12-6-19 College Basketball Games to Watch
Headliner Games
Iowa at #4 Michigan (-6 ½) (Big Ten) at 6:30 p.m. (FS1)
#10 Duke (-7) at Va. Tech (ACC) at 7 p.m. (ACCN)
Pittsburgh at #1 Louisville (-12 ½) (ACC) at 9 p.m. (ACCN)
While none of these games feature ranked vs. ranked match-ups, these early season conference games could be good. In a season that has offered a lot of surprises so far, the ranked teams in these games could use wins to stabilize themselves as “for real.” Michigan was handled pretty well by Louisville earlier this week, and now gets to host Iowa, who has been pretty good so far this year. If Iowa pulls the upset, Michigan could go from unranked to #4 to barely ranked. Will Duke suffer the same fate as Michigan State and drop a game against Va. Tech? Well, Duke hammered Sparty earlier this week, so one would think not, but they also lost at home against Stephen F. Austin, so who knows? Louisville can cement themselves for now as #1 and end talk of being #1 as a jinx if they handle a Pitt squad who has rebounded well from losing a game at home to Nicholls State early in the season. At the end of the day, I like all 3 favorites but what do I know?
Upset Watch Games
Dartmouth at USF (-8) at 8 p.m. (ESPN3)
Stephen F. Austin at Alabama (-8) at 8 p.m. (SECN+)
These two games are my best bets for an upset. One would think if SFA can win at Cameron Indoor, it would be easier to win at Bama. USF hosts an Ivy League school that may not be as good as Penn or Yale, but is capable of an upset, especially since USF has been a bit of a disappointment so far this season.
Other games to Watch
Providence (-1 ½) at Rhode Island at 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
USC vs. TCU (-4) (Fort Worth Showcase; Dickies Arena) at 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
So last night proved to have some compelling basketball after all despite only 10 games on the slate. Today, there are only 19 games but I think it is a pretty good schedule despite that. ESPN2 offers a nice doubleheader between teams that may wind up NIT at best; however, they all need wins if they want to move up to NCAA tourney talk. Enjoy!
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