Weekend Preview: Florida at Arizona highlights a nice weekend slate

Game of the Weekend: No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Arizona (ESPN)

This choice isn’t all that complicated. There is only one game this weekend featuring two teams that are in the Top 25, and it just so happens that both of those teams are ranked in the top eight nationally. So, yeah, there really isn’t much of an argument against this game being the best of the weekend; it’s one of the best of the season thus far.

But there is so much more to look forward to here than the simplicity of stating that it is two top ten teams doing battle.

Florida has looked like a legitimate national title contender through the first month and change of the season. They worked Wisconsin at home. They worked Marquette at home. They were up 50-19 on Florida State in Tallahassee. They defend extremely well, they are balanced offensively and they win despite the fact that they don’t have a sure-fire first round pick. But that is precisely the question mark with this group: can a team really be legit if they are counting on a pair of shoot-first guards (Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario) and a center without a true low-post game? Will their defense hold up against another elite opponent?

Arizona is, or at least appears to be, elite. Their trio of freshmen big men look better and better as the season progresses while Mark Lyons’ playmaking issues have been offset by his ability to be an efficient scorer and the versatility of Nick Johnson, Kevin Parrom and Solomon Hill. But as of now, the Wildcats have not done anything notable this year. Winning at Clemson and Texas Tech? Meh. Beating LBSU? Talk to me when their transfers get eligible. The most impressive thing Arizona has done this season is win a game despite turning the ball over 27 times.

Saturday will be a gauge for both parties. Here’s to hoping they both come to play.

Five more games to watch this weekend

• Sat. 2:00 p.m.: No. 1 Indiana vs. Butler (CBS): This year’s version of the Crossroads Classic pits Purdue against Notre Dame, which means that the headline show at Conseco Fieldhouse this Saturday will be the Bulldogs taking on the Hoosiers. We all know how good Indiana is this season, but I think that Butler has the make up of a team that can beat them. Andrew Smith is big enough to bang with Cody Zeller on the block, they have athleticism along their front line and a pair of deadly shooters in Kellen Dunham and Rotnei Clarke. My biggest concern: How will Clarke get his open looks? There’s no way he’s beating Yogi Ferrell or Victor Oladipo off the dribble.

• Sat. 2:30 p.m.: No. 6 Louisville at Memphis (FSN): Since the Tigers got back from the Bahamas, they have finally looked like the team that we all thought had a chance to play their way to the Final Four this season. And it should come as no surprise that it was someone other than Joe Jackson, Tarik Black and Adonis Thomas leading the way, as Geron Johnson appears to have emerged as the Tiger’s most talented player. What, eventually, happens with Memphis will be unclear, but a win over powerhouse Louisville at the FedEx Forum would go a long way for the Tigers.

• Sat. 7:00 p.m.: Belmont at No. 9 Kansas (ESPNU): Belmont is coming off of an impressive win at home over a good Middle Tennessee State team, but the Blue Raiders aren’t in the same category as the Jayhawks are in Phog Allen. The Bruins have a talented, veteran back court, but both Kerron Johnson and Ian Clark will be giving up quite a bit of size to Kansas’ duo of Elijah Johnson and Ben McLemore. Can Belmont find a way to score?

• Sat. 9:00 p.m.: South Dakota State at Montana: Here’s to hoping that health prevails. Why? Because if everything goes according to plan, this will be a matchup between two of the best mid-major teams in the country, highlighted by a head-to-head battle between two of the best point guards in the country, period. Will Cherry broke his foot a few months back, but he’s expected to be in the lineup on Saturday. As is Nate Wolters, who missed a game at Minnesota last week because of a sprained ankle.

• Sat. 9:00 p.m.: Kansas State at No. 14 Gonzaga: Gonzaga will be looking to make a statement here against the Wildcats. The Zags are coming off of a fairly embarrassing loss at home to Illinois, where they couldn’t find a way to stop Brandon Paul. K-State has a pretty good scoring guard of their own in Rodney McGruder, but he’s a different kind of player than Paul. McGruder is at his best playing off the ball; Paul did a lot of his damage in pick-and-roll situations. Gonzaga has struggled to defend those all year long. Can Angel Rodriguez be the guy to exploit that weakness?

And the mid-majors?:

• Sat. 12:00 p.m.: Akron at Detroit
• Sat. 2:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan at Illinois-Chicago
• Sat. 7:00 p.m.: La Salle at Bucknell

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.