Five storylines to watch this weekend as conference play arrives
Conference play begins in earnest this weekend for many of the nation's top leagues. A look at some of the major storylines to watch:
1. Which team will get the upper hand to start AAC play?
With UConn (6-5) in search of scorers to support Ryan Boatright and Memphis (8-4) lacking guards who can replace the four who departed after last season, Cincinnati and SMU may be the two strongest teams in the American Athletic Conference entering league play. The Bearcats (9-3) and Mustangs (10-3) will square off Saturday in Cincinnati in a battle for early bragging rights in a conference that has been a disappointment so far this season.
Defensive-minded Cincinnati has two of the best non-conference wins any team in the league has posted, an overtime home victory over San Diego State and a road shellacking of NC State. Aggressive defense and relentless offensive rebounding remain the Bearcats' calling cards but they've begun to find scoring options to replace graduated star Sean Kilpatrick as guard Troy Caupain and forwards Octavious Ellis and Shaquille Thomas have stepped up of late.
SMU squandered three chances for marquee wins early in the season, but the Mustangs bounced back to defeat Michigan and Wyoming and to avoid any bad non-conference losses. The return of forward Markus Kennedy from academic purgatory is a wildcard for SMU since he has played sparingly in three games but should ultimately provide another strong interior scorer and defender in support of Yanick Moreira.
2. Will UCLA's free fall continue in conference play?
Since UCLA only has eight scholarship players and three scholarship guards on its roster, there was always concern the Bruins could crumble if injuries thinned their depth even further. Therefore it's very alarming that UCLA enters conference play with no remotely good wins and five losses even though it has remained fully healthy over the first two months of the season.
In its current three-game losing streak at the hands of Gonzaga, Kentucky and Alabama, UCLA has shot 32.8 percent from the field, committed 45 turnovers and given an uneven effort defensively. Low-IQ shots, one-on-one forays to the rim and missed defensive assignments have been the norm for a Bruins team that lacks a true point guard and badly misses departed NBA draft picks Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams and Zach LaVine.
Preventing its losing streak from snowballing to five will not be easy for UCLA this weekend as it embarks on perhaps its most difficult road trip in league play. On Friday, the Bruins visit a Colorado team that hasn't lived up to expectations this season but is far tougher at home in altitude than on the road. On Sunday, UCLA travels to 10th-ranked Utah, which is the most improved team in the conference.
3. How will unbeaten TCU fare in its first true test?
TCU's surprising 13-0 record is a product of both its improvement and a soft schedule hand-picked to produce early-season wins. Nine of the Horned Frogs' 13 victims are teams ranked 250th or below in the KenPom rankings. A pair of other wins came against perhaps the two worst power-conference teams in the nation. The only decent win TCU attained in November and December came at Ole Miss.
The first step up in competition comes Saturday when TCU hosts 17th-ranked West Virginia in the Big 12 opener for both teams. The defensive-oriented Mountaineers (12-1) have defeated the likes of UConn, NC State and Boston College with swarming defense that forces 23.1 turnovers per game and generates 13.5 steals per game, both the best in the nation.
One reason TCU can't be completely disregarded as an impostor, however, is the Horned Frogs aren't just beating these bad teams — they're annihilating them. All but two of TCU's wins are by double figures, and the Horned Frogs are ranked in the top 15 nationally in both points per possession scored and points per possession surrendered.
4. Which desperate team will get a win in Gainesville?
The rematch between Final Four foes UConn and Florida will have a lot at stake even if neither team seems primed for another title push this season. Whichever struggling team loses Saturday in Gainesville will suffer its sixth loss of the season on Jan. 3 and will still be in search of its first name-brand win of the season.
UConn has lost five of its last eight games including upsets at the hands of Temple and Yale because the Huskies are not generating offense easily enough. Ryan Boatright's 17.6 points per game are a bright spot, but UConn doesn't share the ball well, shoots barely 30 percent from behind the arc as a team and has not gotten enough production from heralded NC State transfer Rodney Purvis.
An already disappointing Florida season sank to new depths Wednesday night when the Gators lost to rival Florida State at the buzzer because Jacob Kurtz accidentally tipped in a last-second shot into his own hoop. That dropped Florida's record to 7-5, a poor start attributable to the current Gators' inability to thrive in bigger roles vacated by the departure of four starters from last year's team. Injuries have been an issue, as have poor outside shooting and the inability of former McDonald's All-American Chris Walker to play anywhere near his potential.
5. Can surprising Baylor validate its strong start?
Baylor appears determined to break its pattern under Scott Drew of following up superb seasons in even years by underachieving in odd ones. The 22nd-ranked Bears are off to an 11-1 start this season despite losing three of their four leading scorers from last season and playing without starting point guard Kenny Chery for four games.
Though Baylor owns victories against Memphis, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Stephen F. Austin, its biggest test arrives Saturday when it visits 18th-ranked Oklahoma in the weekend's lone matchup between teams ranked in the AP Top 25. The high-octane Sooners are 9-3 thanks to an offense fueled by guards Buddy Hield and Isaiah Cousins.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
