UConn Looking to Continue Maui Bounce Back Vs. Gonzaga

The first Saturday in months without a full slate of college football games is here. But never fear: Instead is one of the best college basketball days of the year. It’s a packed day of hoops that includes a few big rivalry games, top teams on the move and big brands facing needle-moving, early-season showdowns.

Which games should you keep an eye on? Here’s a look at the best matches of the day on Saturday and what to look for in these high-profile matches.

UConn is still undefeated in the continental US, bouncing back well from its failure in all systems in Maui with wins last week over Baylor and Texas. The Huskies can make Maui look more like a bad week if they can knock off Gonzaga in what UConn fans have coined the “Storrs South.” Gonzaga’s dynamic offense, especially dominant post presence Graham Ike, could cause problems for a UConn team that has struggled on that end of the floor and lacks front court depth. But the Bulldogs have shown cracks in recent weeks, collapsing in the second half last week against Kentucky and blowing another lead in Atlantis against West Virginia.

No. 1 volunteers are not just undefeated, but untested. In five games against high-major competition, Tennessee has won by an average of 19.6 points, despite all but one of those games being played on the road. Theoretically, Illinois poses the biggest challenge yet, especially in what should be a rocking State Farm Center in Champaign. The Illini have one of the best players in the country in freshman point guard Kasparas Jakučionis and tons of three-point shooting, an interesting matchup for a Tennessee defense that encourages opponents to shoot away from distance. The other story to watch is whether Tennessee star guard Chaz Lanier can continue his remarkable start to the season … if he can, it will help the Vols keep the No. 1 place in the opinion polls for another week.

You couldn’t have scripted a better start to the Mark Pope era in Lexington, with the Wildcats 9-1 and owning neutral-court wins over Duke and Gonzaga in the first six weeks of his tenure. He can further add to the goodwill he has built with Big Blue Nation by winning this rivalry matchup with Louisville. The Cardinals are far feistier than they were under Kenny Payne, but have been ravaged with injuries early and will be pretty significant underdogs in this one. We’ll see if Pat Kelsey can come up with a game plan that puts Louisville in a position to pull off an upset.

This may not be the best match of the day, but I would argue that it is the most pressured. The 92nd meeting of one of the most heated rivalries in sports feels like close to a must-win on both sides. For Cincinnati, if not now, when? The Bearcats haven’t beaten Xavier since Wes Miller got the job, and with what is widely considered to be his best team to date in Cincinnati and the game being played on Cincy’s home field, there are few excuses not to win it. On Xavier’s side, a rivalry win would turn the narrative of what has otherwise been a disappointing non-conference start for the Musketeers. A loss here and Xavier enters Big East play without a clear Quad 1 or 2 win while staring down the fact that the Big East as a whole has had a tough showing in the non-conference.

This longtime Pac-12 rivalry between two West Coast powers has been renewed as a non-conference clash, played this year at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. Arizona has been one of the sport’s more disappointing teams thus far, starting 0–4 in games against major competition and needing a win here to leave non-conference play with some meat on its leg resume-wise. But for a team that has struggled a bit on the offensive end (especially in the half court), it might not be fun to take on a UCLA team that currently owns a top-5 defense nationally per. KenPom.