College Basketball Daily Dish: Games of Interest for January 2, 2016

Your Daily Dish is back! It’s time to give you your guide to January 2, 2016 and it’s full Saturday slate of college basketball. The first big Saturday in conference play is about to begin so let’s get you set with your games to watch.

Three Top Games to Watch:

No. 9 Butler vs. No. 6 Xavier (1:00 p.m., FS1): The first of three games between top-25 opponents on Saturday afternoon pits two teams looking for redemption, as Xavier was blown out by Villanova and Butler lost at the hands of Providence. The Musketeers are back in the comforts of the Cintas Center, a building which has not seen them lose this season (7-0).
No. 23 Baylor vs. No. 2 Kansas (4:00 p.m., CBS): The Jayhawks return home where they are also 7-0 and are looking to solidify their potential No. 1 position after a Michigan State loss. Baylor has never won at Allen Fieldhouse and Kansas is 87-5 against Big 12 foes in the building. Kansas also begins their quest for a 12th-straight conference title.
No. 11 Iowa State vs. No. 3 Oklahoma (7:00 p.m., ESPN2): Another juicy Big 12 matchup pits two ranked teams in Norman in ESPN’s spotlight Saturday night game. It’s a game full of stars as Buddy Hield, averaging 24.9 points per game, leads his Sooners against Georges Niang, who’s averaging 18.8 points per contest. The Cyclones shoot 50.9 percent from the field as a team, but Oklahoma is among the nation’s leaders in FG defense, allowing opposition to shoot a mere 35.6 percent.

Mid-major Games of the Day:

Hofstra vs. Towson (7:00 p.m.): The Pride are favorites to claim the Colonial’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament this season, but got off to an up-and-down 9-4 start. Now as they enter conference play, they’ll have to travel to Towson to take on the Tigers, who are 6-0 at home on the year.
Davidson vs. St. Bonaventure (8:00 p.m.): The Bonnies enter play at 8-3, winners of five of their last six as they open A-10 play. The Wildcats also enter the game 8-3, but are looking for revenge after Bonaventure won at their place last season on a last-second shot by Marcus Posley.
New Mexico State vs. UC Irvine (10:30 p.m.): Both teams look to make another trip to the NCAA Tournament this season, but first they have to face each other in each squad’s last non-conference matchup. Pascal Siakam enters the game averaging 24.1 points per game for the Aggies, while the Anteaters are led by Mamadou Ndiaye, scoring at a 12.4 points per game clip.