Before the holiday season is in the middle of its teeth, there are some high level college basketball games that are set to take place and will make a huge mark on March Madness. Here are our 8 most crucial games that take place in non conference style before Christmas Day arrives.
Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa State Cyclones
Date: Thursday, December 11
This is a massive rivalry game. The cold weather will be real in Ames, but the offenses should be red hot. The Iowa Hawkeyes will head into this game with an 8-1 record, with their lone loss coming on the road at Michigan State. The Hawkeyes bounced back with a blowout win at home over Maryland. Before they can rest over the holiday season and enjoy three cupcakes, they get a trip to Ames. The Cyclones are the talk of the country after their blowout win over the top ranked Purdue Boilermakers. Iowa State is 9-0 overall and has won all four of their games at Hilton Coliseum in blowout fashion. The Cyclones are scoring 94.6 points per game, with Milan Momcilovic leading the way. Not only is this a bragging rights game, this is a massive game for the resumes of both teams.
Arkansas Razorbacks at Texas Tech Red Raiders
Date: Saturday, December 13
This game is set for Dallas and will feature a massive crowd at the American Airlines Center. Arkansas, led by their head coach John Calipari, comes into the game with two losses on the season. They lost early in the season to Michigan State and then fell by nine to Duke. Two pretty strong losses when it comes to resume. The Razorbacks have a win over Louisville on the season as well. Darius Acuff Jr. is scoring 17.4 points per game, leading a team to nearly 88 per game. For Texas Tech, there is not a lot to complain about in their resume, as they fell to Illinois in Chicago and to Purdue. The loss to the Boilermakers was a little ugly, losing by 30, but since then they have bounced back with three wins, including a blowout over LSU. JT Toppin is an elite level player and will be a focal point of the Razorbacks defense. This is going to be a fun one. Look for bodies to fly all over in this one.