We made it through the first real week of 2026. From backlogged emails to opening Teams every day agin, welcome to the weekend!

First, Football.

Ole Miss and Miami had a CLASSIC last night with Miami winning late — Miami now gets a practical home game in the title!

Now, Hoops!

Michigan State survives a scare from a Northwestern team I didn’t expect to see competing with the Spartans. MSU remains steady on the 3 line.

Illinois dominates Rutgers, winning by > 20. Illini remain in the 4 area.

Ohio State took down Oregon in a fun one late last night. OSU remains right on the bubble while Oregon is no where close.

LMU & San Francisco played a fun matchup with LMU winning in 2OT!

Gonzaga beat Santa Clara by 22. Santa Clara likely won’t be able to make the tournament without practically running the table the rest of the year.

While I’m not listing all of the games, there were several massive matchups in conference play, especially in the CAA, ASUN, Sun Belt, OVC, and Big Sky.

Friday’s Matchups: Every Game Today:

Again, it’s a lighter slate due to football’s Peach Bowl being tonight. Oregon vs. Indiana for the final title spot!

Miami (OH) @ Toledo | 6:00, CBSSN

Game of the night. Can the Red Hawks get to 16-0? This is their toughest test of the year. But if they win this they’re clearly in the drivers seat.

Rider @ Fairfield | 7:00, ESPN+

Fairfield should win easily here.

Cleveland State @ Oakland | 7:00, ESPN+

Expect the Grizz to roll at home here and move to 5-1 in the Horizon

Wright State @ Detroit Mercy | 7:00, ESPN+

Expect to see Wright State win this one by more than the 5.5 they’re favored by.

IU Indy @ Green Bay 7:00, ESPN+

This is one I’m really curious in. I think IU Indy can cause some trouble here and speed up the Phoenix, but I’ll take the Phoenix at home.

Merrimack @ Siena | 7:00, ESPN+

This is a huge MAAC matchup. Merrimack can win and they’ll be 6-0 in conference play! Siena comes in favored though!

Saint Peter’s @ Mount St. Mary’s | 7:00, ESPN+

Expect this to be a close one, but I’ll take Saint Peters.

Niagra @ Iona | 7:00, ESPN+

Iona will look to climb back to .500 on the MAAC year here. Expect a defense heavy game.

Marist @ Sacred Heart | 7:00, ESPN+

Give me the Red Foxes to win this one and get to 4-2 in conference play!

Canisius @ Manhattan | 7:00, ESPN+

Manhatten is favored by 6.5, but this one should be a fun on to watch!

Akron @ Bowling Green | 8:00, CBSSN

POINTS. Give me all the points! This one will be high scoring. Akron favored by 2 on the road. If you haven’t watched either of these two, you need to.

Northern Kentucky @ Milwaukee | 8:00, ESPN+

Milwaukee is favored by 3.5. If NKU wants to win the horizon regular season, they need to win this one.

USC @ Minnesota | 8:30, BTN

In the lone power conference matchup, we get an amazing one. USC will look for a Q1 win, while Minnesota will look to continue to push toward the tournament. This is a massive battle in Minneapolis!

UNLV @ Colorado State | 10:00, CBSSN

Fun matchup here for the MWC. Neither team has tournament hopes, but this is a key battle for the middle of the conference!