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College Basketball: 5 best games for Week 15

By Nathaniel Reeves

Jan 21, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self calls a play during the first half of the game against the Texas Longhorns at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 79-67. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self calls a play during the first half of the game against the Texas Longhorns at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 79-67. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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These five games rank as the best in the nation in college basketball for Week 15.

With another exciting edition of Rivalry Week in the books, the college basketball regular season is officially in the stretch run.

Less than one month remains until Selection Sunday, giving top teams only a few more games to make a move in conference title races. Week 14 was filled with plenty of action, including preseason No. 1 Duke playing its best game of the season in a win over North Carolina and Gonzaga clearing its last major hurdle to an undefeated season at Saint Mary’s on Saturday night.

In addition, a few teams got a look at where they stand in tournament seeding with a special committee preview on Saturday morning, as the top four teams in each region as things stand were revealed. Top seeds Villanova, Baylor, Kansas and Gonzaga will try to defend their ranking this week, while surprise omissions like Wisconsin and Cincinnati will try to improve their resumes.

Week 15 doesn’t quite have the same loaded schedule as the past seven days, but some key showdowns in the Big 12 and ACC will still be worth watching.

5. USC at UCLA, Saturday 10:00 p.m. ET

While the Trojans are putting together a solid season and are in great shape to make the NCAA Tournament, completing the season sweep over the archrival Bruins would be a huge boost for their resume.

Andy Enfield has USC rolling along at 21-5 overall, matching their win total from a year ago, including an 8-5 record in Pac-12 play. The Trojans have taken care of business against the bottom tier of the conference and own the 84-76 win over UCLA back on Jan. 25, but don’t have any other victories that really jump off the page.

UCLA is having its best season of the Steve Alford era at 23-3 overall and 10-3 in Pac-12 play, which earned it a four seed in the committee preview. The Bruins silenced some critics with an impressive comeback win on Thursday night against Oregon, as they played impressive defense in the second half.

USC’s zone defense frustrated the Bruins in the first matchup and forced seven turnovers out of Lonzo Ball, which is surprising given how terrific the freshman point guard has been this year. Don’t expect Ball to play that poorly again after an excellent performance on both ends of the floor against the Ducks.

The Trojans have the athleticism to keep up with UCLA’s offense and will have a healthy Bennie Boatwright this time around, so Saturday’s game could be a real battle. Still, if the Bruins can match their level of defensive play from last weekend, they are going to be tough to beat at home.