The college football season is winding down. College basketball takes center stage this weekend with several intriguing matchups, including a Top 25 showdown between No. 20 Illinois and No. 17 Tennessee on CBS. The Illini are riding a five-game winning streak into this matchup while the Volunteers have lost three of their last four, which includes a brutal stretch against Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina.
In the other Top 25 matchup on the slate, No. 23 Wisconsin travels to Tucson, Arizona to battle the top-ranked Wildcats. Arizona became the No. 1 team in both the AP Top 25 and the coaches poll this week after Purdue suffered its first loss against Northwestern.
Speaking of the Boilermakers, No. 4 Purdue will play a neutral-site game against Alabama in Toronto. The game was a homecoming for this year’s national player of the year Zach Eddy, who grew up in Toronto before moving to the states to play basketball at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
No. 19 Oklahoma is off to its best start since the 2015-16 season and will look to keep its perfect season alive when it faces a relentless Arkansas team in Tulsa, Oklahoma. To close the slate, no. 2 Kansas hosts Missouri in a battle of former Big 12 foes.
Here our experts have picks and predictions for the biggest games of the day.
Odds by SportsLine Consensus | East at all times
No. 20 Illinois no. 17 Tennessee
12 noon | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) — “When in doubt, pick home team?” You know the old saying. That applies here. Tennessee announced it would play in front of a sold-out crowd More than 21,000 people are in attendance this weekend, which should provide the Vols with a substantial home-court advantage against one of the hottest teams in the country. Tennessee has yet to beat a Top 25 opponent this season in three tries, but on Saturday the fourth time will prove to be the charm. While Knecht is X-factor as Tennessee’s best overall scorer, Santiago Vescovi seems due for a breakout performance. Having Domask and Shannon should help Tennessee’s cause as well. Prediction: Tennessee -6
No. 4 Purdue vs. Alabama (at Toronto)
1:30 pm | fox, fuboTV (try it for free) — Saturday will be Ede’s home game because of the homecoming factor and he will need to put on a show for his home country. At the one-month mark in the season, Edey appears to be the clear front-runner to repeat as national player of the year and, outside of a mishap on the road against Northwestern, Purdue has been the nation’s best team. Alabama enters the toughest part of the season with a three-game sweep against Purdue, Creighton and Arizona. After last week’s loss to Clemson in the ACC/SEC Challenge, this weekend will be a chance to get back on track. Prediction: Alabama +6
No. 1 Arizona at No. Wisconsin. 23
3:15 pm | ESPN, fuboTV (try it for free) — Arizona will play its first game as the nation’s No. 1 team for the first time in nearly a decade on Saturday, and it will come against one of the nation’s hottest teams. The Badgers finished the season 1-2 with losses to Tennessee and Providence, but have since gone on a six-game winning streak. Wins over Virginia, Marquette and Michigan State. The McKale Center is one of the toughest places to play in the country, and Arizona will have plenty of depth for a hungry Wisconsin team. Prediction: Arizona -8.5
No. 19 Oklahoma vs. Arkansas (at Tulsa)
4 pm | ESPN2, fuboTV (try it for free) — Oklahoma is one And surprise Teams in the nation and Arkansas are 8-0 in the tournament this season. After back-to-back losses to Memphis and North Carolina, Arkansas responded with wins over Duke and Furman. It’s hard to count out an Eric Musselman-coached team, and the Razorbacks are in position to pull off an upset. Prediction: Arkansas +3.5
Missouri at No. 2 Kansas
5:15 pm | ESPN2, fuboTV (try it for free) — Their final marquee game of the night features a battle of old Big 12 foes in Missouri and Kansas. The game has been called the Border Showdown since 2021 and is one of college basketball’s oldest rivalries. The first game between the two programs was played in hoops in 1907, and the rivalry was won in 2012 when Missouri left for the SEC. The Jayhawks have won 13 of their last 15 matchups, including a blowout win on the road last season. Because the line is so big and the Jayhawks have been shaky at times against inferior opponents this season, this looks like an opportunity for the Tigers. Prediction: Missouri +12.5
Who will win every college basketball game? Visit SportsLine to get picks from a model that simulates each game 10,000 times And over the past six years its best-rated spread has been $100 for players over $1,200.
