College football has a long history of designating gargantuan matchups as "Game of the Century." It typically refers to a game between top teams generating enormous interest.

Obviously, it's a stretch to call Saturday's girls' basketball game between Hopkins and Becker a "Game of the Century." But as far as this season is concerned, it's tough to find a better matchup than the upcoming collision of two undefeated, top-ranked teams.

Neither team has lost a game in more than a year. Much has been said about No. 1, 4A Hopkins' lengthy winning streak, now at 73 in a row. It's the second-longest in state history and just five short of the record of 78, set by Fosston from December 1999 to March 2002. Hopkins' last loss came in the 2018 Class 4A state championship game, 68-63 at the hands of Eastview.

Becker, No. 1 in Class 3A, is in the midst of its own impressive winning streak, a 36-game run dating to Dec. 27, 2019. Together, the teams have played a combined 109 games without a loss.

One of those streaks will come to an end Saturday.

Interestingly, Becker's winning streak does not include a state championship. While Hopkins won one during its span of success, the Bulldogs can blame COVID-19. After losing to DeLaSalle in the 2019 Class 3A championship game, a rematch was set in the 3A finals last year before the pandemic forced the cancellation of the remainder of the tournament.

The 2021 versions of each team are similar. Both are loaded with quality veterans, with talent up and down the lineup. Each employs a devastating press that can generate points in a hurry and put a tight game out of reach. Hopkins may have the more heralded lineup, with four players ranked among the top 30 in the country in their respective classes: juniors Maya Nnaji and Amaya Battle and sophomores Taylor Woodson and Nunu Agara. Toss in super freshman Liv McGill and the Royals cast a daunting shadow.

Becker may not have the star power, but the senior-dominated Bulldogs more than make up for it with an unselfish, up-tempo style that makes the best use of their athleticism and experience. It starts with senior point guard Julia Bengtson, but any one of their top eight players can make opponents pay. Four of them average in double figures, between 11.7 and 14.9 points per game, and five of them have scored at least 20 points in a game this season. They've topped 90 eight times and have not had a game decided by fewer than 13 points all year.

And the best part of Saturday's game, which tips off at 1:30 p.m. in Becker? They get to do it again less than a week later as the teams will play their regular-season finales against each other, this time at Hopkins, on March 12.

The week ahead

With the state Alpine and Nordic skiing meets approaching, section meets get underway this week.

Alpine skiing: Monday — Section 5, at Afton Alps; Tuesday — Section 7, at Giants Ridge; Wednesday — Section 4, at Wild Mountain; Section 6, at Buck Hill

Nordic skiing: Monday — Section 3, at Hyland Hills; Section 6, at Theodore Wirth; Tuesday — Section 1, at Hyland Hills; Section 2, at Theodore Wirth; Section 8, at Maplelag, Detroit Lakes; Wednesday — Section 4, at Battle Creek; Section 5, at Theodore Wirth; Section 7, at Giants Ridge.

Boys' basketball

Tuesday: Minneapolis North at Hopkins, 7 p.m.

Saturday: Tartan at South St. Paul, 3 p.m.

Girls' basketball

Thursday: Rosemount at Farmington, 7 p.m.

Boys' hockey

Thursday: Maple Grove at Andover, 7 p.m.

Saturday: St. Thomas Academy at Eden Prairie, 6 p.m.

Girls' hockey

Tuesday: Edina at Minnetonka, 7 p.m.