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Pregame Shootaround: March begins with a huge ACC tilt

syracuse

GAME OF THE DAY: No. 4 Syracuse at No. 12 Virginia, (4:00 p.m., ESPN):

CBT’s own Rob Dauster broke down this weekend’s top matchups in our weekend preview:

All of a sudden, this looks like the biggest game in the ACC this season. Believe it or not, Virginia currently holds a one game lead over the Orange in the ACC standings, and a win would clinch the ‘Hoos the outright regular season title. But Virginia has not beaten one of the other top four teams in the conference since January 20th and they only play Duke, North Carolina and the Orange once each. It’s weird when you think about it, but there’s a possibility that the ACC champ could end up being the fourth-highest seed from the ACC once the bracket is announced.

THE OTHER GAME OF THE DAY: No. 7 Louisville at No. 21 Memphis, (2:00 p.m., CBS):

Louisville added a bit of credibility to their resume when they knocked off Cincinnati in Cincinnati last weekend. They’ll head to Memphis this weekend to try and exact revenge for a whipping that the Tigers put on the Cardinals at the Yum! Center earlier this season. Russ Smith vs. Joe Jackson will be a battle between two of the most under-appreciated guards in college basketball.

WHO’S GETTING UPSET? No. 15 Iowa State at Kansas State, (7:00 p.m., ESPNU)

Kansas State could use another top-25 win and they’re terrific in the Octagon of Doom, where they will host No. 15 Iowa State. The Cyclones picked up an 81-75 home win over the Wildcats in late January but are 2-4 on the road in Big 12 play this season and those wins came over a reeling Oklahoma State team in three overtimes and TCU. Can Kansas State stop alternating wins and losses after the big home win over Kansas and build some momentum going into the Big 12 Tournament?

MID-MAJOR GAME OF THE DAY: Western Michigan at Toledo (6 p.m., ESPN3)

The top two teams in the MAC’s West Division face-off in a big contest when division-leading Western Michigan (19-8, 12-3) visits Toledo (23-5, 11-4). Toledo looked like one of the mid-major teams you wouldn’t want to potentially face in the NCAA Tournament until recent road losses to Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois while Western Michigan has won eight consecutive games and will look to sweep the season series against Toledo after beating them at home on January 8th.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1) Cincinnati at UConn will be one of the most intriguing matchups of the weekend. The No. 11 Bearcats are a big, physical team that loves to pound the offense glass. UConn? They don’t have much size up front and they rely heavily on Shabazz Napier to generate offense for them.

2) Can No. 2 Wichita State finish the regular season undefeated? The 30-0 Shockers will attempt to be the first team to finish the regular season undefeated since Saint Joseph’s in 2003-04. There also hasn’t been an 18-0 team in the Missouri Valley Conference since Oklahoma in 1927-28.

3) Still a lot of intrigue when No. 5 Kansas travels to Oklahoma State. Three months ago, this looked like the best game of the season but Kansas has already clinched the conference and Oklahoma State is 6-9 in league play. The Cowboys really, really need a win.

4) Xavier needs wins to keep themselves on the right side of the bubble, and a home win against No. 9 Creighton will be a tough one to get. As good as Semaj Christon is, can this group matchup with Creighton’s front court? Matt Stainbrook isn’t chasing Doug McDermott or Ethan Wragge around.

5) No. 11 Cincinnati at UConn will be one of the most intriguing matchups of the weekend. Cincinnati is a big, physical team that loves to pound the offense glass. UConn? They don’t have much size up front and they rely heavily on Shabazz Napier to generate offense for them.

THE REST OF THE TOP 25:


  • LSU at No. 1 Florida, 4:00 p.m., CBS
  • No. 10 Saint Louis at VCU, 6:00 p.m., ESPN2
  • No. 13 San Diego State at Fresno State, 10:05 p.m., CBSSN
  • Minnesota at No. 16 Michigan, 6:00 p.m., BTN
  • No. 17 Kentucky at South Carolina, 6:00 p.m., ESPN
  • Illinois at No. 18 Michigan State, 4:00 p.m., ESPN2
  • No. 19 North Carolina at Virginia Tech, 2:30 p.m., ESPN3
  • UCF at No. 23 SMU, 4:00 p.m., ESPNN
  • No. 24 Texas at Oklahoma, 4:00 p.m., ESPN3

NOTABLES:


  • UMass at Dayton, Sat. 11:00 a.m., ESPNU
  • Vanderbilt at Tennessee, Sat. 12:00 p.m., ESPN2
  • TCU at West Virginia, Sat, 1:30 p.m., ESPN3
  • Texas Tech at Baylor, Sat. 1:30 p.m., ROOT
  • Mississippi State at Missouri, Sat. 1:30 p.m., ESPN3
  • Pitt at Notre Dame, Sat. 2:00 p.m., ESPN2
  • Colorado at Utah, Sat. 2:00 p.m., PAC12
  • Richmond at Rhode Island, Sat. 2:00 p.m.,
  • Georgia at Arkansas, Sat. 4:00 p.m., ESPN3
  • BYU at San Diego, Sat. 4:00 p.m., ROOT
  • Northwestern at Nebraska, Sat. 5:00 p.m., ESPNU
  • Cal at Arizona State, Sat. 6:00 p.m., PAC12
  • Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s, Sat. 10:00 p.m., ESPN2

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