CBB weekend preview

With March rapidly approaching, conference races are tightening. The coming weeks are crucial as teams fight to secure top seeds and solidify their identities or make a late push to sneak into the tournament.

The first weekend of March is here. Let’s take a look at the top matchups ahead.

To kick off the tail-end of the week, let’s start with tomorrow, Thursday, February 25. There may only be one game tomorrow night, but it is an important one.

In a Big Ten showdown, the No. 8 Purdue Boilermakers will host the No. 13 Michigan State Spartans in West Lafayette. Both teams currently sit at 12-4 in conference play and 22-5 overall, but that will change tomorrow night.

On Friday, February 27, two games headline the slate: the No. 21 Miami (Ohio) vs. Western Michigan and No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 10 Illinois.

The RedHawks will look to keep their 28-game win streak alive, the longest active streak in the league, while in another Big Ten contest, the Wolverines and Fightin’ Illini will faceoff.

Michigan has dropped from the top spot in the AP Top 25 after just one week there. They currently lead the Big Ten and are undefeated on the road this season, with Illinois right behind them in the standings.

Saturday features several marquee matchups across the college basketball landscape.

Two top-15 contests stand out, including an ACC battle between the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils and the No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers at noon. In the Big 12, the No. 14 Kansas Blue Jays travel to face the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats at 4:00 p.m.

Duke jumped to the top spot in the AP Poll this week and will look to hold onto it. This last stretch is especially crucial heading into the tournament.

Meanwhile, Kansas will try to complete the sweep after handing Arizona its first loss of the season earlier this month and ending the Wildcats historic 23-game win streak. Arizona is atop the Big 12 standings, with Kansas trailing.

Other pivotal games on Saturday include No. 16 Texas Tech at No. 4 Iowa State in another Big 12 faceoff. Both teams are 11-4 in conference play, but that script will flip Saturday afternoon.

In two nighttime SEC showdowns, No. 22 Tennessee hosts No. 17 Alabama in Knoxville at 6:00, and No. 20 Arkansas will travel to Gainesville to meet the No. 7 Florida Gators at 8:30.

Several other matchups round out Saturday’s action, though not all feature ranked teams. Those include Villanova at No. 15 St. John’s in the Big East, No. 25 Vanderbilt at Kentucky in the SEC and No. 24 Louisville at Clemson in the ACC.

The first two games of March will be played on Sunday, the first with the No. 8 Purdue Boilermakers facing the Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 13 Michigan State Spartans taking on the Indiana Hoosiers.

Finally, heading early into the first week of March, Monday features two heavyweight battles, including a top-five showdown. No. 1 Duke will face NC State, and No. 4 Iowa State will take on No. 2 Arizona.

The top-five matchup between the Cyclones and Wildcats will be dramatic and could cause some shakeups at the top of the Big 12 before conference week.

March is here, and this last stretch of regular-season college basketball will certainly feature madness. It will be exciting to see who solidifies their resume and who crumbles under the pressure in these final games.

Gina Scarpa is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email gfs5427@psu.edu.