07

Center: Neal Walk ‘66-’69

_____________________________________________________________

Florida Gulf Coast:

Point Guard: Brett Comer ‘13

Shooting Guard: Bernard Johnson ‘13

Small Forward: Sherwood Brown ‘13

Power Forward: Chase Fieler ‘13

Center: Erik McKnight ‘13

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Florida: 3

Florida Gulf Coast: 0

Neal Walk (via. gatorzone.com)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Indiana:

Point Guard: Isiah Thomas ‘80-81

Shooting Guard: Calbert Cheaney ‘90-’93

Small Forward: Scott May ‘74-’76

Power Forward: Alan Henderson ‘92-’95

Center: Don Schlundt ‘52-’55

_____________________________________________________________

Syracuse:

Point Guard: Sherman Douglas ‘86-’89

Shooting Guard: Gerry McNamara

Small Forward: Carmelo Anthony ‘02-’03

Power Forward: Derrick Coleman ‘85-90

Center: Rony Seikaly ‘84-’88

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Indiana:3

Syracuse: 0

 

Isiah Thomas (via spokeo.com)

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Marquette

Point Guard: Doc Rivers ‘80-’83

Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade ‘02-’03

Small Forward: Don Kojis ‘58-’61

Power Forward: Maurice Lucas ‘72-’74

Center: Walter Downing ‘85-’86

________________________________________________________________

Miami

Point Guard: Dick Hickox ‘59-’61

Shooting Guard: Don Curnutt ‘67-’70

Small Forward: Tim James ‘95-’99

Power Forward: Rick Barry ‘62-’65

Center: Tito Horford ‘87-’88

________________________________________________________________ 

________________________________________________________________

Marquette:3

Miami: 0

Dwyane Wade ( Via. http://www.dwyane-wade-flash.com)

The winners will be moving on as we continue our quest to crown the greatest alumni team. Keep checking back during the next few days for the next round.

Agree or disagree with our writers? Let us know in the comments below.

Friday Roundtable: Toughest Road Out of the Sweet 16

FGCU's rough road from the Sweet 16 is not safe for dancing. (via Bleacher Report)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: Which remaining Sweet 16 team faces the most challenging road to an NCAA championship?

Kyle:

My first instinct was to pick a team from the stacked Midwest bracket, but instead I'm going with America's favorite team it just heard of; Florida Gulf Coast.

Being a No. 15 seed Cinderella, every team the Eagles face from here on will be large favorites and more talented than the teams the Eagles see in the majority of the regular season. It doesn't help the other three teams in the region are very low seeds (No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4), FGCU has to play its bigger brother of sorts in Florida and two of these teams (Michigan and Kansas) have been ranked No. 1 in either the AP or coaches poll this year.

If the slipper continues to fit, FGCU would have to face the winner of the East, which was the only region to have all top four seeds reach the Sweet 16. Finally, it's hard to imagine either Louisville, Duke or Michigan State from the Midwest not reaching the title game. That's a major task for a team unknown to the majority of the country before a week ago. 

Alex:
Oregon. The Ducks were woefully underseeded, which made their first two games tougher than they deserved. Yet, they handled both Oklahoma State and a sweetheart St. Louis team with little trouble.

Now that the tournament's wheat has been separated from the chaff, things only get harder. The Ducks must first overcome Louisville, the No. 1 overall seed and a notoriously stingy defensive squad. From there one of two lightweights (you know, Michigan State or Duke) would be waiting in the Elite Eight before a match with either a peaking Wichita State or Ohio State's beat-'em-at-the-buzzer Buckeyes.

Picture a duck — feathers, beak and all — in a house from one of the Saw films. Those are the kinds of traps awaiting Oregon, with the ultimate one being a title game against a No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4 seed, or a Cinderella with a groundswell of support in the stands and in the hearts of college hoops fans.


