College basketball on TV: This weekend’s viewers’ guide

This weekend in college basketball is highlighted by some notable games in the power conferences, as well as a number of high-level mid-major matchups.

The weekend features one of the best rivalries in college basketball, a crosstown matchup in Los Angeles and what should be a highly entertaining matchup in the Big 12.

Here are 15 games to keep an eye on this weekend.

Saturday

Texas (18-6) at Baylor (20-4), noon, ESPN2: This is the first of two meetings between the rivals. Baylor trails Kansas by one in the loss column in the Big 12, with Texas two games back. The Longhorns are coming off their most impressive win of the season, a three-point victory over Kansas in which they were just 3-of-20 from 3-point range. But they were money from the line (20-of-23), avoided turnovers and hit some clutch baskets. Can they do the same against the Bears? Baylor is one of eight teams in the nation in the top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per kenpom.com.

Arkansas (19-5) at Alabama (15-9), noon, SEC Network: Alabama owns wins over, among others, Gonzaga, Houston, Baylor and Tennessee. But the Tide also has lost to the likes of Georgia and Missouri, and is tied for seventh in the SEC. The Tide remains in the top 25 in the NET, but at some point, Alabama needs to beat another good team. Arkansas certainly qualifies in that regard; the Hogs have won nine in a row and are coming off a victory over Auburn, which swept the Tide. Neither team is all that good from 3-point range, but, weirdly, that may determine the outcome of this one: If one gets hot from beyond the arc, it should win.

Seton Hall (15-7) at Villanova (18-6), 1 p.m., Fox: Villanova, which has won five of its past six, trails first-place Providence by two games in the loss column in the Big East. Seton Hall has won three in a row to get back to .500 in the league. The Pirates can struggle offensively at times, but they’re good on the offensive glass. Senior G Collin Gillespie makes Villanova go. Weirdly, he was scoreless in Tuesday’s win over St. John’s, snapping a streak of 13 consecutive games in double figures, but he had a career-high 10 rebounds.

Chattanooga (21-5) at Furman (17-9), 2 p.m., ESPN+: These are the two best teams in the Southern Conference, and Chattanooga would take a three-game lead in the regular-season race with a victory. The Mocs, who beat Furman by two at home on January 15, have almost as many road wins (10) as they do home wins (11). Furman lives and dies by its outside shooting: The Paladins, who have lost two in a row, lead the nation in percentage of points coming from 3-point range at 46.2, as per kenpom.com.

Miami (17-7) at Wake Forest (20-5), 3 p.m., ACC syndication: UM, which beat Wake 92-84 at home on January 1, has lost two of its past three and has slipped into the 70s in the NET rankings; this is a big one for the Hurricanes in that respect as well as staying in the hunt for the ACC regular-season title. Wake, which is 32nd in the NET, has won seven of eight to get to the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2009-10. The Demon Deacons are one game out of first place in the loss column in the ACC, and this is the first time they’ve won double-digit league games since 2008-09. Oklahoma transfer Alondes Williams has become the key player for Wake. Miami is good offensively, but “lax” might be the best way to describe the defense.

Indiana (16-7) at Michigan State (17-6), 3:30 p.m., Fox: Indiana has lost two in a row, including a loss Tuesday in which five players were suspended, and any hopes for a Big Ten regular-season title now are gone. The five suspended players are back, but IU needs a huge game from Trayce Jackson-Davis to win in East Lansing. The Spartans also have lost two in a row, but they remain in the thick of the Big Ten race. Michigan State has a big problem with turnovers. Both teams are in the top 35 of the NET rankings.

Florida (16-8) at Kentucky (20-4), 4 p.m., ESPN: Florida has won four in a row, but to be truthful, the Gators have just one win of note since edging Ohio State on November 24 and that’s against Mississippi State on January 19. This is the first of two meetings with UK. Expect a solid game from Florida C Colin Castleton, but it’s vital that someone steps up and hits some 3s if UF wants to keep this close, much less win. The Wildcats have won five in a row, and big man Oscar Tshiebwe has continued to put up mind-blowing rebound numbers (he’s averaging 15.1 this season and has had four games with at least 17 in SEC play).

