Fans of college basketball can rejoice and get primed for the Big Dance with a full slate of games on the Saturday schedule. There are conference tournament matchups, rivalry games, and rivalry games that will decide a regular season conference champion. Two games between nationally-ranked clubs will not only give one team bragging rights, the outcome will also determine league champions.
There is no game on the slate bigger than the ACC clash between Duke and North Carolina. Most will agree that this is the best rivalry in college basketball with all the fixins. The schools are just a short distance apart on Tobacco Road and they always possess some of the best teams in the land. The Dookies look to avenge an earlier loss to the Heels, but must do so without Zion Williamson.
Michigan and Michigan State will fight for Big Ten supremacy and positioning in the upcoming conference tournament. The two are locked in a three-way tie along with Purdue heading into the last weekend of regular season action.
Some of the top games are listed below, but you can find college basketball odds and live betting options for every game on the Saturday schedule at BookMaker.eu.
College Basketball Schedule for Saturday, March 9, 2019
No. 5 Tennessee at Auburn, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)
No. 14 Florida State at Wake Forest, 12 p.m. ET (ACCN)
No. 23 Villanova at Seton Hall, 12 p.m. ET (FOX)
Florida at No. 6 Kentucky, 2 p.m. ET (CBS)
No. 8 Texas Tech at Iowa State, 2 p.m. ET (ESPNN)
Baylor at No. 13 Kansas, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN)
No. 11 Purdue at Northwestern, 2:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Georgetown at No. 16 Marquette, 2:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
Louisville at No. 2 Virginia, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN)
No. 25 UCF at Temple, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
No. 4 Duke at No. 3 North Carolina, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Oklahoma at No. 18 Kansas State, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
No. 7 Michigan at No. 9 Michigan State, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Vanderbilt at No. 10 LSU, 8:30 p.m. ET (SECN)
San Diego State at No. 17 Nevada, 10:30 p.m. ET (CBSSN)
Saturday Best Bets
Tennessee at Auburn, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)
With Tennessee, Kentucky and LSU hogging the SEC headlines, Auburn has gone unnoticed most of the year. But make no mistake this is a good basketball team. The Tigers were crushed by Kentucky a few weeks ago and replied by ripping off three straight wins, and they can secure a top-four seed in the conference tournament with a win. The only problem with the Tigers is that they aren’t good enough to beat top-tier teams.
Auburn is 1-6 against ranked foes this season and they lost both times to UK and once to LSU in league play. And it looks like the Vols have figured things out after a brief lull. A 19-point win over Kentucky got them back on track and I can’t see Tennessee having a letdown with the SEC regular season title on the table. The Vols also remember that loss from last year that cost them a shot at the outright title, that’s why I’m siding with the visitors on the college basketball betting line.
Duke at North Carolina, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN)
UNC romped at Cameron Indoor last month, taking advantage of the Dookies without Williamson. And it doesn’t appear as if the Devils have fully recovered. The man-child is expected to be ready for the ACC Tournament; whether or not he plays remains to be seen. Without Zion Duke matched its losses from the first 25 games of the season in three-game span, falling to UNC and Virginia Tech. A 71-70 victory over Wake as a 24.5-point favorite was disturbing.
While the Dookies have shown cracks without their big fella, the Heels are rolling. They’ve won five in row and their 15 league wins are the most since the ACC went to an 18-game schedule. Luke Maye destroyed Duke with little resistance, and he’s poised for another big outing. If Coby White can contribute, the Heels should get the season sweep as a Saturday best bet.
Michigan at Michigan State, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
There’s a logjam at the top of the Big Ten and this game will bring some clarity to the situation. The two are tied with Purdue for the league lead and a regular season title is something both teams put on their checklist at the beginning of the year. Sparty rallied for a win in Ann Arbor minus a few key players, and I think the Wolverines overlooked them. That won’t happen this time around with MSU still shorthanded.
I like MSU’s depth, however, and that will play a role on Saturday. Michigan will be without Charles Matthews, leaving one less body on an already thin bench. UM got a total of two points from its reserves in a win over Maryland, and whistles always have a way of going against the visitors at MSU. Even if none of the UM starters foul out, putting them in a position to be less aggressive is a win for Sparty, and I like the home team to come out on top.
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