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Experience Proves Important For NCAA Tournament Run

A group of seniors, including Kenny Kadji (35) and Julian Gamble (45), have led Miami to the Sweet 16. (usatoday.com)

Even in an era of freshmen leaving for the NBA after one year of college, experience still holds an important role in the college game; it translates into deeps runs in the NCAA Tournament.

Forget about the 2012 Kentucky team. It was an anomaly that a group of freshmen and sophomores were able to gel and perform consistently at a high level without having the normal ups and downs of performance as freshmen and sophomore who are still adjusting to the college game tend to do. This year's Kentucky team proved this much and the average expectation for a team made up mostly of top-rated freshman probably falls somewhere in between the two.

This is not to say teams shouldn't take highly touted freshmen just because they may leave after one year. Many of these teams have a freshman or two starting for them. But as you will see below, what most of these teams have is upperclassmen who have been in situations like this before.

Here's a breakdown of the number of seniors (and juniors) who started in the round of 32 for each Sweet 16 team:

Miami: four

Kansas: four

Florida: three (two juniors)

Marquette: three (one junior)

Duke: three

Oregon: three

Arizona: three

Wichita State: three

Indiana: two (one junior)

Syracuse: two (one junior) 

Florida Gulf Coast: two

Michigan State: one (two juniors)

Louisville: one (two juniors)

La Salle: one (two juniors)

Ohio State: none (three juniors)

Michigan: none (one junior)

The lights are the brightest and the stage is the largest at the NCAA Tournament and both of those get even brighter and larger as the field begins to dwindle and teams advance into the second and third weekends. As great as freshmen can be, it's still unfamiliar territory and the biggest stage they've ever been on. The best of both worlds is pairing one or two of these talented freshmen with a group of upperclassmen that can make them stay focused and not get caught up in the moment, which is familiar for many of these seniors.

Michigan has the fewest upperclassmen and have also been the least consistent in the last month, going 6-6 at the end of the regular season and in the Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines are extremely athletic and talented, yet the lack of experience and chemistry can be seen at the end of the season. Michigan could still easily advance to Atlanta — that's what talent can provide — but their lack of experience is definitely an outlier in the Sweet 16.

It is not a coincidence most of these teams have juniors and seniors making up more than half of their starting lineups and all but two teams remaining have a senior starting. Talent usually trumps experience, so naturally these players are also very good at the game of basketball. The advantage experience gives is these players have strong chemistry from playing together for multiple years and by now they've seen almost every situation they may face.

We'll see if this trend continues to the Final Four, but at a time where we focus on the best young players to come and leave after one year, this weekend will be a great opportunity to watch some of the best players to take advantage of their college experience and use it to reach this point.

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Breaking Down The NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast continues a historic run to the Sweet 16 and will face No. 3 Florida Friday. (nytimes.com)

It feels sweet to be a double-digit seed. Three of them have made it to the round of 16, including Florida Gulf Coast being the first No. 15 seed to ever reach this mark. We shouldn't be too surprised after watching upsets and parity all season long.

Now that 48 teams have been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, title hopes seem a little brighter, but the opposition becomes more difficult. After four days of madness, here's where the four regions stand with 16 teams remaining.

Midwest

Everyone said Oregon was better than a No. 12 seed and so far the Ducks have proven the theory correct. Oregon handled talented Oklahoma State and St. Louis teams with relative ease, but now the Ducks face the overall No. 1 seed. If there's a team that has made winning look easier than Oregon, it's Louisville. The Pac-12 has claimed it's been underrated all year. Knocking off a No. 1 seed will help its case but the Cardinals defense has been causing havoc for opposing offenses so far in March.

In the bottom half, a battle of powerhouse programs and Hall of Fame coaches can be found amongst the Cinderella finalists. No. 3 Michigan State and No. 2 Duke have been efficient so far this tournament, although Duke can't afford to get in the foul trouble it did Sunday night against Creighton. Izzo vs. Krzyzewski is a coaching battle worth watching any time and you know these two will have their teams prepared with almost a week to get ready.

