Best Men’s College Basketball Games to Watch: Big 12 Clash, West Coast Battles Stack Slate

Move over football: It’s now time for college basketball to shine.

If you opted to take last Friday and Saturday off to save your energy for Super Bowl Sunday, you missed out. Three top-five teams (UConn, Duke and Illinois) went down in a trio of thrilling matchups against conference opponents. And the carnage didn’t stop there.

No. 1 Arizona fell for the first time earlier this week to a Darryn Peterson–less Kansas team. Then, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 7 Nebraska and No. 8 Illinois—the latter for a second straight time—lost the following day. The results of the extended weekend were a reminder that the teams at the top of the sport this season are vulnerable, which sets the table for another potential bracket-shifting Saturday on Valentine’s Day.

As a reminder, the following list is just a snapshot of the top games this weekend. Undefeated Miami (Ohio) and Atlantic 10 darling Saint Louis didn’t make the list this weekend because of their lackluster opponents, but if you want to watch the highest level of mid-major college hoops, check those games out on Friday night.

Here’s the best of the best to keep an eye on over the weekend:

No. 20 Clemson Tigers (20–5) at No. 4 Duke Blue Devils (22–2)

Saturday, noon ET, ESPN

The Blue Devils got back on the right track after the heartbreak in Chapel Hill with a stifling of a poor Pittsburgh team—and Cameron Boozer for the help from Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster that was somewhat lacking against the Tar Heels. But awaiting this weekend is another difficult test from the Tigers, who boast the second-best scoring defense in the ACC (behind only the Blue Devils) and the 11th-best mark in the country. Clemson doesn’t have the firepower to match Boozer, but could muddy the waters and compete with Duke on the glass, making this a physical, low-scoring game.

No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks (19–5) at No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones (21–3)

Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, ABC

No Peterson (illness) proved to be no problem for the Jayhawks in their home upset of No. 1 Arizona on Monday. The difference was Kansas’s ability to get to the free throw line, as exemplified by Melvin Council Jr.’s 10-of-11 evening, while Arizona went 8 of 14 from the line as a team. Peterson, whose status is unknown for Saturday’s tilt in Ames, Iowa, has missed 11 of Kansas’s 24 games this season, which spells concern for his availability come March—but it’s clear this team can compete without him.

No. 25 Kentucky Wildcats (17–7) at No. 14 Florida Gators (18–6)

Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, ABC

The burial of this Mark Pope Kentucky team may not have seemed entirely misguided at the time, but was clearly premature. Three straight wins and eight victories in their last nine SEC outings have put the Cats back in a position to compete for the league title—especially with a relatively favorable slate left. But first it’s a trip to Gainesville, Fla., against the defending champs who have won their last four games by an average of more than 27 points. How Kentucky deals with Florida’s size and elite rebounding (first in the NCAA) will be the key to pulling off the upset.

No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders (18–6) at No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (23–1)

Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Can lightning strike twice in the same week? It’s certainly possible given this Red Raiders team is difficult to run off the floor. Since a 30-point loss in November in the Bahamas, Texas Tech hasn’t lost by more than eight and has played other top Big 12 teams (namely Houston and Kansas) close. Going into Tucson is a different beast, but star forward JT Toppin (21.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.7 blocks) seems well-suited to slay it given that he’s shot over 60% from the floor in nine away games this season. Keep an eye on how Arizona tries to slow Toppin down, whether it be with the smaller, more mobile Tobe Awaka or 7' 2" Lithuanian Motiejus Krivas.

Texas Tech forward JT Toppin works the ball against Colorado forward Bangot Dak. — Texas Tech forward JT Toppin has shot better than 60% from the floor in nine away games. | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs (24–2) at Santa Clara Broncos (22–5)

Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Late-night action! The West Coast Conference is loaded with talent and quality basketball this season and these two programs are the cream of the crop. Gonzaga took care of business in the first meeting with star senior Graham Ike going off for 34 points and torching the Broncos’ defense. But that game was at home in Spokane, and Saturday’s tilt will be in Santa Clara, Calif., where the Broncos haven’t lost this season. Christian Hammond (16.4 points, 40.2% from three) is the player to watch as he’ll give Santa Clara its best chance to keep up with the high-scoring Zags.

Best Bubble Games to Watch

Selection Sunday is just four weeks away, making the movement on the bubble as important as ever to track. Thankfully, Sports Illustrated’s Mike McDaniel is doing exactly that in the middle of each week, breaking down the résumés of each bubble team as the action rolls along. We’ll highlight games featuring a few of those teams each weekend, based on how competitive they stand to be and what impact they might have on seeding.

Miami Hurricanes (19–5) at NC State Wolfpack (18–7)

Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2

The Hurricanes (Last Four In) narrowly crept their way into the field this past week—and that was before notching a Quad 1 win over North Carolina on Tuesday. Saturday provides yet another opportunity for a Q1 victory against a Wolfpack team that’s solidly into the field but could slide back to the bubble with too many results like Monday’s 118–77 loss at Louisville.

No. 15 Virginia Cavaliers (21–3) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (16–8)

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox

In one of the rare February nonconference games, the Hoos and the Buckeyes (First Four Out) will battle in Bristol, Tenn., on Saturday night. Virginia avoided a scare at a sub-.500 Florida State team Tuesday night, while the Buckeyes earned a critical win against fellow bubble program USC. Bruce Thornton had his best outing in a number of weeks (21 points, eight assists, six rebounds), which bodes well going into Saturday’s tilt.

Texas Longhorns (15–9) at Missouri Tigers (17–7)

Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

This is the only matchup that features two bubble teams this week, which makes it perhaps the most consequential of the weekend. Both scored borderline necessary wins this week with Texas (Last Four Byes) fighting off Ole Miss and Missouri (Last Four In) taking down Texas A&M on the road. This marks the Tigers’ second of five straight games against likely NCAA tournament teams, and presents a massive opportunity for Dennis Gates’s squad to elevate itself above a conference rival.

Nevada Wolf Pack (17–7) at San Diego State Aztecs (17–6)

Saturday, 10 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

A year after getting four teams into the field of 68, the Mountain West is again competitive at the top with three teams in the mix. San Diego State (Last Four In) is among them, but the résumé remains thin, with just one Q1 win and three Q2 wins in the bank. The schedule down the stretch is loaded, however, beginning with a Q2 opportunity against Nevada—a solid team led by junior guard Corey Camper Jr.—so if the Aztecs are worthy of a tournament spot, they can play their way into the field with a few strong weeks.

Saint Mary’s Gaels (22–4) at Pacific Tigers (17–10)

Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

If you have an opportunity to follow two (or even three) games at once as your Saturday night comes to a close, the second-best tilt in the WCC is also well worth your time. Saint Mary’s (Last Four Byes) looks capable of winning a round or more in the NCAA tournament, but with Gonzaga and Santa Clara playing this well, the Gaels must avoid any slipups before playing that pair again in the final week of the regular season. Pacific has been much improved under second-year coach Dave Smart and has lost just one game at home this season going into this matchup.

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