Yet another Classic weekend

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Good morning! It’s the weekend, and we’re headed for another Saturday with wall-to-wall games. Hope you’re not trying to get any holiday shopping done.

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1. CBS Sports Classic highlights an awesome weekend

The 12th year of the CBS Sports Classic features a key change for 2025: UCLA is gone, and St. John’s is in.

And that means Rick Pitino vs. Kentucky.

Yes, St. John’s (7-3) and its coach will face the program he rebuilt in the ‘90s in Kentucky (7-4). Sure, neither team is ranked, but these are two marquee programs, with marquee coaches who have lots of history with each other.

Also, there’s lots to learn from the game.

The Wildcats have won two straight, including a 72-60 win over Indiana last week, and could finally be at full strength, with big man Jayden Quaintance potentially available to play. Coupled with Jaland Lowe and Mouhamed Dioubate in the lineup, it would be the first time this season all the Wildcats are available.

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Pope said. “It’s like — he’s been out of basketball for nine months and crossed half-court for the first time in a drill two days ago. So, we’ll see. It literally is — he’s done an unbelievable job on his rehab, and he’s kept up with everything in terms of having an off-the-court concept of what we’re trying to do.”

The Red Storm boasts one of the nation’s top frontcourts, led by Zuby Ejiofor (13.9 ppg and 7.2 rpg), along with Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell. This would be a perfect scenario for Kentucky bringing back Quaintance. It they can’t, the Big East squad could have the advantage. (Saturday, 12:30 pm ET. CBS)

The other matchup features Ohio State (8-3) against North Carolina (10-1). The key player? Star freshman Caleb Wilson, who leads the Heels with 19.5 ppg and 10.4 rpg. The Buckeyes were a reported contender for Wilson’s services and missed out. Coach Jake Diebler called him a “great player, and he’s an even better young man.”

The Buckeyes have a star player of their own in guard Bruce Thornton (21.8 ppg and 4.4 apg). The good news for UNC is the potential return of Seth Trimble, who has been out for weeks with a broken arm. This game could ultimately come down to which team defends the opposing star better. (approx. 30 minutes after Kentucky-St. John’s ends)

5 other key games to watch

Wisconsin vs. Villanova

Kevin Willard’s group has flown under the radar, with losses to just BYU and Michigan on its resume. Villanova (8-2) doesn’t have a great win, making the reeling Badgers (7-3) a good test. After losing by 30 points against Nebraska, Wisconsin looks to avoid another loss after a strong start to the year. It should have a home-court edge with the game in Milwaukee. (Tonight, 8 pm ET on FOX)

Auburn vs No. 6 Purdue

It’s the last non-con test for the Tigers (8-3), who have a pair of 29+ point losses to other Top 10 teams Michigan and Arizona. Can they be competitive against Purdue (10-1), which bounced back from the home loss to Iowa with a pair of 20+ point home wins over Minnesota and Marquette? This game’s in Indianapolis, so it’s an opportunity for the Boilermakers to show why they were preseason title contenders. (Sat, 6:30 pm ET on Peacock)

No. 3 Duke vs No. 19 Texas Tech

Texas Tech (8-3) is rolling on offense, but coach Grant McCasland is unhappy with the defense. It faces an elite squad on both ends in Duke (11-0), one of the last unbeaten teams left. It’ll be a fantastic MSG matchup between Tech’s JT Toppin (21.9 ppg and 10.6 rpg) and Duke freshman Cameron Boozer, who leads the nation with 23.3 ppg. (Sat, 8 pm ET on ESPN)

San Diego State vs No. 1 Arizona

If San Diego State (6-3) wants to remain an at-large contender, beating the No. 1 team would be the ultimate resume-builder. Arizona (10-0) looks to cap off its perfect non-con schedule, including what would be its sixth win over a top-100 opponent. This one’s in Phoenix, so Zona should have a good crowd. (Sat. 10:30 pm ET on ESPN2)

Ole Miss (7-4) vs NC State (8-4) 

Too early to call this a “bubble battle?” Both coaches have had interesting press conferences as of late, including NC State coach Will Wade saying he’s not “running a daycare” right now. The loser of this battle will go into league play with definite concerns about their NCAAT chances. (Sunday, 1 pm ET. ESPN)

2. Coach returns to sideline for 3OT thriller

Thursday was the start of Missouri Valley Conference play, including a trio of key matchups. The game of the night came from the MVC, with Bradley and Indiana State needing 55 minutes to decide the outcome.

As an added bonus, Indiana State coach Matthew Graves rejoined the team for the first time this season in a limited capacity on the sidelines.

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