West

This West region feels like it was created by ex-girlfriends and angry bosses that just want your bracket to fail. No. 2 Ohio State is the only 1-5 seed to reach the Sweet 16 and if a controversial charging call against Iowa State doesn't go in the Buckeyes favor, the West could be a complete shakeup. No. 9 Wichita State is a terrifying team to play in the NCAA Tournament because of their physicality, tenacious defense and ability to hit big shots when needed. The Shockers will face No. 13 La Salle, who would be the story of the tournament after being one of the last four teams in if it weren't for that team from Florida not named the Gators.

No. 6 Arizona, along with Oregon, continues to try and avenge the Pac-12's name and will now face the Buckeyes for a spot in the Elite 8. Ohio State came through in clutch situations against ISU, while Arizona has won both games by double figures. If this region has taught us anything thus far, it's that predicting its outcome is nearly impossible.

South

No. 1 Kansas against No. 4 Michigan is shaping up to be one of the best matchups of the tournament. Kansas gave one of its best and worst halves of the season in the same game against UNC Sunday, yet won the game more easily than the 70-58 score would suggest. Jeff Withey (16 points, 16 rebounds, five blocks) is the best defender in the country and completely takes away easy shot attempts in the paint. Kansas will have to limit turnovers against a fast-pace Wolverine team with tremendous guard play. Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glenn Robinson III will give the Jayhawk guards all they can handle and KU will need more from freshman standout Ben McLemore to advance.

Florida Gulf Coast has support from the majority of a country after a historic run being the first No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16. Yet many in its own state will not wish history to continue as now the Eagles must face the No. 3 Florida Gators in the round of 16. This FGCU team is athletic and extremely fun to watch and has more confidence than almost anyone; a deadly combination for opponents in the tourney. Florida will have its hands full as the Eagles bring momentum and the spotlight into Dallas to keep the dream allive.

East

The most predictable and chalk-filled of the regions, the East is the only region with the No. 1-4 seeds advancing to the second weekend. Yet it was not without its scares. No. 9 Temple had the advantage over No. 1 Indiana for most of the game before a 3-pointer by Victor Oladipo sealed it for the Hoosiers, and No. 2 Miami needed clutch free-throws to pull away from No. 7 Illinois.

No. 3 Marquette has only won nail-biters, becoming victorious against Butler in one of the best games of the tournament so far. Gritting out those tough wins has to give the Golden Eagles an advantage as they have proven their toughness and determination to execute in late-game situations. No. 4 Syracuse has yet to be fully tested, so it will be interesting to see how the Orange handle their first bit of adversity.

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Julius Randle Is Heading To Kentucky; UK Lands Fifth Top-10 Recruit

Julius Randle chose Kentucky Wednesday over Kansas, Florida and Texas. (sportingnews.com)

Kentucky's loss to Robert Morris in the first round of the NIT put fear into the Kentucky faithful but it was not enough to scare off Julius Randle, a 6-foot-9 forward from Plano, Texas and the No. 2-rated high school recruit in the country according to Rivals.com.

Randle selected Kentucky as his future school Wednesday over Kansas, Florida and Texas. Randle was forced to sit out part of his senior year of high school with a foot injury, but came back before the end of the season and continued his dominant play.

Kentucky already had one of the top recruiting classes in the country, but the addition of Randle leaves little question to what school has the No. 1 class. Along with Randle, Kentucky is bringing in Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Dakari Johnson and James Young, all who have been ranked in the top 10 in the country on various recruiting websites.

The biggest question with the Wildcats now is who will be leaving for the NBA Draft in June and how Kentucky can juggle all of these players who expect to play immediately.

Ranking The Top 5 College Basketball States in 2012-13

Kansas and Kansas State have led the way for Kansas to be the most successful state in college basketball. (espn.com)

CBS Sports' Matt Norlander recently published a story examining the best college basketball state of the modern era. The answer may surprise you, but the argument is very much a sound one. This got me to thinking about what other great college basketball states are out there right now. This is not of all-time, but strictly this season. Only looking at the best three Div. I teams in the state (sorry Juco studs), we ranked the top five college basketball states of the 2012-13 basketball season to date. Agree with it? Thank you. Don't agree, let us know your top five.

