As you may need heard, March, one of the best month in sports activities, has lastly arrived. With March Insanity on the horizon, Saturday’s school basketball schedule brings a implausible appetizer for the remainder of the month with a doubleheader on CBS, 5 ranked-on-ranked matchups and 21 of the Related Press Prime 25 groups in motion.
The enjoyable begins in The Lone Star State when No. 15 Baylor hosts No. 7 Kansas. The Jayhawks have been with out star guard Kevin McCullar Jr. and it stays unclear when he might return to the lineup. The Bears are coming off a key highway win over TCU after falling to No. 1 Houston at Foster Pavilion final weekend.
No. 16 Kentucky will look to remain sizzling towards a struggling Arkansas group at Rupp Area. The Wildcats knocked off Mississippi State on the highway earlier this week due to a game-winning floater by star freshman Reed Sheppard. Washington hosts USC later within the day in the course of the second sport of the doubleheader on CBS.
The SEC common season title may very well be on the road when No. 4 Tennessee travels to Tuscaloosa to face No. 14 Alabama. The SEC rivals sit tied atop the convention standings with a 12-3 file heading into the ultimate three video games. Tennessee owns the head-to-head tiebreaker through an 91-71 win over the Crimson Tide earlier this calendar 12 months.
Odds through SportsLine consensus | All instances Jap
No. 4 Tennessee at No. 14 Alabama
8 p.m. | ESPN,  fuboTV (Strive totally free) — Alabama is a powerful 13-1 inside Coleman Coliseum, with the lone loss coming to Clemson in November. The Crimson Tide have gained each of their video games (Auburn and Florida) towards ranked opponents at dwelling. In Alabama’s approach of enhancing that mark and including one other signature win to its résumé is Tennessee star Dalton Knecht. Knecht and Alabama’s Mark Sears are taking part in at completely different ranges proper now and each ought to be All-People. This sport might come right down to what star meets the second. It isn’t stunning Alabama is favored, however Tennessee is the decide right here. Prediction: Tennessee +2.5 — Cameron Salerno
No. 23 Gonzaga at No. 17 Saint Mary’s
10 p.m. | ESPN,  fuboTV (Strive totally free) — For those who’re an evening owl, that is the sport for you. Earlier this week, Saint Mary’s clinched its first outright WCC common season convention championship since 2012. There is not a group within the convention that has supplied Gonzaga extra resistance over time than Saint Mary’s. Within the final assembly, Saint Mary’s went to Spokane and gained by a slim 64-62 margin. This has all of the makings to be one other basic, however do not be stunned if the Gaels make one other assertion earlier than the WCC Event. Prediction: Saint Mary’s -2.5 — Cameron Salerno
No. 7 Kansas at No. 15 Baylor
1:30 p.m. | ABC,  fuboTV (Strive totally free) — Kansas is a distinct group with out McCullar within the lineup. The Jayhawks misplaced their most up-to-date outing in Allen Fieldhouse to BYU with out McCullar — snapping their 67-game dwelling successful streak towards unranked groups. Kansas does not have the depth to compensate for dropping that sort of manufacturing. Baylor is coming off a robust displaying towards TCU, however they’ve additionally appeared shaky throughout Large 12 play. If Kansas needs to steal a win on the highway, counting on Hunter Dickinson is important. On the flip facet, Baylor freshman heart Yves Missi is the X-Issue. Kansas retains it shut and covers, however Baylor wins outright on its dwelling ground. Prediction: Kansas +4.5 — Cameron Salerno
Arkansas at No. 16 Kentucky
1:30 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports activities App (Free) — Kentucky ought to win, and it ought to win handily, however I am going to take the factors on the Arkansas facet simply because 15 is a giant quantity to put. This seems like an 90-80 sort sport that’s by no means unsure however winds up being a high-scoring affair. UK’s offense has been firing on all cylinders the final two video games in wins vs. Alabama and Mississippi State, however its protection hasn’t fairly clicked but. Prediction: Arkansas +14 — Kyle Boone
USC at Washington
4 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports activities App (Free) — Strictly from a expertise perspective, I like USC to cowl the quantity right here on the highway. For those who used that logic a lot of the season for USC, after all, you’d have misplaced some huge cash, however the Trojans have a minimum of performed impressed basketball of late with the emergence of Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis returning to kind. Prediction: USC +5.5 — Kyle Boone
Who will win and canopy in each school basketball sport? Go to SportsLine to get picks from the mannequin that simulates every sport 10,000 instances and is up greater than $1,200 for $100 gamers on its top-rated unfold picks the previous six years.Â