Yes, it'll be dwarfed in television ratings by an NFL game featuring one team with an aging quarterback (Steelers) and another with an injured quarterback (Packers). But Sunday night's college basketball doubleheader should produce far more compelling matchups for anybody not invested in a fantasy football team.
First it's Michigan State-North Carolina at 8:30 ET.
Then it's Duke-Florida at 10:30 ET.
Those are the title games of the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational — a first-year event that's lived up to its hype. Sunday night's doubleheader gives fans an opportunity to see the reigning national champs (UNC) and the nation's top-ranked team (Duke), the preseason national player of the year (Miles Bridges) and the early favorite for postseason national player of the year (Marvin Bagley) -- plus three already-inducted Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coaches (Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams and Tom Izzo). And though that list of attractions didn't mention the Florida coach (Michael White), any Florida players or Florida in general, it should be pointed out that the Gators have been super-impressive this season, which is why they're only a 1.5-point underdog on a neutral court to the nation's No. 1 team.
Simply put, this should be awesome.
All four schools in these title games are in the top 11 of the updated CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). Duke, of course, remains No. 1. Michigan State is No. 3. Florida is No. 9. And North Carolina is No. 11.
The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Marvin Bagley finished with 34 points and 15 rebounds in Friday's victory over Texas. The Blue Devils won despite missing 15 of their 18 3-point attempts. | -- | 27-9 |
| 2 |  | Udoka Azubuike got 21 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's win over Oakland. It was the first double-double of the 7-footer's college career. | -- | 23-11 |
| 3 |  | Cassius Winston got 28 points and five assists in Friday's win over UConn. Miles Bridges was held to just six points in his return from an ankle injury. | -- | 20-15 |
| 4 |  | The Irish beat Wichita State Wednesday despite making just four 3-pointers in the game. Bonzie Colson finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds. | -- | 13-20 |
| 5 |  | The Shockers squandered a 14-point halftime lead in Wednesday's loss to Notre Dame. Zach Brown finished with a team-high 14 points. | -- | 15-19 |
| 6 |  | Nick Richards finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds in Wednesday's victory over Fort Wayne. Quade Green added 11 points, five assists and four rebounds. | -- | 23-10 |
| 7 |  | Mikal Bridges got 18 points and seven rebounds in Friday's win over Northern Iowa. The junior wing is averaging a career-high 18.5 points and a career-high 5.8 rebounds in 30.2 minutes per game. | -- | 18-16 |
| 8 |  | Bennie Boatwright got 19 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's win over Lehigh. The junior forward is averaging 18.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per game. | -- | 15-18 |
| 9 |  | Virginia Tech transfer Jalen Hudson got a career-high 35 points in Friday's 2OT victory over Gonzaga. He made eight of Florida's 17 3-pointers in the game. | -- | 24-12 |
| 10 |  | Anthony Lawrence got 14 points off the bench in Saturday's win over North Florida. Dewan Huell is averaging a team-high 13.4 points and 7.2 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game. | -- | 15-17 |
| 11 |  | Luke Maye finished with 28 points and 16 rebounds in Friday's win over Arkansas. The former role player is averaging 21.2 points and 10.8 rebounds for the reigning national champions. | -- | 29-8 |
| 12 |  | Jordan Murphy finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's win over Alabama. The Golden Gophers are 7-0 for the first time since 2008. | -- | 19-15 |
| 13 |  | The Bearcats shot 50.0 percent from 3-point range in Wednesday's victory over Wyoming. Kyle Washington finished with a game-high 16 points. | -- | 22-15 |
| 14 |  | Johnathan Williams scored a career-high 39 points on 22 shots in Friday's 2OT loss to Florida. Josh Perkins added 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. | -- | 27-8 |
| 15 |  | Terry Maston got 15 points off the bench in Tuesday's win over Creighton. The senior forward is averaging 11.0 points and 8.6 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game. | -- | 24-11 |
| 16 |  | Ray Spalding finished with 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in Friday's win over Saint Francis. He left the game in the second half with an ankle injury. | -- | 8-24 |
| 17 |  | The Crimson Tide were forced to finish Saturday's game against Minnesota with just three players. Collin Sexton got 40 points, six rebounds and five assists in the single-digit loss. | -- | 25-12 |
| 18 |  | DJ Hogg finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in Friday's win over Pepperdine. He's averaging 17.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in 33.2 minutes per game. | -- | 21-15 |
| 19 |  | The Cavaliers shot 50.0 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from 3-point range and 86.4 percent from the free throw line in Friday's win over URI. Isaiah Wilkins finished with 19 points and six rebounds. | -- | 23-11 |
| 20 |  | Marcus Foster is averaging a team-high 18.0 points through six games. The Bluejays' lone loss is a single-digit loss to Baylor. | -- | 25-10 |
| 21 |  | Tra Holder finished with a career-high 40 points in Friday's victory over Xavier. The Sun Devils now own victories over Xavier, Kansas State and San Diego State. | -- | 14-18 |
| 22 |  | The Musketeers squandered a 15-point first-half lead in Friday's loss to Arizona State. Chris Mack's team lost despite shooting 55.6 percent from the field. | -- | 16-18 |
| 23 |  | Kenrich Williams was named Most Outstanding Player of the Emerald Coast Classic. He's averaging 12.7 points and 10.2 rebounds for the undefeated Horned Frogs. | -- | 21-13 |
| 24 |  | The Mountaineers created 27 turnovers in Friday's win over UCF. They are ranked No. 1 in defensive turnover percentage. | -- | 9-23 |
| 25 |  | Jarrett Culver got 18 points off the bench in Saturday's win over Savannah State. The Red Raiders have won all six games by double-digits. | -- | 23-11 |
| 26 |  | Caleb Martin finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Friday's win over Hawaii. The NC State transfer is averaging 19.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 29.5 minutes per game. | -- | 26-8 |
