Big conference matchups headline Cavs College Hoops Viewing Guide

After a few weeks missing in action, the weekend viewing guide is back this week, and just in time I might add. As we draw closer to the NCAA Tournament in March and April, conference play is heating up and the best players are playing their best basketball during this stretch. While college basketball has been as unpredictable as ever this season, the three players atop most big boards hasn’t changed much.

Duke’s Paulo Banchero, Auburn’s Jabari Smith, and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren will most likely be the top three players drafted in June. Even having said that, Purdue’s Jaden Ivey is quietly poking his head up at the top three with his outstanding play this season. With that being said, it’s also time that we confront something that most of us have been procrastinating over for about two months. The small likelihood that the Cleveland Cavaliers miss the playoffs.

There are a number of reasons that this thought has come to the front of people’s minds, less than a week after a great All-Star Weekend in Cleveland. On Wednesday, Cleveland.com reporter Chris Fedor tweeted that both Caris LeVert and Darius Garland were listed as out for last night’s matchup versus the Detroit Pistons. That was Cleveland’s first game since the All-Star break, and the Cavaliers lost a close one, albeit to a bad Pistons team. To make matters a bit worse, the Cavaliers released a team statement on Thursday that LeVert would miss 1-2 weeks with a right foot sprain, though the injury is not considered major.

However, the bigger issue in all of this might be Darius Garland’s health. The All-Star point guard played both games before the break, both being losses. Fortunately, he performed pretty well. I hope this isn’t a sign of something worse, but it does seem like Garland’s back might be a little more injured than originally thought. It is something that the team will have to manage from here, either way.

The other reason it’s possible the Cavs miss the playoffs is the fact that the Eastern Conference also got a lot better around the trade deadline. To be more specific the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers did, who ended up trading two very good disgruntled players for one another most notably, with other pieces involved. Now, both teams look even scarier heading into the final stretch of the season.

With all of that unsettling news I do have some good news, we get to watch some awesome college basketball this weekend. I know we love the NBA and the Cavaliers, but there’s something special about college basketball in March.