Indiana

#2 OHIO STATE (13-1) AT #15 INDIANA (12-1)

 

Time/TV: 6 p.m./ESPN2

 

The final day of 2011 features one of the most anticipated games of the college basketball season, a rivalry game that captivates an entire state and is one of the best games in college basketball. #4 Louisville (12-1), fresh off of a lost to Georgetown in their Big East opener, visits #3 Kentucky (12-1) in what should be a spirited battle at Rupp Arena. The Cardinals have played just one road game this season but it was also one of their best efforts as they won at Butler without the then-injured Peyton Siva.

A lot of talk surrounding this week of games for the Louisville Cardinals centered on the importance of their game with in-state rival Kentucky on Saturday afternoon. And while that game is extremely important the Cardinals still had to attend to the business of their Big East opener. Thanks to career nights from both Markel Starks and Otto Porter however it was Georgetown that took care of business, handing the Cardinals their first loss of the season by the final score of 71-68.

There are three games on Wednesday matching ranked teams, but in terms of a conference title race the matchup between #12 Georgetown (10-1) and #4 Louisville (12-0) may have the greatest impact at the end of the regular season. John Thompson III's Hoyas have matured at a rapid rate but this will be their toughest test to date, and the same goes for the Cardinals (until they face Kentucky on Saturday). One reason to watch is the individual battle between two of the Big East's best centers, and their responsibilities are drastically different due to the systems both play in.

Andre Drummond (UCONN)

Festus Ezeli (Vanderbilt)

Meyers Leonard (Illinois)

Mason Plumlee (Duke)

Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

Robert Sacre (Gonzaga)

Henry Sims (Georgetown)

Mouphtaou Yarou (Villanova)

Cody Zeller (Indiana)

Tyler Zeller (UNC)

RK  TEAM   RECORD  PTS
1 Syracuse (51)   10-0 1,607
2 Ohio State (7)   8-1 1,478
3 Kentucky (4)   8-1 1,468
4 Louisville (2)   9-0 1,374
5 North Carolina (1)   8-2 1,373
6 Baylor   7-0 1,284
7 Duke   9-1 1,273
8 Xavier   8-0 1,122
9 Connecticut   8-1 1,087
10 Missouri   9-0 1,030
11 Marquette   9-0 988
12 Kansas   7-2 945
13 Florida   7-2 891

A review of the week that was in college basketball focusing on the best (and worst) performances. Check in every Monday morning for our weekly awards.

 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

 

In the days leading up to Indiana's game against#1 Kentucky at Assembly Hall there weren't too many people who thought that the Hoosiers could knock off the Wildcats. There were a few outside of the Indiana fan base who picked Tom Crean's team to win, but the majority of the predictions ranged anywhere from a close loss to a Kentucky blowout with IU's schedule to date being the main reason why.

The lone matchup between ranked teams on Saturday has a rather prominent question that needs to be answered: will Ohio State big man Jared Sullinger (back spasms) be able to play? The sophomore sat out the Buckeyes' win over Texas-Pan American due to the issue, which flared up in #2 Ohio State's (8-0) win over Duke, and it hasn't been decided whether or not he'll go at #13 Kansas (6-2) on Saturday afternoon. If he can't go Boston College transfer Evan Ravenel (5.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg) moves into the starting lineup, and he accounted for 11 points and seven rebounds against UTPA.

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