It's the first weekend without football since August. This Saturday and Sunday, curious sports fans across the country will tune into college basketball. Thursday night's back-to-back thrillers with Duke beating North Carolina and UCLA storming back against Oregon set the tone, so if you're new here, welcome, and settle in for the urgency of February, which prepares you for the thrills of March.

"We know March is going to be tough," UCLA star point guard Lonzo Ball said after burying a step-back 35-foot jump shot in the closing seconds against Oregon. "Games like this get us ready for it. February sets up March, it's perfect for it."

Teams are what they are by this point in the season, there's just not enough time left for reinvention. Many of these teams have already played each other (or will again soon) and have each other scouted pretty well. Meanwhile the drama builds as conference title races heat up and bubble teams battle for the final at-large spots in the NCAA Tournament. The familiarity and urgency result in fierce competition, which makes for great theater as fans.

So while college basketball steps into the sports spotlight for its annual spring showcase, be sure to clear some time in your schedule to join us. There's a weekend full of hoops ahead, but it's one of only four remaining in the regular season.

Here's five things to watch in college basketball this weekend:

1. Can Kentucky get right?

Gary Parrish reminded us this week that those who wrote off John Calipari and Kentucky in 2011 and 2014 ended up looking like fools, so it's way too early to write them off as a contender. But while the talent and offensive potential is on par with anyone in the country, Kentucky can't seem to get right defensively. After the Wildcats gave up 85 points to LSU and got pounded by Florida 88-66, Cal put the team through a three-hour practice that was '90 percent' defense.

Alabama, surging into the bubble conversation in Avery Johnson's second season, knocked off South Carolina on Tuesday night in four overtimes behind an impressive defensive showing. Gamecocks star Sindarious Thornwell had 44 points, but the Gamecocks shot 26.1 percent from the floor and the rest of the team had just 42.

If that three-hour practice didn't shock the system, Alabama's defense should. Kentucky's not on upset alert on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, but a get-right victory is far from guaranteed. The Wildcats and the Crimson Tide tip at 1 p.m. Saturday in a game that can be seen on CBS, streaming live for free on CBSSports.com and on the CBS Sports app.

2. Last big tests for Villanova, Gonzaga and Cincinnati

Gonzaga (West Coast), Villanova (Big East) and Cincinnati (American) are more than halfway through their conference schedules with undefeated records in league play. Each team faces its toughest remaining challenge on Saturday, all on the road against quality opponents. The atmosphere for Gonzaga-Saint Mary's games is always incredible, and the Gaels, led by star big man Jock Landale, want revenge after getting beat by 23 points in their first meeting. For Gonzaga it's not only the toughest test left on the path to a perfect conference record, but to a perfect regular season and the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova plays at Xavier, a team that found its footing after losing Edmond Sumner for the season to injury. The Musketeers beat the Wildcats at home last year, and things are looking much better with Trevon Bluiett playing well and four straight wins after a midseason slide. Cincinnati won the first meeting against SMU by two, and over the course of the last couple seasons it's become clear these two teams are the class of the American Athletic Conference. Every time they meet it's a fantastic battle, and Saturday should be no different.

3. Short turnarounds for Duke and Oregon

Duke is back in action early on Saturday, hosting Clemson in a tournament-style turnaround. Mike Krzyzewski noted the schedule after beating North Carolina, hoping aloud that the experience of Thursday night would help bring some maturity to a team that's been growing and changing through the season. Replicating that winning effort and intensity, he noted, would be the real sign of improvement.

Oregon's story is obviously a little bit different. The task at hand is not letting the UCLA loss linger with another road game coming up against USC. The Trojans have won five straight (including a win against the Bruins) and played their way into the NCAA Tournament picture after a 3-4 start to conference play. They're a dangerous team, a narrow underdog and would love to close out Saturday night with a win against the depleted Ducks. Prior to this two-game L.A. run, Oregon was tied for the lead in the Pac-12 standings with a head-to-head edge against Arizona. By the end of the weekend, they could be two games back with five left to play until the postseason.

4. ACC Headline Clash: Florida State at Notre Dame

North Carolina missed out on a chance to create some space in the ACC standings at Duke on Thursday night. Now we're headed into the final third of ACC play with six teams separated by one game in the loss column. Florida State has won its last three games by 24, 58 and 18 points as the most talented Seminoles team in a while seems to be peaking at the right time. Notre Dame lost its mojo in a three-point home loss to FSU last month, dropping four of its next six games. Saturday night is a huge one in South Bend for the Irish, a chance to catch fire and fall into a good rhythm before the postseason.

How the ACC is decided will have a huge role in the NCAA Tournament seeding. The league has been strong enough that whoever ends up on top in the regular season and in the conference tournament will have a good argument for a No. 1 seed -- and if one team wins both, it's a virtual lock.

Which brings us to...

5. The first-ever midseason reveal for the NCAA Tournament

Saturday's big reveal of the top 16 seeds will be a new exercise for basketball fans. Tune in, check it out and don't overreact to how the bracket falls. The biggest thing we'll learn from the selection committee this weekend will be how their rankings are grouped, which should be clear by the seeding of each team. The specifics of the bracketing won't get laid out until the last minute, but these 16 teams should represent the group realistically in the mix for favorable positioning in the tournament.

You can check out the NCAA March Madness Bracket Preview show on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on CBS and CBS All Access.

The show will be hosted by Greg Gumbel along with Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis, with insight from CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm.