Purdue and Kansas State Headline the Loaded Friday Slate

Rick Pitino said that College Basketball is at an all-time high this year.  He says the influx of talent and the arrival of foreign-born players make the talent level the highest it has ever been.  I can’t say I disagree with that.  There have been tremendous games every night, with mid-majors winning or putting a scare into a power-five team.  

Thursday was the official start of Feast Week, and what a start it was.  Purdue beat Memphis, and Texas Tech beat Wake Forest in the Baha Mar Championship.  The Red Raiders got a scare from the Demon Deacons and probably should have lost.  Eventually, Wake Forest is going to have to start winning these games when they receives a late lead against good teams.

In the Hall of Fame Classic, Nebraska beat New Mexico but got a huge scare in the second half before another super Freshman, Braden Frager, took the game over for the Huskers.  Kansas State blew out Mississippi State.  The Wildcats run an elite offense and have shooters everywhere.  The Wildcats present a tough matchup for everyone they play, and watch out for them in the Big 12.

The following week and a half of basketball is a basketball fan's dream.  There will be basketball all day as Feast Week gets going in a big way on Friday.  The Charleston Classic, Paradise Jam, Greenbrier Tip-Off, and The Bad Boy Mowers Series all begin.  The Hall of Fame Classic and Baha-Mar Championship will crown a champion.  Remember, neutral-site wins are significant for tournament selection.

No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers vs No. 8 BYU Cougars - Bad Boy Mowers Series Salt Lake City

This is technically a neutral-site game, but BYU playing in Salt Lake City will feel like an actual road game for Wisconsin.  The Badgers have not been tested yet this year, and this game will be a huge test.  The Badgers have a high-powered offense led by John Blackwell, but I question their overall depth.  Wisconsin is going to be tested in a big way in this game, especially on the defensive end, and if they don’t show up, it could get ugly.

BYU has one of the best rosters in the country, and the Cougars also have the best freshman in the game, who will likely be the overall number one pick in the NBA Draft.  BYU puts pressure on a defense from all over the floor; they can get to the paint with ease, and when the best player, AJ Dybantsa, gets going, the Cougars are darn near impossible to beat.  They are not going to lose in Salt Lake.

No. 6 Louisville Cardinals at Cincinnati Bearcats - High-powered offense against KenPom-ranked second defense

Fans are starting to get behind the Cardinals as Louisville has looked every bit of a National Title contender so far this season. They shoot the building's lights and get after it on defense.  The guards are elite defenders and passers, forcing teams to overcommit and putting pressure on every defense they play against.  The biggest thing with Louisville is their big men.  As good as the guards are, the bigs and their ability to dominate in the pick-and-roll sets the Cardinals apart from most of the teams they play.

Cincinnati, under head coach Wes Miller, has always been about defense.  Offense has been optional a lot, but it's always been good enough to win games when the defense shows up.  So far this season, the Bearcats have been playing the best defense they have under coach Miller, making scoring a chore.  Keep this in mind as well, Cincinnati has played no one of significance up to this point.  Louisville will be the first test for the defense, and it will have to be excellent for the Bearcats to walk out with a win.

Kansas State Wildcats vs Nebraska Cornhuskers- Championship of Hall of Fame Classic

Anyone who has read my stuff over the past week knows that this Wildcats roster is the best one the head coach Jerome Tang has had in Manhattan since the run to the Elite Eight.  Kansas State plays extremely fast, has shooters everywhere, and has scored at least 80 points in all five of its games.  Their offense is an avalanche, especially if they are getting wide-open looks from three. The Wildcats are awfully good, and they pose matchup problems for everyone they play.

Nebraska finally has the players to run a vintage Fred Hoiberg offense.  The Huskers are running five out, moving the ball, and outside of the game against New Mexico, have not been turning the ball over.  What it has led to is the Huskers having a prolific offense, ranking among the best shooting teams in the country.   Nebraska is going to have to make a lot of threes in this one to have a chance to win.  Kansas State just isn’t a good matchup.

No. 15 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers- Baha-Mar Championship game

The Red Raiders have an incredible roster, but it has had a hard time coming together, and some of the players they were expecting to provide the scoring punch, aside from player of the year candidate JT Toppin, have been inconsistent.  Point guard Christian Anderson has been excellent with the ball in his hands, but the scoring hasn’t come yet.  To be honest, the Red Raiders are even lucky to be playing in this game, given how poorly they played against Wake Forest.  There is no time like the present to pick up a huge win to get the season rolling.

Purdue is loaded and is the only team in the country with the frontcourt to neutralize Toppin for Texas Tech.  It also doesn’t hurt that the Boilermakers have their own player of the year frontrunner in Braden Smith.  Smith leads one of the best offenses in the country, as evidenced by Purdue's number 1 ranking.  The Boilers didn’t play well against Memphis in round 1, but still won the game.  Purdue is going to flex some muscle in this game.

Here are the picks for the rest of the games on a loaded Friday: