Who had a MAAC court storm on their bingo card for this season? That, along with Saint Mary’s losing its first conference game of the season and four games needing overtime on Thursday, made for a great week of mid-major basketball. If you need something else to watch this weekend, look no further.
Saturday lunchtime: South Alabama Jaguars (16-8, 8-4 Sun Belt) @ Akron Zips (17-5, 10-0 MAC)
This is the headliner of the MAC-SBC Challenge. Akron (KenPom 94) is undefeated in conference play and at home. South Alabama (KP 124) is in need of a significant win, especially after losing consecutive games to Louisiana-Monroe. Two strong mid-major teams collide in Northeast Ohio with a lot of pride on the line.
South Alabama’s offense runs through two men: Myles Corey and Barry Dunning Jr. Corey (15.0 PPG, 4.1 assists per game) is picking up his game, averaging 22 points in February after a disappointing January (9.6 PPG last month). Dunning Jr. leads the team in rebounds per game (6.6 RPG) and opens up the offensive game plan if he can hit threes. The Jaguars are 7-3 in games in which he hits a three-pointer.
The Zips have a dominant counterpart to Dunning Jr. who will give him a hard time in the paint. His name is James Okonkwo (7.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG). The senior has four double-doubles this year, most recently against Kent State. Leading scorer Nate Johnson (13.8 PPG) has been Mr. Consistent for the Zips. Johnson has scored ten points or more in nine straight games and set a career-high of 28 points against Toledo a few weeks back. Can he deliver again?
When and where: 2 p.m. EST on ESPN+
Saturday mid-afternoon: Towson Tigers (15-9, 10-1 CAA) @ Monmouth Hawks (8-16, 6-5 CAA)
One of the weirdest conferences in basketball has a chance to get even weirder. Towson (KP 173) is on a nine-game win streak and has bounced back from a rough non-conference slate. Pat Skerry’s group has locked down the CAA, allowing 64.8 points per game (60 points per game over the last seven games). Tyler Tejada has picked up where he left off, leading the team in scoring with 16.5 PPG. Dylan Williamson (13.8 PPG) can also knock down shots from deep with ease, shooting at a 40.9% mark from distance.
Monmouth (KP 281) has had one of the strangest years in all of college basketball. The Hawks have a conference MVP candidate in Abdi Bashir Jr. (21.2/2.5/2.2) and wins over Charleston and Seton Hall. This same team has losses to Northern Illinois (KP 347), Stephen F. Austin (KP 278), and Lehigh (KP 274). If Bashir and Madison Durr (13.2/3.0/3.0) go off, an upset could be at hand. Either way, this game will be entertaining if nothing else.
When and where: 4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
Saturday evening: UNC Asheville Bulldogs (17-6, 8-1 Big South) @ High Point Panthers (20-5, 8-2 Big South)
Is this a preview of the Big South championship game? One of the luckiest teams in America visits the furniture capital of the Carolinas in what figures to be a high-scoring showcase of the Big South’s best.
UNC Asheville (KP 169) is riding a seven-game win streak and sits atop the Big South by half a game, but it hasn’t come easy. Even with the holy trinity of Jordan Marsh (18.1/4.2/3.9), Toyaz Solomon (15.3/7.4/1.6), and Josh Banks (14.9/3.6/1.6), the Bulldogs have a point differential of +45 in Big South play. The Bulldogs have closed out most opponents (including High Point earlier in the year), can they keep it up?
High Point (KP 98) is in win now mode. The Panthers have the 27th-best adjusted offense in the country per KenPom and a strong all-around team to match. Juslin Bodo Bodo absorbs rebounds, pulling in 8.2 per game. He has also had ten games in which he accrued 10 rebounds or more. For scoring, High Point has three reliable players to get the job done: D’Maurian Williams (14.5 PPG), Kezza Giffa (14.1 PPG), and Kimani Hamilton (13.5 PPG). This is a prove-it game for both teams, particularly for High Point.
When and where: 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Saturday nightcap: UC San Diego Tritons (19-4, 9-2 Big West) @ UC Irvine Anteaters (20-3, 10-1 Big West)
The path to an at-large bid for UC Irvine (KP 62) starts with sweeping the one true challenger for the Big West championship. The Anteaters are one of six teams in Division I with 20 wins or more on the season and just a quick glance at their stat sheet shows you why. UC Irvine has two players (Bent Leuchten and Devin Tillis) who are averaging 13+ PPG and 8+ RPG.
The Tritons (KP 52) have won four straight and convincingly so. On Thursday, UC San Diego outscored UC Riverside 45-27 in the second half en route to a 91-71 win. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, as per usual, led the team in scoring with 28 points. These are two of the best teams on the west coast and they get to play each other twice a year. There’s no other sport like college basketball.
When and where: 10 p.m. on ESPNU/ESPN+
Sunday lunchtime: Temple Owls (14-9, 6-4 American) @ #17 Memphis Tigers (19-4, 9-1 American)
The biggest win of Temple’s (KP 144) season was against Memphis in Philadelphia. Beating Memphis once is an achievement. Can Temple do it twice? If the Owls pull it off, it looks like it will be in a track meet. The Owls have allowed 84 points per game to conference opponents.
Memphis (KP 42) appears to have gotten the memo after its loss to Temple. The Tigers have rattled off six straight wins, including a 23-point victory over UAB. All’s well when PJ Haggerty scores a lot. Even when he had his first single-digit scoring game against Tulane, the Tigers still won by 12. The goal is simple: don’t crash out and make it to March.
When and where: 2 p.m. on ESPN2
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