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College hoops viewing guide: Kentucky seeks perfection, first dance ticket gets punched
The final Saturday of the regular season will tell us whether or not Kentucky enters the SEC Tournament undefeated, and who the first team to punch its first ticket for the big dance will be.
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Florida at No. 1 Kentucky (2 p.m. - CBS)
The final hurdle on Kentucky’s road to regular season perfection is a Florida team which gave them all they could handle last month, but which also has little to play for in this game outside of ruining the clean slate of a conference rival. The Gators are certainly up against it in Lexington, but at least they will “likely” have leading scorer Michael Frazier back. Frazier hasn’t played since suffering an ankle injury in the first meeting between the two teams back on Feb. 7.
No. 9 Kansas at No. 15 Oklahoma (4 p.m. - ESPN)
This game lost a significant bit of drama when the Sooners collapsed in the second half of Monday night's loss to Iowa State, a defeat which guaranteed Kansas the Big 12's outright regular season title. Instead, the tilt is now about NCAA Tournament seeding for both squads, and Big 12 Tournament seeding for OU, which can lock up the No. 2 spot with a victory.
No. 2 Virginia at No. 16 Louisville (6:30 p.m. - ESPN)
In hindsight, it’s wild to think about how close we are to coming into the final Saturday of the regular season with two unbeaten major conference teams. Had Duke not finished with a flurry of three-pointers on Jan. 31, there would be a pretty interesting discussion about history and which undefeated squad deserved the overall No. 1 seed if both entered the big dance 34-0. As it is, the Hoos are entering their regular season finale at Louisville with one loss, but an outright ACC regular season title locked up and the inside track to a No. 1 seed established. It’s an eerily similar situation to the one they faced on the final weekend last season, when they lost in overtime at Maryland.
No. 3 Duke at No. 19 North Carolina (9 p.m. - ESPN)
We said a lot about the rivalry the first go-round, so this time let’s just say that if Saturday night’s game is anything like the last one, we’ll all be really happy.
SHOULD WATCH
No. 21 Butler at No. 24 Providence (Noon - Fox Sports 1)
It’s a big game for two teams battling for better NCAA Tournament seeding, but it’s also a big game individually for Providence’s Kris Dunn, who is looking to become the first player in the Big East’s 36-year history lead the conference in assists and steals during league play.
St. John’s at No. 6 Villanova (2 p.m. - Fox)
St. John’s has won seven of its last eight games and has to be feeling pretty confident about its NCAA Tournament chances at the moment. Even though a win over sixth-ranked Villanova would put to bed any bubble talk for good, Saturday’s game is huge for the Red Storm’s seniors for another reason: they are 0-6 against Villanova. The Wildcats won the first game between the two on Jan. 6 at Madison Square Garden in a 90-72 rout.
Oklahoma State at No. 20 West Virginia (2 p.m. - ESPNews)
The Mountaineers were on the verge of their biggest win of the season Tuesday night at Kansas. Instead, they left Lawrence with a gut-wrenching overtime loss that has them one defeat away from their first three-game losing streak of the season.
Stanford at No. 5 Arizona (4 p.m. - CBS)
Even with an outright Pac-12 regular season title locked up, Arizona enters Saturday’s game with a great deal to play for. On one hand, there’s a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament that the Wildcats are still very much in play for. On the other, there’s a 38-game home winning streak, the longest such streak in the country. For Stanford, the motivation is much clearer. After being upset by Arizona State earlier in the week, the Cardinal almost certainly needs a win here to have any hope of earning an at-large bid.
WORTH WATCHING UNLESS YOU HAVE A VALID EXCUSE
Syracuse at NC State (Noon - CBS)
It's obviously a bigger game for NC State, which is looking to head into the ACC Tournament with bubble talk at a minimum. For Syracuse, however, the road ends here. It's also worth tuning in just for the possibility of Jim Boeheim ragin on an announcer he overhears saying something disparaging about his program.
LSU at No. 18 Arkansas (2 p.m. - ESPN)
The Hogs are playing for seeding, while LSU could really use this win to strengthen its resume for the big dance. An upset win could also lift the Tigers to a No. 4 seed for the SEC Tournament, while a loss could drop them to as low as the No. 6 seed.
Kansas State at Texas (4 p.m. - ESPN2)
There might not be a non-tournament game on Saturday in which both teams have more to lose. For K-State, a win gives them the No. 6 seed and a bye in the Big 12 Tournament, while a loss would drop them to the No. 8 seed and set up a first round game against No. 9 seed TCU. The Wildcats also need a victory to secure a .500 record and give them a shot at the NIT if their NCAA Tournament dreams fall through. For Texas, a loss would be a crushing blow to its hopes of earning an at-large bid, hopes which were kept alive with an overtime win over Baylor on Monday.
