This weekend's spotlight college basketball games, trends and player to watch
No. 9 Wisconsin is at No. 12 Michigan State in a Christmas Day Big Ten battle.
December 24, 2020 at 2:27AM
11:30 a.m. Friday, Ch. 9
The Badgers have won nine straight Big Ten games dating back to last season, but the streak might end if the Spartans are ticked off following a big letdown against Northwestern.
NO. 1 GONZAGA VS. NO. 16 VIRGINIA
3 p.m. Saturday, Ch. 4
The Jalen Suggs-is-the-best-player-in-college-hoops train could continue to add passengers as the freshman sensation and former Minnehaha Academy guard looks to lead the Zags to their fourth win vs. a top 20 opponent.
TRENDS to watch
Trending up: Big Ten's depth. Anybody who thought Northwestern was the league's worst team again this year was proved wrong with Michigan State falling in Evanston. It won't be the last time one of the conference's supposed bottom tier takes out someone from the upper half.
Trending down: Blue-bloods. Is there such a thing during the pandemic? Duke is barely a top-25 team and Coach K shut his nonleague schedule down. North Carolina will drop out of the rankings soon after its third loss. Kentucky is off to a 1-5 start, the worst since 1926-27.
player to watch
Quentin Grimes, guard, Houston: The 6-5 junior and former Kansas transfer is one of the most improved players in the country, going from 12 to 20 points per game this season, to go with 7.7 rebounds. The Cougars are 6-0 and ranked No. 6 in the country.
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Gophers Football Insider: Bold moves by P.J. Fleck and his staff, plus key moments from QB Max Brosmer and freshman safety Koi Perich, add up to an upset of USC.
