College Basketball Games to Watch: March 1

(4) Syracuse vs. (12) Virginia - Believe it or not, right now the ACC leaders are not Syracuse or Duke but Virginia.  At 15-1 in the conference, they are 1.5 games above Syracuse and 3 above Duke, not to mention that they are currently riding a twelve game win streak.  Thus, I am completely baffled at how they are not ranked higher than 12th with the resume that they have.  Today will be a huge opportunity for them to prove themselves against a top-shelf team, as Syracuse enter the game having won just one of their last three.  This should be a hotly contested matchup between two teams that both will have their eyes set on a number one seed come tournament time.

(5) Kansas vs. Oklahoma State - There was a time when Oklahoma state was a fixture in the AP top ten rankings; then they lost eight of nine in conference play to drop them out of the rankings altogether. The first of those eight losses was a defeat against then 15th ranked Kansas.  Oklahoma State have won their last two, so they will come into this rematch in better form and looking for revenge.  Also, Marcus Smart has returned from his three game suspension for Oklahoma State, so he will provide them a bit of star-power to combat the Kansas stars: Joel Embiid, Perry Ellis, and Andrew Wiggins.  Kansas has already clinched the Big 12 Title, but the certainly have much to play for as they look for a number one seed come tourney time, while the incentive is huge for Oklahoma State, who likely need to win this game to make it into the tournament at all.

(7) Louisville vs. (21) Memphis - Louisville just won their first game against a ranked team, beating Cincinnati last Saturday on a game-winning jumper by Russ Smith.  Maybe now that they've broken through against ranked opponents, Louisville should have their way against Memphis.  However, Memphis have actually been fairly effective in upsetting higher ranked teams this year, and already have a win against Louisville back in January.  Both of these teams have outstanding offenses, led by Russ Smith and Montrezl Harrell for Louisville and Joe Jackson for Memphis.  You won't want to miss this sure-to-be high-scoring clash between these two ranked, conference opponents.

(11) Cincinnati vs. Connecticut - We have another AAC matchup here, as Cincinnati is currently tied for first in the conference, while Connecticut have dropped back to fifth.  Both teams need to get back on track as Cincinnati just lost to Louisville and Connecticut's loss to SMU is only one game removed. Though neither team is in danger of dropping out of the tournament, they both would like to get back on track before it starts up.  Most important is that both teams get some offensive production out of their supporting units.  Sean Kilpatrick has been fantastic for Cincinnati and Shabazz Napier has been equally as superb for Connecticut, but outside of them, the scoring has been severely lacking from these two teams.  It will likely be a two-man contest between Kilpatrick and Napier but I believe whichever supporting cast steps up today will decide the winner.

Game Recap: (1) Syracuse vs. (5) Duke

The big storyline of this game will likely be how Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was ejected with just ten seconds left to seal the win for Duke, but that should not be the case.  The game was an amazing one and tightly contested from start to finish.  Syracuse big men Jerami Grant and C.J. Fair were fantastic all game long, while Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood spearheaded the Duke attack.  Parker was undeniably the player of the game, but if C.J. Fair's potentially game-tying, acrobatic layup had not been disallowed due to a suspect charging call, he could have made a case for the honors himself.  The aspect of the game that will have everyone talking was the charge call.  At that point, Duke was leading 60 to 58, and Syracuse needed a basket, as there was little time left.  Fair drove baseline, and was met by Duke's Rodney Hood, who appeared to have arrived a tad bit late.  According to NCAA rules, the player who is taking the charge must be in position and stationary before the offensive player begins his motion upwards towards the basket.  It is not clear that Hood got there in time, but the technical fouls on Boeheim that followed can not be disputed.  His actions were absolutely deserving of the technicals, which is unfortunate because it will likely overshadow the game itself.  Syracuse's major downfall came in their outside shooting and the play of their two guards, Tyler Ennis and Trevor Cooney.  They shot a combined 3 for 18, which is hugely due to the intense and aggressive defensive play of Duke guards Rasheed Sulaiman and Tyler Thornton.  I hope that when we look back on this game, we won't be talking about the actions of Jim Boeheim or the uncertainty of the charge call, but rather the incredible offensive and defensive performance put on by Duke.

U could debate the block / charge call but refs HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO T Jim Boeheim up-sad a gr8 game ended like that. @JL23TV @TomWJones
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) February 23, 2014

Syracuse shot 39 percent as a team, let Duke shoot 48 pct, went 2 for 9 from three. But they lost because it was Tony Greene's fault.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) February 23, 2014

Duke: 1st win over AP No. 1 since beating Arizona in 1997 and 1st at HOME since beating Michigan in 1992. #CUSEvsDUKE
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 23, 2014

College Basketball Games to Watch: February 22nd

(1) Syracuse vs. (5) Duke - If you don't plan on watching this game you need to rethink your day. Ever since Syracuse joined the ACC back in the offseason, this is the game that we've been waiting for. The first matchup between these two certainly did not fail to disappoint, with Syracuse winning 91 to 89 in overtime.  Duke will likely be wanting revenge after that loss back in February, and they come right off a heartbreaking loss against North Carolina.  Similarly, Syracuse come off a heartbreaking loss of their own, having just been defeat for the first time this season by lowly Boston College.  All I can hope for is that we get to see a little more of Duke star Jabari Parker, who fouled out in the last meeting between these two.

(6) San Diego State vs. New Mexico - These two teams are top of the Mountain West and there is nobody else really close.  The next best team after San Diego State, who are 12-1, and New Mexico, who are 11-2, is UNLV, who are just 8-5 in the conference.  Thus, this game will certainly decide the winner of the Mountain West, but it also has huge tournament implications for New Mexico.  As a fringe team, they are still looking for their first win and what better a way than against conference rival San Diego State.  The game also won't be lacking in scoring excitement, as New Mexico's in-out combo of Cameron Bairstow and Kendall Williams is sure to to light up the score board, while San Diego State's Xavier Thames can put up points in a big way too.

(7) Cincinnati vs. (11) Louisville - Outside of the obvious fact that this game could decide the winner of the American Conference, I am interested to watch the matchup between superstar guards Sean Kilpatrick for Cincinnati and Russ Smith for Louisville.  Kilpatrick is averaging 20.2 points per game, while Russ Smith is averaging 17.8 points per game.  In the first meeting between these two, Sean Kilpatrick put up 28 points as Cincinnati fought back to win by three.  Meanwhile, Russ Smith did not have an efficient game, and ended up with just 16 points on 6 for 15 shooting.  Louisville will be out to get revenge in this hugely significant game between the two teams at the top of the American Conference.

(8) Kansas vs. (19) Texas - Much like the other three games, this matchup is likely to decide the fate of the Big 12, with Kansas having a two game cushion over Texas at the top of the conference.  More than that, though, this game represents a chance for revenge for Kansas, who were beaten by 12 by Texas.  That was back when Texas were in incredible form, as they miraculously won four games in a row against ranked opponents.  Now, Texas have cooled off a fair bit, loosing two of their last four. Certainly, Kansas will look at this as a great chance for revenge against their conference rivals, while Texas will look to get back to winning ways against ranked teams.