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The Michigan State Spartans continue to play like national title contenders, with a recent win over fellow power Purdue the latest evidence. Despite a No. 2 national ranking they still trail Ohio State by a game in the Big Ten standings and would love to overtake the Buckeyes for the conference’s regular season title. Michigan State can keep the pressure on by winning its game against the Northwestern Wildcats this week.... 

Big East supremacy is on the line this week when the No. 3 Villanova Wildcats hit the road to face the No. 4 Xavier Musketeers in one of the most anticipated games of the college season. The teams are tied in the loss column atop the conference and the winner of this game will be in the driver’s seat the rest of the way.... 

The Kansas Jayhawks have not been as dominant of a team as in past years, but are still just a game out of the Big 12 lead coming down the stretch of the regular season. The West Virginia Mountaineers are also in the race as they both chase Texas Tech. The Jayhawks and Mountaineers will face off in a critical game this week that will bring more clarity in the push for the conference crown.... 

The TCU Horned Frogs have faded fast, going from a team that was nationally ranked to one needing a good finish to avoid dropping to the NCAA Tournament bubble. TCU will aim to break a conference funk by taking care of business next time out against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.... 

The North Carolina Tar Heels have been more streaky than usual this season, but right now, they are hot. North Carolina has won four consecutive games heading into a tough road matchup against the Louisville Cardinals.... 

The Clemson Tigers have been one of the pleasant surprises of the college basketball season, as they are currently in second place in the ACC ahead of traditional powers like Duke, North Carolina, Louisville and Syracuse. Clemson has passed several tests thus far this season but faces another stiff one this week against the Blue Devils.... 

Is it a down year in the Pac-12 or is parity taking over? There are arguments for both sides, but there’s no arguing that the Arizona Wildcats have the best collection of talent in the conference and that’s why they are perched atop the league standings. It’s been a weird season for Bobby Hurley and his Arizona State Sun Devils, who used a perfect non-conference slate to climb into the national rankings and have been there ever since, despite losing six conference games.... 

The Providence Friars and Butler Bulldogs could each be the type of mid-tier seeds that no national title contender wants to see in the first few rounds of the NCAA Tournament. But both teams need to make it there first. Providence and Butler both have solid resumes but need to add a few more wins down the stretch to punch their ticket to March Madness. These two teams will face off this week in a big game for both sides.... 

The Ohio State Buckeyes are one of the hottest teams in the country, and an upset win at Purdue last week vaulted them atop the Big Ten standings. Ohio State has moved into the top-10 nationally and wants to keep it rolling next time out against the Penn State Nittany Lions.... 

The Temple Owls have caught fire, and their recent five-game winning streak has pushed them back into the conversation for the NCAA Tournament. There is still a long way to go but the Owls get a tremendous shot at really impressing the selection committee next time out when they hit the road to face off with a nationally ranked Wichita State Owls squad.... 

The UCLA Bruins used a big win last week over Pac-12 leader Arizona to improve their NCAA Tournament standing, but needs to keep piling up wins down the stretch. UCLA has a winnable game next time out when it hosts the Oregon State Beavers in a conference showdown.... 

The Syracuse Orange has shaken off a slow start in conference play to get back into the conversation for the NCAA Tournament, but needs to compile some impressive wins down the stretch. A road win over the Miami Hurricanes would fit that bill as the two teams prepare to face off this week.... 

The St. Bonaventure Bunnies have won six consecutive games to inch back into the NCAA Tournament conversation. They can really make a case for participation with a win this week over the nationally ranked Rhode Island Rams.... 

The Xavier Musketeers are quietly putting together a banner season. While the team isn’t generally talked about at the top tier of national championship contenders, Xavier continues to string wins together and now sits atop the Big East. It will look to remain there for another few days at least when it hosts the Seton Hall Pirates next time out.... 

The Kentucky Wildcats are usually gearing up for a deep NCAA Tournament at this time of year. Judging by the way they are playing, more than a win or two in March Madness would be unlikely at this point. Kentucky will look to break out of a funk next time out but faces a tough test when it hits the road for a matchup against top-10 foe the Auburn Tigers.... 

The Virginia Tech Hokies took a huge step toward wrapping up an NCAA Tournament berth by shocking No. 2 Virginia in overtime last time out. They would love nothing more than to knock off a college hoops giant once again next time out. Virginia Tech must hit the road again and this time will face off with the powerful Duke Blue Devils.... 

It’s hard to imagine which scenario is worse, the Villanova Wildcats losing to St. Johns, or the Providence Friars dropping a game to DePaul. Nova and Providence are both at the top of the Big East standings while DePaul and the Johnnies have struggled. But life in the Big East is never easy. Nova came back with a win over Butler and looks to extends PC’s misery on Wednesday.... 

For every Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas that seemingly qualifies for the NCAA Tournament as high seeds regardless of being worthy, there are always teams on the bubble that don’t get in that likely should. The following is a list of teams I believe are Big Dance worthy and offer up some supreme value on the current NCAA Tournament futures odds at BookMaker.eu.... 

While the rest of the Big 12 is knocking each other off, the Texas Tech Red Raiders continue to win and now hold down the top spot in the conference as they look to dethrone Kansas. But the season is far from over and while Tech is currently alone at the top, there are still several big games left. And the Big 12 is loaded, so anything can happen. The Raiders will attempt to extend their win streak when Trae Young and the Oklahoma Sooners visit on Tuesday.... 

The Virginia Cavaliers missed a chance to move to No. 1 in the country when it lost in an upset to Virginia Tech last time out. They will aim to bounce back next time out, but face a tough task when they hit the road to take on the Miami Hurricanes.... 

The Texas Longhorns are under .500 in Big 12 play but have accumulated enough big wins to be in line for an NCAA Tournament berth. But they have to continue to take care of business in winnable games, and that will be the case in an upcoming home matchup against the Baylor Bears.... 

The North Carolina Tar Heels have not been as dominant this season as it has hoped, but hopes to peak at the right time as March Madness approaches. North Carolina picked up a huge home win this week over arch-nemesis Duke and hopes to stay rolling in a game early next week against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.... 

The Duke Blue Devils’ chance of earning a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament seems to be going up in smoke. Duke has hit a rut of late and now needs a strong finish to get back into that conversation. They hope to bounce back next time out in a roag game against the middling Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.... 

The Cincinnati Bearcats are one of the hottest teams in college basketball and are making a big for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They have to keep winning to keep their name in that conversation and will hit the road for their next game against the SMU Mustangs.... 

The Florida Gators have hit a rough patch of late, which has dropped them from contention to win the SEC. But they are still in line to secure an NCAA Tournament berth and will aim to improve their standing in a conference game this week against the South Carolina Gamecocks....