This is shaping up to be one of college basketball’s best regular-season weekends in recent memory. There are two top-four tilts on the same day, happening for just the fifth time since the AP poll was established 77 years ago. Arizona and Houston start Saturday off with an ultimate style clash for Big 12 authority, then Cameron Boozer commands Duke against top-ranked Michigan in a blue-blood, neutral-site marquee.
Elsewhere, we get a loaded slate of in-state tension and critical conference matchups with NCAA Tournament implications. Here are some of the games to check out.
All times ET. Rankings are from the latest AP poll.
Men’s college basketball weekend schedule
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GameTimeTVStream
VCU at Saint Louis
7 p.m., Fri.
ESPN2
Indiana at Purdue
8 p.m., Fri.
Fox
Bowling Green at Miami (OH)
8:30 p.m., Fri.
CBSSN
Cincinnati at Kansas
1 p.m., Sat.
CBS
Miami (FL) at Virginia
2 p.m., Sat.
ESPN2
Tennessee at Vanderbilt
2 p.m., Sat.
ESPN
Arizona at Houston
3 p.m., Sat.
ABC
Missouri at Arkansas
4 p.m., Sat.
ESPN
UConn at Villanova
5:30 p.m., Sat.
TNT
Max
Michigan vs. Duke
6:30 p.m., Sat.
ESPN
Illinois at UCLA
8 p.m., Sat.
Fox
Iowa St. at BYU
10:30 p.m. Sat.
ESPN
Ohio St. at Michigan St.
1 p.m., Sun.
CBS
ABC, CBS and Fox are free over the air. ABC and all ESPN networks are available on ESPN Unlimited. CBS is also on Paramount+, and Fox is also on Fox One.
Friday gamesVCU at No. 18 Saint Louis
Why you should watch: The Billikens are 12-1 in the Atlantic 10, while the Rams are 12-2. Saint Louis had won 18 straight games before Tuesday’s stinger at Rhode Island. VCU has won 10 in a row. Friday night sounds fun and carries weight for March.
Indiana at No. 7 Purdue
Why you should watch: It’s a storied in-state rivalry, and Purdue is bringing out its black script uniforms for the occasion. The Boilermakers boast the nation’s second-highest offensive rating through Thursday. Braden Smith is second in assists per game at 8.8. Yet the Hoosiers pulled off a five-point upset in their last meeting on Jan. 27 at Assembly Hall.
A second upset here would shore up Indiana’s tourney case. The Athletic’s Jim Root has them “in the mix” for the dance.
Bowling Green at No. 22 Miami (OH)
Why you should watch: The RedHawks are undefeated. With a 26-0 record and the second-ranked scoring offense, they could be a cool team to ride with during the Madness. They need to claim their conference first — the MAC typically doesn’t get multiple NCAA Tournament invites, and Miami takes Friday’s floor just one game ahead of Akron.
Saturday’s top shelfNo. 4 Arizona at No. 2 Houston
Atop the Big 12 standings, Arizona and Houston present dueling approaches to the game. Entering the weekend, the Wildcats are 13th in points per game and the Cougars are 140th. Houston is second in points allowed per game, and Arizona is 55th. Tommy Lloyd coaches up-tempo basketball. Kelvin Sampson counters with grinding trap defense.
The visitors started 23-0, but then staggered with consecutive losses to Kansas and Texas Tech. They got right against BYU on Wednesday, but had to do so without Koa Peat. The elite Arizona-born freshman is still on ice due to a leg injury, so Houston’s swarming defense will fixate on fellow first-year star Brayden Burries.
Houston is at home for another date in its ultimate revenge tour. Seniors Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan were so close, yet so far in last spring’s national championship game. The word “incomprehensible” was used. This year’s group adds excellent freshman Kingston Fleming, who leads his side in points, assists and steals per game.
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 3 Duke
This is the seventh top-five meeting between Duke and Michigan across their decorated program histories. Duke has claimed four of the prior six. “College GameDay” is summoned to Washington, D.C., site of this unique one-off headliner. The Blue Devils will be represented on the “GameDay” desk, with Jay Bilas and Jay Williams joining Rece Davis, Andraya Carter and Seth Greenberg.
