Men’s Basketball Preview: Houston-Baylor Could Help Decide Big 12 Title Race

Wake Forest looks for a decisive win for its NCAA tournament résumé and Alabama nears another SEC regular-season title.

The final weekend of February is officially upon us, and the action in the men’s college basketball world already feels like March. So far we’ve seen multiple court storms, a couple of buzzer beaters and epic overtime games this week, and who knows what might be in store for us with another packed slate on Saturday.

Here’s a look at what you’ll want to be paying attention to this weekend, from a Big 12 showdown between the Houston Cougars and Baylor Bears to a pair of intriguing ACC matchups that could shape the league’s title race.

The headliners

Houston Cougars at Baylor Bears, Feb. 24, 12 p.m. ET

Houston currently controls the race for the Big 12 regular-season title in its first season in the league, but still has plenty of work to do to finish the job. That starts Saturday in Waco, Texas, against a Baylor team looking to stay in the conference title race and add a résumé-topping win. The matchup pits Houston’s top-ranked defense against Baylor’s dynamic offense, a unit that ranks second in the nation in three-point shooting and features elite guards RayJ Dennis and Ja’Kobe Walter. The battle between Dennis and Houston star point guard Jamal Shead should be all kinds of fun to watch.

Shead will lead Houston into a matchup of guard against Dennis and Walter :: Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports

Duke Blue Devils at Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Feb. 24, 2 p.m. ET

Predictive metrics believe this Wake Forest team more than qualifies as a tournament-caliber team. The problem: Wake doesn’t have the résumé to back up its lofty KenPom ranking right now. Sitting at just 1–5 in Quad 1 games and 5–9 against the top two quadrants, the Demon Deacons desperately need a win here to solidify themselves for the Big Dance. Wake hung around when these two teams met at Cameron Indoor Stadium earlier this month, but a brutal 6-of-26 shooting day from deep foiled an upset bid by Steve Forbes’s team.

Alabama Crimson Tide at Kentucky Wildcats, Feb. 24, 4 p.m. ET

Alabama is averaging a ridiculous 91 points per game this season, matching the highest average by any Division I team since the VMI Keydets in 2006–07. Matching this explosive Crimson Tide offensive attack with the Wildcats’ dynamic unit means we could be in for an unbelievably high-scoring afternoon at Rupp Arena. The speed, shooting and guard play on display for both teams should be phenomenal, and I can’t wait to see Mark Sears and Alabama’s veteran guards against Rob Dillingham and the youthful Kentucky backcourt. A road win would go a long way toward the Tide wrapping up a third SEC regular-season title in the last four years.

North Carolina Tar Heels at Virginia Cavaliers, Feb. 24, 4 p.m. ET

Recent stumbles by Virginia, including a 34-point loss to the rival Virginia Tech Hokies on Monday, have brought the Cavaliers back into bubble conversations heading into a big weekend tilt with league-leading North Carolina. Virginia’s anemic offense has averaged just 50.3 points per game over its last three games, which makes this an appealing spot for North Carolina to get its slumping defense back on track. The Heels need a win here to stay in the conversation for a No. 1 seed come NCAA tournament time.

Villanova Wildcats at UConn Huskies, Feb. 24, 8 p.m. ET

Facing UConn at home coming off a disappointing performance at the Creighton Bluejays feels like a less-than-ideal time to see the Huskies, but it’s an opportunity nonetheless for a bubblicious Villanova team to secure its spot in the Big Dance. UConn got carved up Tuesday night in Omaha, giving up 14 threes in the team’s worst defensive performance of the season. Can a desperate Villanova take anything from that game plan? Storrs, Conn., should be rocking with ESPN’s College GameDay in town.

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Bubble battles

• Butler Bulldogs at Seton Hall Pirates: Butler has lost four of five, jeopardizing its path to the Big Dance despite owning a pair of monster road wins at Creighton and the Marquette Golden Eagles. The Bulldogs can revitalize their NCAA tournament hopes with another key win away from home, but it won’t be easy against a Seton Hall team that sits at 10–5 in Big East play.
• Utah Utes at Colorado Buffaloes: The hopes of more than two bids from the Pac-12 may well rest on one of these teams rising above the fray down the stretch. Utah seems like the best candidate to do so based on its overall résumé, but the Utes have struggled lately, with recent bad losses to the Arizona State Sun Devils and USC Trojans. A bounce-back road win here would be a huge Quad 1 victory.
• South Carolina Gamecocks at Ole Miss Rebels: Ole Miss is teetering on the bubble in Chris Beard’s first season and desperately needs to protect home court to get back to .500 in SEC play. The issue: South Carolina could be similarly desperate after a pair of losses.
• Iowa Hawkeyes at Illinois Fighting Illini: After consecutive wins over the Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan State Spartans, Iowa is all of the sudden not that far from NCAA tournament consideration. It’s a long shot, but a road win at Illinois would thrust the Hawkeyes deep into the bubble mix.
• Mississippi State Bulldogs at LSU Tigers: Mississippi State’s résumé is very home-dominated, with signature wins in Starkville, Miss., over the Tennessee Volunteers and Auburn Tigers but less meat on the bone otherwise. That’s why finding a way to win in Baton Rouge this weekend against an LSU team fresh off a thrilling win over Kentucky feels critical.

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Mid-major game of the weekend: George Mason Patriots at Loyola Chicago Ramblers

This is a big-time matchup of two of the best young coaches in the country. Drew Valentine, 32, has the Ramblers tied atop the Atlantic 10 standings and winners of 13 of 15, while Tony Skinn, 41, has led his alma mater to an 18–8 mark and the program’s first-ever ranked win against the Dayton Flyers in his first season on the job.