50 College Basketball Games To Watch This Weekend

NCAA-Basketball-Preview-Trae-Young

March Madness is just two months away, so with that said every weekend I will preview 50 games that are worth watching and that will have March Madness implications.

    1. Rider @ Iona (10am PST Sunday on ESPN 3) – The top two teams in MAA face off in the first of two regular season matchups. The winner will have a nice one and a half game lead as conference play heats up.
    2. Charleston @ Elon (Sat 4pm PST) – Elon has been quite a bit of a surprise in the CAA and are currently in 2nd place. Charleston who was the preseason favorite to win the conference is currently in 5th place. This is a big time conference game for both. Charleston is coming off a tough road loss to Towson. Elon is coming off a nice road win at Hofstra.
    3. Toledo @ Central Michigan (Sat 1:30pm PST ESPN3) – Toledo is currently 2nd in the MAC West and CMU is 4th so this is a big time game. Toledo is coming off a nice blowout win against Western Michigan. Central Michigan is coming off a tough loss to rival Eastern Michigan.
    4. Memphis @ Temple (Sat 11am PST CBSS) – Memphis seems to be finding their identity with nice wins against Tulane and Tulsa within the week. Temple has been a bit up and down all year but the Owls scored a huge win at SMU on Wednesday. Both these teams could be tough outs for the top of the American.
    5. Davidson @ Fordham (Sun Noon PST NBCS) – Davidson is 4th in the Atlantic 10 and have been playing much better ball of late. Fordham is 13th in the A10 but they’re better than that indicates.
    6. Georgia Southern @ Appalachian State (Sat 12:30pm PST) – Georgia Southern is currently 2nd in the Sun Belt and a dangerous team that could make the tournament. Appalachian State is 4th in the Sun Belt and has had its moments this year.
    7. Baylor @ Iowa State (Sat Noon PST ESPNW) – The Big 12 is pretty loaded as a conference this year and despite these teams being 9th and 10th in the conference right now they’re good basketball teams. Baylor is coming off a three point loss on the road to top 10 West Virginia and Iowa State is coming off a close road loss at Kansas. This should be a good one.
    8. Towson @ William & Mary (Sat 1pm PST) –  This was supposed to be a two team race in the CAA between Towson and Charleston but Elon, William & Mary and Hofstra have shown up and over achieved so far. William & Mary is currently in first place in the CAA and Towson is 4th so this is a big time matchup.
    9. Georgia Tech @ Pittsburgh (Sat 11am PST ACCN) – Georgia Tech started the season so rough with injuries and suspensions and it looked like there was no chance they’d live up to the preseason hype. The Yellowjackets scored some nice wins against Miami and Notre Dame in the past week or so. Pittsburgh is just not very good. Sure they may be able to upset a team or two here and there but the Panthers basically have zero chance at postseason basketball.
    10. Auburn @ Mississippi State (Sat 12:30pm PST SECN) – This game probably should be ranked higher but Mississippi State looked so bad the other night against Florida that I pushed this game back some. Auburn is legit and 15-1 currently. This could be a great upset spot for the Bulldogs but they must play better than they did against Florida.
    11. Houston @ East Carolina (Sun 11:00am PST ESPN3) – East Carolina has been pretty terrible all year but they played Uconn close last week so perhaps they could give the Cougars a game. Houston is 4th in the American and are currently a bubble team. The Cougars need these wins so this is a must win if they want to go dancing come March.
    12. Gonzaga @ San Francisco (Sat 6:30pm PST ESPNU) – The Zags are currently 15th in the nation and 2nd in the West Coast Conference. San Francisco isn’t as good as they were last year as they’re 10-7 currently and 6th in the conference but they’re still capable of upsetting the Bulldogs.
    13. Ball State @ Western Michigan (Sat 1:30pm PST ESPN3) – Ball State is currently in first place in the MAC and Western Michigan is 3rd so this is a big time game. Ball State has proven its a worthy mid major as the Cardinals notched a nice non conference win at Notre Dame earlier in the year. This is a big time MAC game that shouldn’t disappoint.
