No. 12 Seton hall at No. 10 Villanova
1:30 p.m. Saturday (Ch. 9)
The Wildcats are two games behind Seton Hall for first place in the Big East after back-to-back losses. The biggest way to gain ground is to beat the Pirates this weekend by slowing down Myles Powell. Easier said than done.
No. 7 Duke at North Carolina
5 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)
Why watch a bad Tar Heels team? Well, Cole Anthony being back from injury is a reason; the UNC freshman is the most talented player in this rivalry game. Apple Valley's Tre Jones and Anthony going head-to-head is must-see TV.
TRENDS to watch
Trending up: Potential No. 1 seeds. Baylor, Gonzaga and San Diego State just keep rolling through conference play unblemished. The Bears have won 19 straight. The Zags entered Thursday night on a 15-game win streak. The Aztecs are the nation's lone remaining unbeaten team at 21-0.
Trending down: The NCAA tournament's announcement of its top 16 seeds takes place at 11:30 a.m. Saturday on Ch. 4. This is the fourth year of such a reveal, but it's really pretty anticlimactic since this year things figure to change drastically by Selection Sunday. Top-five teams are dropping like flies.
player to watch
Jalen Smith, forward, Maryland. The 6-10 Baltimore native got off to a slow start after entering his sophomore year as the Big Ten's highest-rated NBA prospect. Scouts are being reminded why he was so highly regarded. "Stick" is averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in his past five games.
