The Duke-Virginia rematch in Charlottesville, along with Top 25 showdowns in the Big East and Big Ten, headline a loaded college basketball weekend.
Feeling bummed that the football season is over? Don’t be, you’ve just stumbled onto one of the most critical times of the sports calendar: College basketball in February.
While March draws all the headlines for the NCAA Tournament, February is the month where the cream rises to the top of the college basketball world. We are deep into conference play, Top 25 matchups litter the schedule every week, and you as a fan get to watch a ton of tremendous basketball.
This weekend is no different, with a huge ACC showdown between two top five teams headlining a loaded slate. There is something for everyone, but it starts with a Big Ten showdown in Ann Arbor.
No. 19 Wisconsin at No. 7 Michigan-Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX
Start off your weekend with a huge Big Ten showdown between the Badgers and Wolverines. Michigan has been one of the best teams in the country this season, getting off to a 17-0 start and entering the contest atop the conference.
The Wolverines rebounded from a road loss at Iowa by handling Rutgers convincingly, 77-65, on the road Tuesday night. Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis led the way for Michigan, pouring in 23 points (including five three-pointers) to help Michigan split the road trip.
Wisconsin has been one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten, ripping off six consecutive victories, including a quality road win at Minnesota earlier this week. Ethan Happ did what Ethan does for the Badgers, recording a double-double with 15 and 10, as the Badgers continue their roll.
The six-game winning streak for Wisconsin began with a win over Michigan back on January 19th at the Kohl Center. Michigan is the home team this time and will be looking to settle the score against the squad that handed them their first loss of the season.
No. 5 Kentucky at Mississippi State-Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
Let’s turn our attention to the SEC for a big matchup between two potential tournament teams. John Calipari’s Wildcats, who enter the day a game behind Tennessee in the SEC standings, are looking like locks to be a top-three seed in March.
Kentucky has been on a tear, winning nine games in a row, including a 76-48 demolition of South Carolina at Rupp Arena on Tuesday. Four Wildcats scored in double figures in that game, including sophomore P.J. Washington, who led the way with 20 points and five rebounds in just 28 minutes.
The Bulldogs have been a bit more of an enigma, trading wins and losses over their past six games. Their latest outing was an overtime loss to No. 21 LSU earlier this week, which was brutal for a Mississippi State team that led most of the way.
Ben Howland’s squad needs to right the ship against the Wildcats, who beat them by 21 in Lexington back on Jan. 22. The Bulldogs are currently 4-5 in SEC play, a mark they will need to improve on in order to get an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament, so a win over the 5th ranked team in the country would be massive.
No. 14 Villanova at No. 10 Marquette-Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX
This showdown between two of the Big East’s best will be a thriller. After some early season struggles, the defending national champs are back in fine form entering this showdown for league supremacy.
Since losing by three at Kansas on Dec. 15, Villanova has won 11 consecutive games, including a perfect 10-0 start in Big East play. The latest win, a 66-59 overtime victory over Creighton on Wednesday, saw four different Wildcats chip in at least 13 points.
The Wildcats will have a tough road test against Marquette, which is 8-2 in Big East play, with both of those losses coming against a resurgent St. John’s team. The Johnnies went into Milwaukee and built a 10 point halftime lead only to hang for dear life in a 70-69 contest on Tuesday.
The Golden Eagles look to get back on track with a big win over their Big East rivals. The contest should feature a ton of high-flying offense since both teams average at least 76 points a night.
This is the first of two matchups between the Big East rivals. Marquette’s return trip to the Wells Fargo Center comes on Feb. 27.
Florida at No. 1 Tennessee-Saturday at 4:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
Tennessee remains the No. 1 team in the land, which isn’t something many pundits would have predicted at the start of the season. The Volunteers are a really good basketball team, however, and will get a chance to flex their muscle against a struggling Florida squad.
The Gators are really struggling, dropping three out of their past four games to fall to 4-5 in SEC play. The latest defeat was a 76-62 loss at Auburn on Tuesday where the Tigers shot 48.1 percent from the floor.
Tennessee is cruising, winners of 17 consecutive games, including a 72-60 triumph over Missouri on Tuesday night. The Vols are led by upperclassmen Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield, each of whom contributed 13 points in the win.
This is the second matchup of the year between the SEC rivals. Tennessee won at Florida, 78-67 back on Jan. 12.
No. 2 Duke at No. 3 Virginia-Saturday at 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
In a weekend full of monster games, this mammoth clash of titans is in a league of its own. On one court in Charlottesville on Saturday night, two of the top three teams in the nation face off in a game that could determine which of these teams is a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The visitors are the loaded Duke Blue Devils, they of the fabulous freshmen led by Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Cam Reddish. Duke has won six straight games and comes into the contest fresh off an 80-55 rout of Boston College earlier this week.
Reddish paced the Blue Devils’ attack in that game, putting up 24 points on 8 of 16 shooting, while Williamson dominated the glass by grabbing 17 rebounds to go along with his 16 points.
The Cavaliers continue to dominate college basketball defensively, leading the nation in total defense by allowing only 52.9 points per game. Virginia earned a fourth straight win with an efficient 56-46 win over Miami, holding the Hurricanes to 34.0 percent shooting from the floor and just 19.0 percent (4 for 21) from beyond the arc.
This is the second matchup of the year between the two ACC powerhouses, with Duke handing the Cavaliers their only loss of the season, a two-point win at Cameron Indoor back on Jan. 19. The change in venue should help the Cavaliers, who have gone 11-0 at home so far this season.
No. 25 Cincinnati at No. 12 Houston-Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
You can round out your college hoops weekend by checking out the two top teams from the American Athletic Conference when Cincinnati squares off against Houston. The teams are fighting for the lead in AAC play, with both teams carrying 8-1 marks through their first nine conference games.
Cincinnati is led by junior guard Jarron Cumberland, who had 25 points and nine rebounds while hitting 5 threes in a 73-68 win at SMU back on Feb. 2. The Bearcats play very stingy defense, allowing only 61.5 points per game entering their matchup at Memphis on Thursday night, a figure that ranks tenth in the nation.
The Cougars have been the class of the AAC all season, carrying a 21-1 record into Thursday’s road game at UCF. Houston is led by its starting backcourt of Corey Davis Jr and Armoni Brooks, with Davis scoring 24 points in a home win over Temple on January 31st.
This is the first of two matchups between the AAC rivals. Houston travels to Cincinnati on March 10 for the final game of the regular season.
Mid-Major Game of the Week: Princeton at Yale-Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+
This week’s mid-major spotlight shifts to the Ivy League where the league’s two top tournament contenders square off. Princeton and Yale are right atop the Ivy League standings, and the winner of this game will assume first place in the conference.
The Tigers are 12-5 on the year, but they do have an impressive result on their resume with a road victory at then-No. 17 Arizona State in December. That game was one of the last for Princeton with leading scorer Devin Cannady, who was suspended after throwing a punch at a campus police officer following an incident at a convenience store
The Tigers have won all three games in Cannady’s absence, but they will be facing a stiff test from Yale. The Bulldogs bounced back from a loss at Harvard with an 89-68 road win over Dartmouth to improve to 3-1 in Ivy League play.
Miye Oni led the way for Yale with a career-high 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting in that game. This is the first matchup of the season between the two clubs, with the Bulldogs and Tigers set to conclude the regular season at Princeton on March 9.