College hoops weekend preview

As the calendar prepares to roll over into March, things are heating up around the college basketball world. Pressure is heightening, bubbles are shrinking and in some cases bursting, and desperate teams are running out of chances to score big wins that could get them into the tournament. Over the past week, several bubble teams have put themselves in great position for at-large berths, particularly Kansas State, Michigan State and Gonzaga, while the teams they beat to get in that great position are in trouble. Nebraska, Minnesota and St. Mary's all slipped up in those games and now face uphill battles to at-large tournament bids. There is certainly still time before the field is set, but not a whole lot. Here's a look at the big games to watch for the upcoming weekend and why they are so big:

SATURDAY 2/26

Syracuse at Georgetown (12pm et): This game should be about Syracuse trying to avenge an earlier defeat at home against the Hoyas, but recent events have changed that. With the recent injury to guard Chris Wright, the Hoyas are certainly in trouble. He should be back in time for the tournament, but the team will have to get by for a few games without him. Syracuse is really locked in right now as their young players continue to improve, and beating Georgetown would allow this squad to gain some confidence as the big dance approaches.

Missouri at Kansas State (12pm et): The Wildcats seem to have gotten back on track after some serious struggles throughout the season by topping Kansas and Nebraska in their last 2 games, and continuing that roll with a win over Missouri would pretty much ensure K-State a spot in the tournament. Bramlage Coliseum is definitely a tough environment for a road foe to win in, so the opportunity for the Wildcats is good. The chances of a K-State win seem even better when you consider that Missouri has only one road win in conference play all season, and it was over lowly Iowa State. The matchup looks good for KSU, but this could be just the win the Tigers need to get the road monkey off their back. Either way it should be a very good game.

Wichita State at Missouri State (1pm et): It's pretty simple to explain why this is a big game. The winner is the regular season Missouri Valley conference champion. The Bears won at Wichita State earlier in the season, so you would expect them to be favored at home, but this game should be a doozy. Neither team has done enough so far this season that they should plan on an at-large bid, but a regular season title would certainly be a leg-up on the other should someone else win the conference tournament.

BYU at San Diego State (2pm et): This is a clash of the Mountain West titans, and the winner should still be alive for a number one seed in the NCAA tournament if they can win the conference tournament as well. It's going to be all about Jimmer Fredette as always, but San Diego State will come ready to play and the Aztec fans will be rabid. This game will be nationally televised on CBS and will be a great opportunity for the nation to get acquainted with two of the best teams they haven't seen. This one shouldn't be missed.

St. John's at Villanova (2pm et): The Red Storm victory tour will look to continue in Philly, and with the way 'Nova has been playing lately, they just might let St. John's keep rolling. Dwight Hardy has really become a star over the past couple of months for the Red Storm, and this veteran team has absolutely hit its stride with 5 straight victories including 4 over likely tournament teams. Steve Lavin is working magic with this team, and they seem to be catching Villanova at the right time. The Wildcats are 2-3 over their past 5 games with narrow wins over Seton Hall and DePaul as the only victories. The Wildcats scuffled heading into the tourney a year ago and they ended up losing in the second round to St. Mary's as a 2-seed. A win over St. John's could really reverse the positive momentum.

Memphis at UTEP (3pm et): Conference USA is a mess, with 6 teams within a game of first place in the conference standings. Memphis is one of the 3 tied at the top while UTEP is one of the 3 tied a game back. Memphis is looking to find a little bit of consistency and get a stronger foothold in the at-large tourney field, but that could be tough against a strong Miners team. Guard Randy Culpepper is really becoming a good player and a good leader for UTEP.

Arizona at UCLA (4pm et): The Bruins have really put together a nice season after some struggles early on. Ben Howland seems to have this team headed back to the tournament after last year's absence. Beating Arizona could make the year even better as it would put the Bruins even with the Wildcats atop the Pac-10 standings. Arizona has been fantastic all year, and Derrick Williams is an absolute star, but Reeves Nelson, Tyler Honeycutt and the rest of the UCLA squad is itching to show they can beat a team like Arizona.

Florida at Kentucky (4pm et): The Gators have won 6 straight games, and Kentucky has been struggling, but this game is at Rupp Arena. UK hasn't lost at Rupp this season despite all of their road woes, and this game features the two most athletic starting fives in the SEC in what should be a great showdown. Kentucky probably needs this game a little more than Florida, as their recent struggles have their likely tournament seed in the 5-7 range, while it seems unlikely the Gators will fall below a 3.

Texas at Colorado (4pm et): This should be the last opportunity the Buffs and Alec Burks have to keep their at-large hopes afloat. The Longhorns aren't likely to put up another poor performance after losing to Nebraska last weekend, so the Buffaloes will have to play as well as they are capable to pull of the stunner over Texas, even at home in Boulder.

