Selection Sunday is just over two weeks away and a number of teams will attempt to impress the committee in the final few regular season games while also gathering momentum for their conference tournament. There is a full slate of games on tap for Saturday with most of Division I playing. The top-25 will be well represented with 19 ranked teams in action, and there are several huge matchups to tantalize the college basketball aficionado.
The biggest game in terms of teams and what’s at stake takes place in Knoxville with a top-10 tilt to straighten things out in the SEC between the Kentucky and Tennessee. Duke tumbled from the top spot in the rankings and from first-place in the ACC by losing two of its last three games since Zion Williamson went down. They get Miami while co-leaders Virginia and North Carolina attempt to maintain their standing. The Big 12 looks for some clarity at the top of the standings, but that’s unlikely to happen. Insomniacs on the East Coast will be treated to some quality basketball when No. 1 ranked Gonzaga visit St. Mary’s. Below is a list of Saturday’s key games.
BookMaker.eu will have college basketball odds and live betting options for every game on the Saturday schedule.
College Basketball Schedule for Saturday, March 2, 2019
No. 6 Michigan State at Indiana, 12 p.m. ET (FOX)
No. 13 LSU at Alabama, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)
No. 15 Kansas at Oklahoma State, 12 p.m. ET (CBS)
North Carolina State at No. 18 Florida State, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Syracuse at Wake Forest, 12 p.m. ET (ACCN)
Penn State at No. 19 Wisconsin, 1 p.m. ET (BTN)
Pittsburgh at No. 2 Virginia, 2 p.m. ET (ACCN)
No. 4 Kentucky at No. 7 Tennessee, 2 p.m. ET (CBS)
Ohio State at No. 14 Purdue, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN)
No. 24 Wofford at Samford, 2 p.m. ET
Miami at No. 3 Duke, 4 p.m. ET (CBS)
UCF at No. 8 Houston, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN)
No. 11 Texas Tech at TCU, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Rutgers at No. 22 Iowa, 5 p.m. ET (BTN)
No. 5 North Carolina at Clemson, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Baylor at No. 16 Kansas State, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Memphis at No. 23 Cincinnati, 8 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
No. 12 Nevada at Utah State, 8:30 p.m. ET (CBSSN)
No. 1 Gonzaga at Saint Mary's, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Saturday Best Bets
Syracuse at Wake Forest
The Orange will be a road favorite in this matchup, but you have to wonder just how stable the team is after learning that their coach accidentally killed a man. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they had to play Duke and North Carolina in consecutive games after the episode. Needless to say Syracuse lost both. Getting out of town might be the best thing for Jim Boeheim and his club; playing a poor Wake team will also help. Despite all the attention given to Boeheim’s accident, the Orange played well, they just played better teams. Duke avenged an earlier loss and UNC won be eight.
Three of Wake’s four league wins are over Pitt, Notre Dame and Miami, teams tied with the Deacs or lower than them in the standings. Three games against the top three teams have resulted in losses by an average margin of nearly 28 points. Syracuse has a road win over Duke and they will handle Wake on the road, making them a best bet against the line.
No. 4 Kentucky at No. 7 Tennessee
This one has all the makings to be an epic confrontation. Two highly-ranked teams with first place in the SEC on the line are great storylines. Even better is the revenge angle. The Vols were ranked No. 1 when they travelled to UK two weeks ago. They left with their tail between their legs after a thorough beatdown.
This isn’t a fluke year for Tennessee, but that game was a fluke. The Vols tied for the SEC regular season title last year and returned a number of players from a team that won 26 games. Their regular starters were all key contributors a season ago and they were embarrassed in Lexington. They didn’t play well and UK looked awesome. Things change this time around and I like the Vols and their home court advantage, making them a best bet.
No. 1 Gonzaga at Saint Mary's
This used to be the matchup that decided the West Coast Conference champion. Now it’s just another league game in a string of 30-something straight wins for the Zags. The only thing that can take them down is boredom, and as the Zags prep for a deep Tournament run and a national title, that’s not going to happen.
Gonzaga is the most well rounded team in college basketball. They can score, shoot and defend. They are also deep and extremely talented with San Jose State transfer Brandon Clarke seizing the spotlight from Rui Hachimura. They blasted the Gaels 94-46 last month in the Kennel and I don’t see the margin changing by a lot, although it will be less than 48. Gonzaga is the best bet against the college basketball betting line.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go.
Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
