UCLA and No. 20 Purdue Face Off in Key Big Ten Battle Two programs forever linked by the legendary John Wooden will square off on Friday night as No. 20 Purdue hosts UCLA in a pivotal Big Ten Conference showdown. The Boilermakers, Wooden’s alma mater, and the Bruins, the team he led to 10 national championships, meet as conference opponents

No. 15 Michigan Aims to Ignite Offense vs. Rutgers The ugliest of victories has put Michigan in a pretty position for a Big Ten regular-season title. The 15th-ranked Wolverines now will try to protect their home court for the next three games, beginning with a matchup against Rutgers on Thursday night in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan, which averages 79.7 points

No. 23 Saint Mary’s Seeks to Extend Domination of Loyola Marymount Saint Mary’s is ranked in the Associated Press poll for the first time all season. The No. 23 Gaels now turn their focus to continuing their domination of Loyola Marymount when the two West Coast Conference schools meet Thursday night in Los Angeles. Saint Mary’s (25-4, 15-1) recorded an

Wake Forest’s Sliding NCAA Hopes on the Line vs. Virginia Wake Forest had avoided the pitfalls of what might be considered “bad losses” for most of the season. However, after suffering a couple recently, the Demon Deacons can ill afford another when Virginia visits for an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C. Wake Forest (19-8, 11-5 ACC)

Villanova Looks to Continue Climb Against Seton Hall It seems every time Kyle Neptune’s seat gets piping-hot, Villanova pulls it off the burner with an unexpected win. Neptune’s Wildcats remain on the periphery of the NCAA Tournament bubble thanks in large part to an 81-66 upset of then-No. 16 Marquette on Friday. Villanova has three games to go before the

UConn Seeks to Regain Form in Crucial Clash with Georgetown As the losses accumulate for two-time defending national champion UConn, the Huskies’ flaws have become increasingly apparent. Inefficiency on the perimeter and a troubling turnover disparity have derailed what was once a promising season. UConn’s perimeter defense has been a glaring issue, allowing opponents to shoot 35.9 percent from beyond

Under New Leadership, Utah Visits No. 22 Arizona The upcoming Arizona–Utah game took on an extra element of drama Monday when the Utes announced that fourth-year coach Craig Smith was relieved of his duties. Assistant coach Josh Eilert takes over as interim head coach for the Utes (15-12, 7-9 Big 12), beginning with Wednesday night’s matchup against No. 22 Arizona

No. 25 BYU Looking for Season Sweep at Arizona State No. 25 BYU brings a four-game winning streak and a fresh national ranking into Wednesday night’s game against Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. The Cougars (19-8, 10-6 Big 12) followed up last week’s rout of then-No. 23 Kansas with a 96-95 victory Saturday at then-No. 19 Arizona. The next challenge

Oklahoma Hunting Another Upset as No. 17 Kentucky Visits Oklahoma seeks a second straight upset when it hosts No. 17 Kentucky in a pivotal late-season Southeastern Conference showdown on Wednesday in Norman, Okla. The Sooners (17-10, 4-10 SEC) snapped a five-game losing streak with a 93-87 home win over No. 21 Mississippi State on Saturday. Jeremiah Fears tallied 27 points