Welcome back to another loaded college basketball Saturday, where the day’s slate is loaded with several intriguing matchups.

In addition to an exciting Big 12/SEC Challenge, there are many quality conference contests as well, including Minnesota vs. Purdue, Clemson vs. Duke and Virginia vs. Virginia Tech. Follow along as we keep you posted on the day’s action.

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—Mid-majors still in the mix for at-large bids
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Saturday’s college basketball watchability index

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Live updates, highlights from Saturday’s key games

(All times Eastern; updates currently posted by @boettger_eli)

12:19 a.m.: San Diego State handles Wyoming 98-71 behind Matt Mitchell’s 26 points as the Aztecs win their fourth game in a row.

10:53 p.m.: After dropping Thursday’s contest by 30, Wyoming trails San Diego State 41-18 with five minutes to go in the first half.

10:46 p.m.: Well, this could certainly be interesting:

10:31 p.m.: After winning more than 30 WAC league games in a row, New Mexico State is down 10 to Grand Canyon and facing an 0-2 start in conference play. Under-12 timeout.

10:21 p.m.: Stanford drops an awful one to Arizona State and Belmont’s Nick Muszynski saves the day for Belmont with a last-second block to beat Murray State. Bruins improve to 18-1.

9:52 p.m.: Pitt drops another one, this time in 84-58 blowout fashion against Notre Dame.

9:44 p.m.: Getting interesting over in the OVC tonight:

9:39 p.m.: Pac-12 Cannibalization Watch: Arizona State — losers of six of seven — leads Stanford 58-50 with 12 minutes to play. Stanford beat UCLA and Arizona in its most recent games.

9:32 p.m.: Whoa. Watch this one: DePaul is currently leading No. 17 Creighton, 50-45, with 12 minutes to play at Wintrust Arena.

9:24 p.m.:

9:10 p.m.: Meanwhile, back in the Midwest, Purdue is back to its Boilermaking ways as the heat up in the second half against the Gophers. After trailing No. 21 Minnesota by five at halftime, Purdue is now up 51-41 nearly halfway through the second period.

9:09 p.m.: Another OT game out west as Amadou Sow’s 60-footer won’t go; UCSB and UC Davis heading into the extra period locked at 83.

9:03 p.m.: UCLA survives a late comeback attempt from Oregon State, and the Bruins will remain on top of the Pac-12. Mick Cronin’s team has some flaws, but they’re coming along nicely.

9:00 p.m.: Good no-call, but heartbreaking nonetheless. Ethan Thompson stumbles and loses the ball while driving the lane. Tyger Campbell subsequently hits two free throw. OSU still as an outside chance, but now it’s five points and eight seconds. The math is closing in on them.

8:58 p.m.: JUST A THREE-POINT GAME AT PAULEY! Oregon State trails 53-50, but the Beavers have possession with 14 seconds to play. Wayne Tinkle drawing up a play as we speak.

8:50 p.m.: Busy evening!

8:42 p.m.: San Diego State has won its past three games by a combined 99 points. Can Wyoming land a counterpunch tonight? Jeff Linder has the Cowboys looking better than anticipated in his first season in Laramie, but SDSU has been on a mission of late.

8:40 p.m.: Meanwhile, BYU has survived in double overtime against Pacific, prevailing 95-87 and keeping their at-large hopes intact.

8:38 p.m.: After a 19-2 run over the past seven minutes of game time, No. 1 Gonzaga now leads 28-18 over Pepperdine at the under-8 timeout in the first half.

8:23 p.m.: Elsewhere in the Top 25, No. 17 Creighton is up three early on DePaul in some Big East action, while No. 23 UCLA is pulling away from Oregon State a bit, leading 36-29 with 13:30 to go.

8:20 p.m.: Minnesota and Purdue are currently locking horns in a Big Ten battle, with the No. 21 Gophers leading 26-21 with four minutes to go in the first half. But perhaps more interesting is what’s going on out west, where Pepperdine has jumped out to a 16-9 lead over No. 1 Gonzaga over the first five minutes of action!

8:04 p.m.: Beavers looking for another upset, trailing UCLA by just two points at the half. Not super pretty for either side. UCLA shooting just 31 percent so far.

8:00 p.m.: To overtime we go between BYU and Pacific! Will the Cougars still be an at-large team if they lose here?

