Weekend Preview: Baylor-Kentucky, St. Joe’s-Creighton highlight top games

Game of the Weekend: Saturday, 3:00 p.m.: St. Joseph’s at No. 11 Creighton (ESPN3)

This matchup lost some of its luster when Creighton lost to Boise State in Omaha earlier this week, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’re just three weeks into the season and we’re getting a game between the favorite in the Missouri Valley and the favorite in the Atlantic 10. St. Joe’s enters this game at 4-1 on the season, with their only loss coming at the hands of Florida State in the Coaches vs. Cancer title game.

The Hawks have a much bigger and more athletic front line than the Bluejays, as their defacto small forward is 6-foot-9 shot blocker CJ Aiken, which could end up giving the notoriously defense-deficient Creighton trouble. But Creighton’s advantage will come in their versatility and execution offensively. Creighton is surgical when they have the ball. Doug McDermott cuts and seals as well as anyone in the country. Ethan Wragge and McDermott are two of the most dangerous shooters in the country, and they will draw those bigger St. Joe’s defenders out of the paint.

Best individual matchup: Grant Gibbs vs. Langston Galloway.

Five more games that you have to watch:

• Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Tennessee at No. 20 Georgetown (ESPN): Tennessee came into the season with more expectations than Georgetown, but thanks to an impressive performance against No. 1 Indiana at the Legends Classic two weeks ago, the Hoyas skyrocketed into the top 25. The Vols are still playing without Jeronne Maymon, which is a major loss for a team that prides themselves on their toughness, but this will still be a major test for the younger, weaker Hoyas.

• Friday, 8:30 p.m.: No. 6 Syracuse at Arkansas (ESPN): Syracuse has put up some impressive numbers this season, but the only time that they’ve been tested this season came when they played a San Diego State team that shoots threes on a boat. Not exactly a test. Arkansas has a star in BJ Young on the wing and runs Mike Anderson’s 40 Minutes of Hell defense. How will Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche handle it?

• Saturday, 12:30 p.m.: Baylor at No. 8 Kentucky (CBS): Baylor is one of the most disappointing teams in the country this far into the season, as they lost to both Colorado and Charleston already this season. But it’s not like Kentucky has been a world-beater; they lost to Notre Dame on Thursday after losing to Duke in the second game of the season. The good news? There will be as much athleticism in this game as in any NBA game.

• Saturday, 7:00 p.m.: Belmont at VCU: Everyone in the country knows about VCU at this point. They press, they shoot a lot of threes and they do everything they can to push the tempo and wear out their opponent. But Belmont does the same thing as well, and they have one of the most talented and experienced back courts at the mid-major level. This should be an entertaining, high-level basketball game.

• Sunday, 4:00 p.m.: Cal at Wisconsin (BTN): The Badgers are coming off of a home loss to Virginia in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Cal, who won the DirecTV Classic, has a terrific perimeter attack — led by Allen Crabbe — but the question is whether or not they’ll be able to handle Jared Berggren inside.

And the mid-majors?:

• Saturday, 12:00 p.m.: Rider at Drexel
• Saturday, 2:00 p.m.: Wagner at Temple
• Saturday, 4:30 p.m.: Evansville at Colorado State
• Saturday, 7:00 p.m.: Ohio at Robert Morris
• Sunday, 4:30 p.m.: Valpo at St. Louis
• Sunday, 5:00 p.m.: Wichita State at Air Force