College basketball picks, schedule: Predictions for Kentucky vs. UNC and more Top 25 games on Saturday

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College basketball has one its biggest days of the 2023-24 regular season Saturday with 18 teams in the AP Top 25 in action on a day loaded with quality games. The two marquee matchups of the weekend include No. 1 Arizona traveling to Indianapolis for a showdown with No. 3 Purdue and No. 9 North Carolina facing off with No. 14 Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic.

No. 2 Kansas kicks off the loaded slate on CBS by going on the road to face Indiana. The matchup of historic blue bloods will be the 16th all-time meeting and only the sixth game played between the schools in the last 30 years. The Jayhawks are looking to add another key win to its resume that already includes victories over UConn, Kentucky and Tennessee.

The first leg of a doubleheader in the CBS Sports Classic features UCLA squaring off with future Big Ten foe Ohio State in Atlanta. After that game concludes, Kentucky will square off with UNC in the 43rd all-time matchup between the blue-blood programs in the main event.

Other big games include an in-state battle between Texas A&M and No. 4 Houston and Michigan State looking to get back on the right track when it plays No. 6 Baylor in a neutral site showdown in Detroit.

Our experts have picks and predictions for the day’s biggest games here.

Odds via SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern

No. 9 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Kentucky (CBS Sports Classic at Atlanta)

5:30 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) — North Carolina can throw Tre Mitchell or Aaron Bradshaw at North Carolina star center Armando Bacot to keep him from completely taking over the game. Similarly, the guards appear to be an even matchup. But UNC forward Harrison Ingram may be a problem for the Wildcats. If the assignment of defending Ingram falls to Justin Edwards, the talented but fledgling UK freshman will be tasked with containing a savvy veteran who has…

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Author : Cameron Salerno

Publish date : 2023-12-16 21:36:27

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