Men's College Basketball: Games to watch this week

Tournament season is rapidly approaching and that means the quality of college basketball games is only getting better.

Let’s take a look at the best college basketball games this upcoming week

#11 South Carolina vs. #13 Auburn

Where	Neville Arena, Auburn, AL
When	8:30 PM ET, Wednesday, February 14
How to watch	SEC Network

Valentine’s Day features some of the best college basketball teams in the country taking the court, such as South Carolina and Auburn.

 The two top-25 teams face off in Alabama, where Auburn has been unbeatable this season - literally.

The Tigers are 12-0 on their home court this season. That includes wins over Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, and more. Auburn takes home-court advantage to another level and that’s been the key to its success.

South Carolina has been dominant in 2024. The Gamecocks had won six straight games heading into their matchup with the struggling Vanderbilt, which has shot them up the rankings.

Two of the Gamecocks’ biggest wins have been over Kentucky and Tennessee, so while they haven’t been tested much this season, South Carolina has made the most of its opportunities.

New Mexico vs. San Diego State

Where	Arena at Aztec Bowl, San Diego, CA
When	10:00 PM ET, Friday, February 16
How to watch	FS1

In preparation for a big weekend, there aren’t many college basketball games on Friday night. However, there are two notable teams taking the court that night and it happens to be on the same court.

New Mexico travels to SoCal to take on San Diego State in a matchup between two surging programs. These teams have already met once in January and New Mexico blew out SDSU by a score of 88-70.

However, the setting will shift to Southern California this time and the Aztecs are a perfect 13-0 at home this season prior to their game against Colorado State on Tuesday.

New Mexico has only faced two top-25 teams this season, Utah State and San Diego State, and the Lobos won easily both times.

This game provides them another opportunity to showcase that they truly belong in the top-25 and that the other two games weren’t flukes. A win over the Aztecs on their home court would be a statement win.

#4 Marquette vs. #1 Connecticut

Where	XL Center, Hartford, CT
When	3:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 17
How to watch	FOX

Saturdays are known for being filled with phenomenal games and this one is no different.

One of the best games of the day happens in the afternoon in Hartford, as Marquette travels east to take on UConn.

Marquette has had a fairly easy schedule up to this point, with the hardest teams they’ve faced in the last few weeks being Villanova and St. Johns.

However, that will change on Saturday as they take on one of the best college basketball teams in the country.

UConn hasn’t just been winning this season, they’ve been dominating. In January, the Huskies were 8-0 and they won by nine or more points in five of the eight games.

The elite UConn offense combine with a suffocating defense has made them one of the toughest teams to beat this season. The last time the Huskies faced a ranked opponent, they won by 14.

#22 Kentucky vs. #13 Auburn

Where	Neville Arena, Auburn, AL
When	6:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 17
How to watch	ESPN

Auburn is in the midst of their hardest portion of the schedule. The Tigers have Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Kentucky in a row.

That’s a very difficult stretch of games and this will be the second time in the week that the Tigers have had to play a ranked opponent.

Fortunately for Auburn, this game will be played on their home court and, as you might remember from the earlier preview, the Tigers have been one of the best teams at home in all of college basketball. 

The Wildcats have been slipping recently with losses to South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee in the last few weeks.

It won’t get any easier on Saturday against Auburn, who is looking for a few more statement wins to add to their record.

However, if Kentucky can continue to get excellent production from Antonio Reeves and Rob Dillingham, they have a great chance of winning regardless of the setting. Improved play from freshman five-star recruits DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards, and Aaron Bradshaw would be a huge boost, too.