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The Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels will collide for the 252nd meeting of what is arguably the greatest rivalry in all of sports on Saturday night with the nation watching on ESPN. Though the rivalry doesn’t have as much at stake this time around with the Heels a wounded bunch basically just fighting for their NIT lives, that doesn’t mean the rivalry will cool off. Especially with the Dookies looking to avenge what UNC did to them at online sportsbooks last season by sweeping the regular season meetings. Granted Zion Williamson missed both, but the Blue Devils only won by a single point with him back in the lineup for round three in the ACC Tournament. Still, North Carolina is a vastly different team now than they were then which will find them dogged to their hated rivals on their own hardwood for the first time since 2014. ... 

The Tennessee Volunteers got the best of the Kentucky Wildcats a season ago in splitting the regular season rivalry before knocking John Calipari’s squad out of the SEC Tournament in the semifinal round. Rick Barnes’ troops return home for this rivalry match fresh off an upset win in Tuscaloosa where they toppled the Alabama Crimson Tide as short dogs. The last time the Knoxville faithful saw their team in live action, they got embarrassed by the Texas A&M Aggies whom they closed as near 10-point favorites to defeat at online sportsbooks. While Jordan Bowden and company are sure to put their best foot forward, it’s going to take an optimum effort to get the best of the Wildcats as effective a brand of ball Nik Richards has been playing of late. ... 

The No. 10 Villanova Wildcats will return to the Wells Fargo Center looking to put an end to a two-game losing streak after falling at the buzzer last time out against Butler. It’s the longest losing streak of the season for Jay Wright’s troops, so it’s safe to assume Saddiq Bey and company will be doing everything in their power to get back on track in this spot. Easier said than done however with Myles Powell and the Big East leading Seton Hall Pirates hitting their hardwood looking to sweep the road trip after going into Georgetown and coming out with the win and cover over the Hoyas. Regardless of The Hall ranking out as the No. 10 team in the country, it hasn’t ousted the Wildcats on their home court since before the turn of the century. Should it, the Pirates just might be something truly special this season. ... 

The No. 10 Villanova Wildcats just got rolled up and smoked at home by the Creighton Bluejays which saw their seven-game win streak go up in smoke. The No. 19 Butler Bulldogs also came out on the wrong end of the scoreboard against Providence over the weekend to fall for only the second time in front of the hometown faithful this season. With that, you’d expect both squads to bring their “A” games to the hardwood on Wednesday night when the team’s close out their regular season rivalry. Butler will be out to even the score after the Wildcats logged the dominant 76-61 win and cover as 3.5-point favorites at online sportsbooks in the first showdown to move to a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS in the last five overall meetings between the two schools. ... 

Since falling at home to the Baylor Bears for the first time in program history, the Kansas Jayhawks have been on a roll in winning five straight games while covering the closing college basketball odds at online sportsbooks four times. One of those wins and pointspread covers occurred in Austin a few weeks back when Bill Self’s squad scored the 66-57 triumph as 7.5-point favorites. Of the five wins, it proved to be the toughest to secure with the Horns taking a 5-point lead into the break before coming unraveled in the second half. Can Shaka Smart’s kids see it all the way through in the rematch? I’m betting they do; especially with KU in a prime letdown spot following Saturday’s huge home clash with the Texas Tech Red Raiders. ... 

The Duke Blue Devils and Syracuse Orange split their pair of regular season meetings a season ago with the road team coming out on top in each instance. The Dookies then got the last laugh in the ACC Tournament when they scored the 84-72 triumph but failed to cover the closing 12.5-point spread at online sportsbooks. Syracuse has had all sorts of issues in the recent rivalry dropping seven of the last 10 meetings, but has gone a money making 5-2 ATS in the last seven. With it coming up winners in just nine of 15 home games, Jim Boeheim’s kids are going to need to put forth a stellar effort to hand the Blue Devils their second road defeat of the season. ... 

Chris Beard is one heck of a coach to have the Texas Tech Red Raiders clocking in at 13-7 and 3-3 in Big 12 play with all the firepower lost from last season’s runner-up squad. A huge challenge awaits them late Saturday afternoon when they invade Lawrence looking to hand the No. 3 ranked Kansas Jayhawks a second home defeat in Big 12 play. Bill Self gets the benefit of having David McCormack back from his two-game suspension, and that could go a long way in helping wear down a Red Raiders defense that’s nowhere near as lock down as it was last year. Should that be the case, the Red Raiders will need its offense to rise up for it to have any chance of pulling the upset. Easier said than done with KU holding Texas Tech to an average of just 65.6 points in its last five visits to the Phog! ... 

