FanNation

Number One versus Number Two. Does any other game really compare this weekend? It could be considered the second biggest game of the year after the National Championship. Both teams hail from Tennessee. The Volunteers and the Tigers. Every other matchup this week pales in comparison.

Interestingly enough, this is the fifth time ever that the #1 and #2 teams in the AP poll met in the regular season. Even more, in the previous four times the #2 team is 0-4. #1 seems to dominate the series but, of course, for a team like Memphis, who plays in a "weak" conference, it is very possibly, even likely, for Tennessee to win.

I'd also like to mention the recent struggles of the Duke Blue Devils. They've lost their last two games to (no mistake) Wake Forest and Miami. They have been outscored by fourteen points in those two games and it's had me wondering if Duke even has enough to make it to the Elite Eight.


1st Quarter- #2 Tennessee at #1 Memphis

I've already explained what makes this matchup so huge. 1 vs. 2. There isn't anything bigger in sports than the top two teams squaring off. Memphis will be running the high-powered and newly-famous Dribble Drive Motion Offense. They are led by Chris Douglas-Roberts (18 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), Derrick Rose (14 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast), and Joey Dorsey (7 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast).

Tennessee, on the other hand, will be pressing on defense and pushing the ball on offense just like the Tigers. Spectators should expect a high-scoring affair in this one. The Volunteers are led by Chris Lofton (15 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast), JaJuan Smith (14 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast), and Tyler Smith (13 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast). Lofton, after having a slow start to begin the season, is averaging 19 points in his last nine games and has reached the 20-point plateau in six of those games.

In my opinion, it will be interesting to see how each team guards the other's top scorer. For Memphis, they will attempting to shut down the senior sharpshooter, Lofton. For the Vols, they will have the job of stopping Douglas Roberts, or more popularly known as CDR. Douglas-Roberts is averaging an astounding 28 points in his last three games.

Neither of these teams really had a dominant big man to utilize on offense so look for both to rely heavily on their guards and the three-point shot. Memphis averages 8 three-pointers per game; Tennessee is somewhat better at the long ball as they make 9 threes per contest. Keys to the game will definitely be the three-pointer, pressure defense, and the scoring of CDR and Lofton.

I shall be picking Memphis to win this game. Calipari will be getting his 401st coaching victory and the #1 team will then be 5-0 agains the #2 team all time. This game can be viewed Saturday, February 23rd at 9pm eastern time on ESPN. Simply put, you cannot, under any circumstances, miss this game.


Author's Note: I now understand that the rest of this blog may be a let-down due to the awesomeness of the 1st Quarter game.


2nd Quarter- Arizona at #17 Washington State

I suggest that after you finish up watching the Memphis-Tennessee game that you flip over to FSN to catch the second half of this game. It probably will, however, take some getting used to as these teams don't get out and run nearly as much as the top two teams in the country do.

Last time these two teams met, Arizona left with a 76-64 victory over Wazzou. In that game, Chase Budinger and Jerryd Bayless combined for 45 points. The Wildcats are led by Bayless (21 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast), Budinger (17 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), and Jordan Hill (13 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast). The Cougars, however, are led by Derrick Low (14 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast), Kyle Weaver (11 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast), and Taylor Rochestie (10 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast) in the backcourt. Down low, Aron Baynes (11 pts, 6 reb, 0 ast) is the key man for Washington State.

Both teams have decent big guys, but neither has a dominant one. Currently, Arizona is on a two-game losing streak and WSU has a four-game winning streak. The Cougars need to win this game if they'd like to contend with Stanford and UCLA for the Pac-10 crown and the number one seed going into the conference tournament. I am picking Washington State to win this game. They are at home and Arizona hasn't been playing very well as of late. Tune in to watch this game Saturday, February 23rd at 10pm eastern time on FSN.

If you would like to read the rest of this blog, click on this link that will take you to my blogspot. (Don't forget to vote in the poll!)

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