Are you ready for some basketball?

Maybe that phrase doesn’t have the same ring to it in a Hank Williams song, but it does set the tone for the glorious day ahead. I’ve been on this beat for quite a while (no, I’m not going to add up the years), but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a regular season Saturday quite like this. At least, not during non-conference play. But everywhere you look today, you’re going to see big-time clashes and meetings between bitter rivals. Xavier-Cincinnati. Louisville-Kentucky. Gonzaga-UConn. Alabama-Creighton. I’d tell you to call in sick for work, but unless you do your business on a Saturday, you don’t even need to do that. You only need one couch, but you’re going to need multiple screens to follow all the action.

In honor of this illustrious occasion, I have stepped up my own game and picked 10 games against the spread instead of my usual five. (Are you ready for some winners?) Today’s slate comes at the end of yet another fun week here at Hoops HQ. You’re going to see some great action today, but I doubt you’ll see another individual performance as significant as the one Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo turned in Thursday night against UConn. That game was yet another reminder that the women’s game is healthy, compelling and full of shooting stars.

Beginning next week, the college basketball calendar will slow down as we head for the holidays and draw 2024 to a close. So let’s enjoy the day and all the hoops. There are many more games to come and stories to read at Hoops HQ.

Thanks for being on our squad. Let’s run! —Seth

Texas A&M vs. Purdue, Louisville at Kentucky, Gonzaga vs. UConn and More

If you’ve got plans today, cancel ’em. If you’ve got things to do, don’t do ’em. If ever there were a Saturday when you should plant yourself on your couch, dive into your man cave and glue your eyes to multiple screens, today is that day. If anyone tries to roust you, send them to me. I’m writing permission slips for everyone.

Ken Pomeroy Crunched the Numbers and Changed the Game

On top of describing himself as “super boring,” Ken Pomeroy confesses that he’s terrible at long-range planning. He cites, for example, his decision to major in civil engineering in college, only to pivot after graduation to meteorology. “I was just interested in the weather,” he says. “I kind of like predicting things.”

Pomeroy could hardly have forecast where the winds of change would propel him. Against all odds, without any plans, this mild-mannered 51-year-old bachelor has taken the college basketball world by storm. In that world he’s not Ken Pomeroy but rather a superhero named KenPom, the eponymous founder, owner, operator, coder, numbers cruncher and designer of KenPom.com, the sport’s premier analytics website. The site’s impact is so profound that the moniker “KenPom” has become embedded in the sport’s vernacular. If you’re a true college basketball fan, you know exactly what it means.

No. 8 Gonzaga @ No. 18 UConn: It's tough to choose from an absolutely loaded Saturday in college basketball, but this matchup of two of the top programs and coaches should be fascinating. Gonzaga is trying to bounce back from an overtime loss to Kentucky, while UConn is looking to keep its impressive win streak going, which includes victories over Baylor and Texas. Oh, and to add even more drama, the game is being played at The World's Most Famous Arena. 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX.