What to Watch for in Each Conference in Last Full Weekend of Men's CBB Regular Season
The final weekend of the 2023-24 college basketball regular season is upon us, and for teams fighting for their lives on the NCAA tournament bubble, it's make-or-break time heading into the conference tournament slate.
The headlining matchups this weekend include North Carolina at Duke, Kentucky at Tennessee and Kansas at Houston, but those six teams are already comfortably in the NCAA tournament field.
The more impactful games are for teams precariously perched on the bubble, and by the time the dust settles on Sunday night, the NCAA tournament picture should be clearer as major conference tournaments get set to tip off.
Ahead, we've provided a full rundown of all the most impactful games on the weekend slate for each conference and what's at stake in each of those key matchups.
AAC
1 of 10
Memphis @ Florida Atlantic, 12:00 PM ET on Saturday
This is a must-win game for Memphis if it wants to stay alive on the bubble, and it's also an important game for a Florida Atlantic team trying to stay comfortably above the play-in game cut line if it ends up having to settle for an at-large bid.
South Florida @ Tulsa, 1:00 PM ET on Saturday
USF is one of the hottest teams in college basketball, riding a 15-game winning streak into Saturday's matchup against Tulsa. The Bulls have already clinched the regular-season conference title and the No. 1 seed in the AAC tournament, but a fringy at-large case (NET Ranking: 79) makes every win important.
Charlotte @ East Carolina, 4:00 PM ET on Saturday
SMU @ UAB, 3:00 PM ET on Sunday
The AAC standings are cluttered behind USF (15-1) and Florida Atlantic (12-4) at the top, with Charlotte (11-5), Memphis (11-6), SMU (10-6) and UAB (10-6) all battling for a top-four seed and an opening-round bye. These two games will go a long way in sorting out the seeding.
ACC
2 of 10
North Carolina @ Duke, 6:30 PM ET, Saturday
The Tar Heels hold a one-game lead over the Blue Devils in the ACC standings following Tuesday night's win over Notre Dame, so they have already clinched a share of the regular-season title, but they can win it outright with a victory on Saturday. The winner of this game also remains in the conversation for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Tar Heels won the first meeting 93-84 on Feb. 3.
Clemson @ Wake Forest, 6:00 PM ET, Saturday
NC State @ Pittsburgh, 7:45 PM ET, Saturday
Georgia Tech @ Virginia, 8:00 PM ET, Saturday
While Clemson is comfortably in the NCAA tournament field, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and Virginia are all squarely on the bubble. The Cavaliers are in the best spot from that group right now in terms of tournament resume, but Saturday remains a must-win game for them since falling to Georgia Tech (NET: 124) at home would be a Quad 3 loss.
Big 12
3 of 10
Iowa State @ Kansas State, 2:00 PM ET, Saturday
Kansas @ Houston, 4:00 PM ET, Saturday
Houston currently holds a one-game lead over Iowa State in the Big 12 standings, but the Cyclones face a much easier test in their regular-season finale against a Kansas State squad that is headed for the NIT. If the Cougars can take care of business against Kansas, they will not only win the Big 12 title outright, but they will also likely clinch a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, regardless of what happens next week in Kansas City.
Oklahoma @ Texas, 2:00 PM ET, Saturday
UCF @ TCU, 5:00 PM ET, Saturday
The Big 12 currently has nine teams in the projected NCAA tournament field, according to the latest Bracket Matrix, and the most precarious of the bunch are Oklahoma and TCU, who are both currently slotted on the 9-seed line. Both are probably still in the field even with a loss on Saturday, but it would potentially bump them down a seed line and put more pressure on their Big 12 tournament performance.
Baylor @ Texas Tech, 6:00 PM ET, Saturday
Oklahoma State @ BYU, 9:00 PM ET, Saturday
If Kansas loses to Houston, it would open the door for BYU or Texas Tech to secure the No. 4 seed and an opening-round bye in the Big 12 tournament, provided they come away with a win of their own on Saturday.
Big East
4 of 10
Georgetown @ St. John's, 12:00 PM ET, Saturday
Creighton @ Villanova, 2:30 PM ET, Saturday
UConn @ Providence, 8:00 PM ET, Saturday
DePaul @ Seton Hall, 8:30 PM ET, Saturday
The Big East has been bubble chaos all season behind the headlining trio of UConn, Marquette and Creighton. It's still not out of the realm of possibility to think they could have as many as six NCAA tournament bids, or that those could be the only three teams in the field.
Villanova, Seton Hall and St. John's currently sit precariously on the 11-seed line in the latest Bracket Matrix, while Providence is on the outside looking in, so the regular-season finale will be a must-win game for all four of those squads.
Georgetown (9-21, 2-17 in Big East) and DePaul (3-27, 0-19 in Big East) would both be Quad 4 losses and likely eliminate St. John's and Seton Hall from the NCAA tournament conversation.
Big Ten
5 of 10
Wisconsin @ Purdue, 12:30 PM ET, Sunday
The Badgers climbed as high as No. 6 in the AP poll in late January, but they have been in an absolute tailspin for more than a month, going 2-7 in their past nine games. With six Quad 1 wins and a No. 23 NET ranking, they remain a lock for the NCAA tournament field, but they need to show some signs of life.
Minnesota @ Northwestern, 9:00 PM ET, Saturday
Nebraska @ Michigan, 12:00 PM ET, Sunday
Michigan State @ Indiana, 4:30 PM ET, Sunday
Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan State are all currently part of the projected NCAA tournament field, but they are by no means locks—all three teams reside on the 9-seed and 10-seed lines. With a 9-9 record in conference play, Minnesota is also playing for a solid seed in the Big Ten tournament as it looks to make a late push.
Illinois @ Iowa, 7:00 PM ET, Sunday
The Hawkeyes were an afterthought just a few weeks ago, but after going 4-1 in their past five games with road wins over Michigan State and Northwestern and a home win over then-No. 20 Wisconsin, they have entered the bubble conversation. A win over Illinois would likely be enough to push them into the projected field.
Mountain West
6 of 10
Boise State @ San Diego State, 10:00 PM ET, Friday
Colorado State @ Air Force, 4:00 PM ET, Saturday
New Mexico @ Utah State, 8:30 PM ET, Saturday
UNLV @ Nevada, 10:30 PM ET, Saturday
The Mountain West Conference had a record five teams in the field during the 2013 NCAA tournament, and they could surpass that mark this season with San Diego State, Utah State, Boise State, Colorado State, Nevada and New Mexico all currently projected for a March Madness bid.
San Diego State is in the mix for a No. 4 seed, while Utah State, Boise State, Colorado State and Nevada are all comfortably slotted above the 9-seed line.
The most precarious position belongs to New Mexico, with the Lobos perched on the 10-seed line following a Quad 4 loss to Air Force (NET: 271) and an 89-79 defeat on the road against Boise State.
A loss to Utah State on Saturday could push them to the wrong side of the bubble.
The regular-season conference title is also still up for grabs, with Utah State (12-4), Nevada (12-5), Boise State (12-5) and UNLV (12-5) all in the running.
Pac-12
7 of 10
Colorado @ Oregon State, 5:00 PM ET, Saturday
Utah @ Oregon, 7:00 PM ET, Saturday
Arizona is going to be in the conversation for a No. 1 seed, and Washington State is a lock for the NCAA tournament field. However, that could be it from the Pac-12 in the conference's swan song this March.
The 2012 NCAA tournament is the last time the conference sent fewer than three teams to March Madness, and they still have an outside shot at avoiding that distinction if Colorado or Utah can sneak into the field.
Both teams close out their regular-season slate on the road in the state of Oregon, with Utah facing Oregon State and Colorado facing Oregon on Thursday night before they swap opponents for their Saturday contests.
If either team loses to Oregon State (NET: 160), it's likely the end of their bubble candidacy.
