College Basketball Games: Best of Week 2

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College Basketball Games: Grade Dick of Kansas
Photo via: USATodaySports

College basketball is upon us and this week starts to give us some great matchups. These are the must-watch college basketball games of week 2! We have some huge non-conference matchups that should create some intrigue and give us a great idea of how some of these teams will play going forward.

The full list of teams in this article is as follows followed by their start time.

College Basketball Games

Kentucky vs Michigan State: Nov. 15, 7:00 PM ET 
Duke vs Kansas: Nov. 15, 9:30 PM ET
Gonzaga vs. Texas: Nov. 16 9:30 PM ET
Virginia vs. Baylor: Nov. 18, 7:00 PM ET
Villanova vs. Michigan State: Nov. 18, 8:00 PM ET
Illinois vs. UCLA: Nov. 18, 8:00 PM ET
Kentucky vs Gonzaga: Nov. 20, 7:30 PM ET

How To Watch These College Basketball Games

Kentucky vs. Michigan State 

  • When: Tuesday, November 15, 2022
  • Start Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • Location: Gainebridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, Indiana
  • How to watch: ESPN

Kentucky vs Michigan State Preview

The Kentucky Wildcats have gotten off to a hot start without a couple of key players like Oscar Tshiebwe (and Sahvir Wheeler for a game). With Tshiebwe potentially coming back against Michigan State, it could be a nice return game for him. Freshman Cason Wallace had a strong first week averaging 11.5, two steals, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists.

Michigan State took a top-5 Gonzaga team to the wire in the opening week and the schedule does not do it any favors in the next few weeks. Mady Sissoko has emerged as a nice rim protector, but there is no go-to scorer yet on this team. The Spartans have six players averaging eight or more points early in the season.

Duke vs. Kansas 

  • When: Tuesday, November 15, 2022
  • Start Time: 9:30 PM ET
  • Location: Gainebridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, Indiana
  • How to watch: ESPN

Duke vs Kansas Preview

Kansas is coming off a national championship and had to retool its roster, but seems to be doing just fine. They’ve routed inferior competition so far and will get their shot at a legitimate title contender when they face Duke in the Champions Classic. Gradey Dick has been just as good as advertised as a five-star freshman and it looks like Jalen Wilson has taken the leap that some thought would come last year.

Duke has not played at full strength yet this season but has looked good against its inferior competition as well. Dereck Lively II played in the last game and did so sparingly. If he comes in and plays well in this game, it could be his coming out party for the season and the draft. Mark Mitchell has been excellent to start the season though and could be guarding Gradey Dick for some of the night.

Gonzaga vs. Texas 

  • When: Wednesday, November 16, 2022
  • Start Time: 9:30 PM ET
  • Location: Moody Center – Austin, Texas
  • How to watch: ESPN2

Gonzaga vs Texas Preview

The Bulldogs escaped a nail-biter against Michigan State last week and now have to go on the road to face a top-15 Texas team. They will face potential lottery pick Dillon Mitchell along with some experienced upperclassmen. The Zags still have Player of the Year candidate Drew Timme and he took over in the win over MSU.

Texas sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter has been great to start the season. Freshman Arterio Morris has been a nice surprise off the bench and the older players on the roster will have the chance to show how important their experience is in winning games. Dylan Disu and Mitchell will likely be the ones trying to guard Timme and that’s the matchup that could decide this game.

Virginia vs. Baylor

  • When: Friday, November 18, 2022
  • Start Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • Location: T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada
  • How to watch: ESPN2

Virginia vs Baylor Preview

The Virginia Cavaliers have been scoring a lot more than usual at 81 points per game even if it has been cupcakes so far. Their usual defense has shown up though allowing less than 52 points per game. Senior Armaan Franklin has been the leading scorer for the Cavs at 14 points a game with freshman Ryan Dunn following closely behind at 13 a game.

Baylor has been excellent in its two games so far this year, absolutely blowing them away. Freshman Keyonte George has been as great as everyone thought he would be, averaging 18 points and seven assists a game. With some injured bigs back from injuries, the Bears are now running on a full tank.

Villanova vs. Michigan State

  • When: Friday, November 18, 2022
  • Start Time: 8:00 PM ET
  • Location: Breslin Center – East Lansing, Michigan
  • How to watch: FS1

Villanova vs Michigan State Preview

The Wildcats have not had Cam Whitmore available after he had thumb surgery in October. It remains to be seen if he will be able to play against Michigan State, but his presence would certainly help out the Wildcats and first-year head coach Kyle Neptune. Especially after an upset loss to Temple.

Michigan State will be coming off a close loss to Gonzaga and a game against Kentucky earlier in the week. They are going to have to exhibit some mental and physical fortitude if they want to survive this week and not take two more losses. These Spartans will be growing up fast this season regardless of outcomes this week.

Illinois vs. UCLA

  • When: Friday, November 18, 2022
  • Start Time: 9:30 PM ET
  • Location: T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada
  • How to watch: ESPNU

Illinois vs UCLA Preview

The Illini lost quite a bit of talent in Kofi Cockburn, Alfonso Plummer, Trent Frazier, and Jacob Grandison. However, they brought in a five-star guard in ZZ Clark as well as transfers Matthew Mayer from Baylor and Terrence Shannon from Texas Tech. They’ve seemingly come together in two easy victories to start the season and this game will truly test them.

UCLA is expected to be a powerhouse in the PAC-12 with key returners in Jaylen Clark, Tyger Campbell, David Singleton, and Jaime Jaquez. The Bruins also brought in top-notch freshmen in Adem Bona, Dylan Andrews, and Amari Bailey who have all contributed on some level in the first two games of the season.

Kentucky vs. Gonzaga

  • When: Sunday, November 20, 2022
  • Start Time: 7:30 PM ET
  • Location: Spokane Arena – Spokane, Washington
  • How to watch: ESPN

Kentucky vs Gonzaga Preview

The Wildcats have been cruising to start the season and will face a tough test against the Michigan State Spartans before this game. They are likely to have Oscar Tshiebwe back as well, who might be one of the few people who can actually guard Drew Timme. Kentucky’s backcourt will be the key to this game as Sahvir Wheeler and Cason Wallace have gotten off to a nice start to the season.

Gonzaga struggled with Michigan State but ultimately was saved by Timme Time (trademark pending). Will the Zags require another savior moment from their big man or are they going to be able to handle the Wildcats with a better all-around effort? This game should give us a nice glimpse into what these teams are going to be capable of over the course of the season. What are your must-watch college basketball games?

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