THE 25 BEST GAMES REMAINING ON THE COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Conference races are heating up, and Selection Sunday is less than two months away. The intensity of the college basketball season has risen, and all the big names should be on upset watch.

There are plenty of marquee matchups still on the docket, both in and out of conference. And we're not just talking about the Power 5 leagues.

Here's a look at 25 of the more intriguing games remaining in the 2018-19 college basketball regular season.

KANSAS AT KENTUCKY, SATURDAY

It's the headlining act of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, and Rupp Arena should be jumping. Kansas has won three straight in the series, including the most recent meeting at Lexington in January 2017, when both were ranked among the top five in the nation. However, those three Jayhawks victories were decided by a combined 16 points.

MURRAY STATE AT JACKSONVILLE STATE, JAN. 31

This is the only regular-season meeting between the top two teams in the Ohio Valley Conference, for the time being. Murray has dominated this series by winning 22 of the last 24 meetings, but the Gamecocks claimed the most recent on their home floor last season. Also, the word is out on Racers guard Ja Morant.

NORTH CAROLINA AT LOUISVILLE, FEB. 2

Louisville handed the Tar Heels their worst home loss under Roy Williams: 83-62 on Jan. 12. That obviously will not be forgotten by North Carolina players and coaches. The Cardinals, meanwhile, continue to get better under first-year coach Chris Mack. Then again, North Carolina already knew that.

MISSISSIPPI STATE AT MISSISSIPPI, FEB. 2

It's fun for the state of Mississippi when its two major universities are both enjoying good seasons on the hard court. The Rebels have owned this rivalry of late, winning nine of the last 11 following an 81-77 victory at Mississippi State on Jan. 12. That won't make things any easier for the Bulldogs in this rematch.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA, FEB. 5

North Carolina State is amid a solid season, and it would be more special if it pulled off another upset at Chapel Hill. Including last month's 90-82 victory at Raleigh, the Tar Heels are 29-4 against the Wolfpack since January 2004. However, N.C. State claimed an overtime victory at the Smith Center last season — its second there in four years. 

KANSAS AT KANSAS STATE, FEB. 5

The first of two between these rivals and Big 12 front-runners in February should have Bramlage rocking. Kansas State is playing well at the moment, while the Jayhawks have struggled in true road games. That being said, Kansas has won eight straight overall in the series and three in a row at Manhattan, so it should be confident entering this one.

WASHINGTON AT ARIZONA, FEB. 7

The Pac-12 has become a bit of an afterthought among the major conferences this season, but a winner has to be crowned, nonetheless. The Huskies and Wildcats appear to be the two teams with the best chance to claim that prize. Arizona has won four in a row and 17 of 20 at home in the series.

WISCONSIN AT MICHIGAN, FEB. 9

It will be about payback for the Wolverines, who suffered their first loss of the season at Wisconsin last week. That Badgers' victory on Jan. 19 ended a three-game slide to Michigan. It's been almost two years since the teams last met at Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines have not won consecutive home contests in the series since a three-game run from 2002-04.

VILLANOVA AT MARQUETTE, FEB. 9

These two are the class of the Big East, and the reigning national champion Wildcats are heating up. They've won three in a row and 12 of the last 13 matchups and have held Marquette star Markus Howard to 13 points in his two games these teams played at Milwaukee. Villanova will host the rematch on Feb. 27.

DUKE AT VIRGINIA, FEB. 9

The season's first meeting between these two national powers certainly lived up to the hype, with both shooting better than 50 percent in the Blue Devils' 72-70 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke's star freshmen RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson combined for 57 points, but it will be interesting to see if they'll be as dominating at Charlottesville.

VIRGINIA AT NORTH CAROLINA, FEB. 11

The ACC is crowded at the top, and both the Cavaliers and Tar Heels should remain in the mix for the league title when it's said and done. Virginia has won the last three meetings, and it really has not been close as the combined 30-point margin of victory during that streak suggests. 