Michigan at Minnesota (4:30pm et): This game would be much more important if the Wolverines hadn't allowed the banked in 3 by Josh Gasser on Wednesday, but that's the way things happened. As it stands, U of M is certainly a longshot for an at-large bid in the big dance, but Minnesota isn't exactly in great shape themselves. The Golden Gophers haven't been winning much since point guard Al Nolen went down, and they really have to defend their homecourt and beat Michigan in this one to keep hope alive. This should be two very desperate teams squaring off in Minneapolis on Saturday, but I think the Wolverines will find a way to win.

South Carolina at Georgia (7pm et): The Bulldogs simply must win this game to feel like they are still in good shape for an at-large bid. The Gamecocks are a very scrappy team and hard to put away, so UGa better be ready to play a full 40 minutes. I think they will get the job done, but the bounceback win coming off the loss at Florida is a must.

Texas A&M at Baylor (9pm et): Baylor's at-large hopes are hanging on by a thread at this point, especially after getting throttled at Missouri. The last time they were in this kind of trouble, they scored a huge win at Texas A&M to rejuvenate their season. They could use that kind of lift again as the Aggies come to Waco to play them. A&M hasn't lost a whole lot this season, but they don't have a real good big man to match up with Perry Jones inside. Baylor could certainly pull of the upset once again, but it won't be easy and it will be necessary for Baylor to go dancing.

Duke at Virginia Tech (9pm et): The Dukies are back atop the polls for now, but lately everyone at the top of the polls is having a very hard time winning and staying there. This looks very much like a trap game for the Blue Devils because it is a near must-win for the Hokies. Va Tech seems to be on the wrong side of the bubble each and every season, and a win over Duke on Saturday night would very likely change that this year. Duke is definitely the most talented team in this matchup, but crazier things have happened this season.

SUNDAY 2/27

UConn at Cincinnati (12pm et): The Bearcats have likely locked themselves into an at-large bid with recent wins over Louisville and Georgetown, but you can always be in better shape. UConn is coming off a tough loss to Marquette and will be anxious to get back into the win column. It should be a good game, but look for the Huskies to come out ahead as Cincy hasn't shown an ability to consistently beat the top Big East teams, and picking up a third stright win over a top team seems unlikely.

Xavier at Dayton (1pm et): The Musketeers really have just one major hurdle left between themselves and an A-10 regular season title. That hurdle is the Dayton Flyers. Much less daunting games against Charlotte and St. Louis remain after the game in Dayton this weekend, so this is the real challenge for Xavier. Tu Holloway has been great so far this year, and I expect him to lead the way to victory against a Dayton team that is always tough to beat in their gym.

Purdue at Michigan State (1pm et): The Spartans have begun to get some separation from Minnesota and Michigan and the rest of the Big Ten bubble crowd, but they could still use another big conference win to help them rest easy come Selection Sunday. A win over the Boilermakers would certainly qualify. This game is at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, and the crowd there is normally raucous. Purdue is definitely the better of the two teams, but MSU is always dangerous as the calendar hits the end of February and turns over into March. Kalin Lucas is starting to look like his old self again, and that should worry the Boilers.

Pittsburgh at Louisville (2pm et): The Panthers are still hot on the trail of a number one seed for the big dance, and that means continuing to win. Louisville has been great this season with a dearth of star players, but Pitt has been better. They are the most efficient Big East team, and they are as deep and as physically tough as any team in the country. Just watch Brad Wanamaker and Gilbert Brown driving to the rim or Gary McGhee backing down a defender and tell me this team isn't tough. Rick Pitino has done a great coaching job so far this season, but he may have to be better than he's been to coax a win out of his Cardinals against the Panthers.

Maryland at North Carolina (7:45pm et): This may be the last big opportunity for the Maryland Terrapins to play their way into the tournament. A road win at the "Dean Dome" would be huge for the Terps. The matchup isn't favorable as Maryland's best player Jordan Williams will be up against the strength of the Tar Heels, frountcourt studs Tyler Zeller and John Henson. Maryland likely needs to get this win, but that seems much better in theory than in practice. UNC would have to have a pretty poor game to lose at home to this Maryland squad.

Washington State at Washington (10pm et): The WSU Cougars are the 4th best team in the Pac-10, which for now looks like a 3-bid league. That doesn't put the Cougars in good position right now. This rivalry game with the Huskies could be the best chance Wazzu has to bolster its resume before the Pac-10 tourney. Washington is loaded with talent in Isaiah Thomas, Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Abdul Gaddy, but Klay Thompson is no slouch on the other side. This could be a good chance to get a look at a Washington team that hasn't been on TV that much this season, with this game being nationally televised on Fox Sports Net Sunday night.

Those are the games to watch over the next couple of days, and it should be a great weekend of hoops. Hard to know if any of the games will live up to the slugfest between Gonzaga and St. Mary's from Thursday night, but if they come close it will be pretty entertaining television. Enjoy the games and start getting excited for March Madness.