    14. Oregon State @ Arizona State (Sat 3pm PST PACN) – Arizona State came up with a much needed win against Utah on Sunday. The Sun Devils were the talk of college basketball before losing to Arizona and Colorado. Oregon State is currently 4th in the PAC 12 so this is a big game. The Beavers are coming off a nice win against heated rival Oregon and sure could use a big time victory for the resume.
    15. San Diego State @ Boise State (Sat 7pm PST ESPN2) – The 2nd and 3rd ranked teams in the Mountain West this should be a good one. Nevada is the cream of the crop in the Mountain West but these two teams arent that far off and are certainly capable of upsetting Nevada when they play later in the year.
    16. UCONN @ Tulane (Sat 10am PST ESPNW) – Uconn and head coach Kevin Ollie sure needed that win at home against Central Florida. Ollie has been on the hot seat since his Huskies have been up and down this year. Tulane has been the surprise of the American conference led by former NBA coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. who has really turned things around in New Orleans. This is a big one for both teams as they try to set their pace among the conference.
    17. Ohio State @ Rutgers (Sun 4pm PST BTN) – Ohio State is suddenly 2nd in the Big 10 and really impressing this year. The Buckeyes are coming off a gigantic win at home against Michigan State, a game which they won by double digits. Rutgers on the other hand is 12th in the Big 10 but don’t let that confuse you this is not the Rutgers of the past this team is much more competitive. Rutgers is coming off a road overtime loss at Michigan State.
    18. Evansville @ Drake (Sat Noon PST ESPN3) – Drake is currently in 1st place in the Missouri Valley and Evansville is currently 7th but don’t let that confuse you. Evansville has had to deal with some big injuries to their starting lineup. This should be a good one and when healthy Evansville could very well be the team to beat in the Missouri Valley.
    19. Providence @ DePaul (Fri 5:30 pm PST FS1) – DePaul is clearly an improved team this year despite their 8-8 record. DePaul is coming off a nice blowout victory at St. Johns. While Providence who’s been up and down this year scored a huge victory over top 10 Xavier last Saturday.
    20. Nebraska @ Penn State (Fri 4pm PST BTN) – Both these teams have been somewhat of surprise teams in the Big 10 this season. I know the conference season is still early on but Nebraska is currently 6th in conference and has some nice wins. Penn State is currently 9th in the Big 10 and coming off a tough road loss at Indiana so this will be a big game for them.
    21. Kansas State @ Kansas (Sat 9am PST ESPN) – Suddenly perhaps we have a game. I know Kansas always owns Kansas State but this Kansas team has struggled some this year and they’ve dropped back to 4th in the Big 12 currently. Kansas State has somewhat surprised and are right on the Jayhawks tail at 5th in the Big 12 so we could have a good one here.
    22. South Carolina @ Georgia (Sat 10am PST SECN) – South Carolina is in rebuilding mode after a nice final four run last year but they’re still a tough out. The Gamecocks are currently 12th in the SEC and could sure use a nice road win. Georgia is coming off a road loss to Missouri. The Bulldogs have played better than expected and are currently 7th in the SEC.
    23. Kentucky @ Vanderbilt (Sat 1pm PST ESPN) – Kentucky is currently 3rd in the SEC and must stay winning in a strong and crowded SEC this year. Luckily for them they play Vanderbilt who is 13th in the SEC. Kentucky is coming off a one point home win against Texas A&M. Vanderbilt is coming off a home loss to rival Tennessee.
    24. Utah @ USC (Sun 5pm PST ESPNU) – USC had their hearts broken when Stanford hit a halfcourt shot to beat them, but the Trojans rebounded well with a nice home win over a decent Colorado team. Utah is coming off a tough three point home loss to top 10 Arizona State. This is a big game for the Utes who are currently 7th in the Pac 12.
    25. NC State @ Virginia (Sun 3pm PST ESPNU) – Virginia is currently 3rd in the nation and off to a fantastic 15-1 record. The Cavs are coming off a nice home win against Syracuse. NC State has been up and down all year but scored a huge win when they upset Duke last Saturday. The Wolfpack have had a nice week off and now have another opportunity to pull the big upset.
    26. Utah State @ Nevada (Sat 5pm PST ESPN3) – Nevada is in 1st place in the mountain west and must continue to win because if they get upset in the conference tournament they could still make the tournament with an at large bid. Nevada is coming off a double digit win at Air Force. Utah State is currently 4th in the Mountain West and is coming off a home loss to Colorado State.
    27. Colorado @ UCLA (Sat 7:30pm PST PACN) – Colorado scored two huge upsets against Arizona and Arizona State last week before falling to USC on the road. The Buffs have been up and down all year and if they want to find themselves dancing they must continue to pull nice upsets. Here is a great opportunity. UCLA is coming off a blowout win at Cal but did suffer a tough loss at Stanford the game before.
    28. Texas @ Oklahoma State (Sat 2pm PST ESPN) – Texas scored a huge double overtime win on Wednesday against number 16 TCU. Meanwhile Oklahoma State lost a close one at Kansas State. OK State should really be hungry for a win since they’ve been falling back in the Big 12.
    29. Florida @ Ole Miss (Sat 10am PST CBS) – Florida is currently first in the SEC and are coming off a nice home blowout win against Mississippi State. Ole Miss is towards the back of the SEC currently and are coming off a road loss to Auburn. This is huge opportunity for the Rebels to make some noise with a nice upset.
    30. VCU @ Dayton (Fri 4pm PST ESPN2) – Dayton may be ranked 7th in the conference and are just 8-8 but they’ve been playing much better as a team of late. VCU is 4th in the conference but it’s VCU they’ll find their way to the top of the Atlantic 10 by seasons end. Both teams were breaking in new head coaches to start the season and that always is tough but both teams are playing a lot better of late.
    31. Northwestern @ Indiana (Sun 1:30pm PST CBS) – Both these teams are towards the back of the Big 10 so this is big. Northwestern has been a bit of a let down this year but is coming off a nice home win against Minnesota that they absolutely needed. Indiana is coming off two straight wins that have bred some life into the team.
    32. St. Bonaventure @ Rhode Island (Sat 8am PST ESPNU) – Woah this is an early game for us on the west coast but if you follow Atlantic 10 basketball these could be the top two teams in the conference when it’s all said and done. Rhode Island is currently first and has some nice wins out of conference against Seton Hall and Providence. St. Bonaventure is currently 5th in conference but they too have some nice wins against Maryland and Syracuse.
    33. Missouri @ Arkansas (Sat 3pm PST ESPN2) – Part of the SEC resurgence is both these teams coming back to play at a high level. Missouri is 4th in the SEC currently and coming off a nice win against Georgia, although they had a crushing loss to Florida the game before. Arkansas is coming off a home loss to LSU by 21 points so this is a huge game for the Razorbacks.
    34. Wake Forest @ Duke (Sat 9am PST ESFC) – I know, I know Wake Forest is just 8-8 so why is this game rated so high? Well it’s a classic ACC matchup and these games are always fun to watch. Wake is coming off a double digit home loss to Virginia Tech, while Duke is coming off a blow out win at Pitt. Chances are this is a blowout but who knows.
    35. Purdue @ Minnesota (Sat 9am PST ESPN2) – Purdue is number 5 in the nation and coming off a huge one point victory in Ann Arbor. Minnesota still has Reggie Lynch suspended and they’ve dropped two straight. This is a huge game for the Gophers who Joe Lunardi currently has as a bubble team on the outside. This is a great opportunity for the Gophers.
    36. Wichita State @ Tulsa (Sat 4pm PST ESPNU) – Wichita State is new to the American conference but boy they’ve started well with a nice couple blowout wins against Uconn, Houston and South Florida. Tulsa is currently 3rd in the American and despite losing at Memphis is 3-1 in conference. This will be the 2nd big conference road test for Wichita.
    37. Oregon @ Arizona (Sat 11am PST ESPN2) – Oregon is having a down year and Arizona has been up and down this season but is currently 2nd in the PAC 12. Oregon is coming off a tough road loss to in state rival Oregon State. Arizona is coming off a tough road loss at Colorado. Oregon sure could use a big time victory but winning in Tucson isn’t so easy.
    38. Alabama @ LSU (Sat 5:30pm PST SECN) – It’s been a while since I’ve been excited for Bama vs LSU basketball game but this year I certainly am. The SEC as a basketball conference is the best its been in quite some time. The conference is loaded with a ton of depth and well these teams are smack in the middle of the conference currently so this one should be big.
    39. Villanova @ St. Johns (Sat 5pm PST FoxReg) – The Wildcats are the number 1 team in the country but their currently 2nd in the Big East. That means they must keep up with the conference leaders. Chris Mullin and his St. Johns team has been improving and sure could use a marquee victory. Here’s there chance.
    40. Marquette @ Butler (Fri 3:30pm PST FS1) – Both of these teams have already notched some huge upset victories but as conference play heats up this is could be a huge victory to have under their belt. It’s the best game on the Friday night schedule. Marquette is coming off a nice win against Seton Hall while Butler is rebounding after a double digit road loss to Creighton.
    41. Syracuse @ Florida State (Sat 11am PST ESFC) – Florida State is ranked 23rd in the nation but that’s not going to last since Louisville came into Tallahassee and got a nice road win. Both these teams are 12th and 13th currently in the ACC so this is a very important game. Syracuse is coming off a road loss at Virginia and sure could use a nice road victory.
    42. Georgetown @ Seton Hall (Sat 9am PST FS1) – Georgetown and first year head coach Patrick Ewing have really impressed me despite the terrible non conference schedule. The Hoyas came up with a big win at St. John’s on Tuesday and if they want any shot of making the NCAA tournament they need to win a lot of Big East games since their non conference schedule is garbage. Seton Hall is number 13 in the nation but is coming off a 20 point loss on the road at Marquette.
    43. Virginia Tech @ Louisville (Sat 1pm PST ESPN2) – The Hokies were a sleeper coming into the year for me but started off conference play with a couple big losses before grabbing two conference wins against Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. Louisville came up with a huge conference win against Florida State as both these teams look to move up in the ACC.
    44. Michigan @ Michigan State (Sat 9am PST Fox) – Nothing like a classic rivalry matchup to go with your saturday full of college ball. Michigan has been somewhat exceeding expectations this year. The Wolverines are coming off a one point home loss to Purdue. Michigan State was a shoe in lock for my final four before this past week which included a road loss at Ohio State and a overtime home win against Rutgers. This should be a good one.
    45. North Carolina @ Notre Dame (Sat 3pm PST ESPN) – This is a big time ACC matchup. Notre Dame has been destroyed by injuries but the Irish did come up big with a nice road win at Syracuse with a depleted roster. North Carolina already has 2 ACC losses let alone a home loss to mid major Wofford. The Irish are coming off a road loss to Georgia Tech that remains their lone conference loss.
    46. Texas A&M @ Tennessee (Sat 3pm PST SECN) – Texas A&M needs to weather the storm. They’ve been hit by a ton of injuries and despite some nice early season wins against West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Penn State & USC. They’ve opened up conference play with four straight losses which knocked them from the top 25. Tennessee is ranked 24th in the nation and 6th in the conference. This is a huge game for both teams but more so Texas A&M.
    47. Creighton @ Xavier (Sat 11am PST Fox) – Creighton has been exceeding expectations and despite being 25th in the nation they’re currently #1 in the Big East. Xavier is 4th in the Big East and ranked 10th nationally. The Musketeers need to take care of business if they a shot at the Big East regular season crown.
    48. Miami (FL) @ Clemson (Sat Noon PST ESPNU) – Both these teams are in the top 25 and both these teams should be dancing come March. Clemson is a team to watch they are currently 2nd in the ACC and the question most the country is asking is are they really legit? ACC tournament seeding is at play here.
    49. West Virginia @ Texas Tech (Sat 11am PST ESPN) – Texas Tech is coming off a double digit loss in Norman as both these teams are among the top 10 teams in the nation and both are #1 & #2 among the Big 12. Texas Tech needs to defend their home court since they travel to Morgantown the last game of the season.
    50. TCU @ Oklahoma (Sat 10am PST ESPNU) – Talk about a huge conference game. TCU is looking for revenge after losing at home to Oklahoma by one on December 30th. The Horn Frogs are also coming off a one point loss at Texas in double OT. Both teams should be dancing come March but seeding for the Big 12 tournament is at stake here with TCU at 7th in the conference right now.
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