NO. 24 MICHIGAN St. AT NO. 9 MARYLAND
7 p.m. Saturday, ESPN
Opposing Big Ten teams vying for the conference title weren't happy the Terrapins stole a road victory at Minnesota to maintain their two-game lead for first place. The second-place Spartans can take matters into their own hands with a win Saturday in College Park.
NO. 15 AUBURN AT NO. 8 KENTUCKY
2:45 p.m. Saturday, Ch. 4
Another league matchup where the home team has a two-game lead in first place. The Wildcats lost to the Tigers 75-66 on February 1.
trends to watch
Trending up: Kansas. With 13 consecutive victories, the Jayhawks have climbed to be the favorite to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. They're tied with Baylor for the Big 12 lead after winning 64-61 in Waco, Texas, last weekend.
Trending down: Big East middle-of-the-pack teams. Butler and Marquette dropped out of the Top 25 this week after each suffered through a three-game losing streak. The Bulldogs are hoping to get their backcourt healthy, including all-league guard Kamar Baldwin, who has missed parts of three games because of an injured ankle.
player to watch
Udoka Azubuike, center, Kansas. The 7-foot, 270-pound senior recently has been playing as well as any big man in the country. He followed his 23-point, 19-rebound effort in a 64-61 victory vs. No. 1 Baylor with 19 points and 16 rebounds in beating Oklahoma State 83-58.
MARCUS FULLER
