Back Arizona To Remain #1 Against Wisconsin

Wisconsin vs. Arizona, 3:15 ET

In case you missed the news, college football doesn't really have much going on this Saturday and we now switch to the mid-week madness in college basketball, to the Saturday slate where virtually everyone plays. Okay, so not everyone - that would be a ridiculous amount of games. However, this is the point in the year where hoops take over and football starts to focus on the Bowl Games. It is a nice passing of the torch each year. Today, I'll start with a game between Wisconsin and Arizona.

Wisconsin is playing great basketball right now winning six straight games. They handed me my most recent loss in college hoops as I had an over and their defense was too dominant in the game. In any case, the first loss came against a very strong Tennessee team. It was a home game, but that didn't matter much for the Badgers as they dropped the game by 10. I don't really hold it against them, but their next game, at Providence, saw them also lose and I think that was a more egregious loss. They've put it together, though as they have now beaten Virginia #24 at the time, and Marquette #3 at the time in their past six games. They also are coming off a win against Michigan State that saw them go on the road and come away with a 13-point win. In that game, they held Michigan to a 31.6% clip from downtown while shooting 43.5% themselves. They also murdered the Spartans on the glass, outrebounding them by 14, including an 11-5 advantage on the offensive boards. That's hustle more than anything. Against Arizona, I don't expect them to exhibit the same type of dominance, but they should be able to at least make shots tough on the Wildcats.

MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 06: Coach Greg Gard of the Wisconsin Badgers reacts to a call during the game against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Kohl Center on November 06, 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Arizona comes into this game as the #1 ranked team in the nation. It has only been about a month, maybe less, since the NCAA season has started, and it feels like there have already been about 20 different #1 seeds. That's a good sign as it means there isn't one true dominant squad out there. At least not yet. For the season, the Wildcats are 7-0 and have won two games against ranked opponents. They went to Cameron Indoor Stadium and beat Duke, something that is always a challenge. And then they beat Michigan State in a tough game on a neutral court. This game will be the first of a tough stretch for them as they face Wisconsin, Purdue, Alabama, and Florida Atlantic in the next four games. What I like most about Arizona is the balance of their team. Sure, Caleb Love looks great and is averaging the most points for the team, but they have a guard, forward, guard, and center all scoring 12 or more points per game. Not many college teams are doing that as most are either led by their frontcourt or backcourt. This team can attack you in different ways with a variety of weapons.

Personally, I think the home court advantage and the balance of the Arizona squad comes into play here. I like the effort that Wisconsin has been playing with recently, but I don't know that it matters all that much against a team with this much talent. The way #1's have been falling lately maybe I should go with Wisconsin, but I think that Arizona wins and covers this game.

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