No. 5 Florida
Florida could have been even higher on the list if Florida State would have been able to carry over the success of last season when they won the ACC Tournament. But the Seminoles have dropped off to a 10-7 record this season and can't seem to win the big games. FSU still has a meeting with Duke and two games against NC State to find a signature win. Miami has been a better surprise, working its way into the top 25 and at the top of the ACC at 4-0 (prior to the Hurricanes game against Duke Wednesday night). Still, the Florida Gators are the best of the state and a legitimate top-10 team who look to be the easy favorite to win the SEC.

State record: 37-12

No. 4 Kentucky
It still feels strange to say that the University of Kentucky is currently holding the state back in our rankings, but a defending national champion is not used to going 12-6 to start the following season. John Calipari has talent, but it's very young talent who still have a lot to learn. Louisville isn't helping matters either, dropping two straight in a talented Big East, but the Cardinals are still a Final Four contender. Murray State has also been down by last year's standards, starting 14-4. The Racers 5-1 in conference play and shouldn't lose too many more before the tournament. Last year the state of Kentucky was stronger with two Final Four teams and all three making the tournament and it should be expected for that level of play to return sooner than later. But right now the state is struggling, by it's standards, which still means two good team and a very good team.

State record: 42-13  

No. 3 North Carolina
This state had by far the most potential at the start of the year. Where Kentucky had two teams who were expected to hang out in the top 10 all year, North Carolina could have potentially had three comfortably in the top 25. Duke lived up to its end as the No. 1 team, but North Carolina's youth and inexperience has made for a tougher path than expected. Roy's boys have rebounded with two straight ACC wins after starting conference play 0-2, but five losses at this point in the season is unfamiliar territory for the Tar Heels. NC State, while still in the top 25, already has four losses and have lost two of three after upsetting Duke. These are still three dangerous tournament teams, but two have a lot yet to accomplish.

State record: 43-10  

No. 2 Indiana
Indiana is synonymous with basketball (enter Hoosier's reference here). But it's the mid-major (if you can even call them that) of the state is actually keeping this basketball powerhouse state ranked so high. Butler's 16-2 start and No. 9 ranking has them talked about the with best of college basketball. The Bulldogs already have wins over UNC, Indiana and most recently Gonzaga. The Hoosiers are one of the favorites to win the Big Ten, although the brutal conference schedule could hurt Indiana's record and ranking. Notre Dame's dismissal from the top 25 after losing three of four games is keeping Indiana from the No. 1 spot.

State record: 47-8  

No. 1 Kansas
Kansas probably wouldn't have been your first guess, right? But the Sunflower State is playing basketball better than anyone. All three Div. I teams are ranked in the top 20 and are showing no signs of slowing down. Kansas has won 16 games in a row while K-State's only loss in the last nine game came at the hands of the Jayhawks Tuesday (this includes a neutral-site win over Florida). Wichita State knocked off Creighton last weekend and is making a claim for a Missouri Valley Conference title and is tied with Creighton for the conference lead. All three teams are practically no-brainers to make the NCAA Tournament and don't be surprised if one or more makes a deep run.

State record: 49-6 

Saturday Feast: Breaking Down The Five Matchups Between Top-25 Teams

No. 6 Syracuse vs. No. 1 Louisville is one of five matchups between top-25 teams Saturday. (usatoday.com)

Conference play is in full force, which means no November games where Duke plays a local junior college team with no player taller than 6-foot-6. Conference play means rivals and legitimate match-ups. Saturday is giving us five games between top-25 teams that are sure to produce exciting moments. This will probably end up being a weekly feature, so don't worry about the brilliant analysis only being limited to five games. Here's the breakdown:

No. 6 Syracuse vs. No. 1 Louisville

This Syracuse team isn't the same without James Southerland (Fab Melo 2.0), who is ruled ineligible for academic reasons, which means guys like Brandon Triche and Michael Carter-Williams will have to carry even more of the load. Louisville is proving to have one of the top defenses in the country and it will be put to the test against Syracuse's scorers. What makes this more exciting is the coaching match-up. Jim Boeheim has more than 900 wins and Rick Pitino has a white suit, and, you know, is also a great, future hall-of-fame coach.

