Top-Five Clash Between Marquette and UConn Has Major Implications for NCAA Men’s Tournament

The Big 12 also has multiple high-profile games during a loaded basketball weekend.

We’re just four weekends away from Selection Sunday! As hard as that may be to believe, crunch time is here, as teams jockey for position in conference races and push to lock in NCAA tournament spots. Another massive weekend of games is upon us, including a top-five clash in the Big East with major implications for a No. 1 seed and multiple high-profile showdowns in the Big 12. Plus, the best home court advantage in the SEC hosts the league’s most storied program. What more could you want?

Here’s what to look forward to this weekend in men’s college basketball.

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The headliners

Texas Tech Red Raiders at No. 10 Iowa State Cyclones, Feb. 17, noon

Thanks to recent road wins at the Texas Longhorns and Cincinnati Bearcats, it’s time to start seriously talking about Iowa State as a Big 12 title contender. But keeping pace with the Houston Cougars at the top of the conference standings means holding serve at home against a hot Texas Tech team, even with a huge road trip to play the Cougars looming Monday. The Red Raiders’ elite three-point shooting could cause problems for a Cyclones defense that emphasizes forcing perimeter jumpers, but it’s been unbelievably difficult for teams to win at Hilton Coliseum this season.

No. 17 Creighton Bluejays at Butler Bulldogs, Feb. 17, 12:30 p.m.

The first meeting between these two teams this season was one of the most well-played games of the year, a dynamic offensive display that saw both teams top 1.3 points per possession in an upset road win for the Bulldogs. Can Creighton get revenge at Hinkle Fieldhouse? Slowing down Bulldogs guard Jahmyl Telfort is a must; he went for 26 points on 10-of-14 in the teams’ first meeting, making up for missing guard Posh Alexander. Alexander’s return should be a boon for Butler’s defense, and a win could lock the Bulldogs in as an NCAA tournament team.

Huskies guard Cam Spencer celebrates following a play :: David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports

No. 4 Marquette Golden Eagles at No. 1 UConn Huskies, Feb. 17, 3 p.m.

It’s the game of the year in the Big East, a massive showdown between the top-ranked Huskies and the defending conference champion Golden Eagles. Marquette stealing both the Big East regular-season and tournament crowns last season left a bad test in UConn’s mouth, even if the Huskies did go on to win the national championship. They can begin a revenge tour of sorts Saturday and inch closer to locking up the conference regular-season title by protecting home court Saturday in what should be an incredible atmosphere. That said, Marquette was able to pull UConn’s bigs away from the basket last season thanks to center Oso Ighodaro.. Can Dan Hurley make the necessary adjustments to help the Huskies stay red hot?

No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks at No. 25 Oklahoma Sooners, Feb. 17, 4 p.m.

Kansas has been miserable on the road in the Big 12 this season, losing its last four games and five of six played away from Allen Fieldhouse. That included a blowout defeat Monday against Texas Tech in Lubbock, where the Jayhawks were outclassed without star wing Kevin McCullar. With only two road games left (at the Baylor Bears and Houston Cougars), this may well be Bill Self’s best chance to break through and get a strong conference road win before NCAA tournament time. That said, it won’t be easy against a Sooners team that has surprised this season. OU’s athleticism and versatility on the wing has made them one of the better defensive teams in college basketball.

No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats at No. 13 Auburn Tigers, Feb. 17, 6 p.m.

Walking into Neville Arena as a road team this season? Best of luck. Auburn has been absolutely dominant on its home floor of late. Beating the South Carolina Gamecocks by 40 on Wednesday was the latest example, but the Tigers have won their last four home games by a combined 108 points. All that presents a tremendous challenge for Kentucky, which bounced back with a home win against the Ole Miss Rebels but has been in a rut lately. Defending Auburn’s hyper-efficient offense could be a problem given the Wildcats’ woes on the defensive end, though big man Ugonna Onyenso’s 10 blocks against Ole Miss were a very encouraging sign.

Bubble battles:

• Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Virginia Cavaliers: Wake Forest is still hunting its elusive first Quad 1 win. A road victory in Charlottesville, Va., would certainly qualify. The Demon Deacons blew out Virginia in Winston-Salem, N.C., earlier this year, but UVA has played much better basketball since then and will be motivated after a surprise home loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers earlier this week.
• TCU Horned Frogs at Kansas State Wildcats: K-State is on the outside looking in of the NCAA tournament field right now, which makes holding serve at home essential against a team like TCU. Getting to 6–6 in league play before a road test at Texas on Monday would be huge.
• Seton Hall Pirates at St. John’s Red Storm: We’re approaching must-win territory for Rick Pitino and St. John’s, with SJU losers of seven of nine and their NCAA tournament hopes in serious peril. Protecting home court against fellow bubble teams is a prerequisite for going dancing.
• Nevada Wolf Pack at UNLV Runnin’ Rebels: UNLV has been a thorn in the side of Mountain West bubble teams, tripping up teams from the top of the league while losing to weaker ones at the bottom. Can Nevada win this rivalry game and inch closer to the Big Dance?
• Memphis Tigers at SMU Mustangs: Quad 1 opportunities are few and far between in the AAC, so Memphis desperately needs to take advantage in this road spot at SMU. The Tigers’ résumé is lacking after a midseason four-game losing skid that has jeopardized Memphis’ hopes of going dancing.

Mid-major game of the weekend: Yale Bulldogs at Princeton Tigers

This is a potential preview of the Ivy League title game. It’s a shame that likely just one of these two teams will go dancing, because both have the potential to make noise like the Tigers did in last season’s NCAA tournament. The winner here really improves its chances of winning the Ivy’s regular-season crown, though.