College basketball picks, schedule: Predictions for Alabama vs. Tennessee, more Top 25 games Saturday
Our experts have picks for all of Saturday's big games as conference play heats up across the nation
By
Kyle Boone
•
4 min read
College basketball will take center stage Saturday for the first time in awhile. No college football. No NFL. Just a day loaded with college hoops. And the slate is primed to deliver in its big moment.
On tap Saturday, 22 ranked teams are in action -- eight of which are on the road -- and there are also three ranked vs. ranked matchups early in the afternoon to boot to help set the table. Among the big ones we're watching: No. 22 UNC goes on the road at No. 14 Virginia, No. 11 Illinois takes on No. 4 Purdue inside Mackey Arena, and red-hot No. 6 Houston faces cross-state foe and 12th-ranked Texas Tech.
We'll be watching all the major developments across the country in major conference actions with ramifications both for league play and, ultimately, for NCAA Tournament seeding down the line.
Our team of experts have their picks for some of the biggest games on tap for Saturday below straight up and against the spread.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook | All times ET
West Virginia at No. 1 Arizona
2 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App, Paramount+ Premium: West Virginia has played well since the calendar flipped to 2026. Outside of losing to Iowa State and Houston -- two of the best teams in the nation -- WVU has shown improvement. I think the Mountaineers keep this game within 10 in the second half and cover the spread. If WVU can slow down Arizona's lethal offense that ranks No. 7 in scoring (89.9 points per game), it will have a chance to make it interesting. Pick: West Virginia +17.5 -- Salerno
San Diego State at UNLV
4 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App, Paramount+ Premium: San Diego State plays a style of defense designed to tempt you into shooting 3-pointers. That could be a problem for UNLV, which does not take or make many shots from beyond the arc. The Runnin' Rebels prefer to attack, get fouled and shoot free throws. Provided the Aztecs make enough shots of their own and prevent UNLV from running in transition, they should be able to dictate the game's flow on the defensive end. SDSU is also going to be motivated to seek redemption following a deflating 1-point loss at Grand Canyon on Wednesday night that ended its perfect start to Mountain West play. Pick: San Diego State -5.5 -- Cobb
No. 19 Kansas at Kansas State
8 p.m. on Fox, fuboTV (try for free): Rarely does the Sunflower Showdown disappoint -- and Saturday I am anticipating it will not. My big upset pick of the slate is K-State -- a home underdog to rival Kansas -- taking down the No. 19 Jayhawks. Jerome Tang will have his team up for the challenge, and KU star Darryn Peterson's dinged-up status is also lingering as an X-factor here. Pick: Kansas State +4.5 -- Boone
 |  |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KU -4.5 |  |  | | | | |
| STRAIGHT-UP | | | | | | |
Tennessee at No. 17 Alabama
8:30 p.m. on ESPN, fuboTV (try for free): Alabama has been playing with fire of late -- it had to dig out of a double-digit hole last Saturday to beat Oklahoma -- and there's a fair chance it gets burned vs. Tennessee if it keeps it up. This Vols team under Rick Barnes has found ways to slow Alabama's offense down in the past and it has won four-straight in the series. That streak continues Saturday. Pick: Tennessee +4.5 -- Boone
No. 22 North Carolina at No. 14 Virginia
12 p.m. on ESPN2, fuboTV (try for free): This feels like a big number to lay vs. this talented UNC team — but by golly I think I'd lay it. UNC's defense is just a total mess right now. Virginia is also riding high after road wins over Louisville and SMU, and arguably in its best form all season. Cavaliers win in a potential rout. Pick: UVa -7 -- Boone
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UVA -7.5 |  | |  | | | |
| STRAIGHT-UP | | | | | | |
Maryland at No. 10 Michigan State
12 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App, Paramount+ Premium: Very few things have gone Maryland's way of late. And not to kick the Terps while they are down -- but Saturday isn't changing that trend. MSU is positioned to make Maryland's life miserable in East Lansing this weekend. This spread seems very much in play for the Spartans to cover. Pick: MSU -18.5 -- Boone
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSU -18.5 |  | |  | | | |
| STRAIGHT-UP | | | | | | |
Villanova at No. 2 UConn
12:30 p.m. on Fox, fuboTV (try for free): This Nova team has shown it has some juice under first-year coach Kevin Willard. But I'm skeptical it has the juice to give UConn -- which is 18-1 on the season -- a real fight to keep it close Saturday. Not in Hartford, anyway. Pick: UConn -10.5 -- 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.
