Duke–North Carolina, Men’s College Basketball’s Best Rivalry, Highlights Weekend Slate
The first weekend in February brings us an epic men’s college basketball slate to look forward to. Four matchups between top-10 teams mean this weekend’s results will be paramount in shaping conference title races around the country, not to mention NCAA tournament seeding. Plus, Selection Sunday inching closer means more pressure on bubble teams to lock in their spot in the Big Dance.
Here’s a look at what to expect during this weekend’s loaded schedule.
The headliners
No. 1 UConn Huskies at St. John’s Red Storm, Feb. 3, 12 p.m. ET
Sparks have been flying between Dan Hurley and Rick Pitino since these two teams met back in December, from controversies over the location of future meetings to questions regarding Hurley’s animated sideline antics. These types of feuds are part of what made the old Big East such a compelling product, and they set the stage for an intriguing rematch Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
While technically a home game for the Red Storm, expect plenty of UConn fans in the building as the Huskies attempt to protect their No. 1 spot in the polls. Meanwhile, it’d be an early signature win for Pitino and St. John’s, who sit squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble.
No. 4 Houston Cougars at No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks, Feb. 3, 4 p.m. ET
Houston’s first trip to Allen Fieldhouse as a member of the Big 12 comes with both teams in the top 10 of the polls, a game that could go a long way in determining who claims the Big 12’s regular-season crown. The Cougars’ ferocious defense has carried them to the top of the conference standings in their first season in the league, not missing a beat from Houston’s dominance of the AAC in recent years. But for two decades under Bill Self, the Big 12 title has run squarely through Lawrence, Kans. Finding a way to win this one would be a pretty clear signal that Houston is a legitimate threat not just to claim the Big 12 crown, but also to cut down the nets in Phoenix in April.
North Carolina star guard RJ Davis celebrates during a game last month.
Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports
No. 7 Duke Blue Devils at No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels, Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m. ET
College basketball’s best rivalry is renewed in Chapel Hill on Saturday night, and the stakes are high. North Carolina’s surprising road loss at Georgia Tech earlier this week provides a clearer path for the Blue Devils to usurp the Tar Heels as the ACC’s top dog, though UNC does still hold a 1½-game lead over Duke at the top of the conference standings.
The biggest key in the Tar Heels’ bounce-back campaign has been a resurgent defense, one that ranks in the top five of KenPom’s national rankings. Can the Heels quiet an explosive Duke offensive attack led by star big man Kyle Filipowski? Filipowski outdueling North Carolina star guard RJ Davis on Davis’s home floor could swing things in the ACC Player of the Year race.
No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers at No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats, Feb. 3, 8:30 p.m. ET
This matchup may have lost a bit of luster after both teams lost surprising home games this week (Tennessee to South Carolina and Kentucky to Florida). Still, it’s a showdown between the two SEC teams with arguably the highest March ceilings. Tennessee is elite defensively, but believes this season it has the firepower to win a national championship because of superstar transfer Dalton Knecht. And Kentucky hasn’t had any issues scoring the ball, but has stumbled of late defensively to raise alarm bells in Lexington, Ky. Alabama currently leads the SEC, but the conference crown may well end up going to whichever team wins the two matchups between the Vols and Wildcats this season.
No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers at No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers, Feb. 4, 1 p.m. ET
If three top-10 showdowns Saturday aren’t enough to satisfy your hoops craving, we get one more Sunday afternoon, this time in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers have been the heavy favorite to win the league since the preseason, but have gotten quite the early push from the Badgers, whose hot start has vaulted them from outside the preseason AP Top 25 to knocking on the door of the top five. The Badgers’ highly rated offense may just have the shot-making ability to match the Boilermakers’ dynamic unit, but will they have an answer for Zach Edey on the interior? Edey had 30 points and 15 rebounds last time out in an overtime win over Northwestern.
Bubble battles
- Colorado Buffaloes at Utah Utes: No team other than Arizona looks like a surefire NCAA tournament team from the Pac-12. Both of these teams are in the mix for bids and could use a win, particularly Utah, which lost both legs of its trip to Washington last week by a combined 47 points.
- Florida Gators at Texas A&M Aggies: The Gators are flying high after Todd Golden’s team won at Rupp Arena on Wednesday, the program’s first top-10 win in more than two decades. Can they add a second Quad 1 win this week on the road in College Station, Texas, to further solidify themselves as an NCAA tournament team?
- Utah State Aggies at San Diego State Aztecs: One of the best coaching jobs in the country this season has been done in Logan, Utah, by first-year coach Danny Sprinkle, who inherited zero returning points scored from last season and yet somehow has Utah State atop the loaded Mountain West Conference. Next up is a challenge on the road against defending national runner-up San Diego State.
- Saint Mary’s Gaels at Gonzaga Bulldogs: Gonzaga is still without a Quad 1 win, which leaves the Bulldogs’ spot in the NCAA tournament somewhat tenuous despite impressive quality-based metrics. Beating Saint Mary’s would at least temporarily quiet those concerns about a March Madness without Mark Few’s team.
- Virginia Cavaliers at Clemson Tigers: Virginia has won five straight to reassert itself as a potential NCAA tournament team after a disastrous stretch early in conference play. Still, the Cavaliers don’t possess much room for error in an ACC that lacks the depth of other high-major leagues. Clemson, on the other hand, sits under .500 in league play and needs to protect its home court to avoid slipping further down the league’s pecking order.
Mid-major game of the weekend: Drake Bulldogs at Indiana State Sycamores
The Missouri Valley title race has been wildly entertaining. The latest big matchup to watch is in Terre Haute, Ind., where a sellout crowd is expected to watch this showdown with first place on the line. Robbie Avila and Tucker DeVries are two of the best mid-major players in the country and both will be on display in this one.
