This NCAA weekend is full of high-stakes matchups as two of the last undefeated teams put thier records on the line. No. 1 UConn looks to extend its perfect streak, while No. 5 Vanderbilt faces its toughest test yet against South Carolina

Here’s a closer look at those games and more as another weekend of college basketball action gets underway.

1. UConn vs. Seton Hall

The No. 1 Huskies (20-0) will travel to South Orange Village to face Seton Hall (14-5). The tip-off has been rescheduled to Saturday, January 25, at noon due to an incoming winter storm. The two teams have already faced off once this season, with UConn dominating 84-48 at PeoplesBank Arena. But the Pirates are 2nd in the Big East, 8-2, riding on a 73-57 win to Providence.

Seton Hall has nothing to lose as coach Geno Auriemma and his squad look to protect and extend their perfect streak. Can Seton Hall rebound against the nation’s top team with a home advantage while junior Savannah Catalon averages 14.3 PPG?

2. Vanderbilt Challenges South Carolina

The Sunday afternoon schedule features one of the most intriguing matchups as No. 5 Vanderbilt (20-0) visits No. 2 South Carolina (19-2) at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks are coming off a rare setback of a first loss to Oklahoma since 2007. Dawn Staley's Gamecocks fell 82-94 to No. 16 Oklahoma.

The Commodores, on the other hand, replace the Gamecocks as No. 1 in the SEC and remain undefeated. Vandy is led by scorer Mikayla Blakes, averaging 24.8 points per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. South Carolina looks to regain momentum in this crucial SEC clash.

3. Ohio State vs. Iowa: Big Ten Showdown

No. 12 Ohio State (18-2) travels to Iowa City to face No. 10 Iowa (17-2) at Carver–Hawkeye Arena at 2:00 PM. The Buckeyes will be facing their fifth top-10 opponent of the season, while Iowa has started 8-0 in Big Ten play for the first time in 3 decades.

Last season, Ohio State narrowly defeated Iowa twice, including a 60-59 thriller in March and an 86-78 overtime win in February. The Hawkeyes will want to even out the record this time, but Jaloni Cambridge’s 50.5 FG % is something to worry about for Jan Jensen and her team.

4. UCLA at Northwestern

Another Sunday afternoon matchup at the Welsh-Ryan Arena hosts No. 3 UCLA (18-1) taking on Northwestern (8-11).

UCLA clearly has the upper hand as they head into the clash with a nearly flawless away game record (9-1). Thier only loss came to No. 4 Texas in Las Vegas (76–65).

Their last meeting against Northwestern, in Las Vegas, came back in 2002 and ended with an 82-74 UCLA victory, but fans should watch for any surprises from the Wildcats.

5. Postponed: Texas vs. Arkansas

Originally scheduled for Jan. 25 at 4:00 PM, the Texas (19-2) vs. Arkansas (11-10) game has been postponed to Feb. 19 due to a winter storm.

Texas point guard Rori Harmon's playmaking remains a key storyline to watch once the game is rescheduled. She's closing in on the Longhorns all-time steals record, with 340 steals, just seven short of No. 1 Linda Waggoner’s 1980 mark of 346. The Razorbacks, winless in the SEC at 0-6, will be desperate for a big win.

Which one are you looking forward to the most?

Written by

Fatema Kapasi

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi