College Basketball Games of the Week: The No. 1 men’s and women’s teams in action

A non-conference showdown in Nashville. Three ranked versus ranked matches in women’s basketball. The two No. 1 overall teams in action. This weekend’s big college basketball games will impact conference standings and the NCAA Tournament seeding. There are top teams in both men’s and women’s hoops, and we’re here to help you get ready for the action. No. 10 Michigan State men’s basketball at Wisconsin (Friday, 8 p.m. ET on FOX) Michigan State key players: Jeremy Fears Jr. (sophomore, guard), Jaxon Kohler (senior, forward) Carson Cooper (senior, center) Wisconsin key players: Nick Boyd (senior, guard), John Blackwell (junior, guard), Nolan Winter (junior, forward) Michigan State’s last game: 85-82 victory against. No. 8 Illinois Wisconsin’s final game: 92-90 win over No. 8 Illinois What’s at stake: Michigan State and Wisconsin are still fighting for a double bye in the Big Ten tournament, but both are just outside the top four. The Spartans are one game ahead of the Badgers in the standings. Wisconsin has already dethroned two top 10 teams in Michigan and Illinois. A win against Michigan State would solidify the Badgers’ resume. This game will be a battle of antithetical strengths, as Wisconsin ranks third in the Big Ten in offense and Michigan State is second in defense. No. 13 Purdue at Iowa (Saturday, 5 p.m. ET on FOX) Purdue key players: Braden Smith (Senior, Guard), Trey Kaufman-Renn (Senior, Forward), Oscar Cluff (Senior, Center) Iowa key players: Bennett Stirtz (Senior, Guard), Alvaro Folgueiras (Junior, Forward), Cam Manyawu (Junior, Forward) Purdue’s last game: 80-77 victory at No. 7 Nebraska Iowa. Nebraska Iowa’s last game: 77-70 loss at Maryland. Stakes: This is a Quad 1 matchup for both teams, with Iowa ranked 21st in the NET rankings. Purdue has an outside chance of winning a Big Ten title in the regular season and improved its chances after beating Nebraska. Iowa is no joke, so a road win against the Hawkeyes would strengthen the Boilermakers’ case for a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament. That said, Iowa suffered a disastrous Quad 3 loss to Maryland, which could drop the Hawkeyes down several starting lines. The Hawkeyes are susceptible to such losses because they play at a slow pace. Beating Purdue could help fix that loss to Maryland. No. 15 Virginia at Ohio State (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET on FOX) Michigan State key players: Thijs De Ridder (sophomore, forward), Malik Thomas (senior, guard) Carson Cooper (senior, center) Ohio State key players: Bruce Thornton (senior, guard), John Mobley Jr. (sophomore, guard), Chance Mallory (freshman, guard) Last game Virginia: 61-58 victory at Florida State Ohio State’s last game: 89-82 victory against USC. What’s at stake: A rare ACC-Big Ten matchup in mid-February and the stakes are high. Ohio State and Virginia meet Saturday in the showdown in Nashville. Ohio State was among the top four outs in FOX Sports’ Mike DeCourcy’s latest projection. A win against Virginia would give the Buckeyes a 2-0 week against NCAA Tournament opponents and strengthen their case for getting on the right side of the bubble. Virginia was fourth in DeCourcy’s final bracket, and the committee would appreciate a neutral-site win against a non-conference opponent. No. 9 Kansas vs. No. 5 Iowa State (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET) Kansas key players: Darryn Peterson (freshman, guard), Flory Bidunga (sophomore, forward), Melvin Council Jr. (senior, guard) Ohio State key players: Tamin Lipsey (senior, guard), Joshua Jefferson (senior, forward), Milan Momcilovic (junior, forward) Kansas’ last game: 82-78 victory against number 1 Arizona, Iowa State’s last game: 62-55 defeat at TCU. Issues: Kansas has already ended two teams’ perfect seasons: Arizona on Monday and Iowa State in January. The Cyclones will certainly want to avenge this loss, but will have a difficult task, as the Jayhawks have won eight in a row despite the in and out of freshman star Darryn Peterson. DeCourcy had the Cyclones in second and the Jayhawks in third in his final bracket, but if Kansas wins the season series, it will likely topple that seed. After starting the season 16-0, the Cyclones have lost three of their last eight, falling to fourth place in the Big 12. No. 16 Texas Tech at No. 1 Arizona (Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET) Texas Tech Key Players: JT Toppin (Junior, Forward), Christian Anderson (Sophomore, Guard), LeJuan Watts (Junior, Forward) Arizona Key Players: Koa Peat (Freshman, Forward), Jaden Bradley (Senior, Guard), Brayden Burries (Freshman, Guard) Texas Tech’s last game: 77-48 win over Colorado Arizona’s last game: 82-78 loss at