Top college basketball games this week: Start time, TV schedule & live stream | Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2024
The week ending January and opening of February is heavy on big-time college basketball matchups, including Duke/UNC, Tennessee/Kentucky and Houston/Kansas. While the week will climax on Saturday, with the games listed above, the rest of the week will not lack drama or compelling games.
Here's a handful of the most exciting games, along with where you can find them.
Top College Basketball games this week
No. 12 Duke vs. Virginia Tech (1/29, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN, Sling/Fubo)
The Blue Devils (15-4, 6-2), having escaped a home upset to Clemson on a questionable late call, now travel to Tech (13-7, 5-4) as a mere 3.5-point favorite. Tech is on a three-game winning streak and this could get wild.
South Carolina at No. 5 Tennessee (1/30, 6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network, Sling/Fubo)
Surprisingly, South Carolina (17-3, 5-2) is only a half-game behind Tennessee (15-4, 5-1) in the Southeastern Conference race. Both teams are tough defensively, and if Carolina can find some offense, this could go to the wire.
Northwestern at No. 2 Purdue (1/31, 6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network, Sling/Fubo/CBS Sports)
The red-hot Northwestern Wildcats (15-5, 6-3) are coming off a thumping of Ohio State and a win over Illinois. The next test is a near-dominant Purdue squad (19-2, 8-2). Northwestern guard Boo Buie will need a big game to pull the upset.
No. 13 Wisconsin at Nebraska (2/1, 8:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network, Sling/Fubo/CBS Sports)
Wisconsin (16-4, 8-1) holds a narrow lead in the Big Ten race but figures to be tested at Nebraska (15-6, 5-5). The Huskers are tough at home, where they took down Purdue in December.
No. 4 Houston at No. 7 Kansas (2/3, 4:00 p.m. ET, ESPN, Sling/Fubo)
Two top teams collide. The Houston Cougars (18-2, 5-2) have been hotter, but Kansas (16-4, 4-3) is always tough at what is certain to be a rocking Allen Fieldhouse. On the other hand, Houston leads the nation in scoring defense, holding foes to 51.9 points per game.
No. 12 Duke at No. 3 North Carolina (2/3, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Sling/Fubo)
ESPN's next game on Saturday is no slouch, either. With two programs famous for not liking each other, it figures to be a wild game for Duke (15-4, 6-2) and UNC (17-3, 9-0). Duke has won the last two games in the series, but UNC will be tough to beat for the third consecutive time, particularly when a UNC win would almost guarantee a regular season ACC title.
No. 5 Tennessee at No. 6 Kentucky (2/3, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Sling/Fubo)
And our third big game of Saturday will be ESPN's finale for the evening. Tennessee (15-4, 5-1) is a half-game behind surprising SEC leader Alabama, while Kentucky (15-4, 5-2) has been slightly more inconsistent. Kentucky has won the last two in the series and the last two in Lexington, but Dalton Knecht should make this very interesting.
No. 2 Purdue at No. 13 Wisconsin (2/4, 1:00 p.m ET, CBS, CBS Sports)
The two teams perched atop the Big Ten will face off Sunday in a game that will make one a clear favorite in the league. Purdue (19-2, 8-2) starts the week a half-game behind the Wisconsin Badgers (16-4, 8-1), but the Boilermakers hold an 84-42 all-time edge in the series. A year ago, Purdue won by two points in Wisconsin. This one could be just as close.