Longtime college rivalries cap regular-season finales
College basketball’s regular-season concludes this weekend, with conference tournaments on deck and Selection Sunday a week away. Here are the top five games to watch as the contenders jockey for final positions.
No. 4 Duke at No. 3 North Carolina Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN
The highly anticipated first meeting between these neighborhood rivals never materialized. Unfortunately, the aftermath might prevent the rematch from doing so as well with Zion Williamson unlikely to be ready to return for Duke. The good news is this time the Blue Devils will have had time to develop a game plan without their star big man. The bad news is there might not be an answer for the Tar Heels’ interior scorers, especially if UNC is able to do what it does best and create easy opportunities in transition. Duke might have to rely on its 3-point shooting.
No. 7 Michigan at No. 11 Michigan State Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
The winner of this rematch in East Lansing claims at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. This would be a remarkable achievement for the injury-plagued Spartans, who picked up a huge win in Ann Arbor a couple of weeks ago. The Wolverines are more than capable of returning the favor on MSU’s home court. The Spartans would make that considerably more difficult if Kenny Goins has another strong offensive performance to complement his usual solid work on the glass.
No. 8 Texas Tech at No. 25 Iowa State Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPNews
With the Kansas streak now officially over, the Big 12 regular-season race is down to Texas Tech and Kansas State, who are tied for the lead heading into their finales. The Red Raiders would appear to have the more difficult assignment as K-State finishes at home against Oklahoma. The Cyclones, however, have dropped four of their last five. They did manage a win in Lubbock in January, thanks to a 20-point outing from Marial Shayok. But he missed Wednesday’s loss at West Virginia with a foot injury and might not be available. Texas Tech sharpshooter Davide Moretti will need his accuracy.
No. 4 Tennessee at Auburn Saturday, noon ET, ESPN
A No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament hardly provides a guaranteed path to the Final Four, but it can mean more favorable matchups in the early rounds. The Volunteers will strengthen their case for a top spot if they can finish with another quality road win. The Tigers figure to have other ideas, however. Auburn is almost certainly safe but is projected to fall into that middle half of the bracket that makes a long stay challenging. The Tigers have won their last three, helped by some increased inside productivity from Chuma Okeke. But he figures to have his hands full with UT’s Grant Williams.
No. 12 Houston at No. 19 Cincinnati Sunday, noon ET, CBS
The highlight of the Sunday slate is this top-20 American Athletic Conference showdown. The Cougars took the first encounter in Houston, using its usual scoring balance to overcome a huge 27-point effort from Bearcats guard Jerron Cumberland. Cincinnati’s stingy defense makes it difficult for a single opponent to take over a game, but UC must find more options on the offensive end to gain the split.