00:00We're leading off with previews of the Battle of Tobacco Road. We're here for round one.
00:04This weekend, Duke-North Carolina matchup is a classic ACC rival with huge ACC standings.
00:11Duke enters the contest in the elite team, sitting at 20-1, ranked number of top five in the country,
00:17led by Cameron Boozer in his 23.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
00:23Meanwhile, you look on the other side, you have, obviously, the play of Caleb Wilson,
00:28almost averaging a double-double as well, at 20 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
00:34So, Norconic comes in with momentum. Winners the last few games behind Wilson this year.
00:40And, obviously, we saw the return of injury of their guard.
00:44So, when you look at this game, ACC plays tightened this season.
00:49And Duke's defensive discipline versus UNC's transition offense will be the deciding factor.
00:54If UNC can force turnovers and score early, they have a chance.
00:58But Duke's overall balance makes them a tough out.
01:02The rivalry game will come down to who controls the paint.
01:05And if Cameron Boozer stays hot, Duke takes home another road win and an ACC statement.
01:11Let's head to the marquee game of the Big Ten.
01:15And that's Illinois versus Michigan State.
01:18When you look at this team, they're fighting a line.
01:20They've been rolling lately, riding a strong offense, and winning multiple conference games in a row.
01:25They're fishing from deep, playing with pace, and they keep opponents on their heels.
01:29Obviously, we look at Keaton Weigler, and it's 18.1 points per game, playing like the best player in the Big Ten.
01:36Michigan State has been stout defensively all season, showing grit in their half-court sets,
01:41and Tom Izzo being one of the best coaches in regards to, like, creating matchups and making adjustments.
01:46But Jeremy Fierce has been fantastic at 15 points and about 8.8 assists per game.
01:53So what are we trying to look for?
01:55Illinois' shooting consistency versus Michigan State's ability to slow the game down.
02:00If Illinois can hit early threes, they'll force Michigan State out of their defensive comfort zone.
02:05If not, it becomes a grind that favors the Spartans.
02:09Illinois' offense could be too much for Michigan State.
02:12If they catch fire early, this one may not be close.
02:15So when you talk about teams with different styles, I don't know if there's a better one coming up than Houston versus BYU.
02:25When you look at it, you're going to think about the freshmen.
02:29Kingston Flemings being absolutely fantastic, playing themselves, I would think, into a top-five pick,
02:34scoring at 17 points per game, 5 assists, and 3.4 rebounds.
02:40When you think about Houston, it is more than that.
02:45It's Sharp.
02:46It's Uzon.
02:48It's Tuggler.
02:49Right?
02:50These guys are just, they've been around Senac.
02:54They've been around the block.
02:55And they're starting to play that level of Houston defense we've seen.
02:59When you look at BYU, their path is completely different.
03:03They want to hit threes.
03:04They want to get to the free throw line.
03:06And they want to lean on that guy right there, A.J. DeBansa, arguably one of the top players in the country,
03:13could be a number one pick to try and stifle and create shots versus a team that's strong defensively.
03:19If BYU knocks down early triples and flips Houston's defense on the Teals,
03:24this could be one of the biggest upsets of the weekend.
03:28But if not, and they play Houston's game, it could be lights out for BYU.
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