Last week was as loud as any weekend in the college basketball sport that we saw this season. Six qualifying teams fell – including five in the top 15 – while names like North Carolina and Kentucky were hit as their respective seasons continued to distance themselves from pre-season expectations. Now, this Saturday can potentially be just as important.
A total of 19 qualifying teams are scheduled to play on Saturday on a day that will be busy from noon until midnight, nine of which are on the road at potential trap locations.
Our expert panel is committed to dividing all the main games with choices straight up and against spread, so if you want to scratch the itch of the game, let us give you the edge with some analysis and thoughts below.
Jonathan Coachman is joined by Mike McClure to dissect the best bets and props on hoops for Saturday at The Early Edge. Download and subscribe to Podcasts from Apple and Spotify.
When: 12h | Where: Fertitta Center in Houston
TV: CBS | Live broadcast: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (free)
OTT: CBS Sports app (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast)
This Houston team is on an absolute break and already has a 26 point win over Temple on their resume. Owls should be more competitive this time, as they play at home following consecutive league wins. Still, the Cougars are an elite defensive team ready to capitalize on Temple’s offensive fights. Prediction: Houston 74, Temple 59 – David Cobb
Most recent odds:
Baylor Bears -9
When: 14h | Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma
TV: CBS | Live broadcast: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (free)
OTT: CBS Sports app (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast)
The state of Oklahoma has not been busted or overwhelmed by anyone this season and is good enough to give Baylor the same kind of challenge the Bears faced in games against Texas Tech and Kansas. But Cowboys are probably not good enough to pull the turn Prediction: Baylor 86, Oklahoma State 79 – David Cobb
No. 15 Ohio State at No. 10 Wisconsin
Most recent odds:
Wisconsin Badgers -5
When: 16h | Where: Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin
TV: CBS | Live broadcast: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (free)
OTT: CBS Sports app (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast)
The Big Ten is brutal and unpredictable, as demonstrated again on Thursday night, when Indiana defeated Iowa on the road and held the powerful Hawkeyes without a field goal for 11 minutes in the second half. So while Wisconsin seems to be trending in the right direction and Ohio is coming off a close loss, there is really no point in trying to read the meaning of the recent results. This has the ingredients of another brutally contested conference game, and the Badgers get a slight advantage just because of their defense, which should be able to manage an Ohio state team getting happier with 3 points. Prediction: Wisconsin 68, Ohio State 66 – David Cobb
When: 16h | Where: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky
TV: ESPN | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
Neither Duke nor Louisville has much momentum in their sails now – Duke has lost his last two in road disputes and Louisville has also lost his last two. But the Cardinals have been better overall this season, are more experienced and have the advantage of playing at home. I will present the points to them here mainly as a show of faith in Carlik Jones, the Louisville veteran who is playing at the All-ACC level now. Duke has just 1-2 in the season against spreading in a road environment, and Louisville is 5-5-1 against the number as a favorite. Prediction: Louisville 73, Duke 70 – Kyle Boone
Most recent odds:
Tennessee Volunteers -8.5
When: 20:30 | Where: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee
TV: SEC network | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
Tennessee was alerted earlier this week when it was attacked – by 26 points – on the road against a Florida team with few employees. But that result is of an aberrational nature, given the way UT has played this season. It has been one of the best and most consistent forces in the SEC. When I return home looking for a recovery, I hope you will achieve just that – impressively to begin with, while reaffirming yourself as one of the true contenders of the SEC. The Volts are 8-4 against the spread as a favorite and do it here with a double digit dub. Prediction: Tennessee 72, Missouri 61 – Kyle Boone
No. 23 UConn at No. 11 Creighton
When: 12h | Where: CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska
TV: Fox | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
UConn remains without star James Bouknight, one of the top scorers in college basketball. So without it, I can’t take the Huskies on the road – at least not directly. Their only quality exit in their absence was against Butler two weeks ago, and since then, they lost to St. John’s at home and narrowly won a victory over DePaul. Good place here for the Bluejays to establish much needed confidence after losing their second straight earlier this week. Going to the meeting in the middle and taking UConn against the number, but Creighton to win comfortably. Prediction: Creighton 76, UConn 70 – Kyle Boone
So, who wins every college basketball game today? And which underdogs cause impressive surprises? Visit SportsLine now to get choices for each game, all from the unbiased model that simulates each game 10,000 times, and find out.