With college football’s season wrapping-up. college basketball takes center stage this weekend with multiple intriguing matchups, including a Top 25 showdown on CBS between No. 20 Illinois and No. 17 Tennessee. The Illini come into this matchup riding a five-game winning streak, while the Volunteers have lost three of their last four that included a brutal stretch against Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina.
The other Top 25 matchup on the slate features No. 23 Wisconsin traveling to Tucson, Arizona, for a battle with the top-ranked Wildcats. Arizona became the No. 1 team in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll this week by default of Purdue suffering its first loss against Northwestern.
Speaking of the Boilermakers, No. 4 Purdue will play a neutral-site game against Alabama in Toronto. The game will be a homecoming for reigning national player of the year Zach Edey, 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 they face a relentless Arkansas team in Tulsa, Oklahoma. To close out the slate, No. 2 Kansas hosts Missouri in a battle of former Big 12 foes.
Our experts have picks and predictions for the day’s biggest games here.
Odds via SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern
No. 20 Illinois at No. 17 Tennessee
12 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) — You know that old saying that goes “when in doubt, pick the home team?” That applies here. Tennessee announced it will be playing in front of a sold out crowd of over 21,000 people 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 Saturday will prove the fourth time is the charm. While Knecht remains the X-Factor as the best overall scorer for Tennessee, Santiago Vescovi seems due for a breakout performance. Containing Domask and Shannon should also help Tennessee’s cause. Prediction: Tennessee -6
No. 4 Purdue vs. Alabama (in Toronto)
1:30 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV (Try for free) — Saturday will essentially be a home game for Edey because of the homecoming factor and he should give his home country a show. At the one month point of the season, Edey appears as the clear frontrunner to repeat as national player of the year and outside of a blunder on the road against Northwestern, Purdue has been arguably been the top team in the country. Alabama is about to enter its toughest stretch of the season with a three-game gauntlet against Purdue, Creighton and Arizona. This weekend will be a chance to get back on track after a loss to Clemson in the ACC/SEC Challenge last week. Prediction: Alabama +6
No. 23 Wisconsin at No. 1 Arizona
3:15 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — Arizona will play its first game as the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in nearly a decade Saturday and it will come against one of the hottest teams in the country. The Badgers opened the season with losses to Tennessee and Providence to move to 1-2, but have since won six consecutive games. The 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 prove to have too much depth for a hungry Wisconsin team. Prediction: Arizona -8.5
No. 19 Oklahoma vs. Arkansas (in Tulsa)
4 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV (Try for free) — Oklahoma has been one of the more surprising teams in the country this season and head into this matchup with Arkansas at 8-0. After suffering consecutive losses to Memphis and North Carolina, Arkansas has since responded with wins over Duke and Furman. It’s hard to ever 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 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV (Try for free) — The final marquee game of their night features a battle of old Big 12 foes in Missouri and Kansas. This game has been known as the Border Showdown since 2021 and is one of the oldest rivalries in college basketball. The first game played between the two programs in hoops was in 1907 and the rivalry took a hit when Missouri departed for the SEC in 2012. The Jayhawks have won 13 of the last 15 matchups, including a blowout win on the road last season. With this line being so large and the Jayhawks looking shaky at times this season against inferior opponents, this seems like a chance for the Tigers to cover. Prediction: Missouri +12.5
Who will win and cover in every college basketball game? Visit SportsLine to get picks from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times and is up more than $1,200 for $100 players on its top-rated spread picks the past six years.
