This weekend lacks a marquee match-up, but there are still a couple of interesting games involving ranked teams.

#16 Mississippi State at #13 Florida, 1:30 PM EST, ESPN3–Florida is a tough team to figure out.  They boast the deepest backcourt in the country with guards Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Bradley Beal, and Mike Rosario, and Patric Young is a physical presence on the inside.  The Gators are 16-4, but two of their losses have come to Ohio State in Columbus and Syracuse at the Carrier Dome.  Those are two top-five opponents with great home-court advantages, so Florida isn’t having a bad season by any stretch of the imagination.  However, they barely escaped with a win at Ole Miss on Thursday night and have had little time to rest before this game against the Bulldogs.  Meanwhile, Mississippi State is coming off last Saturday’s overtime victory over Vanderbilt and a hard-fought home win over LSU on Wednesday.   The Bulldogs feature a balanced attack with four players average double figures in points.  Forward Arnett Moultrie has emerged as the team’s best player, averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds per game.  This match-up will come down to Young’s ability to neutralize Moultrie and forward Renardo Sidney down low.  Expect Florida to hold on for a close victory.

#22 Michigan at #3 Ohio State, 1 PM EST, CBS–Though it is not known as The Game like it is on the gridiron, this match-up means a lot to both teams.  The Buckeyes beat the Wolverines in both meetings last year, but the Wolverines appear stronger this season.  Freshman point guard Trey Burke has made Michigan fans forget about last year’s star floor general, Darius Morris, who declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season, and wing scorer Tim Hardaway has the tools to be a solid player at the next level.  However, Michigan lacks a true post presence like Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger, a national player of the year candidate.  Sullinger’s ability to get easy twos will be a challenge for the Wolverines, who rely heavily on their ability to knock down threes.  The easy pick here is Ohio State.  The Buckeyes have been tearing through the Big Ten and crushed Duke earlier in the season.  Even though they have mainly faced the conference’s bottom-feeders, the Buckeyes are clearly a force.  Michigan will have to drain at least 40 percent of its threes to win this one, and the Wolverines’ shooting has been spotty recently.  This could be the game they break out but…Buckeyes by four.