College Basketball Picks, Schedule: Predictions for Texas vs. West Virginia and over 25 major games on Saturday
The college basketball slate on Saturday should be great with a lot of excitement possible throughout the day. With 14 ranked teams playing away from home, most of which are narrow favorites or narrow underdogs, we may be in for a rowdy day in the sport that could shake things up yet again just a week after a Saturday slate that saw 11 teams qualify. tripping, the most in a single day since 2011.
In the ACC, No. 10 Virginia and no. 17 miami are on the way in wake of the forest Y Duke, respectively. In the Big 12, No. 7 Texas draw a tough roadie in West Virginiawhile the number 12 iowa state and no. 21 Baylor travel to the sooner state to face Oklahoma Y oklahoma state, respectively. In the SEC, No. 4 Alabama I sat down Missourino 9 Tennessee heads to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face LSU and no. 16 Chestnut attracts a talented South Carolina team at Colonial Life Arena.
Chaos abounds, so prepare accordingly.
Below, our experts have picks and predictions for the biggest games of the day in what appears to be one of the best independent slates of the season thus far.
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | all eastern times
No. 7 Texas in West Virginia
featured game | West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Texas Longhorns
6:00 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Free Trial) — West Virginia is a stingy team to play in Morgantown, West Virginia, but this is a line that seems out of place. Texas has more talent, a better overall roster and a body of work that surpasses that of WVU, which in addition to a win over TCU this week has lost five of its last six. Texas +1.5
No. 4 Alabama in Missouri
featured game | Missouri Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
6:00 p.m. | sec net, fuboTV (Free Trial) — My favorite annoying pick of the week here. Bama’s 16-2 and won 11 of 12 while Mizzou of late fell with three losses in his last five after a 12-1 start. The Tigers, out of Kansas, blowing them up at home earlier this season, have been nails at home. I like that they give Bama a big push at this point. Missouri +6 — Boone
2:00 p.m. | abc, fuboTV (Free Trial) — This has a chance to be the best game on the board on Saturday. UCLA, winners of 14 in a row 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 game. Zona looked deadly at some points this season, including at home, so I’m riding with the road team as the Bruins look to stay warm. Prediction: UCLA -1 — Boone
No. 17 Miami at Duke
featured game | Duke Blue Devils vs. Miami Hurricanes (Fla.)
12:00 | ESPN, fuboTV (Free Trial) — Inside Cameron Indoor Stadium and after a loss to Clemson With a week to prepare, Duke looks like the chalk play here as a narrow favorite to defend their home court advantage. But some of us, including myself, like Miami in this place to bring the W up. With Jeremy Roach back but coming off injury after missing several weeks, the Blue Devils’ backcourt can still be a sore spot and Miami’s guard game, one of the best in the ACC, is very well positioned to take advantage. Prediction: Miami +5.5 — Boone
featured game | Kansas Jayhawks vs. TCU Horned Frogs
1:00 p.m. | CBS, cbssports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) — These teams split their series last season, with TCU nearly notching its first win at Kansas before the Jayhawks earned a late defensive stoppage in a close game. The Horned Frogs are a veteran team that won’t be intimidated by the raucous atmosphere inside Allen Fieldhouse. They already have a Big 12 road win at Baylor and will think they can get another. The Jayhawks are a better bet to win outright because of how dominant they are at home, but it would be a surprise if TCU easily folded in this top-15 battle. Prediction: TCU +7.5 — David Cobb
Who will win and cover in each college basketball game? Visit SportsLine for forecasts from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times and has raised over $1,200 for $100 players on his top-rated spread picks over the past six years.