Nineteen ranked teams compete on Saturday, including four ranked matches. This is an amazing series of games spread out early in the day and continuing until late in the evening. Buckle up and prepare accordingly for your ride.
There's no shortage of storylines throughout the day, and the intrigue begins as No. 17 Arkansas and John Calipari take their talents to Dallas to face No. 16 Texas Tech at noon ET. Arkansas fell to the Red Raiders in an OT thriller during the Sweet 16, 85-83 in the last NCAA Tournament, and so a rematch between the two reloaded programs carries drama and consequences for the team. next The NCAA Tournament too.
Opportunities for redemption also await Kentucky, which plays Indiana in its first meaningful game since a 94-59 loss to Gonzaga last week, and Gonzaga, which plays UCLA after losing to the Bruins in a non-conference game last season. Lots of eyes will be on the games between the traditional teams.
Our team picks for these important games and many more are below, straight up and against the spread.Odds via Bookmaker DraftKings | All times are Eastern European Time.
No. 16 Texas Tech vs. No. 17 Arkansas
12:00 on ESPN2, FuboTV (try it for free): Texas Tech is 21-5 in games played in the Lone Star State the past two seasons under Grant McCasland, those wins including then-No. 6 Houston. The Red Raiders are in a good position to carry that momentum into Dallas with Arkansas at the ready. He has found his niche playing through guard Christian Anderson and star JT Toppin, and the duo is a tough matchup even for the athletic Razorbacks. Pick: Texas Tech -1.5 — Boone
Marquette at No. 6 Purdue
14:00 on Peacock: This 5-5 Marquette team struggled out of the gate in a 20-point loss to Wisconsin last Saturday. But Purdue wasn't infallible at home; The favorites are 2-4 at Mackey Arena this season. Against Marquette, 18.5 seems high, but it could be a tricky one for the Golden Eagles to cover such a huge line. Pick: Marquette +18.5 — Boone
Indiana and Kentucky
7:30 p.m. on ESPN: This week I wrote about how sluggish Kentucky's start is. indicates that worse days are likely ahead for a variety of reasons. I believe this is true. Whether this means losing at home as a favorite remains to be seen, but I think my choice would be to score points on a narrow road. Pick: Indiana +5.5 – Boone
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 12 Alabama
21:30 on ESPN, FuboTV (try it for free): KenPom has the line pegged at Arizona -1, while BartTorvik.com has it set less than half a point in Arizona's favor. Since this game is in Birmingham, I think Alabama will show up and keep it close throughout – but ultimately not close enough to cover the line. This Arizona team has the tools to stop Alabama from making a statement and the experience to succeed in a primetime matchup. Pick: Arizona -1.5 — Boone
No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 25 UCLA
23:30 on ESPN, FuboTV (try it for free): Gonzaga has made short work of all non-Michigan teams this season and has the third-best scoring record in the sport despite playing in one of the toughest non-conference tournaments. I'm calling it a day here by choosing the best team to win by a larger margin than the bookmakers' project. It feels like it could be an 85-70 Gonzaga win in Seattle. Pick: Gonzaga -9.5 — Boone
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