There is only one top-10 matchup on Saturday's schedule -- a non-league showdown in Seattle between two big brands. On one side, Kentucky. On the other, Gonzaga.
Tip is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.
The game is providing a Q1 opportunity for both programs. Making it even more compelling is the fact that it's a matchup between two coaches who have become friends over the years; UK's Mark Pope told a nice story earlier this week when discussing Saturday's counterpart.
"I've got to know Coach [Few] pretty well," Pope said. "He's been a great friend. He's one of the best people in the business. Special person. I'll never forget, my first head-coaching job at Utah Valley, we did a buy game at Gonzaga [in November 2016], and I had known Coach as an assistant, and so we went up there to play. It got away from us like you would expect it would at the end. So we're there, you're early in your coaching career, you're trying to collect yourself in the locker room after the media and everything. I finally walk out of the locker room, and Coach Few is … there's nobody left in the building, and Coach Few is just waiting there to talk.
"That's just who he is, man," Pope continued. "He's just really special — and what he's done in basketball has been almost unfathomable. And I love him. He puts together unique teams, a unique product every single year. He's so good. He's got a really distinctive style. They know exactly who they are. You can almost take the names off the jerseys and you would [still] know you're watching a Gonzaga game by the way they play."
That's obviously high praise for Few, who really has done unfathomable things at Gonzaga -- a private, small, Jesuit school in Washington that had won exactly one game in the NCAA Tournament before Few replaced Dan Monson after the 1998-99 season. Since then, Few has completed 25 seasons at Gonzaga, never missed the NCAA Tournament and advanced to two national title games while appearing in nine straight Sweet 16s. This is all stuff that might never be duplicated once Few, now 61, decides to conclude a career that will someday be recognized by the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
Kentucky is No. 6 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Gonzaga is No. 8. The Zags are listed as 6.5-point favorites against UK, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | 8-0 | |
Chaz Lanier finished with 26 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 96-70 win over Syracuse. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against Miami.
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| 2 | -- | 7-1 | |
Denver Jones was 0 of 4 from the field in Wednesday's 84-78 loss at Duke. The Tigers' next game is Sunday against Richmond.
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| 3 | -- | 6-1 | |
Keshon Gilbert finished with 24 points and seven assists in Wednesday's 81-70 win over Marquette. The Cyclones' next game is Sunday against Jackson State.
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| 4 | -- | 8-1 | |
David Joplin was 3-of-12 from the field in Wednesday's 81-70 loss at Iowa State. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday against Wisconsin.
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| 5 | -- | 7-1 | |
Hunter Dickinson was held to four points in Wedesday's 76-63 loss at Creighton. The Jayhawks' next game is Sunday at Missouri.
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| 6 | -- | 7-1 | |
Andrew Carr was 1 of 7 from the field in Tuesday's 70-66 loss at Clemson. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Gonzaga.
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| 7 | -- | 6-2 | |
Cooper Flagg finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 84-78 win over Auburn. The Blue Devils' next game is Sunday at Louisville.
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| 8 | -- | 7-1 | |
Ben Gregg finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in Friday's 90-65 win over Davidson. The Zags' next game is Saturday against Kentucky.
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| 9 | -- | 9-0 | |
Jackson Shelstad finished with 24 points and two rebounds in Wednesday's 68-60 win at USC. The Ducks' next game is Sunday against UCLA.
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| 10 | -- | 7-2 | |
Mark Sears finished with 20 points and seven assists in Wednesday's 94-79 win at North Carolina. The Crimson Tide's next game is Dec. 14 against Creighton.
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| 11 | -- | 7-1 | |
PG Haggerty finished with 23 points and six assists in Wednesday's 81-71 win over Louisiana Tech. The Tigers' next game is Sunday against Arkansas State.
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| 12 | -- | 7-2 | |
Fletcher Loyer scored 15 points, but was 3 of 10 from the field in Purdue's 81-70 loss to Penn State on Thursday. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday at home vs. Maryland.
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| 13 | -- | 8-2 | |
Coen Carr finished with 12 points and three rebounds in Wednesday's 90-72 win over Minnesota. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Nebraska.
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| 14 | 1 | 7-1 | |
Dre Davis finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 86-63 win at Louisville. The Rebels' next game is Saturday against Lindenwood.
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| 15 | 1 | 8-1 | |
Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished with 23 points and four assists in Wednesday's 83-59 win over Ohio State. The Terrapins' next game is Sunday at Purdue.
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| 16 | 1 | 7-1 | |
Vladislav Goldin finished with 24 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 67-64 win at Wisconsin. The Wolverines' next game is Saturday against Iowa.
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| 17 | 1 | 8-1 | |
Max Klesmit was 3 of 14 from the field in Tuesday's 67-64 loss to Michigan. The Badgers' next game is Saturday at Marquette.
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| 18 | 1 | 9-0 | |
Will Richard finished with 27 points and four assists in Wednesday's 87-69 win over Virginia. The Gators' next game is Dec. 14 against Arizona State.
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| 19 | 1 | 7-1 | |
Michael Nwoko finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 90-57 win over Pitt. The Bulldogs' next game is Sunday against Prairie View A&M.
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| 20 | 6 | 6-2 | |
Ben Humrichous was 1 of 9 from the field in Friday's 70-66 overtime loss at Northwestern. The Illini's next game is Tuesday against Wisconsin.
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| 21 | -- | 7-1 | |
Tre Johnson finished with 18 points and two rebounds in Wednesday's 63-59 win at NC State. The Longhorns' next game is Sunday against UConn.
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| 22 | -- | 4-4 | |
RJ Davis was 7-of-24 from the field in Wednesday's 94-79 loss to Alabama. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Georgia Tech.
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| 23 | -- | 7-2 | |
Enoch Cheeks finished with 23 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 77-69 win over Western Michigan. The Flyers' next game is Saturday against Lehigh.
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| 24 | -- | 5-2 | |
Magoon Gwath finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 84-62 win at Fresno State. The Aztecs' next game is Saturday against San Diego.
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| 25 | -- | 4-3 | |
Joseph Tugler was 1 of 6 from the field in Saturday's 73-70 overtime loss to San Diego State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Butler.
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| 26 | -- | 8-0 | |
Jeremiah Fears finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 76-61 win over Georgia Tech. The Sooners' next game is Saturday against Alcorn State.
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