Murray State (22-2) at Morehead State (19-7), 4 p.m., ESPN+: Murray State owns a two-game lead in the Ohio Valley Conference race over Belmont and Morehead State. The Racers have won 12 in a row, including an 11-point win over the Eagles on January 29, and have climbed into the top 30 in the NET rankings. Murray has a nice 1-2 punch with 6-10 junior K.J. Williams and 6-4 junior Tevin Brown. Morehead State, which lost by one at Belmont on Thursday, has to get a big game from 6-10 sophomore Johni Broome if it is to win. Williams outplayed Broome in the first meeting, though Broome did have six blocks.

TCU (16-5) at Texas Tech (18-6), 4 p.m., ESPN+: This is the first of two meetings; the teams meet again February 26. Texas Tech is coming off a surprising 70-55 loss at Oklahoma on Wednesday; the Sooners were just the fourth team to score 70 points against the Red Raiders all season. While not as proficient defensively as Tech, TCU does win with defense. In short, don’t expect a shootout. Despite a nice record, TCU could use a “good” win: The Horned Frogs’ NET ranking is 54^th.

San Francisco (20-6) at Santa Clara (17-8), 6 p.m., Stadium: There is reason to think the West Coast Conference will get at least three NCAA bids and maybe even four. USF, which beat Santa Clara by three at home on January 29, definitely is in the mix; Santa Clara has won four in a row, including a five-point win over Saint Mary’s on Tuesday, and beating the Dons would further help the Broncos’ cause. This will be the third game in five days for San Francisco, which plays good defense, especially on the perimeter. USF still has to play Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, so things could get iffy regarding the NCAA if the Dons lose this. Santa Clara wins with offense and prefers a fast pace; the Broncos have scored fewer than 75 points just one in their past 13 games.

Mississippi State (14-9) at LSU (17-7), 8 p.m., ESPN2: LSU started 15-1, including wins over Kentucky and Tennessee, and looked as if it could win the SEC. Now the Tigers are under .500 in the league and looking to right themselves. They struggle to score at times and are way too sloppy with the ball. Mississippi State has lost four of six and in danger of falling off the NCAA bubble. The Bulldogs are 0-5 in true road games, and their defense generally has failed them in league games.

UCLA (17-4) at USC (20-4), 10 p.m., ESPN: This is the first of two meetings between teams that need to win to keep within striking distance of league leader Arizona in the Pac-12 title race. UCLA rarely turns it over and USC doesn’t force many turnovers, so that bears watching. The Bruins need big men Cody Riley and Myles Johnson to hold their own on the boards. The Trojans wouldn’t mind Drew Peterson rediscovering his outside stroke: He is 0-of-12 from 3-point range (and just 8-of-31 overall from the field) in the past four games. And as always, watch USC from the line: The Trojans make just 64.4 percent of their free throws.

Saint Mary’s (20-5) at Gonzaga (20-2), 10 p.m., ESPN2: One of the best college basketball rivalries in the nation. This matches two teams in the top 20 of the NET rankings, and this is the first of two meetings (the other is February 26). Gonzaga owns a two-game lead in the West Coast Conference over the Gaels and at least three over everyone else, so another WCC regular-season title likely would be in the bag if the Zags win this. Saint Mary’s plays excellent defense, but Gonzaga’s offense usually is on another level; the Zags have scored at least 89 points in nine of their past 10 games. The question is whether the Gaels can score enough to hang with the Zags; Saint Mary’s has scored more than 80 five times this season.

Sunday

Colorado State (18-3) at Boise State (18-5), 4 p.m., FS1: Here’s Colorado State again, and this time, the Rams are playing a team ahead of them in the conference rankings; Boise State is tied for the league lead. This is the first of two meetings with the Broncos, who have lost once (to MWC co-leader Wyoming) since November 30. Boise State wins with defense, but the Broncos are pitiful from the line (an otherworldly bad 62.2 percent). Big men Abu Kigab and Mladen Armus do a good job of guarding the paint and on the boards.

Northern Iowa (14-9) at Loyola (Chicago) (18-5), 4 p.m., ESPN2: UNI has won five in a row to zoom into a tie atop the Missouri Valley Conference with Loyola. One significant difference: Loyola is 30th in the NET rankings, UNI is 105^th. This is the first of two meetings; they meet again February 26, the final Saturday of the Valley’s regular-season schedule. Loyola is 10-1 at home and the key to going to 11-1 is keeping UNI G A.J. Green under wraps. Green has shot 42 percent from 3-point range (21-of-50) and is 29-of-30 from the line in the past six games.

For those looking ahead, the first conference tournament game is March 1, and the NCAA’s “Selection Sunday” is March 13. Sites for the 2022 NCAA Tournament are listed here.