What to watch for in UConn-Creighton, Providence-St. John's, more on FOX

By John Fanta
Published

Four ranked teams in the AP Top 25 highlight a FOX college hoops tripleheader on Saturday, including a much-anticipated Big East showdown between No. 21 UConn and No. 23 Creighton in Omaha. That is one of only two games on the day featuring a pair of ranked opponents.

Here’s a breakdown of the three-game slate and what to watch for.

No. 20 Providence at St. John’s – Noon ET, Madison Square Garden 

The Friars are right in the thick of things in a tight Big East race that has four teams at the top separated by just one game in the loss column. With No. 13 Xavier in first place at 11-2, Providence sits at 10-3 in league play and is tied with Creighton in the standings entering Saturday. Fittingly, the Friars and Bluejays face each other on Tuesday at 7 ET on FS1. 

With the Musketeers still in the driver's seat, Providence can't afford to lose a game to a St. John’s team that has been the biggest disappointment in the Big East. After starting the season 11-1, it looked like it could be a turning-the-corner season for Mike Anderson in his fourth year at the helm. Instead, the Red Storm have gone 3-10 since and are coming off a collapse at Butler in which they led by five with three minutes left and gave up seven unanswered points.

What Ed Cooley has been able to do this season after losing his entire starting five from last year’s Sweet 16 team is something. Kentucky transfer Bryce Hopkins has led the charge, leading Providence in scoring (16.2) and rebounds (9.2). He is a legit Big East Player of the Year candidate. Perhaps the most underrated player in the conference is South Carolina transfer Devin Carter, who is a stalwart defender and has really progressed as an offensive player under Cooley with 13.1 points per game. The development of Carter and Noah Locke has allowed Providence to find a different dimension offensively with Jared Bynum dealing with an injury. Even as he’s come back to the rotation, the pressure is alleviated off the graduate student point guard to have to perform. 

This is a Providence team that could end up with a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and will have a chance to make back-to-back Sweet 16 trips come March. 

https://statics.foxsports.com/static/orion/player-embed.html?id=play-621c45a19001697&image=https://static-media.fox.com/ms/stg1/sports/play-621c45a19001697--Hopkins_1672892986267.jpg&props=eyJwYWdlX25hbWUiOiJmc2NvbTpzdG9yaWVzOmNvbGxlZ2UtYmFza2V0YmFsbDpXaGF0IHRvIHdhdGNoIGZvciBpbiBVQ29ubi1DcmVpZ2h0b24sIFByb3ZpZGVuY2UtU3QuIEpvaG4ncywgbW9yZSBvbiBGT1giLCJwYWdlX2NvbnRlbnRfZGlzdHJpYnV0b3IiOiJhbXAiLCJwYWdlX3R5cGUiOiJzdG9yaWVzOmFydGljbGVzIn0= Loading Video…

This browser does not support the Video element.

Bryce Hopkins couldn't be stopped as he dropped 27 points to help lead Providence to an impressive win over UConn.

No. 21 UConn at No. 23 Creighton – 2 p.m. ET, CHI Health Center Omaha 

When these two teams met back on Jan. 7, their seasons were in very different places. Connecticut was ranked No. 4 in the country and beat the Bluejays, 69-60, for the first time in six meetings. Creighton dropped to 3-2 in the Big East and was squarely on the bubble in the NCAA Tournament conversation. 

Fast-forward to Saturday, and the rematch has plenty of juice. The Jays are right in the thick of things in the Big East regular-season title race, sitting at 10-3 in conference play. Greg McDermott’s group has played like one of the best teams in the country over the last month, coming off a hard-fought road win at Seton Hall on Wednesday behind Baylor Scheierman and Ryan Nembhard. 

As for the Huskies, who are 8-6 in Big East play, they appear to have regained their rhythm after an impressive 87-72 victory over No. 10 Marquette on Tuesday at the XL Center. What’s the key for UConn? Point guard play and the confidence of junior wing Andre Jackson. Tristen Newton is supplying that play at point guard, coming off a 12-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound performance in the victory, marking the second time he’s notched a triple-double this season. 

Along with Nembhard, Creighton has a great playmaker in Trey Alexander, who has totaled 23 assists to just four turnovers over the last seven games. Both Nembhard and Alexander have done a good job finding Scheierman, who had 19 and nine in the win over the Pirates on Wednesday and has led the Jays with 62 made 3s on the season. 

The heavyweight one-on-one showdown in this matchup needs no introduction for a Big East follower: Adama Sanogo vs. Ryan Kalkbrenner. Both players were named to the Naismith Player of the Year Midseason Watch List on Thursday, and they’ve developed a rivalry throughout their matchups.

In the first meeting this year, Sanogo dominated the game at Gampel Pavilion with 26 points and nine rebounds, while Kalkbrenner had a quiet nine and four. Ranking third in the country in field goal percentage at 72%, the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner is an elite rim protector, leading the Big East with 48 blocks on the year. Meanwhile, Sanogo tops the conference in scoring at 17.2 points per game. Both players have raised their games to another level this season, and with some of the banter they’ve had in the past, it only increases the stakes in Saturday’s rematch. 

The X-factors in this matchup are the power forwards. UConn is 12-3 when Alex Karaban scores in double figures, while Creighton’s Arthur Kaluma impacts winning for the Jays when he plays within himself. 

Both of these teams rank in the top 10 in KenPom, with both possessing a top-30 offense and defense. Was UConn’s performance against Marquette on Tuesday the first sign that the Huskies are in fact back to being elite? Or, will the Jays get their revenge at home and stay on track in pursuit of a regular-season title? One thing is for certain: Omaha will be rocking as a sellout crowd provides one of the sport’s underrated atmospheres. Creighton fans are excellent and treat the Jays like the pro team in town.

UNLV at No. 25 San Diego State – 4 p.m. ET, Viejas Arena 

This is great TV exposure for a San Diego State program that does not get discussed enough for its consistency. The Aztecs entered this season with ultra-high expectations, and at 19-5 overall and in first place in the Mountain West, Brian Dutcher’s team is fighting for where it will be seeded in the NCAA Tournament at this point. Mike Decourcy currently has San Diego State as a 7-seed in his latest forecast, as the Aztecs own three Quad 1 and five Quad 2 wins, while not owning a single loss in Quads 3 and 4. 

With four of their five starters back, it’s no surprise to see the Aztecs where they’re at, with senior star Matt Bradley leading the way with over 13 points per game and coming off an 18-point performance in Wednesday’s win over Utah State. 

What’s different about this Aztecs team? They have more ways that they can score. It doesn’t always have to be Bradley for them to have success. TCU transfer Jaedon LeDee has been an X-factor and a tough matchup for teams at 6-foot-9, while Oakland transfer Micah Parrish has added something off the bench as well. The duo combined for 26 points in the victory over the Aggies.

For UNLV, the man to watch is Oklahoma transfer EJ Harkless, who is coming off a 33-point performance in the Runnin’ Rebels 69-59 win at Wyoming on Wednesday, their fourth victory in the last five games. 

For San Diego State, this game is about taking care of business at home against a UNLV team that is 5-7 in the conference. The Aztecs are 10-2 and hold a narrow lead on Nevada, who is 9-3 and in second place.

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter at @John_Fanta.

Top stories from FOX Sports: