The second weekend of the 2022-23 college basketball season is upon us. There are much better games happening this weekend as compared to last weekend. Some interesting storylines have developed too, due to results from earlier in the week. Here is the college basketball weekend watchlist for week two of the 2022-23 season.
Xavier vs 12 Indiana | Gavitt Tipoff Games | Friday Nov. 16 | 6:00 PM
This is by far the first true test for both of these teams this season, especially Indiana because they are going into Xavier’s home arena. Trayce Jackson-Davis so far has shown why he was picked to be a preseason All-American, and five-star freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino leads the team in minutes. The Hoosiers have not played in over a week, however, while Xavier is coming off a 13-point victory over Fairfield on Tuesday to start 3-0 this season. The Musketeers have five double-digit averaging scorers so far with big guys Jack Nunge and Zach Freemantle leading the way with 18.0 ppg and 15.7 ppg respectively.
Although this isn’t the biggest game on the Hoosiers’ schedule, Xavier was picked to win the Big East by some, so this would be a great win to start Mike Woodson’s second season. Indiana was widely considered the preseason favorite in the Big Ten, but Michigan State is certainly challenging that title after building a solid resume to start the season. It’s not imperative that Indiana wins this game, but it surely would be a confidence booster before playing North Carolina in a couple of weeks.
5 Baylor vs 16 Virginia | Main Event | Friday Nov. 16 | 7:00 PM
There is no way this game can be talked about without first sending condolences and well wishes out to the families and friends of the Virginia football players who tragically were shot and killed coming home from a field trip, along with the others who were injured. It is saddening, while also very infuriating. We at TGH are thinking about those involved.
The Cavaliers canceled their game on Monday in the wake of such events, so in their first game back since then emotions will likely be very high. They’ve started the season 2-0, however. Leading returning scorer, Jayden Gardner, has not performed well to start the season only averaging 6.0 points in 18.0 minutes per game. If his production numbers can increase, similar to his former seasons, it could take Virginia to the next level.
Baylor has started the season 3-0 while averaging 99.7 points per game, second only to Arizona among Power 5 programs. The Bears’ three-guard lineup of Adam Flagler, LJ Cryer and Keyonte George is and will continue to be an absolute force for any team that stands in Baylor’s way. Jalen Bridges is great too. Similar to Indiana’s situation, the Bears were picked to win their conference, but another team in said conference got a big win to challenge that title. Kansas on Tuesday got a gritty win against Duke in the Champions Classic to pick up their first good win of the season. Now, while Virginia is not as highly touted as Duke thus far, they are still a good opponent for Baylor. And unlike Indiana’s situation though, it might be imperative for Baylor to win this one.
Michigan State vs Villanova | Gavitt Tipoff Games | Friday Nov. 16 | 8:00 PM
As mentioned earlier, Michigan State has a great resume to start the season, relative to others. The Spartans beat their first opponent by 18, lost to No. 2 Gonzaga by one on an aircraft carrier, and turned around and beat No. 4 Kentucky on Tuesday in the first game of the Champions Classic. The constant in the two wins? Exceptional performances from Joey Hauser. He had just two points in the game against Gonzaga, but in the two wins he averaged 20.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. The Spartans have also gotten a great start from Mary Sissoko as he averaged 15.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in the games against Gonzaga and Kentucky.
Villanova is still without star returner Justin Moore and five-star freshmen Cam Whitmore. The Wildcats took an upsetting loss last week to Temple, but are 2-1 and could potentially bounce back against Michigan State. Once Moore and Whitmore are back though, Villanova will be one of the best teams in the country. However, this game is more about Michigan State than anything. If they want to show people that this high level of play is not a fluke, then they need to get this one while Villanova is still down.
8 UCLA vs 19 Illinois | Main Event | Friday Nov. 18 | 9:30 PM
UCLA has gotten solid production from all of its main pieces so far this season. Jalen Clark has been a pleasant surprise for the Bruins, averaging only 6.7 points a game a season ago. Five-star freshmen Amari Bailey and Adem Bona have been solid. Preseason All-American Jaime Jaquez has not been what many thought he’d be to start, but he has a long time to improve those numbers.
Illinois has scored a lot in their first three games getting 103 in the most recent one. Terrence Shannon Jr, a transfer from Texas Tech, is averaging 22.7 points a game right now which is third in Power 5 points per game. These are two teams that really like to score the basketball so expect a strong offensive battle. A matchup that will be key to watch is Illinois freshman point guard Skyy Clark and UCLA veteran point guard Tyger Campbell. Illinois needs to get this one if they wanna challenge the title for best team in the Big Ten. UCLA has Arizona creeping up behind them in the Pac 12 race so they could use this one.
2 Gonzaga vs 4 Kentucky | Sunday Nov. 20 | 7:30 PM
It is not often fans get a Sunday night top-five matchup with both teams are coming off of a loss. However, after Kentucky’s loss to Michigan State in the Champions Classic and Gonzaga not showing up at Texas on Wednesday, that is exactly what we have. Now, there is a slim chance either one of these teams is in the top five when the new rankings come out. Either way, they are still great teams and this should be a great matchup.
Reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe made his return on Tuesday in the loss against the Spartans and got a remarkable 22 points and 18 rebounds. Best part? It was off the bench. Drew Timme is awesome as always, averaging 20.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 60.5% from the field. This is a matchup of two of the greatest college basketball players in recent times. On one hand there is a dominant force of strength and willpower to outwork you down low. On the other is a dominant mastermind of misdirection and footwork magician who outplays you to get his. These are two of the most talented teams in all of college basketball. Although they have had disappointing results to start their seasons, Sunday should feature one of the best games of the year.
Other games to watch:
Virginia Tech vs Penn State | Friday Nov. 18 | 12:00 PM
24 Texas A&M vs Colorado | Friday Nov. 18 | 12:00 PM
Florida St vs Florida | Friday Nov. 18 | 8:00 PM
Maryland vs St. Louis | Saturday Nov. 19 | 1:00 PM
Providence vs. Miami | Saturday Nov. 19 | 4:00 PM
Oregon vs 3 Houston | Sunday Nov. 20 | 9:30 PM
Stay tuned for more college basketball news, among other sports and esports news!
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