5 Games to Watch This Weekend: UConn Heads to Philadelphia

Who’s ready for a great weekend?

Check below for our list of five games to watch this weekend in college basketball.

In no particular order:

Marquette at St. John's (Saturday)

Madison Square Garden will play host to this showdown between the reigning Big East regular season and tournament champion and the Red Storm, who are still trying to regain national relevance.

St. John's is coming off its worst performance of the campaign in Tuesday night's loss to Seton Hall, which came without both Rick Pitino and Jordan Dingle, who were out due to COVID. The Red Storm will need to play one of their best games of the season to beat Marquette.

Purdue at Iowa (Saturday)

I'll say it again: Do not take what Zach Edey is doing for granted. The reigning National Player of the Year has tallied 63 points and 34 rebounds in his last two games, which is utterly ridiculous.

Iowa, meanwhile, does not have a Quad 1 win this season but was ranked 48th in the NET as of Thursday. If the Hawkeyes want to play in the NCAA Tournament, then they need to win this game.

Alabama at Tennessee (Saturday)

Dalton Knecht has scored a combined 75 points in his last two games and looks like a first-team All-American. But are the Vols a Final Four caliber team? Saturday will be a good indicator. Tennessee's last two wins came against Georgia and Florida, who are both capable teams but not quite on Alabama's level.

The Crimson Tide should bring out the best in Rick Barnes' squad.

UCLA at Arizona (Saturday)

This isn't a vintage matchup between these two rivals, but it's still their second-to-last regular season meeting ever as members of the Pac-12.

It would take an incredible effort for the inexperienced Bruins to hang close against the Wildcats in Tucson, but UCLA has won two games in a row. Mick Cronin needs more out of sophomore Dylan Andrews, who is a combined 2-14 from the field in his last two games.

UConn at Villanova (Saturday)

The Big East's two most successful programs of the past decade will trade wits in South Philadelphia. Expect both teams to play desperate as the Huskies are trying to remain as the nation's top squad while the Wildcats are trying to add to their resume.

Remember: Even though Villanova lost earlier this season to Penn, Drexel, and St. Joe's, it also beat North Carolina, Memphis, and Creighton. Adding a victory over UConn to that mix would go a long, long way in mid-March.

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Jon Rothstein is not a FanDuel employee. The reporting of Rothstein is not subject to FanDuel's verification and does not represent the views or input of FanDuel. Betting based on Rothstein's reporting will not guarantee a successful outcome. Always do your own due diligence and use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

Rothstein has been a college basketball insider for CBS Sports since 2010 and a contributor to the CBS Broadcast Network since 2016. He joined FanDuel in 2022 as a Content Creator. Rothstein is also the host of the College Hoops Today Podcast via Compass Media Networks.