Two of the best college basketball games on Saturday's schedule will originate from Canada, unusual as it is. The first is Purdue-Alabama. The second is TCU-Clemson. It's a doubleheader that will allow Purdue's leading scorer (Zach Edey) and TCU's leading scorer (Emanuel Miller) to play in front of friends and family in their hometown of Toronto.
"It's always special, being from Toronto," Miller said earlier this week. "Being from a different country and having my family support me on my home soil, and just being able to play on my home soil, is a special moment that I'm going to cherish and look forward to."
Purdue-Alabama is considered the bigger game of the two, if only because it features Edey, the reigning CBS Sports National Player of the Year who is currently on track to become the first back-to-back Wooden Award winner since Virginia's Ralph Sampson won it twice in 1982 and 1983. Plus, Purdue is No. 2 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Alabama is No. 26. So, for our purposes at least, Purdue-Alabama is a ranked-vs-ranked matchup.
But it's the other game in Toronto, TCU-Clemson, that'll pit one undefeated team against another. There are only 13 undefeated outfits remaining — and the Horned Frogs and Tigers are two of them. TCU is 7-0. Clemson is 8-0 -- and ranked 24th in Saturday morning's Top 25 And 1. The loser of this matchup will obviously fall from the list of unbeatens and leave the sport with no more than 12 schools with a zero in the loss column. The winner should be in the Associated Press Top 25 poll when it updates Monday.
Itching for more college hoops analysis? Listen below and subscribe to the Eye on College Basketball podcast where we take you beyond the hardwood with insider information and instant reactions.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oumar Ballo finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 82-55 win over Colgate. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Wisconsin. | -- | 27-9 | |
2 | Zach Edey finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds in Monday's 87-68 win over Iowa. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Alabama. | -- | 34-5 | |
3 | Kevin McCullar finished with 25 points and five assists in Tuesday's 88-69 win over Kansas City. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Missouri. | -- | 23-11 | |
4 | LJ Cryer finished with 15 points and two assists in Wednesday's 75-39 win over Rice. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Jackson State. | -- | 32-5 | |
5 | Cam Spencer finished with 23 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 87-76 win over North Carolina. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against Arkansas Pine Bluff. | -- | 37-3 | |
6 | RayJ Dennis finished with 17 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 78-60 win over Seton Hall. The Bears' next game is Dec. 16 against Michigan State. | -- | 24-11 | |
7 | Kam Jones finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 86-65 win over Texas. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday against Notre Dame. | -- | 27-10 | |
8 | Graham Ike finished with 17 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 111-71 win over Arkansas Pine Bluff. The Zags' next game is Saturday at Washington. | -- | 27-8 | |
9 | Patrick Cartier finished with 19 points and three assists in Wednesday's 90-80 win over Denver. The Rams' next game is Saturday against Saint Mary's. | -- | 25-11 | |
10 | Terrence Shannon finished with 33 points and two assists in Tuesday's 98-89 win over FAU. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Tennessee. | -- | 29-9 | |
11 | Armando Bacot was 4 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 87-76 loss to UConn. The Tar Heels' next game is Dec. 16 against Kentucky. | -- | 29-8 | |
12 | Jonas Aidoo finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 87-66 win over George Mason. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | -- | 27-9 | |
13 | FAU allowed Illinois to shoot 63.2% from the field in Tuesday's 98-89 loss to the Illini. The Owls' next game is Wednesday against FIU. | -- | 25-9 | |
14 | Wade Taylor IV finished with 13 points and six assists in Wednesday's 89-64 win over DePaul. The Aggies' next game is Sunday against Memphis. | -- | 21-15 | |
15 | Rob Dillingham shot 1 of 9 from the field in Saturday's 80-73 loss to UNC Wilmington. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Penn. | -- | 23-10 | |
16 | Norchad Omier finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday's 97-49 win over Long Island. The Hurricanes' next game is Sunday against Colorado. | -- | 15-17 | |
17 | Baylor Scheierman finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's 89-60 win at Nebraska. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday against Central Michigan. | -- | 25-10 | |
18 | AJ Storr finished with 22 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 70-57 win at Michigan State. The Badgers' next game is Saturday at Arizona. | -- | 22-14 | |
19 | Duke was 4-of-16 from 3-point range in Saturday's 72-68 loss at Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Charlotte. | -- | 27-9 | |
20 | Javian McCollum finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 72-51 win over Providence. The Sooners' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | -- | 20-12 | |
21 | Jaxson Robinson finished with 19 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 96-55 win over Evansville. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Utah. | -- | 23-11 | |
22 | Isaac McKneely finished with 22 points and two rebounds in Tuesday's 77-47 win over North Carolina Central. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Northeastern. | -- | 23-11 | |
23 | Dylan Andrews finished with 17 points and five assists in Thursday's 66-65 win over UC Riverside. The Bruins' next game is Saturday at Villanova. | -- | 16-17 | |
24 | PJ Hall finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 72-67 win over South Carolina. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against TCU. | -- | 24-12 | |
25 | Zed Key finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 84-64 win over Miami (Ohio). The Buckeyes' next game is Saturday at Penn State. | -- | 22-14 | |
26 | Mark Sears finished with 13 points and six assists in Monday's 89-65 win over Arkansas State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Purdue. | -- | 25-12 |