Michigan is No. 1 for the first time since 2012-13, back when Trey Burke was swishing from the parking lot. The Wolverines came up just short in the national title game that season. The current group is a dominant 25-1, with championship aspirations behind versatile forward Yaxel Lendeborg and dimer guard Elliot Cadeau. Michigan’s last outing was a convincing road win at Purdue on Tuesday.
Duke has its own net-cutting ambitions, centered on Boozer. He paces the Blue Devils in points, rebounds and assists, with a tidy shooting line of 58.2/39.4/76.8. Before Boozer’s inevitable NBA Draft moment, he seeks “One Shining Moment.” Duke is 24-2, with its two losses coming by a combined four points.
Other Saturday gamesCincinnati at No. 8 Kansas
Why you should watch: Darryn Peterson. The potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick dropped 23 points and shot 6-of-10 behind the arc Wednesday. He did all that against Oklahoma State in just 18 minutes — before cramps ended his night prematurely. Will he start and finish Saturday at the Phog? Peterson has mesmerizing offense for a true freshman, but his availability is becoming a flash point.
Miami (FL) at No. 14 Virginia
Why you should watch: UVA is searing at 12-1 since New Year’s. It cooks up close-game drama, too. Last week, Virginia used second-half pushes to beat Florida State by three points, then Ohio State by four. Earlier this season, it played a triple-overtime marathon with Virginia Tech and a double-OT marathon against Notre Dame.
Both the Cavs and the Canes are in the ACC mix. Miami juiced its profile with the Feb. 10 putdown of UNC.
Tennessee at No. 19 Vanderbilt
Why you should watch: Another in-state rivalry, and another scramble near the top of a power conference. Vanderbilt is a true breakout, just like it was in football. Diego Pavia is not eligible for this basketball game, but Tyler Tanner certainly is. The 6-foot sophomore has at least 24 points in four of his last five games. Tennessee counters with a potential top-10 draft pick in freshman Nate Ament. Nashville will be rocking.
Missouri at No. 20 Arkansas
Why you should watch: Mizzou looks to be on the tournament bubble amid the crowded SEC. Coming out of Fayetteville with a ranked W would really make a statement. As of Thursday, John Calipari’s Razorbacks sits fifth in offensive efficiency and 16th in effective field goal percentage, per KenPom. Buckets galore.
No. 5 UConn at Villanova
Why you should watch: Solo Ball and fifth-ranked UConn need a get-right game, with two of the team’s three total losses coming in February. Villanova is revitalized, pushing for its first March Madness bid since the 2021-22 season. The last meeting went to overtime, with the Huskies hanging on in Hartford. The Wildcats can even the ledger in Philadelphia.
No. 10 Illinois at UCLA
Why you should watch: Keaton Wagler is rising through mock drafts, from four-star recruit to possible one-and-done lottery pick. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie put him at No. 11 on his board of top 100 prospects. Tankathon has him at seventh. Wagler showed creativity and verve in the opening leg of Illinois’ Los Angeles run:
Keaton ✈️ Z
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/ROiHuxN1Vx
— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 19, 2026
Meanwhile, UCLA could use a Quad 1 win to bolster its tourney resume. The Bruins were blown out by Michigan and Michigan State in their recent road trip through the Mitten.
No. 6 Iowa State at No. 23 BYU
Why you should watch: It’s freshman sensation AJ Dybantsa against the whirring Cyclones, who arrive at eighth in defensive rating and seventh in KenPom. Dybantsa is going for a Division I scoring title with 24.8 points per game. He had a scintillating 35 in BYU’s loss to Arizona on Wednesday. Iowa State is feeling itself after back-to-back monster wins versus Kansas and Houston.
Sunday closeoutOhio State at No. 15 Michigan State
Why you should watch: Bubble Buckeyes. Ohio State has been able to hang with top competition but mostly in losing efforts. It played North Carolina to a one-point loss in December, pushed top-10 Nebraska within three points in January, and almost beat Virginia last Saturday.
OSU finally notched a ranked win with Tuesday’s thumping of No. 24 Wisconsin, and senior captain Bruce Thornton became the third player in program history with 2,000 career points. Root has the Buckeyes in his “in the mix” tier. Topping Tom Izzo’s Spartans in East Lansing would move them up further.
2,000+ career points for Bruce Thornton 🤯 @OhioStateHoops 🔥
📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/mjZt3Tlupo
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 18, 2026
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