College basketball picks, schedule: Predictions for Duke vs. Miami and more top 25 games on Saturday
Saturday’s college basketball slate sets up to be a doozy with potential for fireworks spread throughout the day. WIth 14 ranked teams on the road, most of which are either narrow favorites or narrow underdogs, we might be in for a noisy day in the sport that could shake things up once again just a week after a Saturday slate that saw 11 ranked teams 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, No. 7 Texas draws a tough roadie at West Virginia, while No. 12 Iowa State and No. 21 Baylor travel to the Sooner State to face Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, respectively. In the SEC, No. 4 Alabama is at Missouri, No. 9 Tennessee heads to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face LSU and No. 16 Auburn draws a talented South Carolina team at Colonial Life Arena.
Chaos abounds, so prepare yourselves accordingly.
Below, our experts have picks and predictions for the day’s biggest games in what looks to be one of the best standalone slates of the season to this point.
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | All times Eastern
No. 17 Miami at Duke
Featured Game | Duke Blue Devils vs. Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes
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 seems like the chalk play here as a narrow favorite to defend its home-court advantage. But a few of us, myself included, like Miami in this spot to pull off the W straight up. With Jeremy Roach still out, the Blue Devils’ backcourt is still a sore spot and Miami’s guard play, among the best in the ACC, is positioned nicely 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) — These teams split their series last season, and TCU nearly pulled off its first-ever win at Kansas before the Jayhawks got a late defensive stop in a close game. The Horned Frogs are a veteran squad that won’t be intimidated by the raucous atmosphere inside Allen Fieldhouse. They already have one Big 12 road win at Baylor and will believe they can get another one. The Jayhawks are a better bet to win straight-up because of how dominant they are at home, but it would be a surprise if TCU folded easily in this top-15 battle. Prediction: TCU +7.5 — David Cobb
Featured Game | Arizona Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins
2 p.m. | ABC, fuboTV (Try for free) — This has the chance to be the best game of the slate on Saturday. UCLA, winners of 14 straight behind a top-five defense, heads to the desert to take on an Arizona team that, when right, has arguably the most explosive offense in the sport. Zona’s looked mortal at points this season, even at home, so I’m riding with the road team as the Bruins look to stay hot. Prediction: UCLA -1 — Boone
No. 7 Texas at West Virginia
Featured Game | West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Texas Longhorns
6 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — West Virginia’s a stingy team to play in Morgantown, West Virginia, but this is a line that seems out of whack. Texas has more talent, a better overall roster and 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 p.m. | SEC Network, fuboTV (Try for free) — My favorite upset pick of the week here. Bama’s 16-2 and won 11 of 12 while Mizzou’s fallen off of late with three losses in its last five after a 12-1 start. The Tigers, outside Kansas blasting them at home earlier this season, have been nails at home. I like them to give Bama a big push in this spot. Missouri +6 — Boone
Who will win and cover in every college basketball game? Visit SportsLine to get picks from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times and is up more than $1,200 for $100 players on its top-rated spread picks the past six years.
