Men's College Basketball: Games to watch

The college basketball season is nearing its end, and conference schedules are heating up as teams have their final chances to position themselves ahead of conference tournaments.

There are plenty of exciting games on the schedule soon, so let's get into the five best games to watch this week.

#25 BYU vs. #9 Kansas

Where	Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS
When	8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 27
How to watch	ESPN+

The first instance of two top 25 teams facing off in the week occurs on Tuesday night in Kansas.

BYU has been extremely inconsistent this season with a 19-8 record heading into Tuesday's game. In just the last two weeks, the Cougars have lost to unranked Oklahoma State and Kansas State but also beat #9 Baylor. BYU's defense has been a hot topic this season since it has given up at least 84 points in three of the last four games.

After a pair of bad losses to Kansas State and Texas Tech, the Kansas Jayhawks seem to be back on track after winning back-to-back games against Oklahoma and Texas.

Hunter Dickinson continues to be one of the most reliable big men in college basketball, but it's only going to get harder for the Jayhawks since three of their last four games are against top 25 teams.

#14 Auburn vs. #5 Tennessee

Where	Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN
When	7:00 PM, Wednesday, February 28
How to watch	ESPN2

The Tennessee Volunteers are red-hot. The Vols have picked up some big wins in the last few weeks like victories over Kentucky, Florida, and Alabama. In their last 10 games, the Vols have won eight times.

They come into Wednesday's game on a four game win streak and put their 13-2 home record on the line as they welcome the Auburn Tigers to Knoxville.

February has been a roller-coaster of a month for the Tigers. Auburn has blown out two top 25 teams, Alabama and South Carolina, but also suffered double-digit losses to Florida and Kentucky.

The loss to the Gators was in Florida, so that marked Auburn's fifth road loss of the season. That's not too important, but it is when considering the Tigers have only six losses this year. It's clear that Auburn struggles on the road and will need to turn it around against the Volunteers.

#24 Florida vs. #20 South Carolina

Where	Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
When	12:00 PM, Saturday, March 2
How to watch	ESPN

Saturdays have been known for action-packed slates that feature plenty of top 25 teams in action. That's also the case for this coming Saturday, as 22 of the top 25 teams will take the floor.

The first game that features two top 25 teams against each other is at noon as the Florida Gators travel to South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks. This should be an excellent game since both teams have played extremely well in February.

South Carolina has jumped into the top 25 after several impressive wins in the last few weeks. Heading into their mid-week game against Texas A&M, the Gamecocks were 21-5 and had defeated Tennessee and Kentucky recently.

The South Carolina defense has been fantastic and that will be crucial to its success against a Florida offense that is top 10 in the country this season. 

#9 Kansas vs. #11 Baylor

Where	Foster Pavilion, Waco, TX
When	1:00 PM, Saturday, March 2
How to watch	ABC

It's a powerhouse matchup in Waco, TX on Saturday afternoon as the Kansas Jayhawks take on the Baylor Bears. This isn't the first time that these teams have met this season as these teams battled in Kansas just a few weeks ago.

The Jayhawks were able to win that game 64-61 despite Yves Missi and Ja'Kobe Walter combining for 38 points for Baylor. Since that game, the Bears have struggled and dropped back-to-back games to West Virginia and BYU.

Kansas has one of the best starting fives in the country, and because of that, the Jayhawks barely use their bench. That has been a key to their success because Hunter Dickinson and Johnny Furphy have outperformed expectations this year. However, it's going to be hard to beat Baylor on their home floor since the Bears are 14-2 at home this season.

#7 Marquette vs. #15 Creighton

Where	CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE
When	2:00 PM, Saturday, March 2
How to watch	Fox

The Creighton Bluejays just did the unthinkable and beat the UConn Huskies by nearly 20 points. It was one of the biggest upsets of the season since that was just Connecticut's third loss.

However, Creighton lost all of the momentum immediately since they lost by double-digits to St. John's in the next game. That's been the story for the Bluejays this season: inconsistency.

The Marquette Golden Eagles also matched up against UConn recently, but it was a much different result. The Golden Eagles lost by nearly 30 points, which set them back in the rankings. But since that loss, Marquette has beat DePaul and Xavier by a combined 58 points.

Following this game against Creighton, the Golden Eagles will travel home for a revenge game against the UConn Huskies, but it's critical for Marquette to focus on beating the Bluejays first.

Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.