L'Ville's Russ Smith (18.9 ppg) has proven his great play is less fluke and more Wooden Award candidate and is living up to the nickname Pitino gave him, "Russdiculous." So to sum up the game in Pitino speak: Russdiculous will have to play great against Boeheim's Zonediculous defense while Pitino yells from the sideline hopefully wearing his Whitediculous suit. Should be fun — I mean, ridiculous.

No. 8 Gonzaga vs No. 13 Butler
Cinderella fans are about to explode with excitement over this one. Smart move by ESPN starting the College Gameday series at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse as darling Butler takes on the original mid-major darling Gonzaga. And it's a battle of the Bulldogs. What else do you need?

It was almost perfect. ESPN officials were beaming with pride at this scheduling. The only downside, and it's a fairly large one, is Butler will be without top scorer Rotnei Clarke, who suffered a neck injury against Dayton last Saturday. (Dayton just ruined its chance of getting any games on ESPN this year.) The loss of Clarke is probably too much for Butler to overcome. Scoring could be tough to come by with the absence of his 16.3 ppg average and Gonzaga has too many weapons. But don't count out the magic of Hinkle (oh, hey Indiana) and coach Brad Stevens. Butler won't give up without a fight.

No. 17 Missouri vs No. 10 Florida

I know Missouri well from growing up as a fan of the Big Eight-turned-Big 12 and living within a close proximity of part of their fan base. The feeling I got from them at the beginning of the season (once Kentucky started losing) was Florida was good, but they had a legitimate shot at a SEC title. This is still the case, if Mizzou stops losing to teams like Ole Miss. I know, I know, Mizzou didn't have Laurence Bowers, and that's looking to be a big blow, but you still can't score only 49 points against a team like the Rebels who hadn't played a ranked team all year.

Florida not only has the home-court advantage, but they can score in bunches. The Gators are averaging 77 ppg in their last four games. Bowers being out does hurt the Tigers, especially from a scoring aspect. Mizzou is still looking for that signature win to announce its welcome into the SEC, in football and basketball, and this is the type of win that would send a big message to the conference.

No. 11 Ohio State vs. No. 18 Michigan State
Coming off a big home upset of then-No. 2 Michigan on Sunday, Ohio State can't afford a let-down against rival Michigan State. But will they again rise to the challenge? Who knows. The Big Ten might as well be a lottery drawing. Just when we think we've kind of got the conference sorted out, Bo Ryan and Wisconsin come in and destroy everything we once thought. Maybe Illinois is what we originally thought and isn't a title contender? Maybe Michigan runs away with the title? Maybe Iowa wins 12 straight conference games and shocks everyone? Maybe we find out Aaron Craft's red cheeks give him superpowers that suddenly stop working in big games? Truly anything could happen with this conference.

All I know is Michigan State really needs a big conference win for the resume and this is the time to get one. The Buckeyes have been unstable and unable to play a complete game. Now is Michigan State's chance to strike and get a signature win to start a brutal conference stretch.

No. 21 Oregon vs. No. 24 UCLA
Oregon has been a great rebuilding story that reached its height with an upset win over then-undefeated Arizona last Thursday. UCLA has a coach, Ben Howland, on the hot seat and a group of freshmen still learning to play together. Both the Ducks and Bruins come into this game undefeated in conference play, both trying to convince the public that the hype (UCLA's came at the beginning of the season, Oregon's is now) is deserving.

UCLA has more big-name stars in Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson, but don't overlook the balance of Oregon. UCLA gets the advantage playing at Pauley Pavilion, so it just depends which Bruins team shows up: the one that scored 97 against Missouri or the one that scored 57 against Utah.

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