The Week Ahead

It's close to the end of 2010 and most teams are still on their Christmas break. There aren't many more games to close out the year, but there are a bunch of good matchups for the first weekend of 2011. Here's a preview of the week's best games:

North Carolina at Rutgers (Tuesday, 9:00 p.m.)
Rutgers isn't exactly a powerhouse, but they have already had a double digit win over Miami. They haven't matched up very well with UNC in recent years, though, and I don't expect the Heels to lose in New Jersey.

Boston College at Rhode Island (Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.)
The Eagles have played well so far this year, but have a tough matchup with Rhode Island. Hokie fans remember the Rams as the team that beat the Hokies in Blacksburg in the NIT last year.

Wake Forest at Richmond (Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.)
For a young team that has really struggled, this week could put them in full crisis mode. First comes a road game against a Richmond team that has already beaten Purdue. They did lose to Georgia Tech, though, so Wake could pull the surprise.

Boston College at South Carolina (Saturday, 5:30 p.m.)
Boston College has certainly scheduled a tough week. If they survive their road game against Rhode Island, they might be in for a letdown against a South Carolina team that isn't very strong but is still an SEC team.

Gonzaga at Wake Forest (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)
Wake Forest had a big win last year when they went up to Spokane and shut down the Zags. This year Gonzaga is the team that is likely to come on the road and get the win. If Wake loses both games this week, you can bet the Deacon nation will be in an uproar over Dino Gaudio's firing.

LSU at Virginia (Sunday, 5:30 p.m.)
Virginia is trying to battle some confidence issues, coming off two poor performances in a row. They should be able to beat two BCS conference foes this week, playing Iowa State and LSU, both at home. LSU has struggled mightily since losing to UNC in the tournament a couple years ago.

Miami at Duke (Sunday, 7:45 p.m.)
The first ACC conference game of 2011 will likely be a blowout. This will be Duke's most competitive game playing without Kyrie Irving. But even without him, they are much better than Miami, especially at home.