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Each passing day brings us closer to the Sunday of the selection, the issue of conference games going up a notch.
It will be on Saturday.
This weekend, the very important carrot that hangs over the best teams at this stage of the season – a potential seeded No. 1 for March Madness – is also at the rendezvous, but also the conference titles of the season regular and bragging rights that are at stake. The three are of equal importance.
Nowhere will you find that as obvious as in Lexington, Kentucky, Saturday night. Tipping at 8 pm ET will be Tennessee No. 1 and Kentucky No. 5 the weekend game. Heck, maybe the game of the month. Tennessee (23-1, 11-0 SEC) has won 19 straight games and Kentucky (20-4, 9-2 SEC) has won 10 of its last 11 games – its only defeat in the controversial interference basket without a call Tuesday.
So, when planning your weekend, adjust accordingly based on the oracle selections of our hoops experts below.
[Which teams should you back to make the Final Four and win it all? Join SportsLine today and get projected scores and stats from 10,000 simulations, plus get Vegas insider picks, fantasy advice and much more!]
No. 24 Maryland at No. 6 Michigan (-7.5) 12 hours on Fox and streaming on fuboTV: Maryland can catch Michigan at the right time. The Wolverines have struggled a bit lately, especially on Tuesday night when coach John Beilein and his team merged at Penn State. On the other hand, Terrapins could catch Michigan at the wrong time. This loss is more likely a wake-up call than a sign of economic downturn for Wolverines. Only one team came within seven points of Michigan at home all season. I do not expect Maryland to be second. The choice of Jerry Palm: Michigan -7.5
Oklahoma State Texas (-11.5) 13h on CBS, CBSSports.com and streaming on fuboTV: Oklahoma State eliminated Texas 61-58 the first time both teams played this season. Although Texas has not shown any notable improvement since then, the Oklahoma State has experienced a marked deterioration. Two-digit horns are a virtual lock. Kyle Boone's choice: Texas -11.5
# 23 Iowa State to # 18 Kansas State (-2) 16h. on ESPN2: That the record shows that when Kansas State wins the Big 12 regular season series in Kansas, the story should not be focused on what's wrong with the Jayhawks, but how the Wildcats came out of the Royal Battle the Big 12 in 2019. Kansas State has a tenacity and an advantage that belittles the opponents, starting from the defensive end where they now rank 8th nationally in terms of their number. defensive efficiency. Iowa State is really fun when they ride with five different and capable scoring options, but "fun" is not on the menu when you enter Octagon of Doom. It's an improved Wildcats team from the one who has already beaten the ISU from one point down the road and I think they can cover the short gap with the ## 147 ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # 39, advantage of the land of the house. The choice of Chip Patterson: State of Kansas -2
State NC at Duke # 2 (-16.5) on ESPN: Duke will play his first game on Saturday after overcoming a deficit of 23 points and 9:08 in Louisville earlier this week. The opponent is a NC state that has played 5-6 in its last 11 games. So I'll keep it simple: If Duke manages to clear a 23-point deficit on the road against Louisville in about nine minutes, it's impossible for me to pick Duke to cover 16.5 points at home against a team of Wolfpack that has not been strong in a while. Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils can and will win by the number of points they want. Zion Williamson reminds us again why he will be the national player of the year and the first choice in the NBA 2019 draft. Gary Parrish's choice: Duc -16.5
No. 1 Tennessee at No. 5 Kentucky (-3) 20 hrs on ESPN: I will be in Lexington, Kentucky, for the weekend game and the second consecutive weekend in which two of the top five teams in the AP standings will face each other. The Tennessee suspect – to the extent that a 23-1 team from a big conference can be suspicious; I mean, go to the eyes of some because it's been so long without playing a ranked team. Nine weeks and count, if in fact you count. I think this could have a slight material impact when the Flights will enter the Rupp Arena on a busy night. But I'm going to be driving with the Wildcats here because I love their defenses and their second chance opportunities (Kentucky is third nationally in terms of offensive rebound percentage) to win in a tight home game. I will take the cats. Matt Norlander's choice: Kentucky -3
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