Saturday 2/25

#17SMU (24-4) @ Connecticut (14-13) – 12PM ET, CBS

The Pick: SMU

#18Virginia (18-9) @ NC State (15-14) – 12PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Virginia

#8North Carolina (24-5) @ Pittsburgh (15-13) – 12PM ET, ACC Network

The Pick: North Carolina

#19Florida State (22-6) @ Clemson (14-13) – 12PM ET, ACC Network

The Pick: Florida State

Tennessee (15-13) @ South Carolina (20-8) – 1PM ET, SEC Network

The Pick: South Carolina

VCU (23-5) @ Rhode Island (18-9) – 2PM ET, ESPN2

The Pick: Rhode Island

#12West Virginia (22-6) @ TCU (17-11) – 2PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: West Virginia

Texas Tech (17-11) @ Oklahoma State (19-9) – 2PM ET, ESPNU

The Pick: Oklahoma State

#13Florida (23-5) @ #11Kentucky (23-5) – 2PM ET, CBS

This is Kentucky’s revenge game, the Wildcats got blown out by Florida on February 4th in an 88-66 beatdown, in that game Kentucky shot just 37.7%, and if UK does that again, they will lose that game too. Both teams are undefeated since that Feburary 4th game, but Florida did take a big loss in the form of an injury to 6’11” center John Egbunu, who will miss the rest of the year with the dreaded ACL tear. The key for Kentucky is getting freshman guard Malik Monk involved. Monk has scored under his season average in the past four games, but I trust Calipari to be able to integrate him into the offense, and I expect Kentucky to get payback on their home court.

The Pick: Kentucky

Penn State (14-4) @ Minnesota (21-7) – 3PM ET, BTN

The Pick: Minnesota

#23Creighton (22-6) @ #2Villanova (26-3) – 3PM ET, FS1

Villanova lost it’s first home game in forever on Wednesday, in a 74-66 loss to Butler. Creighton also lost at home on Wednesday, in a 68-66 loss to a Providence team that is on the edge of the bubble. Both teams will try to avoid losing two in a row, and in Creighton’s case, falling out of the top 25. Creighton was a top 10 team earlier this year, but ever since Maurice Watson was ruled out for the ywar with an ACL tear, the Bluejays have lost more games than they’ve won. Creighton is a good team, but without Watson they just don’t have the talent level to hang with potential #1 overall seed Villanova, and they will end up losing their sixth game in the past ten.

The Pick: Villanova

Mississippi State (14-13) @ Vanderbilt (15-13) – 4PM ET, ESPNU

The Pick: Vanderbilt

#6Oregon (25-4) @ Stanford (14-13) – 4PM ET, Pac 12 Network

The Pick: Oregon

Marquette (17-10) @ Providence (17-11) – 4PM ET, CBS Sports Network

The Pick: Providence

#14Purdue (23-5) @ Michigan (18-10) – 4PM ET, ESPN2

The Pick: Purdue

#10Duke (22-6) @ Miami (19-8) – 4PM ET, CBS

Miami, fresh off of a road overtime win over Virginia, attempts to get their second top-20 win of the week against a Duke team that looks to avoid losing it’s second straight game. Miami lost on the road against Duke in the first meeting between these teams, in a 70-58 loss back in January, and while this one is in Coral Gables, I’ve got Duke rebounding and getting the series sweep over the Hurricanes. Miami does not have the offensive firepower to respond to the runs that Duke’s offense can go on, and that offense will carry Duke to a win.

The Pick: Duke

#9Baylor (23-5) @ Iowa State (18-9) – 4PM ET, ESPN

Baylor and Iowa State are tied for second in the Big 12, so this will be a big game for seeding in the Big 12 tournament. Baylor lost two games last week before picking up a win over Oklahoma on Tuesday. Iowa State has really flown under the radar this year, but is a quality team, led by Monte Morris, the Cyclones have slowly climbed their way up the seed lines, and right now are sitting at a 7 or 8, but a win here would obviously improve that. This game will be at Iowa State, and Baylor has been really struggling lately, their only win in the past two weeks came against a 9-18 Oklahoma team by just six points, and I see their woes continuing, and Iowa State improving to 19-9.

The Pick: Iowa State

Iowa (15-13) @ #24Maryland (22-6) – 6PM ET, ESPN2

The Pick: Maryland

#3Kansas (25-3) @ Texas (10-18) – 6PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Texas

Kansas State (17-11) @ Oklahoma (9-18) – 6PM ET, ESPNU

The Pick: Kansas State

Alabama (16-11) @ Texas A&M (14-13) – 8PM ET, ESPN2

The Pick: Texas A&M

Northwestern (20-8) @ Indiana (15-13) – 8PM ET, BTN

The Pick: Indiana

#5UCLA (25-3) @ #4Arizona (26-3) – 8:15PM ET, ESPN

A win here for Arizona might effectively lock up the Pac-12 title race, while UCLA needs a win here to even have a chance at the 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament. College Gameday will be in Tuscon for this one, as UCLA’s #2 ranked offense (and #102 ranked defense) will take on potential 1 seed Arizona. While I have confidence in Arizona’s defense to slow down UCLA, I’m a little worried if Arizona will be able to keep up the pace with the Bruins, and if UCLA’s defense can somehow get stops, they will win, but on the road, against an Arizona team that hasn’t lost at home since January of last year, I think Sean Miller’s Wildcats will find a win to sneak out with a win.

The Pick: Arizona

Arkansas (21-7) @ Auburn (17-11) – 8:30PM ET, SEC Network