Games To Watch This Week

This Week’s Men’s College Basketball Games to Watch
By CHRISTOPH FUHRMANSFEB. 22, 2015

8 Kansas at Kansas State

Monday, 9 p.m. Eastern, ESPN

Sure, Kansas (22-5, 11-3 Big 12) was never seriously threatened during a 68-57 home victory over Kansas State (13-15, 6-9) on Jan. 31. And yes, the Wildcats have lost two in a row, including a 69-42 blowout at Baylor on Saturday. But don’t underestimate the unpredictability of a rivalry game. The Jayhawks, who defeated Texas Christian, 81-72, on Saturday, lost in overtime last season in their game at Kansas State’s Bramlage Coliseum and have lost two of their last three road games.

5 Wisconsin at 16 Maryland

Tuesday, 7 p.m., ESPN

Maryland (22-5, 10-4 Big Ten) will have had five days to prepare for its showdown with Wisconsin (25-2, 13-1), and the Terrapins, coming off a 69-65 win over Nebraska on Thursday, are undefeated at home in conference play. Still, the Badgers, who beat Minnesota by 63-53 on Saturday to push their winning streak to 10 games, have fared well on the road this season, with a 5-1 record. Maryland is tied for second in the conference, three games behind Wisconsin, with four games remaining.

20 Baylor at 14 Iowa State

Wednesday, 9 p.m., ESPNU

With Saturday’s 85-77 victory at Texas, Iowa State (20-6, 10-4) has won two straight Big 12 road games for the first time since the 2005-6 season. And the Cyclones get to return to the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum, where they are undefeated this season, to face Baylor, which routed Kansas State on Saturday. The Bears (20-7, 8-6) defeated the Cyclones, 74-73, on Jan. 14 in Waco as the senior guard Kenny Chery made a winning shot with 4.7 seconds left. Trailing Kansas by a game in the Big 12 standings, with four games remaining, Iowa State cannot afford another loss if it hopes to win its first regular-season conference title since the 2000-1 season.

11 Northern Iowa at 13 Wichita State

Saturday, 2 p.m., ESPN

It looks as if the Missouri Valley Conference championship will come down to this game, the regular-season finale for the league’s top two teams. When Northern Iowa (26-2, 15-1) played Wichita State (25-3, 15-1) on Jan. 31, the Panthers routed the Shockers, 70-54, behind a career-high 29 points from the senior forward Seth Tuttle. Northern Iowa, which beat Bradley by 56-39 on Saturday, will have a tuneup against Evansville on Wednesday. Wichita State defeated Evansville, 62-43, on Sunday afternoon and is set to play at Indiana State on Wednesday.

18 Arkansas at 1 Kentucky

Saturday, 4 p.m., CBS

For just the fifth time this season, Kentucky (27-0, 14-0 Southeastern Conference) will play a ranked opponent when it faces Arkansas (22-5, 11-3). The Wildcats, who crushed Auburn by 110-75 on Saturday and are set to play at Mississippi State on Wednesday, are four victories from an undefeated regular season. The Razorbacks, who won at Mississippi State by 65-61 on Saturday, are set to face Texas A&M on Tuesday.

7 Arizona at 9 Utah

Saturday, 9 p.m., ESPN

The winner of this game could secure the Pacific-12 Conference title, which is still up for grabs, with Arizona (24-3, 12-2) and Utah (21-5, 11-3) atop the standings. Arizona, which defeated U.C.L.A. by 57-47 on Saturday, is set to play at Colorado on Thursday, the same day that Utah, which lost at Oregon, 69-58, on Sunday afternoon, is set to face Arizona State. When the Wildcats and the Utes played on Jan. 17, in the Pac-12’s first matchup of Top 10 teams in almost seven years, Arizona dominated on the way to a 69-51 victory.