Following up last weekend’s action may be tough, but there are many great matchups that could live up to the action we saw last week. The season may seem to have just started, but there's just two months left, meaning games get even more important as we move closer to the end of the campaign. In-conference games are also especially important, which should make for a critical slate of games.
Tuesday, Jan. 9: No. 2 Houston at Iowa State; 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2
The first major game of the week occurs when the second-ranked Houston Cougars travel to Ames to take on Iowa State and the Cyclones. Houston is the only undefeated team left in the country, so as long as the Cougars are unbeaten, all eyes will be on them. L.J. Cryer, Emmanuel Sharp and Jamal Shead lead this group and are looking very solid to start out the season. While the Cougs don’t have many quality wins this season, one could be picked up here as winning a road conference game is always tough. They’ll go up against Iowa State, a three-loss squad, but all of which are to quality opponents. Tamin Lipsey, Keshon Gilbert and Milan Momcilovic are the names to look out for on the Cyclones and should put up a tough fight against Houston. While it should be a good game in a loud, upset-hungry environment, most still have Houston winning and continuing its undefeated season.
Tuesday, Jan. 9: No. 18 BYU at No. 14 Baylor; 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Another good Big 12 battle on Tuesday pits BYU against Baylor from Baylor’s new arena in Waco. BYU has looked good all season, but they're coming off a loss in their first Big 12 conference game ever, that being to Cincinnati. Jaxson Robinson, Trevin Knell and Noah Waterman lead the Cougars as they try for a high quality win on the road in what would be their first-ever Big 12 win. The competition consists of Ja’Kobe Walter, RayJ Dennis and Langston Love for the Bears. These three have led Baylor to a great start to the season with only two losses on their resume. All this should make for a great game on Tuesday night, one where both teams are looking for a great win to jumpstart a possible winning streak that could lead them to the Big 12 title.
Wednesday, Jan. 10: No. 15 Wisconsin at Ohio State; 8:30 p.m. ET on BTN
Moving over to the Big Ten, a solid matchup takes place on Wednesday when Wisconsin travels to Columbus to face Ohio State. Wisconsin is still undefeated in conference play and is looking to add a boost to its resume with a road win over a seemingly tournament team in the Buckeyes. A.J. Storr, Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl are the leaders for this Badger bunch and are all looking good with only three losses to their name, all to good teams. They’ll take on Ohio State, with Jamison Battle, Bruce Thornton and Zed Key leading the charge. OSU also has three losses, but not as strong of a resume as Wisconsin. This should make for an interesting battle, especially because the consensus better team is the visitor, meaning that this one is essentially a pick ‘em for the experts.
Saturday, Jan. 13: No. 19 San Diego State at New Mexico; 2 p.m. ET on CBS
Going out to the Mountain West, a very good matchup is set for Saturday when San Diego State takes on New Mexico from The Pit. The Aztecs are looking very solid, similar to last year’s Final Four team, and have just two losses so far. Jaedon LeDee, Reese Walters and Micah Parrish are all top performers and could be All-Mountain West level. New Mexico also sports some solid players, including Donovan Dent, Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Jaelen House. The Lobos also have just two losses, but one in conference, so this one could be a major boost to their resume. UNM is known for its raucous home crowd, so an upset is definitely on the table, although most experts are still siding with SDSU for this one.
Saturday, Jan. 13: No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 3 Kansas; 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+
This week's best game is set for Saturday, as two top-10 teams will square off at Allen Fieldhouse. The ninth-ranked Sooners and the third-ranked Jayhawks will battle it out in a game most are surprised to see on ESPN+. This all has to do with TV contracts and the lack of a Big 12 Network, but it’s still to the fans’ dismay that it’s pay-per-view. As for the teams, Oklahoma’s top guys are Otega Oweh and Javian McCollum. These two have led their squad to just one loss, with several key wins to their name. Kansas is led by Hunter Dickinson, Kevin McCullar Jr. and DaJuan Harris, all of whom are top tier players in the country. KU also has one loss, just to Marquette, and is looking like a top-five team so far. This should all make for a great game, especially since it's between two top-10 clubs. Kansas, being the home team, is favored, but OU is poised to get the upset.
Elms' Essentials: Week 12
