Somehow, the nation’s No. 1 team is flying under the radar. Alabama is 12-0 in SEC play. The Crimson Tide have lost once since Christmas — to Oklahoma in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge — but followed that up by pounding Vanderbilt by 57.

Alabama’s Average Scoring Margin of +14.7 is seventh in the country. Only one major-conference team is better. That team just so happens to be in the SEC … and just so happens to be playing Alabama this week. Tennessee has suffered consecutive buzzer-beating losses — first to Vanderbilt on Feb. 8 and then to Missouri over the weekend. The Volunteers have lost three of four but still own a better average scoring margin (+16.2). They also represent the biggest obstacle between Alabama and the first perfect SEC campaign since 2014-15 Kentucky when the Crimson Tide rolls into Rocky Top on Wednesday.

Of course, the SEC is much more than two of its best teams. In fact, it’s very much been about the struggles of some teams expected to compete for conference supremacy. Those teams, too, have big opportunities this week. All times below Eastern. 

This week’s top games

No. 15 Miami at North Carolina (Monday, 7 p.m. on ESPN) — Welcome to the ACC, where a down year overall has created a hilariously crowded standings. Four teams are within a game of first while nine are within three games of the top spot, including Miami (½ GB) and North Carolina (3 GB). Can the Tar Heels keep up with a Hurricanes offense that ranks first in efficiency and second in 3-point percentage in ACC play? UNC ranks eighth and 15th in those categories, respectively, so the expected answer would be no. But the Dean Dome is not an easy place to play: Miami is just 4-10 there since 2000, and the Hurricanes have been bad on the road in general this year at just 5-4 (compared to 14-0 at home). The Isaiah Wong/Nijel Pack/Wooga Poplar vs. Caleb Love/R.J. Davis backcourt battle will go a long way in determining this one.

No. 18 Creighton at No. 24 Providence (Tuesday, 7 p.m. on FS1) — The Big East isn’t quite as crowded as the ACC, but there are four teams within 1½ games of Marquette for the conference lead, and Providence can climb to within a game when it hosts Creighton.

Among the many aspects that make this one particularly intriguing is fouls. As David Cobb wrote last week, the Bluejays are obsessed with not fouling. Their 12.7 fouls committed per game are fewest in Division I. Providence, meanwhile, is 24th in D-I at 22.3 attempts per game, and Bryce Hopkins alone has taken 150 free throws this season, most of any Big East player. Another storyline? The Bluejays are shooting 36.2% from 3 in Big East play, which ranks third, while Providence has the conference’s best 3-point defense at 27.5%.

No. 5 Kansas at Oklahoma State (Tuesday, 9 p.m. on ESPN) — After a season-worst 15-point loss to Iowa State on Feb. 4, Kansas has responded in impressive fashion by holding serve at home against Texas and then blasting Oklahoma on the road. The reigning national champions stay in the Sooner State for a showdown with surging Oklahoma State on Tuesday. The Cowboys have won five straight, the longest active win streak in the Big 12.

The Pokes’ offense comes and goes, though Bryce Thompson could be a name to watch. He started his career at Kansas, and when these two met in Lawrence, he had a career-high 23 points in a narrow, controversial loss in which Oklahoma State led by as much as 15. Oklahoma State’s defense, though, is always there: sixth nationally and first in the Big 12 in efficiency.

The Cowboys’ extremely active guards and long, mobile bigs make them a nightmare to score against, and they are the sixth-best team nationally in defending pick-and-roll ball handlers at 0.592 points per possession allowed. Mike Boynton’s group does a great job of putting guards in uncomfortable spots on the baseline.

Dajuan Harris Jr. will be a big factor in this one. The Jayhawks’ floor general scored just six points in the first meeting but had nine assists and only one turnover in the win.

No. 1 Alabama at No. 10 Tennessee (Wednesday, 7 p.m. on ESPN2) — When it comes to mid-February regular-season college basketball, it doesn’t get much better than this, for reasons I outlined above.

Tennessee owns the nation’s best 3-point defense (24.2%). Alabama has the best 3-point percentage (36.6%) in SEC play and shoots the fourth-most 3-pointers per game in the country. Alabama is also terrific on defense — only Houston and Tennessee allow a lower field goal percentage. For all the similarities, though, the big difference is pace: Alabama plays at the second-fastest in the nation; Tennessee is 246th in that category.

