Charlotte at South Florida, Friday (ESPN, 7 ET): The 49ers are always a pest for the Bulls, even though South Florida won at Charlotte last season. This could turn out to be a momentum turn-win for South Florida if the Bulls are coming off a loss at Memphis.

Gonzaga at Pepperdine, Friday: The first of two classic games in the WCC. The Pepperdine fans love to harass the Zags as they exit the team bus. Gonzaga could have trouble with Pepperdine's helter-skelter style. But no one is quite sure which Waves' team will show -- the one that was capable of sweeping USC and UCLA, or the one that was a flop in the weeks that followed those wins.

Michigan State at Penn State, Saturday: The Spartans need some confidence and winning at Penn State will contribute to rebuilding their self-esteem.

North Carolina at Connecticut, Saturday: Having the Tar Heels in Connecticut is still a big deal to the locals. But the Huskies could put a hurt on the Heels if they can't defend Caron Butler and Emeka Okafor on the offensive backboard.

Mississippi State at Alabama, Saturday: The Bulldogs had a tough go with two straight road losses last week. They host Tennessee prior to this game in what could be one of two tight games to decide the SEC West Division title.

Wake Forest at Duke, Saturday (ABC, 1 p.m. ET): The Demon Deacons will run with the Blue Devils, but don't have the defense to contain Duke. The offensive numbers could be scary in this game if Duke doesn't play as tight a 'D' as it's capable of on this team.

Georgia at Florida, Saturday: The Bulldogs have the guard play and rebounding ability to be a pest for Florida. But the Gators still have the 'X' factor in Matt Bonner. Georgia might not have an answer for him.

Kentucky at Notre Dame, Saturday: The Irish could use this one for their NCAA Tournament resume. Kentucky's Cliff Hawkins gets another point-guard test against the Irish's Chris Thomas.

Oklahoma at Kansas, Saturday (ABC, 1 p.m. ET): Kansas concludes its toughest seven days of the regular season after games at UCLA and at Oklahoma State. The Sooners have the mental toughness to go in and win in Lawrence, but can they finish on their first shot. They might not get as many second and third shots against the Jayhawks.

Louisville at Cincinnati, Saturday: This is the first of two Bob Huggins-Rick Pitino coaching matchups. But the Cardinals simply don't have the offense to score against one of the best team defenses in the country.

BYU at New Mexico, Saturday: If the Lobos are to be taken seriously in the race for the MWC title then they have to beat BYU at home. There is added incentive after BYU beat New Mexico in the MWC tournament last season.

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, Saturday: Texas Tech keeps getting tested in the Big 12, but the majority of the toughest games early are still at home. If Maurice Baker is healthy then the Red Raiders don't really have an answer for him defensively. But if he's not 100 percent then Oklahoma State is vulnerable.

UCLA at Arizona, Saturday: This can be a return-to-the-top weekend for Arizona if the Wildcats get a sweep. Jason Gardner's numbers have to continue to get better for the Wildcats to return to their November level of play.

USC at Arizona State, Saturday (ABC, 3 p.m. PT only): This is the type of game USC needs to win to take the Pac-10 title. ASU can make a statement that it's not going away in the race for a postseason berth by coming up with a sweep of the L.A. schools.