The NBA All-Star Break is behind us, which means that regular-season NBA basketball will pick back up again this week. Meanwhile, we have numerous top 25 matchups in college basketball, as well as the start of Spring Training in Major League Baseball. Here are the biggest sporting events taking place each day in the U.S. this week.
Monday
College Basketball
#3 Houston @ #5 Iowa State starting at 9:00 p.m. EDT.
We kick off the week guns blazing with a potential Final Four matchup in college basketball when the Cougars take on the Cyclones in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State and its 31st-ranked offense will play host to Houston's second-ranked defense. The Cyclones will be looking to avoid their second loss over their last three games, while the Cougs hope to win their seventh in a row. Something's gotta give tonight when these Final Four hopefuls face off.
Tuesday
College Basketball
#2 Michigan @ #13 Purdue starting at 6:30 p.m. EDT.
Two classic Big Ten foes go head-to-head when the second-ranked Wolverines go on the road to face the #13 Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Indiana. Michigan is arguably the most exciting team in the country, averaging 90.6 points per game, which ranks fifth in the nation. However, they’ll need to figure out how to slow down Purdue's efficient passing, since the Boilermakers average the third-most assists per game in the NCAA (19.8). They're led by senior guard Braden Smith, who is second in the country in assists per game (8.9). Can Purdue hand Michigan its second loss of the season? We'll find out this week.
Wednesday
College Basketball
#22 BYU @ #1 Arizona starting at 9:00 p.m. EDT.
Even on what could be considered a slow day in U.S. sports, we still get a top-25 matchup! After suffering back-to-back losses last week, there's a good chance that Arizona will no longer be the number-one team in the country. Regardless, they'll still be ranked in the top 25 since those were the Wildcats' first two losses of the season, and they came against the ninth- and 16th-ranked teams in the country. If the last matchup between Arizona and BYU was any indication of how this will play out, then we're in for a good one. When these teams played on January 26th, Arizona squeaked past BYU 86-83. Wednesday's contest will likely be another close one.
Thursday
NBA
Detroit Pistons @ New York Knicks starting at 7:30 p.m. EDT.
On our first day of action back from the All-Star Break, we rocket right into things with a huge game in the Eastern Conference. The top-seeded Pistons will head to Madison Square Garden to take on the third-seeded Knicks. Detroit will be looking to complete the season sweep of New York after winning the previous two games by a combined 69 points! If the Knickerbockers win, though, they can overtake the Celtics for the second-best record in the East. With two key Pistons contributors out due to suspension, and OG Anunoby possibly returning to the lineup for the Knicks, this could be their last chance to get revenge on Detroit for the two previous embarrassing losses they suffered.
Friday
MLB
The Beginning of Spring Training starting at 1:05 p.m. EDT.
For the first time since November 1st, 2025, we will get to see Major League Baseball action with five Spring Training games scheduled for Friday. We start with a standalone game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. After that, we have four games scheduled for the three o'clock hour. That includes a battle for Chicago with the White Sox facing the Cubs, and the ALDS-winning Seattle Mariners going against the San Diego Padres. There will be plenty of action to get us ready for the World Baseball Classic, starting on March 4th, followed by the first game of the 2026 MLB season on March 25th.
Saturday
College Basketball
#1 Arizona @ #3 Houston starting at 3:00 p.m. EDT.
With more than 100 Division I games scheduled for Saturday, the excitement picks up at 3 p.m., when two top-five teams duke it out for Big 12 supremacy. In their only scheduled matchup of the regular-season, Arizona will go on the road to face Houston as both teams look to avoid their third loss of the campaign. The Wildcats' 13th-ranked offense will have its hands full with the Cougars' second-ranked defense in what will surely be a game that goes a long way in determining the 2025-26 Big 12 Regular-Season Champion.
#6 UConn @ Villanova starting at 5:30 p.m. EDT.
A few hours after Houston-Arizona, sixth-ranked UConn will hit the road as it looks to hurt Villanova's tournament chances. Though the Wildcats are 20-5, all five of their losses have come against tournament-worthy teams. If Nova can secure a win over the sixth-ranked team in the country, it will all but guarantee an NCAA tournament berth for the Wildcats. However, they'll have to figure out how to effectively score on the Huskies' 17th-ranked defense.
#2 Michigan @ #4 Duke starting at 6:30 p.m. EDT.
Our second-biggest matchup of the day could be a preview of the 2026 NCAA Tournament National Championship when the 24-1 Wolverines take on the 23-2 Blue Devils. An immovable force meets an unstoppable object when Michigan brings its fifth-ranked offense to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face Duke's third-ranked defense. This will be a great chance for Cameron Boozer, the potential number-one overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, to showcase his skills on a national stage. He's fourth in the country in scoring (22.8 ppg) and 13th in rebounding (9.9 rpg). However, he will have a tall task (literally) going against 7'3" Michigan center Aday Mara, who averages the second-most blocks per game in the nation (2.8). From a tournament perspective to NBA scouting, there's no shortage of reasons to watch this matchup.
#5 Iowa State @ #22 BYU starting at 10:30 p.m. EDT.
One of the busiest days of the 2025-26 NCAA regular season concludes with a top-25 matchup between the Cyclones and the Cougars at the Marriott Center in Utah. This will be Iowa State's third-straight game against a top-25 opponent, so this will be an excellent opportunity for BYU to bolster its resume and improve its potential NCAA tournament ranking. Though the Cyclones come into this week with the 11th-best defense in the country, BYU's AJ Dybantsa leads the nation in scoring with 24.4 points per game. You'll have to tune in late Saturday night to see if Iowa State can contain the best scorer in college basketball.
Sunday
NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Oklahoma City Thunder starting at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
The two best teams in the NBA last year will meet for the final time during the 2025-26 regular season in Oklahoma City when the defending champs go head-to-head with the fourth-seeded Cavaliers. For the Thunder, they need this game to stay a step ahead of the San Antonio Spurs, who only trail OKC by three games for the number-one seed in the Western Conference. On the other side, the Cavs need a win if they don't want to continue falling behind the Pistons for the top-spot in the East. This will also be a fantastic battle between Cleveland's second-ranked offense and Oklahoma City's top-ranked defense in what could be a potential preview of the 2026 NBA Finals.
Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers starting at 6:30 p.m. EDT.
The two most storied teams in NBA history renew their classic rivalry in what is our final must-see game of the week. In their last matchup of the 2025-26 regular season, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Lakers get Jaylen Brown and the Celtics at home. This contest will feature two of the top scorers in the league this season, with Luka Doncic leading the NBA in points per game (32.8), while Jaylen Brown is tied for third in that category (29.3 ppg). We also have to mention LeBron James, who will be looking to show he still runs the league after a somewhat disappointing All-Star Weekend in which he averaged five points per game.
