College basketball's usually back-loaded slate of Saturday games is getting a bit of a makeover this weekend. Ten top-25 teams will be in action before 3 p.m. ET, more than half of the 19 teams that are slated to play on Saturday. I recommend an early bedtime Friday so you can pop up early and be ready to soak in a chock-full schedule.
The best of them all might be in the noon time slot, as No. 3 Virginia travels to take on No. 18 Louisville looking to keep its ACC hopes alive. No. 5 Tennessee takes on No. 13 LSU in the same time slot, and that Baton Rouge, Louisiana tip features two bonafide SEC contenders searching for an edge in the league standings.
Elsewhere in the world of college hoops, No. 1 Duke travels to Syracuse to face the Orange, one of only three teams who have handed the Blue Devils a loss this season. Duke will be without its star, Zion Williamson, who is recovering from a knee sprain. And for the nighttime crowd: No. 12 Kansas travels to Lubbock, Texas to take on No. 14 Texas Tech at 8 p.m. ET -- another game with, you guessed it, conference title ramifications at stake.
Whether you're planning to watch them all or just looking to get a little edge before throwing down some dough, we've got you covered with picks straight up and against the spread for every game.
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No. 5 Tennessee (-1) at No. 13 LSU, 12 p.m. on ESPN --These teams have been almost the same vs. the spread this season (Tennessee is 13-11-1; LSU 14-11-1). The Vols didn't respond in dominant fashion earlier this week: the 17-point loss to Kentucky was followed up by a just-OK home performance vs. Vandy. UT won 58-46. Now, LSU is coming off a frustrating home overtime loss to a desperate Florida team. But given LSU's talent and size and its home court -- and Tremont Waters should be able to thrive vs. UT's Jordan Bone -- I am going to take the Tigers to bounce back and win close. This game could become a track meet. Matt Norlander's pick: LSU +1
No. 3 Virginia (-5.5) at No. 18 Louisville 12 p.m. -- When the calendar flipped from January to February, Louisville was 16-5 overall, 7-1 in the ACC and on a six-game winning streak that included a victory over North Carolina. The Cardinals were rolling. But this month hasn't been nearly as positive. Chris Mack's team is 2-4 in February and coming off of a 69-49 loss at Syracuse that doubled as their ninth loss of the season. And now they have to play a Virginia team that's ranked No. 1 at KenPom thanks in part to an offensive-efficiency rating that ranks fourth nationally and a defensive-efficiency rating that ranks third nationally. Nothing fun about that. But, that said, I'll be surprised if Louisville doesn't keep things close thanks to the homecourt advantage the KFC Yum! Center will provide. So, yeah, I have the Cavaliers winning the game and remaining undefeated against everybody not named Duke. But I'll take the Cardinals to cover the number oddsmakers are giving it. Gary Parrish's pick: Louisville +5.5
Auburn at No. 4 Kentucky (-7.5) 1:30 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com and streaming on fuboTV -- Almost a year to date last year, Kentucky and Auburn were facing off when Auburn was looking to finish its SEC regular season slate with a conference title and Kentucky was looking to simply avoid a full-on collapse. Now the roles are reversed. The Wildcats come in to Saturday just a game out of first-place in the league standings, having won 12 of 13, and the Tigers come in having lost two of their last four. Another loss could drop them below the middle of the pack in the league, one that could prove costly for their NCAA Tournament hopes. I like the team with the momentum to win -- and cover. Kyle Boone's pick: Kentucky -7.5
No. 1 Duke (-5.5) at Syracuse 6 p.m. on ESPN -- There's a lot of conversation around and adjacent to this game -- Zion Williamson, Jim Boeheim, Carrier Dome -- but picking the actual contest is pretty straightforward. Duke wants to get right after losing to North Carolina on Wednesday and also get revenge after losing to the Orange in overtime at home in January. Jack White's going to have to play big against Paschal Chukwu, Marek Dolezaj and the rest of that Syracuse frontcourt but I think R.J. Barrett leads the way in a double-digit win for Duke. Chip Patterson's pick: Duke -5.5
No. 12 Kansas at No. 14 Texas Tech 8 p.m. on ESPN -- Kansas has been in this position before, if not very often. The Jayhawks are going to have to come from behind if they are to win their 15th straight Big 12 title. Winning on the road has been a challenge, but Kansas broke through and got its first road win in a month at TCU. Kansas handled Texas Tech easily in Lawrence, but that will just make the job harder this time. When it comes to winning the league, the Jayhawks just find ways to get it done. Jerry Palm's pick: Kansas +7
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