It’s another jam-packed weekend of sports action! The NFL season is quickly coming to an end, and this is the weekend that we start to see Saturday games. The NBA season is over a third of the way through, and we’re starting to see some teams separate themselves from the rest of the pack. We also can’t forget to mention that there will be some great matchups in college basketball. And last but not least, the World Cup final will take place on Sunday. Let’s take a look at the top sporting events for the upcoming weekend.
Top Sports Events for This Weekend – December 17 – December 18
NFL Action
Saturday games are back, and we’ll have a good one in Buffalo, as the Bills will host the Miami Dolphins. Buffalo is predicted to be pummeled by snow, so this game could be played in some horrendous conditions. Miami has hit a rough patch, and they need this game to solidify their playoff spot. Buffalo needs to keep winning to maintain the top spot in the AFC Playoffs.
The top Sunday game has been flexed to the Sunday Night time slot. The Washington Commanders will host the New York Giants. Both teams are 7-5-1, and they tied the last time they met. The winner of this game has a great chance of making the playoffs, while the loser puts themselves in a bad situation.
College Hoops
On Saturday, we’ll see some great college hoops matchups. The 14th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers will head to historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse to take on the 8th-rated Kansas Jayhawks. These are two of the most storied programs in college basketball history. We should see a lot of points scored in this one.
Speaking of teams with great history, the UCLA Bruins, ranked 16th this week, will head to Lexington, Kentucky, to take on the 13th-rated Kentucky Wildcats. UCLA dominated Maryland earlier this week, and will come into this one with a ton of momentum. Kentucky annually struggles early on, but always comes on strong late in the season.
Another top matchup on Saturday’s slate of games features the 15th-rated Gonzaga Bulldogs heading south to take on the 4th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Birmingham. Alabama is coming off of a huge upset over the top-ranked Houston Cougars. Gonzaga has struggled against some of the top teams in the country this season, so they’ll be looking to get a signature win.
The premiere matchup of the day will feature the former top-ranked Houston Cougars, who are now #5 in the country, taking on the #2 Virginia Cavaliers. Tony Bennett and Kelvin Sampson are two of the top coaches in the game, and both are very good defensive coaches, so we may not see a lot of offense in this one.
The World Cup
We’re going to see a matchup between arguably the best player ever, and the best current player, as Lionel Messi and his Argentina squad will take on Kylian Mbappe and the French National team. This will be a great matchup between two of the top teams in the world. Messi has never won a World Cup, and winning one would solidify his legacy as one of, if not the greatest player ever. France is the defending World Cup champion, and would love nothing more than to repeat. This will be an exciting matchup!