college bball weekend picks

SATURDAY 3/2

Providence (19-11) @ St. John’s (13-17) – 12PM ET

The Pick: St. John’s

Indiana (16-14) @ Ohio State (17-13) – 12PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Ohio State

#2Villanova (27-3) @ Georgetown (14-16) – 12PM ET

The Pick: Villanova

Pittsburgh (15-15) @ #23Virginia (20-9) – 12PM ET, ACC Network

The Pick: Virginia

#9Kentucky (25-5) @ Texas A&M (16-13) – 12PM ET, CBS

The Pick: Kentucky

Alabama (17-12) @ Tennessee (15-15) – 1PM ET, SEC Network

The Pick: Tennessee

Texas Tech (18-12) @ Kansas State (18-12) – 1PM ET, ESPNews

The Pick: Kansas State

California (19-10) @ Colorado (17-13) – 2PM ET, Pac 12 Network

The Pick: Colorado

Georgia (18-12) @ Arkansas (22-8) – 2PM ET, ESPN2

The Pick: Arkansas

Michigan State (18-12) @ Maryland (23-7) – 2PM ET, BTN

The Pick: Maryland

#12 Florida (24-6) @ Vanderbilt (16-14) – 2PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Florida

#19Notre Dame (23-7) @ #8Louisville (23-7) – 2PM ET, CBS

Notre Dame would secure the #2 seed in the ACC tournament with a win here, and Louisville would move into a tie for second in the standings with a win, but their seed would depend on tiebreakers. On the flip side, both of these teams could drop out of the top four in the ACC with a loss, which would lose the coveted double bye in the ACC tournament. In my most recent top 25 (Thursday) I had Notre Dame 11 spots behind the Cards, but Notre Dame has momentum on their side. On Wednesday the Fighting Irish blew out Boston College while Louisville dropped a road game to Wake Forest. However, in that game Louisville star Donavan Mitchell had a poor shooting night, and on Senior Night, I expect him to have a rebound game and lead Louisville to a win.

The Pick: Louisville

Seton Hall (19-10) @ #13Butler (23-6) – 2:30PM ET

The Pick: Butler

Creighton (23-7) @ Marquette (18-11) – 2:30PM ET

The Pick: Marquette

TCU (17-13) @ Oklahoma (10-19) – 3PM ET, ESPNews

The Pick: Oklahoma

Stanford (14-15) @ Utah (19-10) – 4PM ET, Pac 12 Network

The Pick: Utah

Memphis (19-11) @ #14SMU (26-4) – 4PM ET, ESPN2

The Pick: SMU

Georgia Tech (17-13) @ Syracuse (17-13) – 4PM ET, ACC Network

The Pick: Syracuse

#11Baylor (24-6) @ Texas (10-20) – 4PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Baylor

#25Miami (20-9) @ #15Florida State (23-7) – 4PM ET, ACC Network

The Pick: Florida State

Wake Forest (17-12) @ Virginia Tech (21-8) – 4:30PM ET, ACC Network

The Pick: Virginia Tech

#1Kansas (27-3) @ Oklahoma State (20-10) – 6PM ET, ESPN

Kansas is riding high right now. The Jayhawks locked up the Big 12 #1 seed a week ago, are currently ranked #1 in the country, and in my latest bracketology, are the country’s #1 overall seed. Both teams are coming off disappointing performances. Kansas almost blew it against Big 12 bottom-feeder Oklahoma, but eventually came away with a win. As for Oklahoma State, the Cowboys had their five game winning streak snapped in a close lose to Iowa State. The Cowboys should be a safe bet to make the NCAA tournament though, they are currently a seven seed in my bracketology, and I see them as a lock, even if they were to lose out. This will be a tough road test for Kansas to end the regular season, as Oklahoma State is 11-4 at home this year, but I see Frank Mason leading the Jayhawks to a win, and locking them up as at least a 1 seed, with the #1 overall seed in sight.

The Pick: Kansas

#17Duke (23-7) @ #5North Carolina (25-6) – 8:15PM ET, ESPN

North Carolina has already locked up the #1 seed in the ACC Tournament, but the Heels are fresh off of a road win at Virginia where Justin Jackson and company could not get anything going offensively. As for Duke, the Blue Devils could finish anywhere between third and seventh in the ACC Tourney depending on how this and other games go, and after defeating Florida State 75-70 earlier this week, a win here for Duke will secure a double-bye in Brooklyn. This game doesn’t only matter for Duke though, Carolina is currently a one seed in the NCAA tournament, and will be looking to hold on to that, as well as get revenge on their biggest rivals for a loss in Durham earlier this year. In that game Grayson Allen went off for 25 points while Carolina shot just 4 for 12 from three. This game is always big, it’s the biggest rivalry in basketball, but in Chapel Hill, with the Tar Heels celebrating Senior Night, I’ve got to give it to UNC.

The Pick: North Carolina

South Carolina (22-8) @ Ole Miss (18-12) – 8:30PM ET, SEC Network