What was supposed to be an easy week of college basketball games became a week filled with upsets. With schools heading into winter break, we may have some upsets on our hands as teams lose focus or get caught in some trap games. Here are some matchups to watch out for this week.
Week 8 College Basketball Games
- Villanova vs UConn: Dec. 28, 6:30 ET
- Kentucky vs Missouri: Dec. 28, 7:00 ET
- Alabama vs Mississippi State: Dec. 28, 9:00 ET
- Arizona vs Arizona State: Dec. 31, 2:00 ET
- Marquette vs Villanova: Dec. 31, 2:00 ET
How To Watch These College Basketball Games
Villanova vs UConn
- When: Wednesday, December 28, 2022
- Start Time: 6:30 PM ET
- Location: XL Center – Hartford, Connecticut
- How to watch: FS1
Villanova vs UConn Preview
Villanova’s record doesn’t exactly indicate how well they’ve played recently having gone on a five-game winning streak. A lot of that can be attributed to the return of Cam Whitmore for the Wildcats. The dynamic forward does just about everything and gives this team an added dimension and much-needed depth.
UConn is undefeated and for good reason. Adama Sanogo is a legitimate contender for National Player of the Year and the guard play has been superb. While most people have UConn winning this game, it may not come as handily as they think. Villanova should go on a nice run at some point in this game and UConn will have a chance to show why they are so good this season.
Kentucky vs Missouri
- When: Wednesday, December 28, 2022
- Start Time: 7:00 PM ET
- Location: Mizzou Arena – Columbia, Missouri
- How to watch: SEC Network
Kentucky vs Missouri Preview
The Wildcats only have three losses but have struggled even in wins this year. Despite having a former National Player of the Year in Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky has just not gotten its lineups and chemistry together. Missouri’s lone loss was a blowout to rival Kansas, but they have since beaten Illinois and an underrated UCF team.
With Kentucky coming off a loss to UCLA and an easy win over Florida A&M, this could be a trap game going into SEC play. Missouri scores almost 90 points a game while giving up about 75. Meanwhile, Kentucky scores about 80 a game while only allowing 64 points a game. If Kentucky struggles to shoot the ball, you can expect Missouri to score in bunches and try to run the Wildcats out of the gym.
Alabama vs Mississippi State
- When: Wednesday, December 28, 2022
- Start Time: 9:00 PM ET
- Location: Humphrey Coliseum – Starkville, Mississippi
- How to watch: SEC Network
Alabama vs Mississippi State Preview
The Bulldogs just lost their first game of the season inexplicably to Drake. However, they have beaten three other Power-6 schools in Minnesota, Marquette, and Utah. If it can emotionally recover from the Drake stinger, Mississippi State could surprise Alabama. They certainly won’t overlook the Crimson Tide at home before heading to Tennessee next.
Alabama has racked up some impressive wins, including ones against Houston, North Carolina, and Michigan State. They just suffered a 10-point loss to Gonzaga but rebounded with a win over Jackson State. Look for Alabama freshman Brandon Miller to be a major factor in this game along with Mississippi State’s Tolu Smith, both the leading scorers for their respective teams.
Arizona vs Arizona State
- When: Saturday, December 31, 2022
- Start Time: 2:00 PM ET
- Location: Desert Financial Arena – Tempe, Arizona
- How to watch: FOX
Arizona vs Arizona State Preview
The Sun Devils have been a bit of a surprise this season, picking up wins over Creighton and Michigan already. They have also taken some odd losses to Texas Southern (in overtime) as well as a blowout to San Francisco. This game against Arizona will test ASU in its second PAC12 game of the season, but the first real challenge in the conference.
Arizona has gotten off to a great start with four wins over ranked opponents. That includes Tennessee, San Diego State, Creighton, and Indiana. Its only loss was at Utah coming off a three-day bender where the Wildcats won the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The key to the game will be ASU being able to get stops against a huge front line of Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis with some strong guard play from Kerr Kriisa. Arizona is second in the country in scoring at 90.2 points per game.
Marquette vs Villanova
- When: Saturday, December 31, 2022
- Start Time: 2:00 PM ET
- Location: Finneran Pavilion – Villanova, Pennsylvania
- How to watch: FS1
Marquette vs Villanova Preview
The Golden Eagles have seen a revelation under coach Shaka Smart and have some nice wins against the likes of Notre Dame, Baylor, and Creighton. Two of their losses required overtime from the victors, the Golden Eagles played Purdue within five points and lost to Mississippi State by only three. They are not a team to overlook and could make some waves in Big East play.
Meanwhile, Villanova is getting Cam Whitmore acclimated to more playing time as he has only played in five games. Coincidentally, the Wildcats have also won those five games. They have a tough opponent in UConn before this game, but that could give an idea of how well they might play in this one. Especially since the game will be at home.
