The Crimson Tide have dropped two in a row after holding the number two spot in the AP Polls last week. They now sit at four and welcome the Kentucky Wildcats to Tuscaloosa. Kentucky has won three of their previous four games after starting a little sluggish in conference play. They could be playing Alabama at an opportune time and could play spoiler on the road. It should be an exciting matchup between two high-powered offenses.
Iowa State and Houston are in the top three of the Big 12, with Houston only having one loss in the conference. Houston had their 33-game home winning streak snapped by Texas Tech at the beginning of the month, with their last home loss coming on January 22, 2023. Iowa State had a tough stretch, losing three straight in conference before rattling off four in a row to turn things around. This matchup should be a great defensive battle.
Does Tom Izzo have another Big Ten title left in him? The Spartans’ coach has claimed 10 league crowns, but hasn’t won one since 2020. And at age 70, he doesn’t have many more years left in him.
A Big West team on the bubble? UC-San Diego is no ordinary Big West team. The Tritons have been building toward this moment since the pandemic, when they went 30-1 in their final year in Division II and didn’t get a chance to win an outgoing national title.
These are the games that teams like Houston absolutely hate. The Cougars aren’t going to get anything out of beating Arizona State. All they can do is damage an already stellar resume.
Does Villanova have enough time to play its way onto the bubble? Yes, but only if it runs the table and makes a run in New York. The Wildcats gave themselves a chance by picking off St. John’s in Philadelphia, but they then turned around and lost at Providence three days later.
Is this a case of too little, too late for Virginia? Unless the Cavaliers have an NC State-like run in them, almost certainly.
Can Purdue come up with yet another Big Ten title, despite missing Zach Edey from last year’s team? The Boilermakers took a big step in that direction in January, when they whacked Michigan by 27 in West Lafayette, the first of four straight wins for Matt Painter’s team.
Opportunities like this don’t come every day for anyone. In the Big Ten, they’re a little more likely to happen because the league has so many good teams. But for Ohio State, this week is all about opportunity.