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College basketball games this week: Top 10 games to watch, including Kentucky-Tennessee

By Mike Phillips

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 12: Keion Brooks Jr. #12 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates in the first half against the Florida Gators at Rupp Arena on February 12, 2022 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 12: Keion Brooks Jr. #12 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates in the first half against the Florida Gators at Rupp Arena on February 12, 2022 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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With less than a month to go until Selection Sunday, Week 15’s college basketball schedule offers plenty of monster matchups that could help shape the bracket.

The Super Bowl has come and gone, and its later date means that we are that much closer to March Madness. Sunday marked exactly one month until the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed, making each game between now and then one that has monster implications for both the top of the bracket and teams on the bubble.

There are just three weeks left in the regular season before we hit Championship Week, making each game more important than the one that preceded it. Let’s take a look at the 10 best matchups on tap for Week 15, starting with a loaded Tuesday night that features four of the week’s best games.

Top 10 Games on the Week 15 College Basketball schedule

Note: All games listed below were on the schedule as of post-time. COVID-19 related issues can lead to a postponement on short notice.

Wake Forest at Duke – Tuesday, 2/15 at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN

Duke doesn’t have many tournament-worthy foes in the ACC but Wake Forest is a notable exception. The Demon Deacons are ahead of schedule in a rebuild and on pace to land a single-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament but a win over the Blue Devils would push them closer to lock status.

Villanova at Providence – Tuesday, 2/15 at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

The game of the year in the Big East comes Tuesday night as the league’s top two teams face off at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Villanova currently trails the Friars in the standings and a Providence win would put them in the driver’s seat for their first regular-season title in program history.

Wisconsin at Indiana – Tuesday, 2/15 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Another week in the Big Ten brings an important game for someone and in this case it’s Indiana. The Hoosiers have lost three games in a row entering this matchup against Wisconsin and need to get a win here to stop the bleeding while the Badgers will look to bounce back from a shocking home loss against Rutgers over the weekend.

Kentucky at Tennessee – Tuesday, 2/15 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN

The best game of the night is an SEC showdown between Kentucky and Tennessee. The Wildcats are trying to push for a No. 1 seed while the Volunteers have quietly won four games in a row to creep one game behind Kentucky in the SEC standings.

Illinois at Rutgers-Wednesday, 2/16 at 7:00 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network

This game has gotten much more interesting thanks to the rapid rise of Rutgers, which has won three straight games against ranked conference opponents for the first time in program history. The Scarlet Knights will get a chance to extend their streak at home against Illinois, a win they would love to get over a Fighting Illini team that could be a Top 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Baylor at Texas Tech – Wednesday, 2/16 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Nary a week goes by without a monster Big 12 showdown and this week’s edition features Baylor traveling to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech. Two of the conference’s best programs meet here with the Red Raiders looking to avenge a three-point loss in Waco when these teams last met back in January.

Alabama at Kentucky – Saturday, 2/19 at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

The big week for Kentucky continues as they welcome Alabama to Rupp Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Crimson Tide are capable of beating anyone in the country when they play their best basketball so this will be a good test for the Wildcats after their trip to Tennessee on Tuesday.

Illinois at Michigan State – Saturday, 2/19 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX

These two teams played a tight one in Champaign a few weeks ago with Illinois pulling out a one-point win without either Kofi Cockburn or Andre Curbelo available. Both are back for the Fighting Illini here as they look to complete a season sweep of the Spartans, who are looking to snap out of a mini-funk with a win.

Oregon at Arizona – Saturday, 2/19 at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN

Arizona is well on its way to a Pac-12 regular season title and a No. 1 seed but one of their trickiest games left comes here with a visit from Oregon, who are squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble at this point. The Ducks have proven to be capable on the road, sweeping USC and UCLA in a week’s span earlier in the season, but have lost questionable games like last week’s 14-point home defeat against Cal to make a win here almost necessary.

Michigan at Wisconsin – Sunday, 2/20 at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

A preseason Top 10 team, Michigan is trying to overcome a slow start and climb back onto the bubble, a task that has been helped by strong results like last week’s 82-58 victory against Purdue. The Wolverines hit the road here to take on a strong Wisconsin team that enters the week just a half-game out of first place in the Big Ten.

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