Best College Basketball Games of Week 17

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best college basketball games of the week
Photo via: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel

As has been the case all season, Week 16 of the college basketball season gave us some superb games and some great nailbiters. While it wasn’t listed as a game to watch last week, the Arizona-Arizona State rivalry heated up as the Sun Devils pulled off the upset thanks to a 60-foot heave!

Kansas survived a scare from West Virginia on Saturday, Purdue lost to Indiana, and Virginia gave UNC its first Quad 1 win of the season. Here are the games to look out for in Week 17 as the regular season closes.

Week 17 College Basketball Games

  • Arkansas vs Tennessee: Feb. 28, 9:00 ET
  • Xavier vs Providence: Mar. 1, 6:30 ET
  • Texas vs TCU: Mar. 1, 9:00 ET
  • Kansas vs Texas: Mar. 4, 4:00 ET
  • Arizona vs UCLA: Mar. 4, 10:00 ET

How To Watch These College Basketball Games

Arkansas vs Tennessee

  • When: Tuesday, February 28, 2023
  • Start Time: 9:00 PM ET
  • Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
  • How to watch: ESPN2

Arkansas vs Tennessee Preview

The Razorbacks are an even 8-8 in the conference and will need to stay at .500 if they hope to get an at-large bid in the coming weeks. A win against Tennessee would not only guarantee them that, but it would also give them yet another convincing Quad 1 win to put them over the edge and potentially move them up a seed line. They are currently 3-7 in Quad 1 opportunity.

For Tennessee, this is mostly an opportunity to solidify what is already a great resume for March. A loss may not affect them too much assuming it is a close one. But expect the Volunteers to be ready for this one and to clamp down on the likes of Ricky Council IV, Anthony Black, and Nick Smith.

Xavier vs Providence

  • When: Wednesday, March 1, 2023
  • Start Time: 6:30 PM ET
  • Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion – Providence, Rhode Island
  • How to watch: FS1

Xavier vs Providence Preview

These teams share the exact same overall and conference record at 21-8 and 13-5. They’re fighting for second place in the Big East and this game could be a tiebreaker for seeding in the conference tournament. Xavier has lost three out of its last five while Providence has two in the same span of games. Both teams would love to have a potential extra Quad 1 win under their belts heading into the conference and NCAA tournaments in the next couple of weeks.

Both of these teams like to play in the high 70s so expect some solid shooting and offense from the Friars and Musketeers. Expect there to be some fireworks between Souley Boum and Bryce Hopkins as both of them average just over 16 points a game each. The X-factor will likely be how smooth the offense runs for Xavier as they move the ball well and average 20 assists a game while Providence is closer to 14 a game.

Texas vs TCU

  • When: Wednesday, March 1, 2023
  • Start Time: 9:00 PM ET
  • Location: Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena – Fort Worth, Texas
  • How to watch: ESPN2

Texas vs TCU Preview

These two Texas teams are pretty far apart in the Big 12 standings, but a win for TCU would guarantee the Horned Frogs at least a .500 finish in conference play this season. It would also give them a seventh Quad 1 win after their take down of Texas Tech over the weekend.

On the flip side, this would potentially be the 10th Quad 1 win for Texas if it wins. It would also be a great momentum booster heading into the last game of the season against Kansas (more on that later). TCU has been stumbling lately though as it has lost five of its last seven games. A win would get them back on the right track and with some momentum heading into the week of the Big 12 Tournament.

Kansas vs Texas

  • When: Saturday, March 4, 2023
  • Start Time: 4:00 PM ET
  • Location: Moody Center – Austin, Texas
  • How to watch: ESPN

Kansas vs Texas Preview

The Jayhawks have been on a tear lately, winning their last six games. They used some Phog Allen magic to survive a scare against WVU on Saturday and will face Texas Tech at home during the week before facing the Longhorns in Austin. They are a game up on Texas in the Big 12 standings right now. If both teams win their midweek game, the Big 12 could end in a tie at the top or with Kansas winning it outright yet again.

The Longhorns are locked in for the NCAA Tournament so their only mission is to shore up a good seed line and make sure they don’t take any bad losses. Of course, they will want to beat Kansas, but as long as any loss isn’t a big one, they will be fine. Having said that, the tension for this game should be high and I would be willing to bet we get a Matthew McConaughey sighting for a game of this magnitude.

Arizona vs UCLA

  • When: Saturday, March 4, 2023
  • Start Time: 10:00 PM ET
  • Location: Pauley Pavilion – Los Angeles, California
  • How to watch: ESPN

Arizona vs UCLA Preview

These two teams are clearly the top tier of the PAC12 this season and are both a lock to get into the NCAA Tournament. However, Arizona already has one win against UCLA in Tuscon. The Wildcats are looking for a season sweep and major bragging rights heading into the conference tournament. Arizona won an ugly game the first time around 58-52, but surely won’t be looking to replicate that score.

Arizona would love to see this game in the high 70s or above while UCLA is usually more comfortable with a rock fight. The Bruins are a top-10 defense and keep teams to under 60 points a game while Arizona scores over 83 points a game. With Pauley Pavilion as the backdrop, you have to imagine that UCLA will have a pretty strong advantage, especially for a prime time (on the west coast) game.

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