This highlight of this weekend's men's basketball slate should be Marquette at UConn, while matchups in the Big 12 and even the American are worth following. Here are the most important games to watch this weekend.
Saturday, Feb. 17: Texas Tech at No. 10 Iowa State; Noon ET on ESPN+
Texas Tech will make the daunting trip to Hilton Coliseum to take on Iowa State. The Cyclones look like a serious contender not only at the conference level, but the national level as well.
Texas Tech, though, is coming off of a blowout win over Kansas, so maybe the Red Raiders can shock the nation once again. Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey and Texas Tech’s Pop Isaacs are the players to watch in this one. They're some of the most prolific scorers in the Big 12 this season.
Saturday, Feb. 17: No. 17 Creighton at Butler; 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX
For the second game in a row, Butler will face a ranked opponent. The Bulldogs are coming off a close loss to Marquette, so this game provides a huge opportunity for Butler to improve its NCAA tournament resume.
Creighton, on the other hand, is safely in the projected NCAA tournament field and it's in contention for a possible top-two finish in the Big East.
The players to watch include Butler’s D.J. Davis and Pierre Brooks, along with Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner and Baylor Scheierman.
Saturday, Feb. 17: Texas at No. 3 Houston; 1 p.m. ET on CBS
Houston looks like a clear No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament, while Texas is in the projected field for now. However, the Longhorns certainly aren't safe from missing the tournament altogether if they play poorly down the stretch.
Houston won the last matchup at Texas in January, but it took overtime to get it done in what was a great game from start to finish.
Because of Houston's ability to win challenging games like that, the Cougars currently hold the lead the conference standings. Every game is critical as the race for the Big 12 title is very congested.
For Texas, Dylan Disu and Max Abmas are the team's key players. Houston has a stellar duo in L.J. Cryer and Jamal Shead.
Saturday, Feb. 17: No. 4 Marquette at No. 1 UConn; 3 p.m. ET on FOX
The game of the weekend is in the Big East and it features UConn, the top-ranked team in the country, against Marquette.
The Huskies haven’t lost since December and they look like a certified juggernaut. Marquette, though, is the consensus second-best team in the league. UConn has a balanced attack, led by Alex Karaban, Donovan Clingan, and Tristen Newton. Marquette has a great big three of its own in Tyler Kolek, Oso Ighodaro and Kam Jones, all of whom look spectacular at this point in the season. With all that talent sharing the floor, plus the significant implications in the Big East and nationally, this game could be one of the best we’ve seen all season. You won’t want to miss it.
Saturday, Feb. 17: No. 6 Kansas at No. 25 Oklahoma; 4 p.m. ET on ESPN
Kansas will try to get back on track against Oklahoma. The Jayhawks are coming off of a loss on the road to Texas Tech in disastrous fashion. Kansas has struggled on the road, so they could be in trouble on Saturday if they don’t figure out their woes away from home.
Oklahoma boasts one of the best scorers in the conference in Javian McCollum, who could be a major problem for Kansas if Jayhawks guard Kevin McCullar is out again with an injury. His status is still unknown heading into the weekend. Kansas has other key players like center Hunter Dickinson and forward K.J. Adams, but McCullar has been sorely missed.
Saturday, Feb. 17: No. 22 Kentucky at No. 13 Auburn 6 p.m. ET on ESPN
College Gameday will be at Auburn, where Kentucky will face one of the most hostile environments in college basketball. Kentucky has scuffled lately, taking four losses in the last month, including three at home.
Auburn is coming off of a 40-point win over South Carolina and it will look to build on that performance against the Wildcats. Auburn's Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams lead the way for the Tigers, with a spectacular supporting cast alongside them.
Kentucky also sports a deep lineup with both veteran Antonio Reeves and freshman Reed Sheppard frequently filling up the box score. Kentucky is desperate for a big win to get back on track, while Auburn is making a push for the SEC regular-season title. There's a lot on the line in this game.
Sunday, Feb. 18: No. 24 FAU at South Florida; Noon ET on ESPN
A good matchup in the American rounds out the weekend as FAU faces South Florida. USF is atop the American standings and it could be the best team in the league. FAU had significant preseason expectations but it has suffered several upset losses.
FAU has a solid duo in Alijah Martin and Johnell Davis, both of whom shined in their team's Final Four run last season. USF, though, has just as solid of a one-two punch in Chris Youngblood and Selton Miguel. These two have led the Bulls to one of their program's best seasons in recent memory. A win on Sunday would solidify that.
Elms' Essentials: Week 12
