College basketball picks, predictions: Tennessee-Kentucky rematch, rivalry games dot weekend’s top battles
The college basketball postseason is almost here. Some teams start their conference tournaments as little as two weeks in advance, while the big players play their formats three weeks before the start of qualifying Sunday, March 12th.
That means teams don’t get a chance to fill out their résumés and impress the NCAA tournament selection committee. Some other teams are in a solid position when it comes to getting a Big Dance entry, but they’re playing for conference titles or just getting the arrow pointing in the right direction heading into the tournament. Because there’s nothing worse than letting a solid season go down the drain because a team doesn’t play their best when it matters most.
With all of that in mind, this is a pretty big weekend with a few big games that could have long-term consequences.
Here’s a look at the best games this weekend and our predictions for those competitions.
The Scarlet Knights have lost three games in a row since losing to Mavot Mag via a season-ending injury and are starting to move into dangerous territory, falling to No. 10 in CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm’s latest prediction. Wisconsin is in an even more precarious position as one of the last four teams. This makes this game potentially one of the most desperate games this weekend. Either result will mean ATV victory as the NCAA scoring tool (NET) is currently used; Rutgers barely squeezed into the top 30 at No. 29. Equally important is the fact that both teams need to hurry.
Prediction: Wisconsin 62-58
On Wednesday, Indiana snapped its three-game winning streak by falling two in the Northwest. Illinois was hit by an absolutely lethal gunfire from the state of Pennsylvania. Both teams see this game as a chance to get back on track. Indiana was amazing before this loss, while Illinois remains a dangerous team heading into March if the Fighting Illini can figure it out, especially on defense where Illinois has the pieces to become an elite division. Can Illini achieve this by limiting Trace Jackson-Davies and company? on road? Or will Indiana make another announcement? Earlier this year, Indiana led Illinois by 15 points.
Prediction: Indiana 76-70
Kentucky seemed to level the season earlier this year, defeating Tennessee 63-56 to start a four-game winning streak. Since then, the Wildcats are only 3-3, and their place in the NCAA tournament field is unlikely to be secured. Sweeping the season series with Tennessee could make a big difference. Tennessee started the season 18-3 (including this loss to Kentucky among three), but have lost three of their last five. Sure, two wins over ranked teams, including Wednesday’s win over Alabama. When Tennessee is right, the Volunteers can outplay and beat any team in the country. Would Tennessee be fine on a Saturday?
Prediction: Tennessee 70-64
A battle between two Big 12 schools, one of which is in the rankings, and two of which are no longer sitting as beautifully as they were a couple of weeks ago. Iowa State is still just one game away from the Big 12 lead, but the Cyclones have lost four of their last six games, lost their first home game of the season to Oklahoma State, and won one of their last three games against Mike without Miles. TCU in Ames. Iowa State will now go to play a Kansas State team that has lost four out of five matches, with the only win in the series a home win against TCU without miles in Manhattan. So this is a chance for both schools to make a difference before heading into the postseason.
Prediction: Kansas State 70-68
Three teams share the lead in the Big 12 and two of them meet in this game. Only two coaches have ever been in a regular season series with Kansas’s Bill Self: Mike Boynton in 2018 and Shaka Smart in 2021. Will Scott Drew be third? The Bears won their previous matchup 75-69 in Waco, but this looks like a game – at home, with the Big 12 title on the line – where the Jayhawks usually come into their own. Both teams are playing very well; Baylor has won four in a row and 10 of 11, Kansas has won three in a row and five of six. Watch out for Dajuan Harris; when he scores at least 10 points, Kansas is undefeated that year.
Prediction: Kansas 79-77
According to statistics website BartTorvik, since January 1, Texas A&M has been the fourth-best team in the nation, ranking 11th on offense and 11th on defense in the nation. This is a strong, balanced team. Missouri is harder to measure; on any given night, the Tigers seem capable of scaring a really good team or falling for a mediocre one, a trait that likely stems from the Tigers’ defense, which has been ranked 197th nationally since the start of the new year. It has to be better than that, and the Missouri offense has to be on top for the Tigers to outdo Aggie. Texas A&M beat Missouri by 18 at College Station, but Aggie’s tournament position had yet to solidify; grabbing a quad bike that i win would help.
Prediction: Texas A&M 81-77
According to Palm, the Spartans currently compete in the NCAA tournaments at number 8. The Wolverines? Does not participate. But Michigan still has time to try to get into this discussion, albeit with difficulty. With five games remaining, Michigan may need to win four and possibly add to the Big Ten Tournament to qualify; that journey for the Wolverines will probably have to include wide home games against the Spartans and Wisconsin to get there. Michigan State has won the last two tournaments, and the Spartans are hoping to get together before March.
Prediction: Michigan State 69-68
When the NCAA Tournament Select Committee releases its top 16 list on Saturday, the chairman of the committee will be talking a lot about Quad I wins. And here’s one of this year’s most stunning statistics: North Carolina has none. Well, here’s UNC’s chance to break this streak, though that’s easier said than done. NC did beat its state rival 80-69 earlier this season at Chapel Hill, but NC State has only lost once at home this year, and not since Dec. 2.
Prediction: NC State 76-75
The Cougars lost to Alabama on December 10 and have only lost once by a single point since then. And even on their current six-game winning streak, the Cougars have been playing better lately, winning each of their last three games by at least 15 points. Memphis is vastly better than either of those teams and represents the highest-ranked KenPom team that Houston has played since the December 17 victory over Virginia. If Houston can find a way to slow down Kendrick Davis, that would be a good sign that Cougars Defense is pointing the right way in March.
Prediction: Houston 74-66
The Hawkeyes have been on a roll lately, winning five of their last six games, with Purdue the only loss. There are still serious defensive problems here, although few teams score as well as Iowa now, and the Hawkeyes take care of the ball at a high level. The Northwest has won seven of their last nine games and four in a row, including home wins over Purdue and Indiana last week. That means the Northwest is all alone in second place in the Big Ten, even though Iowa is only one game behind.
Forecast: North-West 77-74
Source: 247sports.com
