College Basketball

College basketball weekend preview: Five best games to watch Saturday

Published Jan. 17, 2025 11:39 a.m. ET

Another week in college basketball is upon us, and it promises to be full of incredible finishes, surprising upsets and dominant performances.

This weekend's slate features four ranked-vs-ranked matchups and three top-five teams playing on the road. As a result, we could easily see a new No. 1 or multiple new top-five teams in Monday's AP Top 25 rankings.

Fans will be flooded with top-notch basketball on Saturday, with some games being just a step above the others.

Here are the five best men's college hoops games in a jam-packed weekend ahead:

5. No. 21 Ole Miss at No. 15 Mississippi State (6 p.m. ET)

What to expect: Efficiency. Both of these teams do not want to make mistakes and allow run-outs for their opponents. Ole Miss currently has the fewest turnovers per game in the SEC (9.1), which is also the fourth-best average in the country. Mississippi State takes care of the ball, too, only turning the ball over 9.8 times per game.

On the other end, these teams love to create turnovers, with Ole Miss ranking third and Mississippi State fourth in steals per game in the SEC. That likely won't be the case this week, so they are going to need to create extra possessions another way.

Key stat: Mississippi State has had a great year so far, but one key thing has been prevalent in its three losses — its inability to get stops when it needs them. In their three losses this year, the Bulldogs have allowed 87, 88 and 95 points — the only three times teams have scored 85 points or more. They have only allowed 80 points or more four times (they beat Prairie View A&M, who put up 84). They need to get stops down the stretch.

For Ole Miss, it just needs to rebound — and not even that well, to be honest! In the team's 15 wins, it has kept the rebounding margin within 10 rebounds. In their two losses, the Rebels have been outrebounded by 11 boards each time. If they can somewhat control the glass, they have a clear path to victory.

Trends: Since 2002-03, the Rebels are just 5-17 against the Bulldogs on the road. When the Bulldogs were ranked, Ole Miss was just 2-7, including 1-3 at home.

4. No. 17 Purdue at No. 13 Oregon (3 p.m. ET)

What to expect: This is likely to be a game with an efficient run offense from both sides. Neither team scores a lot, but they run offense at their own pace and put up solid numbers. Both sides have only had one game shooting less than 40% as a team, and both teams have had 15 or more assists in more than half of their games.

One interesting note to pay attention to is how Purdue looks early. When Purdue is off, it has a really tough time. In three of its four losses this season, it has lost by at least 10 points and two came by 18 points a piece.

Key stat: The 3-point shooting will be something to keep an eye on in this one. Purdue has been a solid team from deep, making at least 10 3-pointers in six different games. Oregon, on the other hand, is not as great, making 10 or more 3-pointers just two times in its first 17 games.

Another key is the difference between Oregon and Purdue at the rim. After having Zach Edey patrolling the key last year and swatting shots at will, Purdue has had five or more blocks in a game just one time so far. Contrasting that, the Ducks have had five such games.

Trends: The Boilermakers have won 22 straight games when having fewer turnovers than their opponent, and are 19-1 since the start of last season when having single-digit turnovers. The lone loss in that span: the National Championship Game against UConn last year.

3. Creighton at No. 14 UConn (12 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

What to expect: UConn has been a much better offensive team than Creighton this year, which is surprising considering Creighton is usually the one known for its high-powered offense. That said, both of these teams are great passing teams, with UConn leading the Big East in average assists per game (19.5) and Creighton tied for third (16.9). Expect the ball to move and the offense to flow in this one.

Key stat: Since 2021, UConn is 49-0 at home when it leads at halftime, winning by an average of 25.2 points per game in those contests. Moreover, Creighton is just 0-3 this season and just 2-13 since 2021 when trailing at half on the road. Creighton needs to come out with intensity and take control early.

Trends: After suffering three straight losses early in the season, the Huskies are back on track, having won nine of their last 10 games. UConn currently boasts a 28-game home winning streak that is tied for the nation's second-longest active streak.

On the other side, Creighton is just 5-3 in its last eight after upsetting the No. 1 seed at the time, Kansas. However, Creighton is 7-2 all-time against the Huskies, with Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott 7-3 all-time against UConn head coach Dan Hurley. This truly is a case of "something's gotta give."

2. No. 1 Auburn at No. 23 Georgia (1 p.m. ET)

What to expect: It's a block party! Expect lots of rim protection and contests at the rim. Both these teams follow the mantra, "No easy baskets," and Auburn is first in the SEC in blocks per game (7.18) as a result. Georgia has swatted 5.65 shots per game.

Key stat: Auburn has the most efficient offense in the country with a 131 offensive rating, almost seven points higher than second-place Kentucky (124.1), according to Kenpom. The Tigers are also one of just three teams to rank in the top 10 in points per game — making less than 10 3-pointers per game — joining Gonzaga and UNC Asheville. That will be a tall task for a talented Georgia team that is 17th in Kenpom defensive efficiency. The key number will be 70 points. When the Bulldogs hold teams to 70 points or fewer this season, they are 11-1. When teams score more than 70 points, they are 3-2.

Trends: Georgia is one of just six teams this season to have multiple home wins against AP-ranked teams, doing so against Kentucky and Oklahoma. That being said, Georgia is 3-11 in its past 14 matches against Auburn, including 1-5 over the past six. The Tigers have delivered some impressive performances but also have seen some trouble in recent seasons against unranked teams on the road. Since the 2022-23 season, they are just 11-10 on the road against unranked teams.

1. No. 4 Alabama at No. 8 Kentucky (12 p.m. ET)

What to expect: Points. Lots and lots of points. Alabama is averaging 89.5 points per game, tied for the most in the country with Iowa. Next on the list after the aforementioned schools is Kentucky, which is scoring 88.7 points per game. They also are two of just five schools to have at least four games this season with 100 points or more; Kentucky leads the country with five such games.

Key stat: The magic number for Kentucky is 70. It is 14-0 when scoring 70 points or more and 0-3 when failing to reach that number this season. None of those three losses came at home though, with two on the road and one at a neutral site. For the Tide, their rapid pace can sometimes be their undoing. When they get sped up, they often commit more turnovers. This season, when Alabama has less than 15 turnovers, it is 12-1. When it hit 15 or more turnovers, it's just 2-2. Kentucky forces the third-fewest turnovers per game, so it will need to turn up the defensive effort.

Trends: Kentucky is 6-4 against Alabama in its past 10 meetings. Before that, though, Big Blue had nine straight and 20 of 24.

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