We have officially made it to the final week of the college basketball regular season. Title hopes are on the line as teams make their final push before their conference tournaments.
Some tournaments will take place this week such as the Horizon League, Sun Belt, Patriot League, NEC, MAAC and the WCC to name a few. After this week, there will be five teams that have officially punched their ticket into March Madness. As for the rest of the country, top teams will hope to end the regular season on a high note and continue their streak into tournament play.
On March 4, UMiami will take on SMU in an ACC showdown. The Hurricanes jumped into the top 25 this week as they sit at No. 22 in the country. They travel to face the Mustangs who sit in the middle of conference ranking. The Hurricanes will end their season against Louisville at home on March 7 in a showdown that might shake up some rankings before the ACC tournament starts on March 10.
The following day, No. 3 Michigan will take on Iowa for the first meeting between these two teams this season. The Hawkeyes end the season against the top-ranked Wolverines and then travel to No. 9 Nebraska on March 9. Iowa still holds a steady record in the Big Ten considering the strength of programs that are on display.
On March 6, Miami (OH) will take on Ohio for their final regular season game and a shot at history. The RedHawks are looking to complete their perfect 31-0 season before the Mid-American tournament. Miami (OH) would be the first team in history to complete a perfect season and not be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This is due to their strength of schedule not being the best; however, an undefeated record still speaks for itself.
No. 18 St. John’s will close out their season against Seton Hall as they continue to try and rebuild from their gut punching loss to UConn last week. If the Red Storm can rebound well and get back to their style of play, they can make a run in the Big East tournament and potentially shoot up a few rankings before Selection Sunday.
Saturday’s slate is stacked with the matchups and conference rankings on the line.
No. 20 Arkansas and Missouri will close out their season at Mizzou Arena as the two battle for the No. 3 seed in the SEC tournament. The Razorbacks have a slight lead with a better conference record of 11-5 compared to the Tigers 10-6. This is the first meeting between the two sides and is sure to be a doozy.
UConn will look to close out their regular season taking on a struggling Marquette. The Golden Eagles fell to the Huskies on the road back in early January and are looking for a little redemption as their season ends. The Huskies got away with a win on senior day against Seton Hall and are hoping to end the regular season on a four-game winning streak heading into the Big East tournament.
No. 23 Tennessee will host No. 24 Vanderbilt in another heavyweight battle as the two will fight for national rankings along with SEC rankings. The conference is so close when it comes to rankings with just a few games being the difference between a third seed or an eighth seed. The conference has five teams ranked with many others hoisting impressive records.
Staying in conference, the Florida Gators clinched the SEC regular season title for the first time in 12 years. The Gators are now ranked fifth in the country and will end their season on the road against Kentucky. The Wildcats are still fighting for rankings, so this will be a big game for them as a win could boost their SEC ranking, along with a quad one win helping their NCAA ranking.
No. 10 Texas Tech will take on BYU who find themselves out of the top 25 for the first time this season. This is after back-to-back losses for the Cougars against UCF and West Virginia. Texas Tech won the earlier matchup between the two schools 84-71 back in January. The Cougars are only at 8-8 in conference and will need to make a run in the Big 12 tournament if they want a solid ranking for March.
Lastly, the rivalry of blue bloods will conclude ACC play when No. 1 Duke hosts No. 17 North Carolina. The previous meeting between these two ended in heartbreak for the Blue Devils off a last second buzzer-beating three pointer for the Tar Heels. Duke has won the following seven games claiming the ACC regular season crown and are looking for a little redemption against their in-state rivals.
On March 8, another in-state rivalry will finalize the season when No. 3 Michigan hosts No. 8 Michigan State. Both programs have been close to perfect this season, with very strong rankings heading into the postseason. Michigan will likely receive a No. 1 seed in March, and the Spartans should not be far behind as they are projected between a two and four seed. This matchup will start some drama early before the Big Ten tournament.
The upcoming week should be a fun one with some conferences diving into tournament play while others finish their regular season. No matter what, they are going to be close games that could not come at a more crucial time.
The calendar has finally flipped; it is officially March.