Saturday’s college basketball slate is expected to be a doozy with plenty of excitement possible throughout the day. With 14 ranked teams playing on the road, most of which are either narrow favorites or narrow underdogs, we could be in for a raucous day in the sport that could shake things up once again just a week after a Saturday slate. which saw 11 teams ranked. stumble – the most in a single day since 2011.
In the ACC, No. 10 Virginia and No. 17 Miami are on the road at Wake Forest and Duke, respectively. In the Big 12, Texas’ No. 7 draws a tough roadie to West Virginia, while Iowa State’s No. 12 and Baylor’s No. 21 travel to Sooner State to face Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. In the SEC, No. 4 Alabama is at Missouri, No. 9 Tennessee is heading to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to face LSU and No. 16 Auburn is drawing a talented South Carolina team to the Colonial Life Arena.
Chaos abounds, so prepare accordingly.
Below, our experts have picks and predictions for the day’s biggest games in what looks to be one of the best standalone lists of the season at this point.
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | All times Eastern
Featured game | Arizona Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins
2 p.m. | ABC, fuboTV (Try for free) — This has the chance to be the best game on the slate on Saturday. UCLA, winners of 14 straight games behind a top-five defense, heads to the desert to face an Arizona team that, when right, has arguably the most explosive offense in the sport. Zona has looked deadly on points this season, even at home, so I’m riding with the team on the road as the Bruins look to stay warm. Prediction: UCLA -1 — Boone
No. 7 Texas at West Virginia
Featured game | West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Texas Longhorns
6:00 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — West Virginia is a miserly team to play in Morgantown, West Virginia, but it’s a line that looks out of whack. Texas has more talent, a better overall roster and a body of work that trumps that of WVU, which outside of a win over TCU this week has lost five of its last six. Texas +1.5
No. 4 Alabama at Missouri
Featured game | Missouri Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
6:00 p.m. | SEC Network, fuboTV (Try for free) — My favorite upset pick of the week here. Bama are 16-2 and have won 11 of 12 while Mizzou have fallen recently with three losses in their last five after a 12-1 start. The Tigers, outside of Kansas, blasted them at home earlier this season, have been nails at home. I like that they give a big boost to Bama at this place. Missouri +6 — Boone
No. 17 Miami at Duke
12 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — Inside Cameron Indoor Stadium and coming off a loss to Clemson with a week to prepare, Duke looks to be chalking up the game here as a narrow favorite to defend their home court advantage. But a few of us, myself included, love Miami at this location to pull off the W straight. With Jeremy Roach back but injured after missing several weeks, the Blue Devils’ backcourt may still be a sore spot and Miami’s guarding game, among the best in the ACC, is well positioned to take advantage. Prediction: Miami +5.5 — Boone
Featured game | Kansas Jayhawks vs. TCU Horned Frogs
1 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports app (free) — Those teams split their series last season, and TCU nearly earned its first-ever win at Kansas before the Jayhawks suffered a late defensive stoppage in a close game. The Horned Frogs are a veteran team that won’t be intimidated by the rowdy atmosphere inside Allen Fieldhouse. They already have a Big 12 road win at Baylor and will believe they can get another one. The Jayhawks are a better bet to win outright because of their home dominance, but it would be a surprise if TCU fell back easily in this top-15 battle. Prediction: TCU +7.5 — David Cobb
Who will win and cover in every college basketball game? Visit SportsLine to get picks from the model, which simulates every game 10,000 times and is up more than $1,200 for $100 players on its top broadcast picks over the past six years.