SEC
8 of 10
Kentucky @ Tennessee, 4:00 PM ET, Saturday
With a one-game lead in the SEC standings over South Carolina entering play on Wednesday, the Volunteers still need to take care of business to claim the outright regular-season conference championship. They also still have work to do to cement their spot on the 1-seed line. Aside from the postseason implications, this should also just be one of the better games of the weekend from a watchability standpoint.
South Carolina @ Mississippi State, 2:30 PM ET, Saturday
The Gamecocks are a lock for the NCAA tournament, but the same can't be said for a Mississippi State team that has suffered back-to-back losses to Kentucky and Auburn after ripping off a five-game winning streak. The Bulldogs are currently projected for a No. 9 seed in the latest Bracket Matrix, but they still have work to do.
Texas A&M @ Ole Miss, 2:00 PM ET, Saturday
Both of these times may ultimately face too big of an uphill climb to crack the NCAA tournament field, but the winner here at least stays alive on the periphery of the bubble conversation heading into the SEC tournament.
Mid-Majors with At-Large Candidates
9 of 10
Atlantic 10
VCU @ Dayton, 7:00 PM ET, Friday
Richmond @ George Mason, 2:30 PM ET, Saturday
La Salle @ Loyola-Chicago, 4:00 PM ET, Saturday
Dayton is a lock for the NCAA tournament and currently sits at No. 25 in the AP poll. However, despite their status as the best team in the conference, the Flyers (13-4) actually trail Richmond (14-2) and Loyola-Chicago (13-3) in the A-10 standings, so the regular-season champ will also be decided on Saturday.
Ivy League
Princeton @ Penn, 6:00 PM ET, Saturday
The Ivy League has never received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, but Princeton (NET: 51) is still climbing to a spot on the bubble thanks to an eight-game winning streak and a 21-3 record overall.
Missouri Valley
Regular Season Over
The Missouri Valley wrapped up its regular-season slate this past Sunday, and the conference tournament is set to begin on Thursday. For now, Indiana State (NET: 30) and Drake (NET: 48) are both still part of the bubble conversation.
Sun Belt
Regular Season Over
The Sun Belt tournament is already underway, as it was once again the first conference tournament to tip-off. Appalachian State (NET: 69) and James Madison (NET: 53) are the two teams to watch. The Dukes have been one of the most compelling mid-major teams all season after beating then-No. 4 Michigan State in their non-conference opener.
WCC: Saint Mary's, Gonzaga
Regular Season Over
With a 70-57 victory on the road against NCAA tournament lock Saint Mary's in the regular-season finale on Saturday, Gonzaga now also appears to be comfortably in the tournament field. If all goes as expected, they will meet again in the WCC title game on March 12.
The One-Bid League Favorites
10 of 10
The only thing that matters for the one-bid leagues is winning their conference tournament, so here's a quick rundown of the current favorites in each of those 19 conferences.
America East: Vermont (25-6, 15-1, NET: 98)
Atlantic Sun: Eastern Kentucky (17-14, 12-4, NET: 217)
Big Sky: Eastern Washington (21-10, 15-3, NET: 132)
Big South: High Point (24-7, 13-3, NET: 107)
Big West: UC Irvine (22-8, 15-3, NET: 74)
Coastal: College of Charleston (24-7, 15-3, NET: 103)
Conference USA: Louisiana Tech (21-8, 11-3, NET: 86)
Horizon: Oakland (20-11, 15-5, NET: 137)
MAAC: Quinnipiac (21-8, 13-5, NET: 170)
MAC: Akron (21-9, 13-4, NET: 104)
MEAC: Norfolk State (20-10, 10-3, NET: 233)
Northeast: Merrimack (19-11, 13-3, NET: 196)
Ohio Valley: Morehead State (23-8, 14-4, NET: 116)
Patriot: Colgate (22-9, 16-2, NET: 131)
Southern: Samford (26-5, 15-3, NET: 80)
Southland: McNeese State (27-3, 16-1, NET: 58)
SWAC: Grambling (16-13, 13-3, NET: 293)
Summit: South Dakota State (19-12, 12-4, NET: 154)
WAC: Grand Canyon (26-4, 16-3, NET: 56)
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