Another weekend closer to Selection Sunday and the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. We’re almost there folks, hang tight.
The regular season is getting hot. Conference title races are heating up and the bubble gets more complex as each day passes. We are right in the thick of things.
So, with that being said, lets look at some key games across the nation for this upcoming weekend.
Friday
Richmond Spiders at VCU Rams
7 pm on ESPN 2
Yeah, Friday night isn’t the best slate of games but there is never a bad night of college hoops.
A rivalry known as the Capital City Classic, these two schools are only six miles apart in Richmond, Virginia. Both teams are in the top half of the A-10 but only VCU is vying for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. At 17 – 7 overall the Rams have won 14 of their last 17, with all three losses coming in conference.
Expect a close game, Richmond’s last three losses have been by a total of seven points. VCU has to win this game to keep their at-large hopes alive.
Saturday
No. 11 Texas Tech Red Raiders at No. 20 Texas Longhorns
12:30 pm on ABC
The reunion for former Texas Tech, now current Longhornshead coach Chris Beard did not go his way back on February 1 in Lubbock. TTU won in convincing fashion 77-64 while the Red Raiders shot 42% from three-point land.
Texas Tech has one of the best defenses in the nation allowing only 61.3 points/game and ranking third on KenPom in Defensive Efficiency, but Texas has a very good defense of their own.
The Longhorns will be out for revenge against the red-hot Red Raiders
No. 25 Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats
1 pm on CBS
Alabama has never won at Kentucky in back-to-back years. Nate Oats and ‘Bama have an opportunity to do that Saturday afternoon.
Guard Jaden Shackelford averages about 17 point/game for Alabama but was held to just six when these two teams met earlier this month. In that match-up, Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe had 15 rebounds, adding to his nation-leading count.
It is still unknown if freshman guard TyTy Washington will play for Kentucky or not but this will still be one of the best games of the weekend.
No. 16 Tennessee Volunteers at No. 23 Arkansas Razorbacks
4 pm on ESPN
In their first home game since upsetting No. 1 Auburn, Arkansas will look to beat another team ranked ahead of them on their own floor. Arkansas has won six straight at Bud Walton Arena by an average of 14 points – it is never an easy place to play.
Tennessee is coming off a nice win of their own. On Tuesday night they dominated Kentucky winning 76-63. Guards Kennedy Chandler and Santiago Vescovi will lead the Vols backcourt as both combine for nearly 27 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals per game.
Both teams average more than 74 points/game. Let’s hope both Arkansas and Tennessee surpass that mark.
North Carolina Tar Heels at Virginia Tech Hokies
4 pm on ESPN 2
This game could have major implications on the bubble. Virginia Tech is on the rise, winning six straight and North Carolina needs to bounce back quick after a terrible loss at home to Pitt on Wednesday night.
The Hokies do not have a Quad 1 win but a victory over UNC would be their sixth in Quad 2. Beating a team above them on the bubble is exactly what Va. Tech needs to do – their only Quad 1 game left in the regular season is at Miami next weekend.
North Carolina’s loss to Pitt was originally a Quad 4 loss, but the nine-point victory in Chapel Hill bumped them up from 179thto 159th in the NET rankings, moving the Panthers from Quad 4 to Quad 3 after the final buzzer.
Both teams need a win in this game, and Cassell Coliseum in Blackburg will be rocking.
Oklahoma Sooners at Iowa State Cyclones
2 pm on Big 12 Network / ESPN+
Another game that could shake up the bubble. The Big 12 has been so good this year, both teams are tied for second-to-last in the conference at 4 – 9.
Iowa State has eight Quad 1 wins this season and that will go a long way on Selection Sunday. Leading scorer and rebounder Izaiah Brockington will look to have his third 20+ point game in a row.
Oklahoma needs to get back to their winning ways. They have lost 10 of their last 13 games, but their last two Quad 1 losses have been by a combined five points. The Sooners are looking for their fourth Q1 victory of the season.
Oregon Ducks at No. 3 Arizona Wildcats
10pm on ESPN
Arizona has been a top-five team all season. Tommy Lloyd has done an incredible job taking over this team from Sean Miller and has the Wildcats in line for their first regular season Pac-12 title since 2018.
Oregon needs a statement win after suffering a Quad 3 loss on Thursday night at the hands of Arizona State. The Ducks are very well in the mix of things on the bubble and a victory over Arizona in Tucson could potentially spark a tournament run for a team that has not reached their expectations for this season.
BYU Cougars at Saint Mary’s Gaels
10 pm on ESPN 2
Late night WCC basketball never disappoints… unless Gonzaga is up 40. What else are you doing on a Saturday night in mid-February other than watching some college basketball?
BYU beat Saint Mary’s earlier this season and the Cougars will get another crack at notching their fourth Quad 1 win. With Saint Mary’s almost certainly in the field of 68, a win for BYU would look very pretty on the resume after struggling for the past three weeks or so.
This could be the last Q1 opportunity for the Coogs but a potential match-up in the WCC Tournament against Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, or San Francisco would give them another shot.
Sunday
Michigan Wolverines at No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers
1 pm on CBS
Michigan has made a run for the bubble in the tail end of the regular season. A victory Thursday night at Iowa surely moved them up the bubble watch, and a road victory against Johnny Davis and Wisconsin could be the victory that propels Michigan into the Big Dance.
Michigan’s leading scorer and rebounder Hunter Dickinson will look to control the paint, but if Moussa Diabate has a night like he did against Iowa, the Badgers might be in trouble.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers
5:30 pm on FS1
Steve Pikiell and Rutgers have been running through the Big Ten’s top teams like a hot knife through butter. The Scarlet Knights have four straight AP-ranked and Quad 1 wins: Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Illinois. They will look for their fifth against a very good Purdue team.
The Boilermakers have one of the better offenses in the country. Leading scorer Jaden Ivey has been playing like an All-American and will likely be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Rutgers will look to attack Purdue’s shaky defense as they allow close to 70 points/game and rank 99th on KenPom in Defensive Efficiency.
Rutgers forward Ron Harper Jr. is questionable for this game with a non-shooting hand injury.