Getty Images Who’s Getting Upset?: Memphis (Fri. 8:00 p.m.: Oral Roberts at Memphis and Sun. 8:00 p.m.: Loyola (MD) at Memphis)
The Tigers have a pair of tough games this week, as they host both Oral Roberts and Loyola (MD). ORU has already knocked off Oklahoma this season and has one of the stronger mid-major programs in the country. The Greyhounds, on the other hand, are led by one of the nation’s most entertaining coaches in Jimmy Patsos who also just so happens to be leading a team that returned quite a bit of talent from last year’s NCAA tournament squad.
But the bigger issue here isn’t simply who Memphis is playing. It’s Memphis. It’s whether or not this team is actually built to compete at the national level. Because every time it seems like the Tigers have figured out how to play together, they take another step back. They played great down the stretch of last season only to revert to their old issues at the beginning of this year. They seemingly turned things around with the addition of Geron Johnson and a couple of big wins, but then Memphis blew a 16 point lead against Louisville and struggled to knock off a Lipscomb team that lost to Belmont by 34.
Who else is on upset alert?
- Sat. 12:00 p.m.: Santa Clara at No. 1 Duke (ESPN2): Duke is the best team in the country, but Santa Clara is actually pretty good this season. Marc Trasolini is healthy, Kevin Foster is eligible and Evan Roquemore is back again. That’s as good of a 1-2-3 punch as you are going to find at the mid-major level. If the Broncs are shooting well, they have a chance. Maybe they should have scheduled this game for Christmas Day.
- Sat. 4:30 p.m.: Air Force at No. 14 Florida (FSN): Is Florida for real? That’s the question that everyone is going to be asking after the Gators lost to Kansas State and Arizona. And that answer is probably a ‘yes’, but only when Mike Rosario and Kenny Boynton aren’t playing terribly. Boynton’s made just 4-32 from three in the last six games. Air Force is a good team. If the Gators don’t come to play, the Falcons can win.
- Sat. 8:00 p.m: Harvard at Cal (Pac-12): When Harvard lost Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, many thought that their season would be all but over. And while the Crimson clearly aren’t the same team that they would have been, the play of Wesley Saunders and Siyani Chambers have been impressive. If Harvard can slow down Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs, they’ll have a chance to win.
- Sat. 8:00 p.m.: Ohio at Oklahoma: Ohio made the Sweet 16 last season and came within an overtime against North Carolina of the Elite 8. The Bobcats have lost four of their last six games, however. Oklahoma, on the other hand, has been a bit of a disappointment this season as well. Can this be the game that DJ Cooper and company turn their season around.
- Sat. 8:00 p.m.: No. 19 Butler at Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt is a young team that has had their fair share of struggles early on this season, but the Commodores went into Cincinnati and knocked off Xavier in overtime earlier this month. Butler proved a lot with their win over Indiana, but the Bulldogs also can struggle when the threes aren’t dropping. Can Vandy capitalize?
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AP
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AP
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FIBA
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Report: Tennessee center Makanjuola transfers to UNC-Wilmington
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AP
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AP
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AP
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AP
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Reuters
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Marshall bolsters backcourt depth with addition of Jaylen Brantley
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ny2lasports.com
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AP
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AP
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AP
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