Another week of college basketball means another week of must-watch games.
Feb. 25 pits No. 15 St. John’s against No. 6 UConn. The Huskies have now lost three straight to the Red Storm dating back to last season.
Dan Hurley’s squad fell short to Creighton on Feb. 18 but rebounded well on the road against a tough Villanova squad. They will need that same energy to take on the Johnnies in Hartford.
The defending national champion, the Florida Gators, will travel to Texas in a big showdown in the SEC. The Gators are riding a seven-game winning streak including wins over ranked Alabama and Kentucky. The Gators are looking more likely to defend their title after an inconsistent start to the season.
The Longhorns are on the bubble with a win against No. 7 Florida helping their case to be a First Four in. Three of their final four games are against Quadrant one teams, making their road much more difficult. However, with wins against these opponents, they can only build their case on why they should be playing in March.
No. 25 Vanderbilt is also a team near the bubble, but in a higher ranking than Texas. The Commodores should be a lock when it comes to March with a 21-6 record on the season. They will face Georgia who is fighting for a spot in the bubble as well and will be playing for a lot on Wednesday night.
No. 20 Arkansas will also have a tough game against Texas A&M as the Aggies are fighting for a bubble spot as well. The Razorbacks should already be a lock in the tournament with a strong resume on the season; however, a few late slip-ups could put them lower than they want to be.
Feb. 26 has a big top 15 showdown between No. 8 Purdue and No. 13 Michigan State. Both squads are 22-5 this season and 12-4 in the conference. This matchup is bound to come down to the wire with both teams showing big strides this season along with a few hiccups. The ranked Big Ten teams have multiple Quad one wins and are looking to make deep runs in the tournament. Their talent will be tested sooner with both teams looking for an advantage over the other.
On Feb. 27, No. 3 Michigan will look to bounce back against a top ranked opponent after falling short against No. 3 Duke. The Blue Devils were able to hold off and secure the victory, defeating the top ranked Wolverines 68-63.
This matchup will be a big one for both schools with both teams sitting atop the Big Ten. Michigan has been perfect all season dropping only two games, one in conference. This top 10 matchup might reshape the Big Ten tournament, even with Michigan’s lead over the rest of the conference.
Feb. 28 has a whole slate of top 25 matchups which are sure to spoil some team’s flow.
No. 11 Virginia will travel to newly ranked No. 1 Duke. After Duke’s big victory over Michigan, they will look to keep the hot streak going against ranked opponents. Virginia is also heating up, winning eight straight.
No. 2 Arizona will host No. 14 Kansas, this time in Arizona. The two powerhouses met at Allen Fieldhouse at the beginning of the month, which gave Arizona their first loss of the season. They would go on to lose the next one at home against Texas Tech, before bouncing back and defeating No. 23 BYU and No. 2 Houston.
The Jayhawks are coming off a big win as well, defeating Houston 69-56 on Monday. Both squads sit on top of the Big 12 and are looking for that final push before postseason play. The powerhouses are hoping to make deep runs in March and are both showing potential to play in Indianapolis.
Also in the Big 12, No. 4 Iowa State will host No. 16 Texas Tech for their only meeting of the season. Both teams are also near the top of the Big 12 at 10-4 in conference play. This game will be pivotal for momentum and getting on track before the Big 12 tournament begins.
Later in the night, No. 22 Tennessee will host No. 17 Alabama for the top ranked SEC opponents. Both teams are 10-4 in conference and 20-7 on the season. They both pair up well against each other, with Tennessee taking the win earlier in the season 79-73. That game was played in Tuscaloosa, so Tennessee will be the home team this time around.
To round out the SEC, No. 7 Florida will host No. 20 Arkansas for the other matchup between top SEC opponents. The top four teams will face each other on Saturday making for a good day to watch some SEC ball.
All talent will be on display this week as the final push to March continues. Teams will hope to separate themselves from others and build up their chances of making runs in their respective conference tournaments.
We are just three weeks away from the start of Madness, get ready to witness some history.