LSU AT KENTUCKY, FEB. 12

LSU is currently playing as well as any team in the country and appears to be headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. However, it's been much longer since the Tigers won at Rupp Arena. The date was Feb. 28, 2009. That's the only time in the last 12 trips to Lexington that LSU left victorious.

DUKE AT LOUISVILLE, FEB. 12

The Cardinals already beat North Carolina, so why not Duke? The last time Louisville beat the Tar Heels and Blue Devils in the same season came in 2015-16. The good news for Louisville is that it has topped Duke in two straight games at home.

TENNESSEE AT KENTUCKY, FEB. 16

Tennessee blew the chance at a three-game sweep of Kentucky in 2017-18 by dropping the SEC Tournament championship game to the Wildcats. While the Vols look to avenge that defeat, they also will try to win back-to-back games at Rupp Arena for the first time since 1976 and '77. 

VIRGINIA AT VIRGINIA TECH, FEB. 18

The Hokies must be itching for the chance to get back at their biggest rivals after the beat down Virginia laid on them — 81-59 — on Jan. 15. The Cavaliers shot 58.5 percent and made 13 three-pointers in that contest. It would be a lot to ask Virginia to repeat that performance, but Virginia Tech better find a way to play better defense this time in front of the home faithful.

NORTH CAROLINA AT DUKE, FEB. 20

It's the season's first installment of the best rivalry in college basketball. The Tar Heels took two of three from their archrivals last season, but the defeat came in Durham. Since March 2010, the Blue Devils have won seven of nine games against North Carolina at Cameron Indoor — including the last two.

DUKE AT SYRACUSE, FEB. 23

Following that date with North Carolina, Duke's week doesn't get any easier with a trip to the Carrier Dome. Syracuse should be primed for a sweep after leaving Cameron with a 95-91 overtime win last weekend. The Orange also won the teams' most recent meeting at the dome in February 2017.

MICHIGAN STATE AT MICHIGAN, FEB. 24

At the moment, these are the two best teams in the Big Ten. And really, that was expected to be the case when the season started. Michigan has won three straight over the Spartans, and each by at least 10 points. Michigan State, though, shouldn't be fazed, considering it's won 11 straight league road games entering Thursday's visit to Iowa.

DUKE AT VIRGINIA TECH, FEB. 26

Blacksburg has actually been a tough place for Duke to play of late. The Blue Devils have dropped their last two trips to Virginia Tech, most recently last season when they blew a six-point halftime lead. The Hokies, however, are in a bit of a rough patch with losses in two of the last three, so they better have things turned around in time for this matchup.

KENTUCKY AT TENNESSEE, SAT, MARCH 2

Will the SEC regular-season championship come down to this game? It would be fun and would have Knoxville in a tizzy. Regardless of what is at stake, Tennessee will be looking for a fourth consecutive home victory over Kentucky, which last won at Thompson-Boling in February 2015.

GONZAGA AT SAINT MARY'S, MARCH 2

The gap in talent between Gonzaga and the rest of the West Coast Conference is wider than it's been in years, but that doesn't mean this contest won't be entertaining. The Gaels appear to be heating up, and the Zags know they must be at their best to get it done inside that tiny gym in the tiny Bay Area town of Moraga.

MICHIGAN AT MICHIGAN STATE, MARCH 9

The rematch could determine the winner of the Big Ten's regular-season title, which would only amp up the intensity level for this contest. Prior to last season, the Spartans had won 15 of 17 at home against Wolverines, who don't seem fazed by any arena or any environment. 

DUKE AT NORTH CAROLINA, MARCH 9

Depending on how things play out, the ACC regular-season crown could be on the line come the second-to-last day of the campaign. This will be the final home game for Tar Heels stars Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson, so the Smith Center should be electric. Carolina has won two in a row over Duke at home.

HOUSTON AT CINCINNATI, MARCH 10

The last day of the regular season could very well determine the champ of the American Athletic Conference. That's a ways away, and the upstart Cougars and venerable Bearcats will first meet at Houston on Feb. 10. However, it seems like this finale will have plenty riding on it for both teams.