No. 9 Kansas. The issue: Arizona’s perfect season is over and opponents don’t get any easier with Texas Tech on the schedule. The Red Raiders handed Duke its first loss of the season at Madison Square Garden on December 20. Despite the loss to Kansas, the Wildcats remain the No. 1 seed in DeCourcy’s bracket and can build on that by beating Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are tied with Iowa State for the Big 12 final double bye. Not only would a win here help get there, but a win in Arizona would be the strongest win by any team this season. No. 1 UConn women’s basketball at Marquette (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET on FS1) UConn key players: Sarah Strong (sophomore, forward), Azzi Fudd (fifth year, guard), KK Arnold (Junior, guard) Marquette key players: Skylar Forbes (Junior, forward), Halle Vice (Junior, guard), Lee Volker (Senior, guard) UConn’s final game : 95-54 win against Creighton last game Marquette: 80-74 overtime loss against Seton Hall. What’s at Stake: The UConn women are aiming for a 43rd straight victory, which would tie South Carolina (2023-25) for the seventh-most consecutive wins in women’s college basketball history. The Huskies have already beaten Marquette this season, so this success is likely. The Golden Eagles fell to fourth place in the conference after their loss to Seton Hall. No. 20 Maryland at No. 8 Ohio State (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET FS1) Maryland Key Players: Oluchi Okananwa (Junior, Guard), Yarden Garzon (Senior, Guard), Saylor Poffenbarger (Senior, Guard) Ohio State Key Players: Jaloni Cambridge (Sophomore, Guard), Chance Gray (Senior, Guard), Elsa Lemmila (Sophomore, Forward) Maryland’s last game: 81-62 win over Penn State Ohio State’s last game: 80-64 win over Oregon. The issue: While both teams are in the AP Top 25 poll, Ohio State is faring much better in Big Ten play, working its way into second place, while Maryland is in seventh. The Buckeyes were a 1 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and would certainly need to beat Maryland to get back to that line. Maryland has lost five of its last seven games and needs to start building momentum against quality opponents to make a tournament run. No. 13 Michigan State at No. 7 Michigan (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET on FS1) Michigan State Key Players: Grace VanSlooten (Senior, Forward), Kennedy Blair (Sophomore, Guard), Rashunda Jones (Junior, Guard) Michigan Key Players: Olivia Olson (Sophomore, Guard), Syla Swords (Sophomore, Guard), Te’Yala Delfosse (Sophomore, Forward) Michigan State’s Final Game : 86-63 defeat against No. 2 UCLA Michigan. Michigan’s last game: 80-58 victory at Northwestern. At stake: Two matchups just 14 days apart increase the animosity of this in-state rivalry. Michigan outlasted Michigan State 94-91 in overtime on February 1. The Spartans have fallen to fifth in the Big Ten, while the Wolverines have a half-game lead for second place. A road victory in the top 10 would greatly strengthen their record. No. 19 West Virginia at No. 17 TCU (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET on FS1) West Virginia Key Players: Kierra Wheeler (Senior, Forward), Jordan Harrison (Senior, Guard), Gia Cooke (Junior, Guard) TCU Key Players: Olivia Miles (Senior, Guard), Marta Suarez (Senior, Forward), Donovyn Hunter (Junior, Guard) Last game West Virginia: 106-56 win over UCF last game TCU: 83-67 win at No. 12 Baylor. What’s at stake: The Horned Frogs’ win over Baylor on Thursday tied them for second place in the Big 12 with the Bears and Texas Tech, at 10-3. West Virginia is the only team ahead of the trio, with a one-game lead at 11-3, so a W here would propel TCU to first in the conference after a rough stretch that saw it fall from 8th in the poll to 17th. The Mountaineers, conversely, can show they are the true power of the Big 12 by dispatching TCU, and could even get the poll rankings to reflect that with a win. No. 21 North Carolina vs. No. 11 Duke (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) North Carolina Key Players: Nyla Harris (Senior, Forward), India Nivar (Senior, Guard), Cierra Toomey (Sophomore, Forward) Duke Key Players: Toby Fournier (Sophomore, Forward), Ashlon Jackson (Senior, Guard), Taina Mair (Senior, Guard) North Carolina’s Last Game: Win 94-42 against. SMU Duke’s last game: 95-36 win over SMU. The stakes: a ranked match in Tabacco Road Rivalry! Duke remains perfect in ACC play, but is still looking to strengthen its case for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, as the Blue Devils are 2-4 against ranked opponents. The Tar Heels, however, are 0-3 against ranked opponents, so a road win against the nation’s 11th-ranked team would be their best win of the season.