Virginia has used the combination of its typical stifling defense and key performances at the right time to win eight games in a row and rise to No. 2 in the nation entering Thursday’s ACC road contest at Georgia Tech. The Cavaliers lead the country in scoring defense at 52.9 points per game, and won an eighth consecutive game for the second time this season as senior Devon Hall sparked a 68-51 victory Sunday over North Carolina State.

North Carolina State survived a stretch of three straight games against ranked teams just fine with two wins and hopes to avoid a letdown when it hosts struggling Wake Forest for an ACC matchup Thursday night. The Wolfpack knocked off Clemson and Duke to ignite their confidence before allowing 56.1 percent shooting in a 68-51 setback at No. 2 Virginia on Sunday.

Coach Tad Boyle’s young Colorado squad has made it through a rough opening Pac-12 stretch, consisting of four road games and two contests against top-15 opponents, with a 3-3 record. Now, the Buffaloes are home for five of their next seven games, beginning with Thursday night’s tilt against visiting Washington State. 

Maryland is eager to get back on the court after suffering a dramatic letdown in the final seconds of a loss to Michigan on Monday, and they are motivated to make sure it doesn't happen again. The Terrapins will try to execute better and avoid a third consecutive loss when they host Minnesota on Thursday in a Big Ten contest.

No. 24 Michigan looks to continue its winning ways when it faces Nebraska on the road Thursday. The Wolverines have won nine out of their last 10 games, including back-to-back victories over ninth-ranked Michigan State (82-72) and Maryland (68-67) in the last five days, to move into the Top 25 for the first time this season and hope to climb up the national rankings by notching their 11th straight victory in the series with the Cornhuskers.

Gonzaga enters Thursday night's first-place showdown with visiting Saint Mary's ranked 13th in the nation and winners of 16 of the last 17 regular-season West Coast Conference championships. But it will be the Bulldogs who will have a chip on their shoulders when they try for their 13th win in the last 15 meetings with the unranked Gaels.

After almost coming up with a sweep of a pair of top-20 ranked teams on its trip to Arizona, Oregon returns home to play five of its next seven games, starting with a Thursday night contest with USC. The Ducks, who have won seven in a row over the Trojans in Eugene, will be trying to earn head coach Dana Altman his 200th coaching victory at Oregon.

After winning its first two Pac-12 games, Utah has hit the skids in dropping four straight. The Utes will try to get untracked Thursday night when they return home to host Washington. 

Oregon State junior Stephen Thompson Jr. looks to continue his strong play against UCLA when the Bruins visit Corvallis for a Pac-12 contest on Thursday night. Thompson scored his then-career high of 25 points in a 76-63 loss to visiting UCLA last season, and the 6-4 guard from Los Angeles recorded 23 points against the Bruins as a freshman.