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College basketball picks, schedule: Predictions for Kentucky vs. UNC and more Top 25 games on Saturday – CBS Sports
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College basketball has one its biggest days of the 2023-24 regular season Saturday with 18 teams in the AP Top 25 in action on a day loaded with quality games. The two marquee matchups of the weekend include No. 1 Arizona traveling to Indianapolis for a showdown with No. 3 Purdue and No. 9 North Carolina facing off with No. 14 Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic.
No. 2 Kansas kicks off the loaded slate on CBS by going on the road to face Indiana. The matchup of historic blue bloods will be the 16th all-time meeting and only the sixth game played between the schools in the last 30 years. The Jayhawks are looking to add another key win to its resume that already includes victories over UConn, Kentucky and Tennessee.
The first leg of a doubleheader in the CBS Sports Classic features UCLA squaring off with future Big Ten foe Ohio State in Atlanta. After that game concludes, Kentucky will square off with UNC in the 43rd all-time matchup between the blue-blood programs in the main event.
Other big games include an in-state battle between Texas A&M and No. 4 Houston and Michigan State looking to get back on the right track when it plays No. 6 Baylor in a neutral site showdown in Detroit.
Our experts have picks and predictions for the day’s biggest games here.
Odds via SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern
5:30 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) — North Carolina can throw Tre Mitchell or Aaron Bradshaw at North Carolina star center Armando Bacot to keep him from completely taking over the game. Similarly, the guards appear to be an even matchup. But UNC forward Harrison Ingram may be a problem for the Wildcats. If the assignment of defending Ingram falls to Justin Edwards, the talented but fledgling UK freshman will be tasked with containing a savvy veteran who has reached double figures in every game this season, including 20-point showings against Villanova, Tennessee and UConn. Look for the Tar Heels to work that matchup on their way to a nice win. Prediction: North Carolina -1 — Cobb
12:30 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) — There has been a handful of times this season that Kansas hasn’t looked like the No. 2 team in the country against inferior competition. The Jayhawks have wins over UConn, Kentucky and Tennessee, but also struggled against Eastern Illinois fresh off the Maui Invitational last month. This weekend is a chance to add another key nonconference win to the schedule in front of a hostile environment. Kansas star big man Hunter Dickinson will be the key, like always, to getting off to a hot start. This game will be close throughout before Kansas pulls away at the end. Prediction: Kansas -6.5 — Cameron Salerno
2 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV (Try for free) — There hasn’t been a more disappointing team in college basketball than Michigan State this season. The Spartans opened the year as the No. 4 team in the country and now sit at 4-5 ahead of one of the more important games of the season against Baylor. MSU is potentially in danger of missing out on the NCAA Tournament entirely unless the Spartans turn things around quickly. Baylor has looked like a well-oiled machine once again and superstar freshman Ja’Kobe Walter appears to be the latest future lottery pick Scott Drew will coach. This is almost a must-win game for MSU if it wants to build momentum ahead of Big Ten play, but its track record puts in doubt that it can get it done. Prediction: Baylor -3.5 — Salerno
2:30 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV (Try for free) — Coming into the season, this seemed almost guaranteed to be a Top 25 showdown. However, Texas A&M dropped a nonconference game at home last weekend to Memphis and officially dropped out of the AP Top 25 poll for the first time this season. The Aggies already have losses to FAU, Virginia and now Memphis on their resume, so this seems like an important opportunity to make a statement on the road. Houston could very well end up being the last undefeated team standing if it takes care of business this weekend. Prediction: Texas A&M +8.5 — Salerno
3 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) — UCLA is an inexperienced team with players from all over the world, and fifth-year coach Mick Cronin is still figuring out how to extract something close to its full potential. Ohio State is an older group that should know how to respond properly from the frustration of last week’s overtime loss at Penn State. Look for the Buckeyes to win by a couple of possessions against a group of Bruins that has yet to show they can close the deal against a good opponent. Prediction: Ohio State -2.5 — David Cobb
4:30 p.m. | Peacock — The million dollar question is … can Arizona contain Zach Edey? The reigning national player of the year has been a force around the rim and is the early frontrunner to win the award, again. Arizona can counter with star big man Oumar Ballo, but he will need to stay out of foul trouble in order to have a chance at stopping Edey. With this being a de facto home game for Purdue because of the geographical location to the campus, it should be a rowdy environment. With that being said, Arizona already went into one of the more hostile environments in the country (Cameron Indoor Stadium) and secured a win. The Wildcats should be able to do the same this weekend. Arizona simply has more depth and coach Tommy Lloyd should have a gameplan to slow Edey down. Prediction: Arizona ML — Salerno
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.
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