With March Madness just under a month away for Men’s NCAA Division I teams, college teams all over the country have been playing various games within their conferences — along with some highly anticipated non-conference games. Since the start of the basketball season, I’ve been trying to stay updated with the current standings and highlights of long-awaited games on Instagram and other sites. While I haven’t watched every game in full, I’ve seen many top 25 games and unexpected wins that have made me excited for the start of March Madness.
If you don’t know much about March Madness, it is a “single-elimination tournament of 68 teams that compete in seven rounds for the national championship.” The tournament is roughly under a month, and kicks off this year on March 17. The selection of teams to participate in the tournament occurs on March 15, better known as “Selection Sunday.” Many people try to predict the teams that will participate prior to the release of official bracket — often predicting No. 1 seeds and the last team to receive a bid into the tournament — amongst other predictions. The final championship game takes place on April 6, at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
While teams are still battling it out for their chance in the tournament, here are some of my favorite games so far.
1. Texas Tech vs. duke (dec. 20, 2025)
No. 19 Texas Tech took on No. 3 Duke in the SentinelOne Classic back in December 2025, receiving an 82-81 win over the Blue Devils at Madison Garden. Down by 17 points four minutes into the second half, the Red Raiders were able to recover and give Duke their first loss of the season. Christian Anderson, a sophomore guard for Texas Tech, scored 23 of his 27 points of the night in the second half and was able to make the game-winning free-throw with only 3.4 seconds left in the half.
JT Toppin, a junior forward, tells us post-game, “Coach kept saying we were going to win the game, even down 17.”
“We just kept believing and playing together.”
If you didn’t know, I really love seeing Duke lose, especially to unexpected teams that come through and get the job done. This was the Red Raider’s first win over Duke in history, and first top five win since 2022 where they were able to pull the win against No. 1 Baylor. To win in a special place like Madison Square Garden, I was really happy to see Texas Tech win. Texas Tech was also 0-3 against ranked opponents prior to this game.
2. uconn vs. kansas (Dec. 2, 2025)
Of course I had to include the University of Connecticut somewhere in this article. I thought this game was pretty intense considering both the Huskies and the Jayhawks have six national titles behind them; not to mention this game was the first time in history that UConn won against Kansas. The Huskies were not only able to pull the win, but they were able to do it all away at the Allen Fieldhouse which is notorious for their “loud and proud” student section.
It was a great night for junior guard Solo Ball who scored 17 points, but it was also a significant night for freshman guard Braylon Mullins who also scored 17 points. For Mullins, it was only his second collegiate game.
Both teams were also missing notable players. The Jayhawks were missing freshman guard Darryn Peterson, and the Huskies were missing senior center Tarris Reed Jr., due to an ankle injury. Luckily for UConn, players were able to step up to achieve the win. Eric Reibe was able to score 12 points for the night, and Alex Karaban added an additional 11 points.
3. Duke vs. unc (Feb. 7, 2026)
Arguably, I think this game has to be one of the top games of the year. Taking place at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the venue was filled with Carolina fans from all over to see the rival game take place.
If you don’t know about the Carolina-Duke rivalry, it’s one of the biggest rivalries in college basketball that all started when Duke and North Carolina played their first game against each other on Jan. 24, 1920. The rivalry stands for many reasons, one being that the two schools are only 10 miles apart, and two, Duke is a private institution, while Carolina is a public school. It doesn’t help that the two schools also play in the same conference: the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Oh, and the two schools like to battle it out for the “best shade of blue” as well, since both schools use blue as their primary spirit color.
The Tar Heels were able to pull off the “improbable win” over the Blue Devils after trailing behind the entire game. The Blue Devils were up by 12 points at the half, but Carolina was able to have an incredible comeback in the second half. What really secured the win was Seth Trimble’s three-pointer made with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. The score was previously tied, but that shot gave Carolina the win, ending at 71-68. Duke was predicted to win for almost the entirety of the game, until 1:40 was left in the second half.
It was also a great night for freshman forward Cameron Boozer who was able to score 24 points for the Tar Heels. He also had 11 rebounds and three assists for the team.
A great loss for Duke.
4. arizona vs. Kansas (Feb. 9, 2026)
No. 9 Kansas took down No.1 Arizona in a tough matchup earlier this month. Before the big win for Kansas, the Arizona Wildcats had the second longest winning streak in Division I men’s basketball. The Kansas Jayhawks were able to secure the win even without freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who is a projected No. 1 pick.
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona’s head coach said, “They beat the No. 1 team in the country at home. They did a hell of a job, and their coach did a hell of a job.” He emphasized the importance of not making the game about Peterson, who didn’t even play in the game due to an illness.
Despite Peterson’s absence, it was a really great night for other players who did “a hell of a job.” Flory Bidunga scored 23 points, Bryson Tiller scored 18, and Melvin Council Jr. scored 23, for a combination of 64 points scored. The Kansas Jayhawks won the game with a final score of 82-78.
5. illinois vs. michigan state (feb. 7, 2026)
No. 10 Michigan State was able to take down No. 5 Illinois at the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Jeremy Fears Jr., a sophomore point guard, was able to score 26 points for the Spartans, even after head coach Tom Izzo debated whether or not to bench the point guard after his sportsmanship was questioned in previous games.
Illinois lead at the half by four points and lead by nine points early in the second half. There was a total of six ties and nine lead changes in this game. The Spartans were able to pull the win in overtime with a final score of 85-82.
Despite the slander against Jeremy Fears Jr., and Illinois’ unnecessary challenging call against Fears, I thought it was a really great game for both Michigan State and Illinois. For Illinois, David Mirkovic was able to score 18 points and Andrej Stojakovic was able to score 17 points for the Fighting Illini. Alongside Fears, Jaxon Kohler scored 11 points and Jordan Scott scored 10 points.
I also thought the fans really showed up. The student section brought energy for the entire game.
honorable mentions & upcoming games
The season is far from being over, and there are a lot of great games coming up before the start of March Madness. Some other games I thought were great were UConn vs. Illinois (Nov. 28, 2025) and Houston vs. Iowa State (Feb. 16, 2026). I also wanted to mention the Miami RedHawks, who remain as the only undefeated team in the Division I conference. Their 12-0 record (now 15-0) is something that the Mid Atlantic Conference hasn’t seen since 1958. I think they have a good chance at being a part of March Madness.
As far as upcoming games, I’m really excited to watch Michigan play at Duke on Feb. 20, as both teams are predicted to be No. 1 seeds in March Madness. I’m also excited to see all the upcoming UConn games and I’m hoping I can get tickets to watch games live at Gampel Pavilion. And of course, it would be nice to see UConn win the national championship title this year.