Pair of Ranked Big 12 Matchups Highlight Men’s College Basketball Weekend Slate

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve already reached the final weekend of January. Selection Sunday is approaching far faster than any of us realize, and that means there’s a bit of extra juice to these high-profile weekend slates.

Here’s what to look out for in this weekend’s action. We’ve got a reunion at Providence, some ranked-vs.-ranked Big 12 action and a huge Quad 1 opportunity for a top-10 team whose résumé is lacking. Plus, a mid-major matchup you won’t want to miss.

The headliners

Michigan State at No. 13 Wisconsin, Jan. 26, 8 p.m. ET

Here we go again with Michigan State. The Spartans have won three straight games to get back to .500 in the Big Ten and are a big win from the MSU hype train taking off again. It won’t be easy to get that big win in Madison, Wis., on Friday night against a Wisconsin Badgers team that has already beaten them once this season. In that game, the Wisconsin defense stifled Michigan State, allowing just nine points in the game’s final 10 minutes to hold the Spartans to 57 points. Plus, wing AJ Storr exploded for 22 points for the Badgers, who are tough to beat when Storr plays to his potential.

Georgetown at Providence, Jan. 27, 12:30 p.m. ET

This is more spectacle than basketball game. Longtime Providence Friars coach Ed Cooley makes his return to Providence for the first time since leaving for the Georgetown Hoyas. Expect the reception to be … unwelcoming. It’s safe to say there’s some discontent in Friartown about how Cooley’s tenure ended, and leaving for a Big East foe didn’t help matters. The atmosphere for this one should be epic, perhaps rivaled recently only by Chris Beard’s return to Texas Tech while at Texas in 2021–22.

No. 7 Kansas at No. 23 Iowa State, Jan. 27, 1:30 p.m. ET

A top-25 showdown at Hilton Coliseum? Sign me up. The Kansas Jayhawks are just 1–2 on the road so far in Big 12 play, and this will be by far the toughest atmosphere they’ve dealt with this season. This is a fascinating stylistic showdown: Iowa State’s defense forces more perimeter jump shots than almost anyone in the country, while Kansas wants to pound the ball inside and ranks in the bottom 50 nationally in percentage of shots from three. Can the Jayhawks penetrate the ISU defense and come up with a signature road win?

No. 20 Texas Tech at No. 11 Oklahoma, Jan. 27, 2 p.m. ET

Another ranked matchup in the Big 12, and this one has key implications at the top of the league. Oklahoma slipped up at home against Texas earlier this week, spoiling a bit of the goodwill the Sooners earned from a monster nonconference slate. A bounce-back against Texas Tech would be critical, though the Red Raiders are red hot, winners of 10 of their last 11 games after rallying past BYU last weekend.

No. 8 Auburn at Mississippi State, Jan. 27, 3:30 p.m. ET

The Auburn Tigers have one of the more interesting résumés in the country. The Tigers have won by double figures in all 16 of their wins, but are 0–3 in Quad 1 games. Auburn passes the eye test as an elite team, but needs some signature wins and could get an elusive Quad 1 win Saturday on the road in Starkville, Miss. The Mississippi State Bulldogs could desperately use a big win, though, to avoid a 2–5 start in SEC play. Their schedule has been brutal, with road trips to South Carolina, Florida and Kentucky as well as home tilts with Tennessee, Alabama and now Auburn in their first seven SEC games.

Bubble battles

• Texas at No. 21 BYU: Advanced metrics love this BYU team, but the Cougars are just 2–4 in Big 12 play and have already dropped a pair of home games. To stay on track for an NCAA tournament bid, they need to protect their home court against a Texas team fresh off a monster road win at Oklahoma.
• Villanova at Butler: Villanova has dropped four of five after a 3–0 start to Big East play, sinking back closer to the bubble conversation despite elite wins over North Carolina, Texas Tech and Creighton. Righting the ship with a road win at Butler would be big, especially with Marquette looming next on Tuesday.
• Ohio State at Northwestern: Ohio State’s last road win was more than a year ago, coincidentally also in Evanston against the Wildcats. Replicating that this year won’t be easy with how Northwestern has played on its home floor this year, with wins over Illinois and Purdue in Big Ten play in the friendly confines of Welsh-Ryan Arena.
• Utah State at Boise State: Our weekly can’t-miss Mountain West clash is in Boise, Idaho, where the Broncos look to build on a 5–1 start in league play against the league’s biggest surprise in Utah State. As always, winning on home court in this league is everything.
• Ole Miss at Texas A&M: Ole Miss got right with a blowout win over Arkansas this week, but could use a needle-moving road win. A Quad 1 opportunity at Texas A&M looms this weekend. Both teams could really use this one.

Mid-major game of the weekend: Princeton at Cornell

Princeton made the Sweet 16 last year, lost three starters … and is somehow better this season? The Tigers have been one of the best stories in college basketball, and at 16–1 have a chance to play their way into the at-large conversation should they slip up in the Ivy tournament. A road Quad 2 game at Cornell is an opportunity to quietly boost the Tigers’ résumé.