UConn vs Arizona and Illinois vs Alabama Elevate Wednesday’s Hoops Drama

The Champions Classic delivered again. Many of us may have been wrong about Michigan State and Kentucky.  The Spartans read all of the stories about how they couldn’t shoot and how it would lead to their ultimate downfall in games against great teams.  The Spartans showed us as they made 11 threes and routed Kentucky by 20.  The final score was one of the most lopsided games in Champions Classic history.  Michigan State looks like a team that will push Purdue at the top of the Big Ten.

The final game in the Champions Classic pitted Duke against Kansas.  It was a shorthanded Jayhawks team that didn’t have star freshman Darryn Peterson.  Peterson is arguably the best player in the freshman class, and he would have absolutely helped the Jayhawks.  In the end, the Duke Blue Devils were too much for the Jayhawks.  Duke looks like a National Title contender again.  I am struggling to find a justification for Kansas even being in the conversation for the rankings still.  They are not great without Peterson on the floor.

As most of you were tuned into the Champions Classic, I included, some mid-majors were putting the fear into power conference teams throughout the schedule.  Arkansas needed 6 points in the 40 seconds to go.  Texas A&M beat Montana by 5, Minnesota beat Chicago State by 12, but still struggles to score points. 

There are two excellent games between ranked teams on the Wednesday schedule, and one could be an early preview of a Final Four matchup.  Here are the previews of the best games, followed by picks of the remainder of the games.

No. 4 Arizona Wildcats at No. 3 UConn Huskies- Early Final Four Preview at Gampel

This one is going to be must-watch TV.  The Wildcats are one of the most surprising teams in the country over the first three weeks.  Not because they weren’t supposed to be good, but because of how good they have been.  Freshman Koa Peat and senior Jaden Bradley are the two players who will have their hands all over the games when Arizona plays, and if they win, those two are usually the leading scorers.

UConn plays this game at Gampel, which may spell bad news for the Wildcats.  The Huskies rarely lose at home, and while Arizona has the freshman, the Huskies have the crafty veterans who have won a ton of games at the college level and know how to win.  Alex Karaban and Solo Ball are the best players for the Huskies and do everything.  This game is going to have a Final Four feel and will be high-level basketball all night long.

No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 8 Illinois Fighting Illini- High-scoring affair in Chicago

This is technically a neutral-site game, but it is going to be a very pro-Illinois crowd at the United Center.  It won’t matter to Alabama because their style of play and three-point shooting are going to travel.  Alabama is going to play extremely fast, shoot a ton of threes, and get to the rim in transition.  The Tide gets fouled a ton, and for the first time under Nate Oats, they have been playing some defense this year.  At this particular juncture in the season, Alabama looks like the best team in the SEC, and there isn’t a close second.

Illinois is an interesting team because they have a ton of skilled players who can all shoot the ball. The problem is that most of them are from foreign countries and don’t have much experience in American basketball.  That won’t matter in the long run, though, considering most of them played pro ball in their home countries, and senior point guard Kylan Boswell has been a calming presence on both sides of the ball.  This game is going to be high-scoring, and the winner is likely to be in the top 5.

Here are the picks for the rest of the games on a loaded Wednesday.