Selection Sunday is four weekends from now, guys. Four! That is 23 days from today. Just over 500 hours. 32,000 minutes (and change). But who’s counting, right?
This excessive lead time means that conference races are coming to an end across the country, as teams compete for NCAA Tournament rankings, and the stakes for each game from now on increase slightly. That’s why Saturday’s list of games, with March Madness almost on top of us, should be a little appetizer to whet your college’s final whistle before next month.
At stake are six top-10 teams entering the court, four of whom are on the road, along with critical clashes at Big 12, SEC, Big Ten, Big East and – OK, you get the idea: everywhere.
So to get the juice flowing for the big day ahead, our team did the leg work to make choices up and against the spread for the big games on Saturday below.
UConn at No. 10 Villanova
When: 1 pm | Where: Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pennsylvania
TV: Fox | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
UConn could really use a victory of this magnitude to propel himself safely to the right side of the tournament bubble. And after welcoming James Bouknight this week, who came back from an injury with a bang, I am going to give the Huskies a vote of confidence in this place. Villanova is the best team with the best record, but UConn is a different team with Bouknight and needs this one badly. It might be a good chance to kick Nova while he’s down, after suffering a surprisingly uneven defeat at Creighton’s hands last Saturday. Prediction: UConn 78, Villanova 74. – Kyle Boone
Kentucky at No. 19 Tennessee
When: 1 pm | Where: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee
TV: CBS | Live broadcast: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (free)
OTT: CBS Sports app (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast)
Prediction: Tennessee is the best team, but Kentucky is playing at a higher level than in the first game just two weeks ago. Volunteers should win, but it can be closer than most people think. Prediction: Tennessee 71, Kentucky 67 – David Cobb
No. 15 Texas Tech at No. 23 Kansas
When: 14h | Where: Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas
TV: ESPN | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
During Kansas’ four-game winning streak, only one win – Oklahoma State – came against a team that won more than one game in the 12 big games. So this sequence is a little bit misleading. Still, KU seems to be discovering his defense as the season progresses. So, if it’s a defensive battle like the last time these two teams met, I like the Jayhawks to scan the season. And this is how I think it could form. Prediction: Kansas 71, Texas Tech 67. – Kyle Boone
No. 13 West Virginia at No. 12 Texas
When: 15h | Where: Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas
TV: ABC | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
Between COVID interruptions and bad luck in games played, Texas’s 10-1 season start turned into a 13-5 overall record after a tough month. But a week of waiting after two consecutive wins should be enough time to help propel him into one of his biggest remaining games of the regular season. In full force, I like the Longhorns here to get the season sweep over the Mountaineers. Talented, deep and experienced enough to give West Virginia real adjustments where its strengths lie. Prediction: Texas 80, West Virginia 74. – Kyle Boone
No. 5 Illinois in Minnesota
When: 3:30 pm | Where: Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV: Fox | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
As the home team this season, Minnesota is 9-4-1 against the spread and a perfect 4-0 ATS like a home dog. So, no, I can’t fade the Golden Gophers here. Not even against an Illini team that has won six consecutive wins. Illinois, a disturbance alert has been issued. Norlander and I are riding in Minnesota in a difficult choice. Prediction: Minnesota 74, Illinois 71. – Kyle Boone
No. 7 Virginia in Duke
When: 20h | Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina
TV: ESPN | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
The loss of Jalen Johnson to Duke is a blow, but the Blue Devils look good – even, I dare say, good! – during his recent two-game winning streak. In addition, they absolutely need this to preserve any remote chance of reaching the tournament. After the defeat of UVA at the hands of the State of Florida, I am convinced that Duke can give the Cavaliers a game. Prediction: Duke 69, Virginia 67. – Kyle Boone
So, who wins all the college basketball games 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.