John Fanta
College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter
Michael Cohen
College Football and College Basketball Writer
With the Tremendous Bowl within the rearview mirror and the month of February coming to a detailed, sports activities followers throughout the nation have shifted their consideration to school basketball as March Insanity is rapidly approaching.
This weekend contains a loaded slate of video games, highlighted by a trio of matchups on FOX: Michigan State vs. Michigan (Friday), Duke vs. Illinois (Saturday) and UConn vs. St. John’s (Sunday).
FOX Sports activities faculty basketball writers John Fanta and Michael Cohen are right here to preview all three of these video games and extra as we enter an enormous weekend of faculty hoops motion.
School basketball followers might be handled to a number of must-see video games on FOX this weekend, together with:
Michigan State vs. Michigan (8 p.m. ET Friday on FOX and the FOX Sports app)
Duke vs. Illinois (8 p.m. ET Saturday on FOX and the FOX Sports app)
UConn vs. St. John’s (Noon ET Sunday on FOX and the FOX Sports app)
Which considered one of these three video games ought to followers be most enthusiastic about, and why?
John Fanta: Friday evening has an opportunity to be theater in Ann Arbor. It is the top-two groups within the Huge Ten standings in a bitter rivalry recreation with a Corridor of Famer and new Huge Ten wins-leader Tom Izzo assembly one of many sport’s latest stars in Dusty Might within the first of two conferences between Michigan State and Michigan. I’m fascinated to see how Jaxon Kohler and the Spartans match up with a frontcourt duo that is as sturdy as any in America with Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin. The 2 mixed for 37 factors, 21 rebounds and 6 assists in an 86-83 win over Ohio State on Sunday, their fifth in a row. If Michigan State goes to get a highway win, it is as a result of they do sufficient to restrict Wolf and Goldin offensively and their backcourt forces turnovers and finds a method to get straightforward buckets. Jaden Akins, Jeremy Fears, Jase Richardson and Tre Holloman must get the offense going for Michigan State, a workforce that isn’t sturdy from the perimeter however does have the depth to trigger points for a protection. On the flip facet, when Michigan has prevented these turnovers and Tre Donaldson and Nimari Burnett are in rhythm, Might’s workforce is de facto powerful to beat.
The Wolverines are additionally unbeaten at house this season. You are speaking about two groups that possess top-30 offenses and defenses in KenPom. This recreation ought to come all the way down to what Izzo does in regard to containing Wolf and Goldin and which guard emerges because the alpha on this recreation for both facet. It ought to be an excellent recreation and these two groups may nonetheless meet twice extra, with their rematch approaching March 9 in East Lansing and one other potential showdown within the Huge Ten Event.
Whereas the entire weekend slate on FOX is powerful, the thriller of how these two rivals match up coupled with the truth that they’re each on the high of the league is why I will go together with the Wolverines and Spartans.
Michael Cohen: The Friday evening matchup between No. 12 Michigan and No. 14 Michigan State is nearly definitely essentially the most significant of the three video games given the place every workforce is ranked and the continued Huge Ten race between them, with the Wolverines main the Spartans within the convention standings by one-half recreation. Izzo’s workforce has received 5 of the final seven and 9 of the final 13 over the Wolverines courtesy of a mismatched teaching battle between him and former Michigan head man Juwan Howard from 2019-24. Solely twice within the final decade has a ranked Michigan workforce defeated its in-state rival: a 75-64 victory in New York on March 3, 2018, and a 69-50 win in Ann Arbor on March 4, 2021. The Wolverines’ revitalization underneath first-year head coach Dusty Might makes this iteration the rivalry’s most fascinating tangle in fairly a while.
