Jeff Borzello
Myron Medcalf
Myron Medcalf
ESPN Staff Writer
Myron Medcalf covers college basketball for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2011.
Four of the nation’s top college basketball teams will take over Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night for the 2025 edition of the Jimmy V Men’s Classic.
No. 10 BYU will open the doubleheader against a 7-2 Clemson team, with No. 5 UConn and No. 18 Florida closing out the night in a battle of recent national champions.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello breaks down the keys to each game below.
6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Can BYU extend its win streak to five games against a Clemson team that nearly knocked off Alabama in Tuscaloosa? The Cougars have turned a corner since narrowly losing to UConn on Nov. 15, blowing out Wisconsin then beating Miami and Dayton despite dealing with a shortened rotation.
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Already down Nate Pickens since the start of the season, sixth man Dawson Baker tore an ACL during Feast Week. That means Kevin Young will have to rely even more on his starters; fortunately for Young, his starting five happens to be one of the best in the sport. AJ Dybantsa, Richie Saunders and Robert Wright III form an elite trio, while Keba Keita is an anchor defensively and Kennard Davis Jr. offers 3-and-D ability.
Clemson is off to a 7-2 start, with losses coming at Georgetown (79-74) and Alabama (90-84). The Tigers are further along with their offense, which is unusual for a Brad Brownell-coached team, so we should expect the tide to turn defensively soon. Boomerang transfer RJ Godfrey — he played at Clemson for two seasons and Georgia last season before returning to the Tigers — is the team’s top scorer and rebounder.
9 p.m. ET, ESPN
A matchup of the past three national champions — going in opposite directions so far this season.
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We’ve rarely seen UConn at full strength yet, with Braylon Mullins missing the first six games of the season with an ankle injury and Tarris Reed Jr. limited to just four games, also with an ankle injury. A healthy Huskies team is as complete as anyone in college basketball; they have already knocked off BYU, Illinois and Kansas while banged up.
Florida lost four games all of last season. Another loss Tuesday would be its fourth this season. Todd Golden’s new-look backcourt has had some growing pains, to put it mildly. The Gators have struggled to take care of the ball, coughing it up at least 15 times on four occasions while ranking 340th nationally in 3-point percentage. Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee hasn’t adjusted yet to a consistently higher level of basketball.
The key to this game will likely be Reed’s health. Arizona had its way in the paint and on the backboards against UConn when Reed was out, and Florida can do the same on the interior. It’s a different story if Reed plays. And the Huskies have a sizable edge when it comes to shot-makers on the offensive end.
