College basketball weekend preview: Top five games to watch Saturday

Another week in college basketball, another wild week that was filled with epic performances, incredible finishes and shocking upsets. College basketball never ceases to amaze.

This weekend's slate features three ranked-vs-ranked matchups and six top-10 teams playing on the road. We could easily see a much different AP Top 25 ranking on Monday. At the very least, with several high-stakes conference matchups, we will likely see some minor shifting.

As with most Saturdays during conference season, there's an overwhelming number of games that are likely to be high in entertainment value — but a handful of games truly stand out.

Here are the five best men's college hoops games to watch in a loaded weekend ahead:

What to expect: Points! Another Kentucky game, another game with high point totals. The Wildcats have played just one game where neither team scored more than 70 points (a 70-66 loss to Clemson). Vandyerbilt can score the ball and that home crowd has proven to be loud and impactful when they have the opportunity. This is a game that could really be one of the most entertaining of the entire weekend and could solidify Vandy's stature as a tourney team. 

Key stat: The key for Vanderbilt will be stopping the 3-point barrage Kentucky is capable of putting up. The Wildcats average 10.2 made 3-pointers per game to lead the SEC, meaning nearly one third of their points come from behind the arc. The Commodores are a middle-of-the-pack team defending the 3-point line in the SEC, giving up 7.1 made 3s per game. If they can keep Kentucky to that number, that would be a huge win. Vandy can score with Kentucky (it averages 82.3 per game), but it will need to be solid defending shots from deep.

Trends: Vanderbilt has been scoring