NEW YORK (AP) - It’s not quite Tobacco Road but New York City is providing college basketball fans in the Metropolitan Area with plenty of chances to see ranked teams.
The two arenas that provide all these opportunities are just eight subway stops apart, Barclays Center in Brooklyn and Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.
Ten teams ranked in The Associated Press’ preseason Top 25 will appear at The Garden this season, while Barclays has nine.
Madison Square Garden will host top-ranked Duke twice (State Farm Champions Classic & Jimmy V Classic) while Barclays brings in No. 2 Kentucky (Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival).
The other ranked teams on The Garden schedule are Kentucky, No. 3 Kansas and No. 12 Michigan State in the State Farm, No. 15 Purdue in the Jimmy V, and No. 18 Connecticut and No. 19 Syracuse in a rematch of the six-overtime Big East Tournament quarterfinal in 2009.
No. 4 Villanova, the defending national champion, No. 7 Xavier and No. 22 Creighton will all be in the Big East Tournament from March 8-11.
Barclays also hosts Syracuse in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational, No. 20 West Virginia in the NIT Season Tip-Off, No. 21 Texas in the Legends Classic and No. 25 Maryland in the Barclays Center Classic.
Duke, No. 6 North Carolina, No. 8 Virginia, No. 13 Louisville and Syracuse will be in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament from March 7-11.
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