Illinois at Purdue (4:30 p.m. - Big Ten Network)
The Fighting Illini and Boilermakers are both mainstays on “First Four In/Last Four Out” lists across the country, which makes their Saturday showdown the most “bubblicious” in the country.
IF YOU WANT TO JUST CHECK THE BOX SCORE, THAT’S OK ... BUT CHECK THE BOX SCORE
Miami at Virginia Tech (Noon - ESPN FullCourt/ESPN3)
Miami kept its at-large hopes alive by beating Pittsburgh, but following that up with a loss to the Hokies would put them right back in the position of likely having to make a run to the ACC championship game to have any shot at tournament inclusion.
Michigan State at Indiana (Noon - ESPN)
What will this afternoon in Crean Face hold for America? Find out on ESPN.
Seton Hall at Georgetown (Noon - Fox)
The Pirates are looking forward to the end of the regular season the way 7th grade teachers look forward to summer.
Northwestern at Iowa (Noon - Big Ten Network)
Iowa might be the hottest team in the Big 10 at the moment, and is looking to notch a six-game winning streak in conference play for the first time since 1987. To do so, they’ll have to beat a Northwestern for the first time in three tries.
Connecticut at Temple (2 p.m. - ESPN2)
It’s been quite the turnaround from last season, which saw Temple win just 9 games and Connecticut win the national championship. Now the Owls appear destined for the NCAA Tournament, while the Huskies will likely have to win the AAC tourney to have a shot at defending their crown.
Alabama at Texas A&M (2 p.m. - ESPN FullCourt/ESPN3)
The Tide has lost 10 of 15 games and suddenly appears to be in jeopardy of not even making the NIT, while A&M appears destined for its first big dance since 2011.
Dayton at La Salle (4 p.m. - CBS Sports Network)
The Flyers can lock up at least a share of one of the more improbable A-10 regular season championships with a win.
Georgia at Auburn (4 p.m. - SEC Network)
In the first meeting between these two, Auburn dealt Georgia likely its toughest loss in a season that has been had some ones which have been difficult to stomach. The Dawgs have seven losses in conference play, five coming by 8 points or less.
Clemson at No. 12 Notre Dame (4 p.m. - ESPN FullCourt/ESPN3)
The Fighting Irish are simply playing for NCAA Tournament seeding here, as they’ve already locked up the No. 3 seed for next week’s tourney in Greensboro.
No. 13 Utah at Washington (4:30 p.m. - Pac-12 Network)
The 13th-ranked Utes nearly let last weekend's home loss to Arizona beat them twice, but they overcame a 7-point second half deficit to beat Washington State and are now a win over U-Dub away from locking up the No. 2 seed for the Pac-12 Tournament.
George Mason at VCU (5:30 p.m. - NBC Sports Network)
In the blink of an eye, VCU has gone from trendy Final Four pick to 6-9 seed that seems to be an almost guaranteed first weekend exit. They can start the road to altering that perception with a convincing win over old rival George Mason.
Brown at Harvard (6 p.m. - CBS Sports Network)
Harvard started the season ranked in the top 25, but Friday’s upset loss to Yale has it on the verge of ending the year by missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. In order to avoid that fate, they’ll need to beat Brown and have the Bulldogs lose at Dartmouth to sit up a one-game playoff for the Ivy League’s auto-bid.
No. 17 Iowa State at TCU (8:30 p.m. - ESPNews)
The Cyclones are hoping their 21-point comeback win over Oklahoma is the crazy, slump-busting victory that sparks a run to the Big 12 Tournament title the same way their overtime win over Oklahoma State did a year ago.
Nevada at San Diego State (10 p.m. - CBS Sports Network)
The Aztecs need a win to guarantee at least a share of the Mountain West title for the fourth time in five years. SDSU is currently tied atop the league standings with Boise State, a team which swept them in the regular season.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS
Ohio Valley (Championship)
No. 1 Murray State vs. No. 3 Belmont (7 p.m. - ESPN2)
Missouri Valley (Semifinals)
No. 1 Wichita State vs. No. 4 Illinois State (2:35 p.m. - MVC TV/ESPN3)
No. 2 Northern Iowa vs. No. 6 Loyola-Chicago (5:05 p.m. -MVC TV/ESPN3)
Northeast (Semifinals)
No. 2 Robert Morris vs. No. 3 Bryant (Noon - MSG/NEC Front Row)
No. 1 St. Francis College vs. No. 5 St. Francis University (2 p.m. - MSG/NEC Front Row)
West Coast (Quarterfinals)
No. 3 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 6 Portland (3 p.m. - TWCSN)
No. 4 Pepperdine vs. No. 5 San Diego (5 p.m. - TWCSN)
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 8 San Francisco (9 p.m. - ESPN2)
No. 2 BYU vs. No. 7 Santa Clara (11 p.m. - ESPN2)
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