An amazing slate of games in store for Saturday. Tons of ranked and unranked matchups throughout the day. Our best bets of the day will include some great matchups and one between two top 25 teams.
Our best bets for Saturday start off with arguably the matchup of the entire day with #25 Alabama taking on #4 Kentucky. These teams have seen each other before and Kentucky came away with a 66-55 win. The next game is a BIG Ten matchup between Iowa taking on #18 Ohio State. Iowa is looking to jump into the top 25 with a big win against a top ranked team, and Ohio State is looking to add another good win to their resume. Finally our best bets end with a Big 12 matchup between #6 Kansas and West Virginia. West Virginia has disappointed all of us this season, even though they are home this should result in a Kansas win.
Now let’s take a closer look at our best bets for Saturday.
An SEC matchup between #25 Alabama and #4 Kentucky. A great rematch college basketball fans wanted to see. Last game Alabama struggled to score, but as a great offense they are expected to do better Saturday.
Alabama has had an up and down season and is still 17-9 and number 25 in the country. At one point Alabama was number six in the country and then a few weeks later they were unranked. Their season has not been perfect, but many of those nine losses are to great teams. Alabama has a great offense that averages 80.4 points per game. Their offense is explosive with Jaden Shackelford and Jahvon Quinerly both running it. Alabama has won three games in a row and is looking to make it four with a big win on the road against a ranked conference rival. If Alabama is able to win this game they are a top 25 team for the rest of the season and can secure a higher seed come March. If Alabama can play better defense than they typically have this season, they can win this game.
Kentucky is 21-5 and having an amazing season. They may have lost the opening game to Duke, but since then they have been one of if not the top team in the country since. Kentucky is looking to sweep the Crimson Tide this year. They won the first matchup in a tough defensive battle. Kentucky only held Alabama to 55 points in a 66-55 win. Alabama is a great offense and Kentucky should not rely on holding them to 55 points again. Kentucky has a great offense as well. Kentucky averages 80.6 points per game and 17 per game. They are a highly efficient offense that shoots 48.5% from the field and 35.4% from three. They are led by Oscar Tschiebwe and TyTy Washington Jr. Both will be in the NBA next year. Tschiebwe and Washington Jr will continue to dominate college basketball for the rest of the season until their season ends with a win or a loss.
An exciting rematch between two great teams. We like Alabama to cover the 6.5 spread and upset Kentucky at home.
A BIG Ten matchup between Iowa and #18 Ohio State. Iowa looking to jump into the top 25 and Ohio State looking to stay in the top 25. This should be a great matchup late into the season where every game counts.
Ohio State has had a great season so far at 16-6. Ohio State has been playing well all throughout the season. Ohio State has played great on offense all season, but their defense as of recent has been incredible. Over their past four games the most Ohio State has allowed opponents is 67 points. They have locked into the rest of the season and it has shown on the defensive side. They only allow opponents 66.3 points per game and have a great offense to go along with their great defense. Ohio State is an efficient and explosive offensive team that averages 74.5 points a game on 48% shooting. They are led by junior E.J. Riddell who averages 20 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, all on 51.7% shooting from the field. Ohio State has a great player to lead them and they are also an experienced team who have played together. Ohio State has the tools to make a run in this last stretch of the season starting with a big win against a good BIG Ten opponent.
Iowa has had a good season and currently sits at a 17-8 record. Iowa is a big win or two away from being back in the top 25 again. Iowa needs a big win today against a tough opponent. Iowa is a great offensive team; they average 83.8 points per game and shoot 46.2% from the field as a team. Their offense is one of the best in the country and is led by Keegan Murray has played unreal all year and is one of the top players in the country. He is a force offensively and defensively averaging 23.3 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game, two blocks, and 1.5 steals a game Murray can do it all and he does it efficiently shooting 56% from the field and 36.7% from three. If Murray can carry the Hawkeyes they have a shot at an upset here.
A great matchup between two big teams, but we think Ohio State will cover the 5.5 point spread.
The final game of the night, a Big 12 matchup between #6 Kansas and West Virginia. Looking at this matchup we are very surprised at the 4.5 spread. Kansas a top team in the country, while West Virginia is a good team but has struggled all season against great teams. Kansas is the lock of the day out of our three best bets.
Kansas is a top team in the country; they have a 21-4 record and have played great all season. Kansas is currently number six in the county, but they have been playing like the best team in the country. Kansas currently atop the Big 12 with a game and a half lead is not looking to let Baylor come back into the picture. Kansas is a great offensive team that averages 79.5 points per game while shooting 49.2% from the field and 35.6% from three. Kansas is also great on the defensive end they only allow opponents 68 points per game. They are an elite team all they way around and are looking for a win today to get on a roll into March.
West Virginia is having a tough season with a 14-11 record and 3-9 Big 12 record. This season is most definitely not up to Bob Huggins, West Virginia, and their fans standards of the basketball program. West Virginia started the season 13-2 through the first 15 games, since then they are 1-9 in their past 10 games. An unbelievable collapse from West Virginia over the past two months. They have lost tons of conference games and especially in the final minutes of games. If West Virginia can improve on closing out games they could be a much better team with a very different record today. West Virginia who has been one of the worst teams in college basketball for the past 2 months should stand no chance to one of the country’s top teams in Kansas.
Still not sure why the spread is this little. Easy pick with Kansas to cover the 4.5 spread.
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