Navigating This Weekend’s College Hoops Slate

Noon/1pm - 3 Games

• 12:00pm - Illinois at Michigan State

  • Mid-February is around the time where Tom Izzo’s teams start to take the climb towards a big run in the Big 10 and NCAA tournaments, and a home win at the Breslin Center against a tough Illini team could boost their resume. The Spartans lost by one in Champaign earlier in the season so I expect the student section to show out and try and get into Illini star Kofi Cockburn’s head early in the game. Both teams are coming off upsets via Rutgers(Illinois) and Penn State(Michigan St) so look no further for a great ending to start the slate off right! Kofi will get his buckets, but give me Tom Izzo at home, Sparty wins at Breslin!

• 12:30pm - Texas Tech at Texas

  • Longhorns HC Chris Beard looks to split the season series with his old team after losing in Lubbock earlier in the season, not the best showing by the Longhorns that night. Since then, Texas picked up a couple nice wins against Kansas, Iowa State, and Oklahoma. The Red Raiders have only dropped one since the win and are coming off a 17 point beatdown of Baylor earlier this week. I’ve really liked watching this Red Raiders team with their former assistant Mark Adams taking over the reins, and I think they continue to have a chip on their shoulder as they come into Austin. The X Factor in this game is Texas’ Timmy Allen, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder who will look to use his mid-range game to beat Texas Tech. Beard and the Longhorns will redeem themselves and split the season series in a close one.

• 1:00pm - Alabama at Kentucky

  • Naismith Award frontrunner Oscar Tshiebwe is on an absolute tear, averaging 16 points and 15 rebounds per game and has the Wildcats at number four in the nation currently. Kentucky won the last battle in Tuscaloosa by eleven and I think it will be closer this time, but Calipari and the Cats will pull out another win versus Alabama.

2pm to 4pm - 2 Games

• 2:30pm - Iowa at Ohio State

  • This Big 10 matchup could provide the best one-on-one battle we have for the Saturday slate with Ohio State’s EJ Liddell going against Iowa’s Keegan Murray, both NBA level talents and their team’s leading scorer and rebounder. Expect this game to be high scoring with the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes averaging a combined 158 points per game, a great game to bridge the noon and evening games bound for a great ending. Buckeyes will win at home behind a big performance from star EJ Liddell.

• 4:00pm - Tennessee at Arkansas

  • Tennessee comes in hot on a five game winning streak and a 13 point win against Kentucky on Tuesday while the Razorbacks are 4-1 in their last five games. JD Notae will look to have an impact for Arkansas at home as they try and pick up a big home win for their resume for the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas coach Eric Musselman will have his guys ready and a rowdy student section to go along with it to bring Tennessee back down to earth after a big win, give me the Razorbacks at home!

Evening Slate - 2 Games

• 6pm - Florida State at Duke

  • I think this game provides some great value for Florida State bettors because the Seminoles have given Duke some close games over the years with some upsets and I think they could be due for one here. Leonard Hamilton’s teams tend to be defensive focused and I expect them to lock in on Banchero and give him a hard time. Ultimately I think Duke pulls it out but this could be close at the end but the Cameron Crazies keep this Duke team rolling, Coach K gets another win here.

• 8pm - Oregon at Arizona

  • I have grown to love what Dana Altman is doing over in Eugene with this Oregon program, finding a way through transfers and jucos to produce some great NCAA Tournament runs in recent past. Transfer Jacob Young has played well this season at PG and has Oregon at 17-9 on the season. However, Arizona is loaded on talent and a stellar 23-2 on the season looking to increase their lead on the rest of the Pac-12. Arizona’s only losses are to UCLA & Tennessee this year and undefeated at home, so are they due for one here? Nope, Wildcats roll but in a close one as the Ducks need this win to boost their resume.