Weekend preview Holiday weekend matchups include Arizona-FAU, Illinois-Missouri men's college basketball - ESPN

A few years ago, a Division I head coach told ESPN that he always worries about games during the holidays. Strange things can happen as players think about going home and seeing family members they haven't seen in years, he said. Players are fatigued. They need a break. And who could blame them for thinking about a good home-cooked meal and a chance to rest?

This stretch matters, though, because every coach in the country wants to go into the break with some momentum; a good win, before everyone hops onto flights or into cars, could follow teams into late December and January, the critical period when most teams begin the bulk of their conference schedules. A loss? That could linger and weigh a team down for weeks. Maybe longer.

For this weekend, we've listed a handful of games with obvious implications, and a few others that feature teams that crave a big win. Or any win. Last week, we perfectly predicted Kentucky's 87-83 victory over North Carolina. But we had no clue Michigan State would dominate Baylor the way it did.

That's how it goes throughout the holiday season. There will be joy, mixed with some heartbreak.

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The preseason was promising for these teams, with both receiving votes in the AP preseason poll. They appeared to be squads with NCAA tournament ambitions. But neither the Terps (losses to Davidson, UAB) nor the Bruins (loss to Cal State Northridge) are mentioned in Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology. They're past the point of desperation as they entered the week with sub-100 NET rankings.

UCLA's Adem Bona (12.8 PPG) has flirted with his ceiling but hasn't quite reached it. And Maryland's Jahmir Young (17.7 PPG, 4.3 APG) has 12 turnovers over the past three