We have a jam-packed Saturday on deck. No time to bore you with the formalities and magnitude of the matchups. Every game matters. The matchups here don’t have many tournament implications. All of these teams are comfortably in unless something drastic happens. The stakes remain as high as ever. Here are the College Basketball Picks for February 24th.
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College Basketball Picks February 24th
Houston at Baylor (+2) (O/U 135)
The new kid on the block has had a tough time on the road in the Big 12. Houston is sitting at an impressive 23-3 with a strong case as the best team in the country. All 3 of their losses have come on the road in the Big 12. Nothing to be ashamed about.
The winners of four straight head to Waco for a noon matchup with the Baylor Bears. Baylor isn’t where they want to be this season, yet they’re ranked 11th in the county. The Bears offense should hold steady offensively against Houston in this matchup. A strength vs strength showdown.
Not so fast, my friend. Langston Love will likely miss the game with a knee injury. This doesn’t bode well for the Baylor offense against the Houston defense. If Baylor is going to win, then they need off-ball shooters to step up. Love plays a pivotal role in that.
Baylor has a great home-court advantage at their new arena, even if the camera angle is an absolute atrocity for TV. The concern is that a 50% three-point shooter is hobbled, and their leading scorer is a freshman. I’m not confident that Baylor can hit their shots in the half court under the Houston pressure.
The Pick: Houston -2
Alabama at Kentucky (-3) (O/U 174)
It should be telling that Kentucky isn’t laying points at Rupp. Alabama matches Kentucky’s offensive prowess evidenced by the total here. Unprecedented number for college basketball. Two top 10 offenses face off against sub-70 defenses. The total is warranted. This is an Alabama team that has given up 90+ in three of their last four games.
Mohamed Wague will miss the game for Alabama due to suspension for a flagrant foul. It’s a depth hit but not the biggest loss in terms of production. Another piece that will be missing on the defensive end for Alabama.
This comes down to home court and backing the team coming off the loss. LSU was able to upset Kentucky on the final possession. This has the rumor mill heating up on Calipari’s hold of the job. There’s some speculation that Nate Oats is coming into town to audition for the gig. A win would light a fire in Kentucky.
Calipari knows this. He got through two questions at the last postgame presser. Back Calipari and Kentucky at Rupp to win this game outright in a shootout. Kentucky should get whatever they want offensively against this Alabama team.
The Pick: Kentucky -3