Keep an eye on Brandon Miller, the outstanding Alabama freshman who stands 6-foot-9 and is shooting nearly 43% from deep. The Volunteers have a number of options defensively, but Josiah-Jordan James might be the best — if he can play. If not, expect a lot of battles between Miller and fellow standout freshman Julian Phillips.

No. 16 Xavier at No. 11 Marquette (Wednesday, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network) — One day after Creighton-Providence, this is the other game featuring two of the Big East’s top four. Marquette has a ½-game lead over both Xavier and Creighton, and this one should be a ton of fun. Xavier won the first meeting at home just over a month ago despite shooting under 28% from three (the Musketeers are second in D-I at 40.1% on the season) but made up for it with 40 points in the paint.

Marquette, meanwhile, actually had more points in the paint (42) in that contest and leads the country with 41.3 points per game off shots at the rim. Zach Freemantle and Jack Nunge against Oso Ighodaro sets up to be a terrific matchup.

No. 3 Purdue at Maryland (Thursday, 6:30 p.m. on BTN) — Purdue just suffered its second loss in three games by falling at Northwestern, and the Boilermakers have their work cut out for them avoiding three losses in four games. Maryland has won five of its last six, and the Terrapins’ nearly rallied past the Boilermakers on Jan. 22.

Purdue’s biggest issue — which they survived in that first game — was too much against Northwestern. Long story short, Zach Edey needs help. He was the only double-digit scorer against Maryland and again against Northwestern. Since Jan. 22, the Boilermakers rank 294th in turnover rate, 341st in turnover rate forced and 169th in 3-point percentage. Turning the ball over and missing 3s is a guaranteed way to make things stressful, even with the shoo-in national player of the year.

Maryland can take advantage if Jahmir Young is the best guard on the floor. He’s been just that over the last six games, averaging over 18 points on nearly 42% 3-point shooting, but he scored just 10 points while going 4 of 18 from the floor in the first meeting with Purdue.

No. 10 Tennessee at Kentucky (Saturday, 1 p.m. on CBS) — Things are not good for Kentucky. Last week, the Wildcats followed up a miserable 15-point home loss to Arkansas with another awful loss to Georgia. If that wasn’t make-or-break in terms of their NCAA Tournament hopes — they dropped out of Jerry Palm’s projected field — this week is. The Wildcats will have a tough enough time with Mississippi State on Wednesday, but if they can somehow win there, a home game with Tennessee awaits.

Kentucky went to Tennessee and won in mid-January by demolishing the Volunteers on the glass (43-23 rebounding margin) and 18 points from Antonio Reeves. A repeat outcome would be a surprise, but it might be necessary to get the Wildcats dancing.

No. 9 Baylor at No. 5 Kansas (Saturday, 4 p.m. on ESPN) — Ah, the Big 12. If Kansas can emerge from its Sooner State trip unscathed, the Jayhawks’ reward is a Baylor team that leads the country in offensive efficiency. The Bears have won eight of nine, including a win over Kansas in late January. In that win, Baylor made its thinking very clear: We think our guards can beat your bigs in isolation off of switches. The Bears scored a season-high 17 points on isolation plays; for perspective, their second-most in a game this season is only 12.

Could Ernest Udeh help the Jayhawks? He played just five minutes in the first game, and it may be a challenge to get him more against the guard-oriented Bears this time around, but he at least provides some level of rim protection. He played 17 minutes against Oklahoma on Saturday, registering eight points, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals. 

Three NBA prospects to watch

Check out the 2023 CBS Sports NBA Draft Prospect Rankings.

• Nick Smith Jr. finally made his return with five points in Arkansas’ loss to Mississippi State, his first game since mid-December due to “knee management.” Smith and the Razorbacks can greatly improve their NCAA Tournament by taking care of Texas A&M on Wednesday and Florida on Saturday. Smith is seventh in our rankings.
• Also making his return, albeit after a much shorter absence (and with much more success), was Duke’s Dariq Whitehead, who scored 10 points in a controversial loss to No. 8 Virginia. Duke takes on Notre Dame (the ACC’s worst defense) on Tuesday and Syracuse on Saturday. Whitehead is 11th in our rankings.
• As UCLA quietly continues its run atop the Pac-12, Amari Bailey seems to have found his footing with four double-digit efforts in his last five games, including a career-high 24 points last week against Oregon State. This week, the Bruins take on Stanford and Cal. Bailey is 37th in our prospect rankings.