One second you’re wondering what the heck is wrong with Saint Mary’s, the next it’s February, the Gaels have righted the ship and are a prominent feature in one of the weekend’s best mid-major affairs. College basketball!
Each week during the year, we’ll talk about three games on the weekend slate—one you have to see, one you have to keep an eye on and one you should avoid at all costs. It’s like a charcuterie board for basketball, but someone tells you ahead of time that the pita bread is hard as a brick.
As always, the weekend begins at 7 p.m. ET on Friday. Apologies to Kent State and Buffalo; the Golden Flashes have been the Friday Happy Hour game two weeks running to give the people a reason to log off and tune in on a Friday evening.
Must Watch (Times ET)
No. 7 Duke at No. 3 North Carolina (6:30 p.m., Saturday, ESPN)
Look, it’s a PACKED slate this week. Even the Hit Dog Hollerin’ game between Tennessee and Kentucky is deserving of this spot on the average week.
But this isn’t an average week. It’s a Duke-UNC week and, even more significantly, it’s a Duke-UNC week when both are good. And, feel however you wish to about one or both programs, college basketball has just a little more oomph to it when this matchup delivers the goods.