NCAA Weekly Plate – 01/06/06
With the conference season set to kick off its first full Saturday, Matt Fargo takes a look at three big games you can’t miss.
Cincinnati Bearcats at Marquette Golden Eagles 12:00 PM ET
Cincinnati heads to Marquette for the second C-USA game of the season for both teams. Sorry, let it be the second Big East game for both teams. In what has always been heralded as one of the best C-USA games of the year, the series shifts to a larger conference, but no shine is lost on this battle. It’s early and both teams are just 1-0 in conference action, but this is a great game for both sides to get an early jump into the super conference.
Marquette is coming off a big win Tuesday over second-ranked Connecticut, so it’s going to be tough trying to match that effort for the second straight game. The good news for the Golden Eagles is that they are staying home for this one, as a trip away from home would have been extremely rough. They are 7-1 at home this year with the lone home loss coming in their opener to a strong Winthrop team. This is Marquette’s sixth straight home game with the previous five won by double digits.
Cincinnati easily beat DePaul on Wednesday in its first game in the Big East and will now play its first real road game since Dec. 10. It will only be the second road game all season for the Bearcats, but they took on Vanderbilt in the first, giving the Commodores their only home loss of the season. Cincinnati’s offense has been on a roll, scoring 75 or more points in all but one game this season as it averages 83.1 points per game on the season.
This has been an interesting series over the last four seasons. Marquette had three straight wins beginning in 2001, followed by two straight Cincinnati wins, two straight Marquette wins, and then two straight Cincinnati wins. The Golden Eagles have covered seven of the last nine games and have won three straight on home court. The defenses on both teams are solid, but the offenses have scored enough to send 16 of the combined 20-over-all ranked games.
Colorado Buffaloes at Texas Longhorns 4:00 pm ET
This is a nice way to start the Big XII season as two teams combined 21-3 in Austin. This matchup usually doesn’t bring much excitement to the table and could be a dud again this time around. Colorado started last year with a solid 8-3 in non-conference action and then traveled to Oklahoma for its Big XII start and was crushed by 30 points. Texas has a home loss this season and has yet to defeat a quality opponent on their home court.
The Buffaloes may be the most surprising team in the country so far, having gotten off to a 10-1 start with the only loss coming against in-state rival Colorado. St. Colorado was picked to finish in the middle of the field in the Big XII and that very well could happen that the hot start could be a front due to playing on the 323rd ranked schedule across the nation. Wins over UNC-Wilmington and Penn look good, but the Buffaloes have also played four teams ranked 285th or worse.
Texas has bounced back from back-to-back losses very well with three straight wins, including a big one in Memphis last time out. As mentioned above, the only real test at home was against Tennessee and the Longhorns were blown out by 17 points. Texas will face the second highest scoring team in the country, but it has the defense to combat that. The Longhorns are allowing opponents to shoot just 36.8 percent from the floor, which is good for ninth in the country. It will be strength vs. strength and defense usually wins.
Texas should be fully focused as the Buffaloes took both games last year, but neither game was played in Texas. The Longhorns have won the last three games at the Frank Erwin Center and posted a perfect 7-0 mark in the first Big 12 Conference games of the Rick Barnes era. Texas has won 51 of its last 55 home games, so Colorado has its hands full.
Northern Iowa Panthers at Missouri St. Bears 8:00 p.m. ET
This one is certainly on the radar screen, but it could be one of the best games of the day. These are two midsize teams, but both are ranked in the top 25 in my power rankings thanks to extremely tough non-conference slates to start the season. The Missouri Valley Conference is ahead of the pack, as these two teams already have four conference games under their belts and are both 3-1, trailing Southern Illinois by a half game.
The Panthers were picked by the majority to take home the MVC title, but if they do, it won’t be a runaway. Northern Iowa has two road losses on the season, the last against conference foe Bradley in overtime. It has won its last three games by double digits and is bringing some serious momentum after a big road win at Wichita St. on Thursday. The Panthers held their last three opponents to 61 or fewer points, but against a tough offense, as the Bears have scored 80 or more points in three straight games.
Missouri St. is also on a three-game winning streak with the last two on the road. The Bears are a perfect 6-0 at home this year, but they haven’t beaten anyone of real importance on their home court. Overall, they have faced four teams ranked in the top 100, going 2-2 in those games, including a 2-0 mark at home, winning those by an average of 27.5 points per game. Missouri St.’s 10-2 start is the second-best start in 24 years played at the Division 1 level.
Missouri St. won the last meeting in the first round of last season’s conference tournament that snapped a four-game losing streak against the Panthers. Northern Iowa won both regular season meetings last year, including a nine-point win at Hammons Student Center. The Bears started last season going 1-6 in the MVC before making a late run and nearly clinching an automatic NCAA Tournament bid. Seven of the last 10 meetings have been decided by six points or less, so expect another barn on Saturday.
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