Every weekday, some of our college hoops experts discuss the biggest issues, trends and themes in and around college basketball.
Andy Katz: Texas. The Longhorns could continue their losing trend or pull off an impressive upset over Kansas and pick up a necessary marquee win.
Myron Medcalf: UCLA can't afford a home loss to Washington State, a 6-9 Pac-12 team. The Bruins don't have a Teflon resume. With a loss to WSU, Steve Alford's squad would be in trouble. BYU has the most to gain. The Cougars probably need a win over Gonzaga, whether that comes Saturday or in the WCC tourney, to gain an at-large berth.
C.L. Brown: Illinois. The Illini have lost three straight. Should they fall to Northwestern at home, that might conclude their postseason hopes barring a miraculous Big Ten tournament run. Boise State has the most to gain. The Broncos aim for the season sweep of San Diego State, which would put them in the driver's seat for the regular-season Mountain West title.
Katz: UNI has to handle the Shockers' pressure, must get back on defense and deal with a crazed atmosphere. If the Panthers can weather the first five minutes of each half, they'll have a shot.
Medcalf: Seth Tuttle will be the biggest factor. He scored 29 points in the first meeting, a tally that included a 10-for-13 mark from the charity stripe. Wichita State has to find a way to contain him. If he explodes again, Northern Iowa wins. If the Shockers can slow him down, then they'll get the victory.
Brown: Bench play. In the first meeting, UNI got an unexpected boost from reserve Wes Washpun's 16 points -- one of just four Valley games he has scored double figures. The Shockers got a total of just seven points and seven rebounds combined from their bench.
Katz: The Hogs must beat Kentucky back down court. They cannot win a half-court game. If they can use their speed and pressure to their advantage, they have a shot.
Medcalf: Hard to find a mismatch. But Kentucky hasn't faced many teams that can match its size in the backcourt. Michael Qualls is 6-foot-6. Rashad Madden is 6-5. Anthlon Bell is 6-3. Size is usually a major disadvantage for opponents, but the Wildcats won't dwarf the Razorbacks. And that's rare.
Brown: I'll assume this is a trick question. Kentucky hasn't been particularly bad handling the ball -- its season high for turnovers is 18 -- but the Razorbacks' best bet is likely trying to turn them over. Auburn, who plays a similar pressing style to Arkansas, is the only team this season to score 20 or more points off turnovers against UK. If the Razorbacks can duplicate that feat, they should be in a position to pull an upset.
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While several conferences still have a week to go, this is the finale in the Missouri Valley as the Panthers and Shockers will square off for all the marbles. A win would assure the Panthers their first regular-season conference crown since 2010. A WSU win would give it the honor for the third time in four seasons.
Less than a month ago, Baylor went to Morgantown and handed the Mountaineers a humbling loss in which Juwan Staten was held to just six points. The Bears are riding high after beating Iowa State on Wednesday and will be looking for their fourth straight win.
In three-plus seasons in the Pac-12, Utah has not beaten Arizona, falling to the Wildcats three times last season. In fact, the Utes are winlesss in their past 11 attempts. Utah's last win in the series came during the Utes' 1998 Final Four run.
.@iPass4Zona went over 300 steals for his college career last night. He's had at least 60 in each of his four seasons as a college player.
— Arizona Basketball (@APlayersProgram) February 27, 2015Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg check in with newsmakers from around college basketball.