College basketball weekend preview

Published March 1, 2012 5:00am ET



Top Five Games

5

No. 19 Louisville at No. 2 Syracuse » After winning six straight, the perplexing Cardinals are slumping again. They have lost three of their last five, though the first of the defeats was hardly one to be ashamed of — 52-51 to the Orange. In that game, Syracuse scored the final six points as coach Jim Boeheim snapped his seven-game losing streak to Louisville coach Rick Pitino. (Saturday, 4 p.m., CBS)

4

No. 11 Georgetown at No. 8 Marquette » Both teams are in the NCAA tournament, so there’s not much at stake except for seeding in the Big East tournament. The Hoyas still can finish second in the league, which carries a double-bye into the quarterfinals, but a loss could mean a game Wednesday and a more grueling and potentially difficult path to the title. (Saturday, 2 p.m., MASN)

3

No. 10 Ohio State at No. ?5 Michigan State » The Buckeyes’ Jared Sullinger and the Spartans’ Draymond Green clash in a heavyweight battle of big men who can bang in the post or take it to the perimeter. On Feb. 11, Michigan State used suffocating defense to end the 39-game home winning streak of Ohio State 58-48. The Spartans already have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament. (Sunday, 4 p.m., CBS)

2

No. 1 Kentucky at No. ?16 Florida » Kentucky already has clinched the regular-season title and is a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament regardless of what happens the rest of the way. But it’s always fun to watch No. 1 travel to a gym ready for a court-storming. Florida (22-8) is overdue for a signature win, having lost at Ohio State, at Syracuse and last month at Kentucky. (Sunday, noon, CBS)

1

No. 6 North Carolina at No. ?4 Duke » It’s time for Dick Vitale to pump up his favorite rivalry. For once the hype might be appropriate as the teams play for the regular-season title in the ACC. An NCAA tournament No. 1 seed also could be at stake. UNC wants to atone for its meltdown last month when Austin Rivers made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cap a late rally. (Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN)

Area games

George Washington at Dayton

When » Saturday, noon

Where » Dayton (Ohio) Arena

TV » CBS Sports Network

Radio » 1500/820 AM

GW (10-19, 5-10) has clinched a berth in the Atlantic 10 tournament and will play on the road in the opening round Tuesday. Dayton (18-11, 8-7) is among the teams in the jumbled conference that could be the opponent. The Flyers, who have quality wins over Temple, Xavier, Minnesota and Alabama, are led by junior Kevin Dillard (12.9 ppg, 5.9 apg) and senior Chris Johnson (12.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg). Tony Taylor led GW to a win with 17 points the last time the teams met in the regular-season finale last March.

American at Lehigh

When » Saturday, 2 p.m.

Where » Stabler Arena,

Bethlehem, Pa.

In an evenly matched Patriot League semifinal, No. 3 American (20-10) takes on No. 2 Lehigh (24-7) and conference player of the year C.J. McCollum (21.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg). The teams split this year, with each winning on its home floor. The winner will play defending champion and No. 1 Bucknell (23-8) or No. 5 Lafayette (13-17). Lehigh beat American in the semifinals on its way to the conference title in 2010. American last won the title and went to the NCAA tournament in 2009.

UDC vs. Bridgeport

When » Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where » Fitzgerald Gymnasium,

Queens, N.Y.

In the East Coast Conference semifinals, second-seeded UDC (22-4) faces No. 3 Bridgeport (18-9). The teams split their two meetings this season. The winner will play No. 1 C.W. Post (21-5) or No. 4 Dowling (13-14) on Saturday night for the conference title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III tournament. Even if it falls short, UDC, which is ranked 23rd, is likely to receive an at-large berth into the 64-team field.

Loyola vs. Nia./Canisius

When » Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where » MassMutual Center,

Springfield, Mass.

Former Maryland assistant Jimmy Patsos, who was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference coach of the year Thursday, leads the Greyhounds (21-8) into the conference tournament, in which they are the No. 2 seed. No. 7 Niagara (13-8) is the likely opponent in the quarterfinals as it plays No. ?10 Canisius (5-24) on Friday night. Loyola, which is seeking its first MAAC title, split with Niagara this year and swept Canisius. The semifinals are set for Sunday and the finals for Monday. Iona (24-6) is the top seed.

[email protected]