7:52 p.m.: San Jose State wins! The Spartans are on their first three-game win streak since 2017 after beating Air Force 75-62. Ralph Agee finished with a game-high 22 points, while Trey Smith had 21 points for SJSU. Amazing that they’re doing this without Richard Washington or Seneca Knight. Congratulations to a program that has had a rough go of things for a while now!

7:48 p.m.: Meanwhile, No. 18 Tennessee continues to pound the Jayhawks at home, now leading 69-45 over No. 15 Kansas in Knoxville after Victor Bailey knocked down the Vols’ eighth triple of the contest.

7:45 p.m.: Wild stuff in Blacksburg! Virginia Tech is currently on a 19-0 run against No. 8 Virginia right now, and lead 63-47 with less than 90 seconds to go. What on earth happened to the Cavs today?

7:40 p.m.: San Jose State extended their lead to ten points with this three-pointer from Trey Smith. Air Force got a bucket back, but the Spartans lead 65-57 with two minutes to play at Ability360 in Phoenix, Ariz.

7:34 p.m.: QUADBOX

7:20 p.m.: Quick homer note – I *love* these Oregon State uniforms. Bruins leading, though.

7:15 p.m.: Here’s a rundown of the AP Top 25 teams in action right now:

  • No. 8 Virginia, No. 20 Virginia Tech 34 – 2H 12:33
  • No. 18 Tennessee 40, No. 15 Kansas 26 – 2H 20:00
  • No. 23 UCLA 4, Oregon State 3 – 1H 17:01

7:12 p.m.: As many of you know, I also write for Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group. That means I am very very aware of how crazy this potential three-game winning streak is for San Jose State. Is Jean Prioleau doing the thing??

7:05 p.m.: ANDY IS BACK ON THE ESCALATOR. It’s a dreary Saturday here in Portland, Oregon — and what better backdrop for an exciting evening of hoops action? I’m here to cover it all and hopefully bring a little laugh to the evening, from the chuckers to the chuckles. (Off to a terrible start, but we’ll bounce back.)

6:10 p.m.: Baylor handles Auburn to stay undefeated and Cade Cunningham’s late jumper helps Oklahoma State beat Arkansas.

5:24 p.m.: Yet another upset alert: Georgia Tech leads No. 16 Florida State 38-32 early in the second half.

5:03 p.m.: Next batch of notable halftime scores around the country:

—No. 2 Baylor 35, Auburn 30
—Oklahoma State 38, Arkansas 34
—Georgia Tech 33, No. 16 Florida State 26

4:58 p.m.: The Big Ten continues to be a gauntlet. No. 14 Wisconsin falls on the road to Penn State for the first time since 2011. Badgers have lost two of three.

4:28 p.m.: The Sharife Cooper/Jared Butler Show has tipped off on ESPN as Florida downs West Virginia in Morgantown.

4:09 p.m.: Meanwhile, Mizzou just sent it into overtime against TCU. The Big 12/SEC Challenge is delivering today!

4:05 p.m.: An absolute stunner in the Big 12/SEC Challenge — Texas Tech goes on a 12-0 run in the final minute to beat LSU.

3:41 p.m.: Good one brewing on ESPN2. LSU and Texas Tech battling it out late and Tigers guard Javonte Smart is taking over.

2:51 p.m.: Pair of upset alerts at halftime in the Big 12/SEC Challenge:

—TCU 42, No. 12 Missouri 38
—LSU 33, No. 10 Texas Tech 32

2:14 p.m.: Oklahoma’s impressive win over Alabama puts the Sooners in rare form:

1:53 p.m.: Alabama has dug deep and has come all the way back from down double digits to lead Oklahoma 60-59 with a little more than three minutes to go.

1:16 p.m.: Clemson is an entirely different team since returning from its pause.

12:50 p.m.: While Duke is making quick work of a cold-shooting Clemson squad, shorthanded Oklahoma leads Alabama 32-29 at the break.

12:20 p.m.: Whew, Jalen Johnson with the poster.

12:14 p.m.: Meanwhile, Clemson is off to another slow start. Tigers have just two points in seven minutes at Duke.

12:11 p.m.: Really, really strong start by the Sooners early.

12 p.m.: Big absences in an important matchup between Alabama and Oklahoma: