Though we’re about one week away from conference tournament play, there’s still plenty of life left in the men’s college basketball regular season. Not only are the No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels slated to face their archrival, top-ranked Duke, for the second time this season, but several key matchups also await teams on the cusp of making the NCAA tournament. With that said, here are some of college basketball’s biggest upsets and top performances from last week, along with a few games to watch in the coming days.
Greatest Upsets
Saturday, Feb. 28: West Virginia 79, No. 19 BYU 71
The phrase, “Any team could win on any given night,” could never have been more true than in West Virginia’s 79–71 upset over No. 19 BYU. This was a game that not many people had on their radar for an upset, but the unranked Mountaineers seemingly dominated the Cougars in every facet of the game.
Forcing nine BYU turnovers in the first half, the Mountaineers soared to a 40–26 lead and clung onto it to finish the upset. Honor Huff contributed to the victory with a team-high 19 points, while his batterymate, Brenen Lorient, scored a solid 18 points. BYU’s Robert Wright III scored 23 points, but it wouldn’t be enough to overcome such a halftime deficit. The Cougars are looking a little shaky as we head into the tournament.
Saturday, Feb. 28: St. Mary’s 70, No. 9 Gonzaga 59
For being a perennial powerhouse under the helm of head coach Mark Few, No. 9 Gonzaga has flown under the radar this season despite such a high ranking. What didn’t go under the radar, however, was St. Mary’s comeback win over the Zags in a 70–59 shootout.
Despite trailing by seven points at halftime, the Gaels quickly knotted things up with 11 minutes left in the second half and eventually pulled away for the victory. Sophomore guard Mikey Lewis recorded a season-high 31 points — including seven threes — along with five rebounds and four assists to help seal the game for the Gaels. Joshua Dent added 14 points, while Mantas Juzenas chipped in with 12 points as well.
Sunday, Mar. 1: Ohio State 82, No. 8 Purdue 74
The unranked Ohio State Buckeyes finally got their chance to play spoiler on Sunday against No. 8 Purdue, winning by a score of 82–74. They’ve come within a few points of upset victories over several Top 25 opponents over the course of the regular season, but hadn’t been able to come through until now.
Sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. continued his stellar sophomore campaign by recording 21 points, two rebounds, and three assists. He shot 5-for-11 from the three-point line, boosting his three-point percentage to 43.2% for the season. Despite posting an average 18–11 regular-season record, the Buckeyes are more than capable of stringing together victories in the Big Ten Tournament to hopefully receive an automatic bid for the Big Dance.
Top Performers
Alex Karaban, forward (UConn), had a senior day to remember with a 23-point, three rebound and two assist performance in the No. 6 Huskies’ 71-67 victory against Seton Hall.
Jaxon Kohler, forward (Michigan State), contributed to the No. 13 Spartan’s in-conference win over Indiana with a 21-point, 13-reebound double-double.
Cameron Boozer, forward (Duke), helped the No. 1 Blue Devils clinch the ACC regular season title, recording 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a 93-64 molly whopping of rival NC State.
Xavier Edmonds, forward (TCU), accounted for 20 points and 12 rebounds during the unranked Horned Frogs’ 73-65 upset win over tenth-ranked Texas Tech
Andrej Stojakovic, guard (Illinois) added a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double in No. 11 Illinois’ 80-54 triumph of the Oregon Ducks
Games to Watch
Friday, Mar. 6: No. 19 Miami Ohio (30-0) at Ohio (15-15)
Some MACtion for a Lato’s Lens game to watch? You bet, especially since the No. 19 RedHawks can clinch a 31–0 undefeated regular season with a win. But funny enough, they aren’t entirely in the clear for a berth in the NCAA Tournament. They’ve played a very weak schedule, including several marginal victories against struggling MAC schools, and are a loss away from jeopardizing their fate in the postseason. A loss in the conference tournament could seriously hurt their chances of going dancing. March is full of surprises, so their matchup against in-state rival Ohio should be a fun one.
Saturday, Mar. 7: No. 17 North Carolina (24-6) at No. 1 Duke (28-2)
The Tar Heels have held their own in the ACC since losing top scorer Caleb Wilson to injury on Feb. 10 against Miami. They’ve survived several upsets but haven’t quite been the same without Wilson.
Then there’s Duke. The top-ranked Blue Devils have dominated since their loss to UNC a month ago, having defeated then–top-ranked Michigan and No. 11 Virginia to clinch the ACC regular-season title. But, then again, you never know what’s going to happen in a rivalry game of this magnitude. The Blue Devils were favorites going into their last matchup with the Tar Heels but were stripped of a victory with a last-second Seth Trimble three-pointer. This time, the game will be played at the world-famous Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., in front of Duke’s Cameron Crazies. And the best part is it probably won’t be the last time these two meet in 2026.
Saturday, Mar. 7: No. 24 Vanderbilt (23-7) at No. 23 Tennessee (21-9)
You really can’t go wrong with an SEC basketball matchup of this kind, especially in a high-stakes in-state rivalry game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Both teams are virtually even, sitting in the top 25 with rosters full of elite college talent.
Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner is averaging 19 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. He’s fresh off a 34-point performance in an 89–86 overtime victory over Ole Miss and has been quintessential to the Commodores’ success thus far.
Meanwhile, Vols senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie leads the team in both points per game (18) and assists (5.6). He also scored 17 points in their 69–65 win against the Commodores in February, so Vanderbilt will certainly have its eyes on him this Saturday.