Don’t Sleep On College Hoops With Massive Saturday On Tap

Many sports fans don't start paying attention to college basketball until after New Year's Day (or, honestly, until March Madness). It's hard to blame them. There are so many great sporting events on the November and December calendar that people have to prioritize. College football and the NFL generally dominate the conversation this time of year.

However, the NFL doesn't start adding Saturday games until Week 15 (next week). And there's only one college football game on Saturday: Army vs. Navy. That's a fantastic annual rivalry game and worth watching. But don't sleep on an excellent college basketball slate on Saturday.

Let's take a look at the four Top 25 matchups. And keep in mind that the first time I gave out college basketball picks against the spread this season, I went 3-0. 

#17 Arkansas vs #16 Texas Tech (Dallas)

12:00 p.m. ET — ESPN2

This one looks like a true road game on the ticker, but it’s actually in Dallas for the "Revocruit Rematch," a neutral-site matchup where both fan bases can travel. 

Arkansas is 7–2 with both losses coming to ranked teams. The Razorbacks had a three‑point road loss at Michigan State and a neutral‑court loss to Duke in Chicago where they had a seven-point lead with under 10 minutes to play. They’ve also picked up a quality win over Louisville and a 24‑point drubbing of Fresno State that pushed them to 7–2 and inside the top 20.

John Calipari’s squad is built around youth, with two freshmen guards leading the team in scoring. Darius Acuff Jr. (17.4 PPG) and Meleek Thomas (16.9 PPG) are threats from everywhere on the court. Acuff is hitting a ridiculous 42 percent of his three-point shots this year, so he's going to be a point of focus for the Red Raiders defense.

Senior forward Trevon Brazile is the only other player on the team averaging double-digits (12.6 PPG) in what is a very concentrated offensive attack. Despite the No. 17 ranking, KenPom isn't as impressed with Arkansas' start, ranking the Razorbacks 29th. 

Texas Tech, meanwhile, has quietly turned into one of the most balanced outfits in the country. Grant McCasland led his team to the Elite Eight last year before losing a heartbreaker to Florida. Texas Tech still has Player of the Year candidate JT Toppin (20.8 PPG, 11 RPG) but lost Chance McMillian (graduated), Elijah Hawkins (graduated) and Darrion Williams (NC State transfer). Christian Anderson, who was fourth on the team in scoring last year as a freshman, has stepped up in his second season in Lubbock (19.1 PPG, 7.0 APG). 

Texas Tech players Christian Anderson (left) and JT Toppin (right) celebrate during a game. 

(Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The Red Raiders have played two ranked teams previously this season and the results weren't good. They lost a tight one at Illinois (81-77) before getting routed by Purdue (86-56). Still, KenPom has Tech as a Top 20 team, sitting at 19th. 

In a game like this, I'd prefer to side with the team that has a little more experience. I'll take Toppin and Anderson to cover the spread against the freshman duo. 

PICK: TEXAS TECH -1.5

#23 Nebraska at #13 Illinois

4:00 p.m. ET — Peacock

I love seeing conference games in December, and this is a great Big Ten matchup in Champaign. Nebraska just hammered Wisconsin by 30, matching the best start in program history at 10–0 and tying its longest win streak at 14 games going back to last season. 

The Huskers have finally forced the computers and the pollsters to take them seriously; they just cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2018-19. KenPom has the Cornhuskers (who haven't faced a ranked opponent this season) just outside the Top 25. 

Nebraska is led by big man Rienk Mast, a fifth-year senior from the Netherlands. He had never averaged more than 13.8 PPG in a season, but has jumped up to 18.0 PPG this year. The Huskers lean heavily on their front line, with three forwards averaging double-figures (Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort, 15.6 PPG, and freshman Braden Frager, 11.9 PPG). 

Unlike Nebraska, Illinois has faced an incredibly difficult early-season schedule. The Illini sit at 8–2 and have already logged two high‑end wins over ranked opponents, Texas Tech and Tennessee. Both losses came against Top 15 teams (Alabama and UConn). 

KenPom loves Illinois, ranking the Illini higher than the AP voters (9th). It has the Illinois offense rated as fifth best in the entire country. Although this is Nebraska's first tough matchup of the season and Illinois is battle-tested, this is just too many points for a Cornhusker team that plays solid defense and has one of the best forward groups in the conference. They can at least keep the score close. 

