Weekend preview: The first conference weekend is here with Illinois-Purdue, Kentucky-Florida, more

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At this stage of the men's college basketball season, nothing is ever real. While the sport has staged a multitude of high-profile matchups, most teams took their foot off the gas in December. The schedules were easier. There were bigger gaps between games. Players got time off -- a break they all deserved.

But this weekend marks the first true weekend of conference play, and you can't hide in conference play.

That conversation will begin in Clemson, South Carolina, where North Carolina hopes to extend its three-game winning streak. If Clemson beats UNC, it will remove any doubt that it's a real ACC contender, maybe more.

The SEC? Who knows what's real in that…