TUCSON, Ariz. — More power programs are scheduling home-and-home series against each other as conference realignment has made scheduling nonconference games more difficult.
It's led to some must-see games at a time when big programs typically beat up on smaller schools in buy games.
This week will have a doozy: No. 12 Duke at No. 17 Arizona.
Two of college basketball's top programs will meet Friday night at McKale Center in one of the most anticipated games of the nonconference season.
The Blue Devils (3-1) have a stacked roster that includes freshman Cooper Flagg, projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the next NBA draft.
The Wildcats (2-1) are also loaded, led by preseason All-American Caleb Love, who knows a thing or two about Duke after playing three seasons at North Carolina.
Flagg has been as advertised, averaging 16.3 points and 9.5 rebounds. Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel has played well, including a 22-point game against Maine in the season opener, and the Blue Devils still have Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster on their roster.
Duke blew through three of its first four games, but fell short in a 77-72 loss to No. 9 Kentucky in Atlanta last week. The Blue Devils bounced back with an 85-35 trouncing of Wofford on Saturday.
“I’m proud of our team,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “It was a tough loss on Tuesday and I’m proud of their character and the way they responded today – I’m really proud of how we shared the ball and that’s part of having a special group.”
Arizona also is trying to rebound from a tough loss.
The Wildcats cruised through their first two games before running into a buzzsaw at No. 19 Wisconsin. Arizona never led, gave up 12 3-pointers and allowed John Tonje to score 41 points in the 103-88 loss.
“We’re going be a good team. I’m not worried about that,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “This was just a great opportunity on the road to challenge ourselves.”
The Wildcats get another big one on Friday, this one at home. They'll get another shot at Duke next season, too, at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
No. 22 St. John's earned its first ranking in six years in last week's poll and coach Rick Pitino's team passed it first test, beating his son Richard and New Mexico 85-71 at Madison Square Garden.
The Red Storm (4-0) face an even tougher task on Thursday against No. 13 Baylor in the Bahamas.
The Bears (3-1) opened the season No. 8 in the preseason AP Top 25, but took a big tumble following a season-opening blowout loss to No. 3 Gonzaga. Baylor bounced back to beat No. 20 Arkansas 72-67 and followed with blowout wins over Sam Houston State and Tarleton.
The Bears are No. 6 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency and has a talented roster than includes three transfers: Jeremy Roach (Duke), Norchad Omier (Miami) and Jalen Celestine (California).
St. John's is top 25 in adjusted offense and defense, according to KenPom. Athletic forward RJ Luis Jr. leads the Red Storm with 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
The winner of that game will face No. 11 Tennessee or Virginia.
No. 8 Alabama (3-1) dropped six spots in this week's AP Top 25 following an 87-78 loss at No. 6 Purdue last week.
The road doesn't get any easier for the Crimson Tide this week.
On Wednesday, Alabama will play a home game of sorts in Birmingham against No. 25 Illinois.
The Illini lost all five starters from last year's team, but coach Brad Underwood replaced them with talented players from the transfer portal and a solid freshman class. New-look Illinois has looked good so far, reeling off wins over Eastern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville and Oakland to move into the poll for the first time this season.
Croatian big man Tomislav Ivisic has been dominant, averaging 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds, and highly-touted freshman Will Riley is averaging 17.7 points per game.
Alabama is again one of the nation's top scoring teams after reaching its first Final Four last season, scoring 87 points per game. Preseason All-American Mark Sears is again leading the Tide, scoring 17.3 points per game.
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