PICK: Nebraska +8.5

#1 Arizona vs #12 Alabama (Birmingham – C.M. Newton Classic)

9:30 p.m. ET — ESPN

On paper, this is the game of the day: the new No. 1 team in the country against one of the most entertaining offenses in college basketball, in what’s technically a neutral‑site game but is essentially an Alabama home game. 

Arizona has raced out to an 8–0 start with a season-opening win over then-No. 3 Florida and later a win over then-No. 3 UConn. Plus, the Wildcats are fresh off their third ranked win of the season, a complete demolition of No. 20 Auburn (97-68). Arizona reached the Sweet 16 last year before losing a thriller against No. 1 Duke. 

Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. celebrates after making a three pointer against Clemson.

(Gary Cosby Jr./Tuscaloosa News via Imagn Images)

Arizona is another team led in scoring by a freshman, Koa Peat (15.9 PPG). Jaden Bradley returns from last year's squad and the senior is averaging 14.5 PPG. Make no mistake, though, this is a young Wildcats team. Three of the team's starters against Auburn were freshmen: Peat, Ivan Kharchenkov (7.5 PPG) and Brayden Burries (11.3 PPG). That youth plays a role in Arizona being No. 1 in the AP Poll, but 6th in KenPom's rankings. 

If there's one thing to know about Nate Oats’ Alabama teams, it's that they like to play fast, and they like to score… a lot. The Crimson Tide are 7–2, ranked 12th, and currently averaging about 95 PPG. They also rank 14th in possessions-per-game, according to Team Rankings. KenPom thinks the AP basically got it right, slotting Alabama at 13th with the country's second-best offense and a barely Top 50 defense (46th). 

The team is very similar to last year's squad that reached the Elite Eight as a No. 2 seed before losing to Duke. The Tide have been tested this season with four games against Top 15 teams. They split those matchups, beating St. John's and Illinois and losing to Purdue and Gonzaga. Alabama wasn't blown out in either loss, holding a second-half lead in both games. 

The Tide have five players averaging double-digits, led by sophomore Labaron Philon Jr. (21.4 PPG). Philon has stepped into the gaping hole left by the graduation of Mark Sears. The biggest issue for Alabama is its injury report. Taylor Bol Bowen, Keitenn Bristow, Latrell Wrightsell and Aden Holloway have all missed games this year. However, the former three are expected to play against Arizona with Holloway as a game-time decision. 

Give me the battle-tested Tide to come out firing in front of what is essentially a home crowd. 

PICK: ALABAMA -1.5

#25 UCLA vs #8 Gonzaga (Seattle Hoops Showdown)

11:30 p.m. ET — ESPN

I'll keep this one short, since this is a good matchup, but let's be honest: not many people are staying up past midnight to watch this game. UCLA just slid back into the AP Top 25, while Gonzaga has climbed into the top 10 again and is finally getting love from the AP voters, who were way behind the analytics community on the Bulldogs (3rd in KenPom's ranking). 

UCLA is 7-2 with understandable losses against No. 1 Arizona and the 9-1 Cal Bears. The Bruins opened the season at No. 12 in the AP poll, but quickly tumbled down the rankings and eventually out of the Top 25 completely before jumping back in this week. That's because they haven't been super impressive in their second Big Ten season. They did hang tough against Arizona, but have yet to beat a ranked team. Their "signature win" is a road victory over 6-3 Washington on Dec. 3. 

Conversely, Gonzaga has been nothing but impressive… well, except for that complete dud against Michigan (101-61). But I'll forgive the Bulldogs for one terrible performance, since they have ranked wins over Creighton, Alabama, and Kentucky. 

From an analytics standpoint, Gonzaga is a Top 5 team and UCLA is… not. While this isn't a true home game, Gonzaga is playing in its home state. I'm going to lay the 8.5 points with a team potentially headed for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament against a team likely to be fighting for an at-large bid when all is said and done. 

PICK: GONZAGA -8.5

Editor's note: A previous edition of this article featured incorrect betting lines. They have been fixed as of Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET.