Breaking down Auburn-Alabama, Cooper Flagg vs. Johni Broome for POY and bubble teams

The countdown to Selection Sunday is officially on.

With the final week of the regular season underway and conference tournaments just around the corner, the announcement of the 68-team NCAA Tournament field is quickly approaching, set to take place March 16.

But first, there are plenty of big-time matchups set to get underway this weekend, highlighted by a pair of top-25 rivalry games between Auburn and Alabama (2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday) and Michigan State and Michigan (Noon ET on Sunday).

Which rivalry matchup should college basketball fans be paying attention to, and is there a team currently listed on the NCAA Tournament bubble that could make some noise in the Big Dance?

FOX Sports college basketball writers John Fanta and Michael Cohen are here to address that and more as we enter the final weekend of the college hoops regular season.

The final weekend of the regular season features an incredible slate of games, including plenty of rivalry matchups. Which matchup this upcoming weekend are you most excited about, and why?

John Fanta: Any time that we get to see college basketball’s Iron Bowl this season equals must-see hoops. And the scene in The Jungle on Saturday should be wild for Johni Broome & Co. as the Tigers set aim on a regular-season sweep of Alabama. What I’m curious to see is if Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide team can make a pre-championship week statement of some sort on the road and show why they are still a team more than worthy of cutting down the nets in April.

When the teams met just shy of three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa in the 1 vs. 2 showdown, Broome had 19 points and 14 rebounds, while the Tigers shut down Alabama’s perimeter attack, holding the Tide to 5-of-26 from deep in a 94-85 win. Will Mark Sears be able to answer the bell on Saturday? Auburn really made him uncomfortable in the first meeting between the teams as the senior guard was held to 4-of-17 from the floor and 2-of-11 from beyond the arc. Alabama has to get in more of a rhythm on that end of the floor and the defense, which has been better in the back half of the season, ranking 36th in KenPom efficiency, has to show up and make Chad Baker-Mazara, Tahaad Pettiford and the Auburn guards work for what they get.

I know the Tigers are well-positioned for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and that they’ve already won the SEC regular-season crown, but this rivalry is big-time and these are Final Four-caliber teams. I think you’ll see them both give a full effort, and I’m curious to see if Alabama can make some adjustments on both ends, but particularly if they can find a way to get their perimeter game back in rhythm. That could very well start with getting stops.