From an NBA perspective, the argument will be made for Saturday evening’s uncommon February non-conference battle between Duke and Illinois. The third-ranked Blue Devils are led by the presumptive No. 1 decide on this yr’s draft, Cooper Flagg, who’s averaging 19.7 factors, 7.7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per recreation in a stat line that displays his generational expertise. He’ll be matching wits with Illinois level guard Kasparas Jakucionis, one other standout freshman who is anticipated to be drafted within the high 10, if not the highest 5. Jakucionis is a flexible playmaker in his personal proper with averages of 15.6 factors, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
However the decide of the litter from a storyline perspective is UConn’s journey to Madison Sq. Backyard for a showdown with Rick Pitino and St. John’s. The Huskies saved their chaotic season alive with a 14-point comeback in opposition to Villanova on Tuesday evening, and now they will face the unquestioned greatest workforce within the league for a rematch of the hotly contested recreation at Gampel Pavilion earlier this month. At 22-4 general and 13-2 within the Huge East, the Red Storm have a two-game lead over Marquette as they shut in on the varsity’s first league title since 1992. There ought to be an electrical ambiance in The Backyard on Sunday afternoon, from UConn followers and St. John’s supporters alike.
Which workforce ranked outdoors this week’s AP Prime 25 Ballot has one of the best probability at making a deep run on this yr’s NCAA Event?
Michael: Even after struggling back-to-back losses to UConn and St. John’s within the final week, Creighton continues to be a workforce that has the items to make the Candy 16 or past. Any dialog in regards to the Bluejays begins with 7-foot-1 middle Ryan Kalkbrenner, the three-time reigning Huge East Defensive Participant of the 12 months who’s nicely on his method to including a fourth such award. In his last season of collegiate eligibility, the fifth-year senior elevated his scoring common from 17.3 factors per recreation to a career-best 18.7 factors per recreation. He upped his rebounding numbers from 7.6 per recreation to eight.5 per recreation and continues to common practically three blocks per contest with out ever fouling out in additional than 150 video games at Creighton. Few groups in faculty basketball have a frontcourt that may match Kalkbrenner’s mixture of measurement, ability and restraint.
A part of what makes Kalkbrenner so efficient is the chemistry he is developed with level guard Steven Ashworth, an undersized dynamo who demonstrates a toughness that begets his common-man body. Ashworth’s nifty deal with and elite physique management make him a devilish pick-and-roll accomplice for Kalkbrenner, with the 2 of them combining to common greater than 35 factors per recreation. That Ashworth is deadly from each 3-point vary (37%) and the free-throw line (95.2%) will give the Bluejays possibilities down the stretch practically each time they step on the court docket. He is probably the greatest level guards within the nation.
Creighton additionally has some favorable knowledge factors in a broader sense, with an offense that ranks forty first nationally in effectivity and a protection that ranks thirtieth. Apart from a shocking defeat to Georgetown on Dec. 18, the one groups to beat the Bluejays since Nov. 27 are Alabama, Marquette, UConn and St. John’s — 4 applications with high-level teaching and rosters heavy with future professionals. With the fitting draw, head coach Greg McDermott’s workforce is able to reaching the Elite Eight for the second time within the final three years.
John: There is a workforce within the high 5 of the Huge 12 standings, they usually aren’t ranked within the AP Prime 25. Moreover, I feel they might truly be within the joyful zone of the ten or 11-seed line when it is all mentioned and carried out, which is the place you need to be as a sleeper, since you’d actually wish to keep away from having to play a workforce on the 1-line within the second spherical. I am speaking about first-year head coach Kevin Younger and BYU.
The Cougars, who heading into Tuesday evening landed in Mike Decourcy’s “Final 4 In,” should not be there anymore after a Quad 1 victory over Kansas, 91-57. The 34-point margin of defeat for Invoice Self matched the most important lack of his 22-year tenure. BYU sits at nineteenth within the Torvik rankings and simply outdoors the highest 30 in KenPom. The Cougars are within the high three within the convention in area aim share and 3-point area aim share, together with rating second within the league with a +6.8 rebounding margin, which sits forward of nationwide title contenders Houston and Iowa State. However any darkish horse candidate within the NCAA Event has to bury 3-pointers, the nice equalizer in opposition to any heavyweight. Younger, who got here from the Phoenix Suns and performs a contemporary model of basketball, encourages his groups to let it fly from downtown, they usually’re posting 10.5 made triples per recreation.
Junior guard Richie Saunders can rating in a wide range of methods, boasting seven performances of 20-or-more factors, whereas freshman Egor Demin is a very good playmaker, and fifth-year senior Trevin Knell is the X-factor that may swing the workforce in a distinct course.
If I had been to select three mid-major candidates to your bracket, regulate Akron, Yale and Drake. All three are totally able to a event win, if not two.
St. John’s sits at 22-4 general and 13-2 within the Huge East, good for first place within the league standings. Rick Pitino’s workforce has relied on distinctive protection and rebounding, however the Johnnies rank within the bottom-20 nationally in 3-point share and 299th in free-throw share. Can this model of play translate to NCAA Event success?
John: That is an excellent query, and the way about this reply? Since 2012, solely two groups have made the Closing 4 whereas capturing 33.1% or worse from 3-point vary: 2012 Louisville at 31.8% and 2013 Louisville at 33.1%.
Each had been coached by Rick Pitino!
Take into consideration how ridiculous that’s, and now the 72-year-old has recreated the formulation at St. John’s with a top-10 workforce within the nation. It is merely exceptional. The Pink Storm can have NCAA Event success as a result of they put the capturing struggles to mattress with how a lot it is negated – after which some – by their defensive DNA. The Johnnies are relentless on that finish of the ground, presently coming in because the No. 2 workforce within the nation in KenPom defensive effectivity. They take groups out of their offensive recreation plans, swarming them for 40 minutes and ultimately sporting them out. The Pink Storm even have the guard play and ending skill to money in on the opposite finish of the ground.
Earlier this month, when the Johnnies beat UConn at Gampel Pavilion, it was jarring to see the Huskies wrestle to run their offense, turning the ball over 22 occasions, together with a late sequence that noticed three straight giveaways. With Kadary Richmond and RJ Luis Jr.’s capturing skill off the dribble and Zuby Ejiofor’s relentless nature on the glass, the Pink Storm have a formulation that is actually onerous to simulate for an opponent making ready to face them.
The Johnnies have a two-game cushion within the Huge East and are looking for their first convention regular-season title since Lou Carnesecca’s last season in 1992. The late, nice Carnesecca can be pleased with how onerous this workforce performs.
Michael: With a minimal of six video games remaining after Wednesday’s conflict with DePaul, the Pink Storm have already recorded this system’s highest win rely because the magical 1999-2000 season wherein former head coach Mike Jarvis guided St. John’s to a Huge East Event title. That Pitino’s workforce has solely dropped 4 video games general and has by no means suffered back-to-back defeats are causes sufficient to imagine this group could make a deep run within the NCAA Event, even perhaps flirting with the varsity’s first Closing 4 look since 1985. However in actuality, any jaunt past the primary weekend can be welcome for a college that final reached the Candy 16 in 1999, at which level Pitino was teaching the Boston Celtics. The nation’s second-best protection by way of factors per possession will hold St. John’s shut in most video games, particularly when Pitino sprinkles within the full-court press that has confounded opponents, as John famous. And whereas the offense solely ranks 79th in effectivity — due largely to a 23% level distribution from 3-point vary, which locations the Pink Storm outdoors the highest 350 groups within the nation — Pitino nonetheless has three double-figure scorers in Luis (17.6 factors per recreation), Ejiofor (13.9 factors per recreation) and Richmond (12.6 factors per recreation), plus three extra gamers chipping in not less than 8.7 factors per recreation.
However final week’s 73-71 highway loss to unranked Villanova was not with out trigger for concern contemplating how nicely St. John’s shot from past the arc. Pitino’s workforce buried 11 3-pointers on 37 makes an attempt that evening to match the Wildcats‘ tally of 11 triples on 24 makes an attempt. Solely as soon as this season have the Pink Storm made extra 3-pointers in a single recreation than they did in opposition to Villanova — 14 of them in a November loss to then-No. 13 Baylor — and it was the primary time they’d made greater than eight 3-pointers in opposition to a Huge East opponent. So what occurred? How did they lose? Pitino’s workforce got here up on the improper finish of the free-throw battle, the steal battle, the turnover battle and scored fewer factors within the paint than Villanova. There isn’t any query the Pink Storm are a superb outfit that may — and may — trigger opponents issues come March. However that does not imply St. John’s is infallible.
John Fanta is a nationwide faculty basketball broadcaster and author for FOX Sports activities. He covers the game in a wide range of capacities, from calling video games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Community to offering commentary on The Discipline of 68 Media Community. Observe him at @John_Fanta.
Michael Cohen covers faculty soccer and basketball for FOX Sports activities with an emphasis on the Huge Ten. Observe him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.
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