The Auburn Arena is going to be in a frenzy early Saturday evening when the No. 13 Kentucky Wildcats come a calling looking to stockpile a third straight impressive win on the road after tasking down Arkansas and Texas Tech in their two most recent treks away from Lexington. That’s something Bruce Pearl’s No. 17 Auburn Tigers will attempt to prevent when they return home off winning a third straight after fighting back to defeat Ole Miss in overtime. John Calipari’s kids swept the regular season rivalry from the Tigers a season ago, but Auburn had the last laugh when the team’s met up in the Final Four and survived in overtime to punch the program’s first-ever ticket to the National Championship Game. Online sportsbooks are without a doubt bracing themselves for the copious amounts of action set to be booked on this grudge match! ... 

A loaded slate of college hoops tips off early on Saturday in New Jersey where Myles Powell and the No. 10 ranked Seton Hall Pirates will attempt to continue their upward ascension in the rankings against an Xavier Musketeers outfit it already handled once this season in early January. Kevin Willard’s troops were installed underdogs at online sportsbooks in that one, but you can bet your bottom dollar linemakers will have the Pirates installed heavy chalk this time around with the X-Men winners in just one of their last six played games and The Hall out to build upon their current 10-game win streak that finds them atop the Big East. ... 

Could tired legs play a role when the Oregon Ducks play host to the UCLA Bruins on Sunday night? Dana Altman’s kids secured a marathon overtime win against the USC Trojans on Thursday night a game removed from needing overtime to dispose of the Washington Huskies in Seattle. As for UCLA, it looks like it’s recently started to figure things out since dropping three straight to Washington State, USC and Stanford all in non-covering fashion at online sportsbooks. Does that mean that we should just blindly take the points with the Bruins considering they’ve owned the recent rivalry in taking four of the last five meetings both SU and ATS? If you can believe it, I’m leaning that way! ... 

Assembly Hall will be at a fever pitch come Sunday afternoon when the Indiana Hoosiers attempt to upset another ranked team in Big Ten play when Mark Turgeon’s No. 17 Maryland Terrapins come to town. Both clubs enter this tilt off big wins. The Terps got more than they bargained for in Evanston to kick off the week, but Jalen Smith and Aaron Wiggins came up huge in the second half to allow for the team to log a second straight win and cover to remain in the thick of the conference title race. As for the Hoosiers, Archie Miller’s kids might have just put forth their statement game of the season by upsetting the No. 11 Michigan State Spartans as short underdogs. With the teams tied in the standings and Maryland sweeping the rivalry a season ago, Indiana can’t afford to let down in this spot before hitting the road for a pair of tough games. ... 

Getting the showcase treatment on Saturday night will be the No. 1 ranked Baylor Bears who will be venturing into unchartered territory to Gainesville where the Florida Gators have made minced meat of its recent opposition. Mike White’s kids will be taking to their home hardwood in an ornery mood as well after dropping a tough decision in Baton Rouge to the LSU Tigers last time out. That said, no team has excelled more than Baylor in the Big 12/SEC Challenge with it coming out on top five of the last six seasons. With that, you can expect Scott Drew’s side to be a popular choice of the betting markets when these team collide at online sportsbooks in prime-time! ... 

The No. 18 Texas Tech Red Raiders have been unable to build upon the success the program experienced in last year’s NCAA tournament. Chris Beard’s kids have managed a 12-6 record to this point of the season, but have gone on to cost CBB bettors money at online sportsbooks by managing just eight pointspread covers in those matchups. On top of that, they’ve failed to come through against any team faced with a pulse. They’ll be looking to remedy that on Saturday night in front of what will no doubt be a raucous crowd when Tyrese Maxey and the No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats come a calling looking to log their biggest win on the true road to date. ... 

The last time the Tennessee Volunteers and Kansas Jayhawks crossed paths on the hardwood, Dedric Lawson helped lead Bill Self’s squad to the thrilling 87-81 win in overtime as 3-point favorites in the finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center a season ago. While he’s no longer on the team, Kansas still ranks out amongst the best teams in the country currently checking in as the No. 1 team in the country per the most recent Pomeroy Ratings. The same can’t and won’t be said about Rick Barnes’ Vols who rank No. 50 overall and already have six losses to their name. Maybe the suspensions handed down on Kansas keep this game a bit more interesting than they would originally had both teams been able to play at full strength. ... 

Fade the Baylor Bears they said! There’s no way they show up against Iowa State after winning in the Phog they said! Its easy money they said! Well, it’s back to the drawing board for those that thought fading the No. 2 ranked team in the country was a wise choice. This spot however at home against the Oklahoma Sooners on Big Monday is an entirely different animal. Lon Kruger’s kids were pretty much handled with ease by KU in their nationally televised Super Tuesday appearance last week, so it’s pretty safe to assume they’ll come out determined to put a much better showing at online sportsbooks this time around. But will it be enough to contend with a Bears squad that’s one of the favored sides to cut the nets down in March? I’m betting it will be! ... 

Now a full week removed from dropping a disappointing decision to Baylor that allowed the Bears to secure their first ever win at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, the No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks will be out to score a second straight road win when they invade the Lone Star State to take on the streaking Texas Longhorns. While it’s no doubt been a rough go of it for Shaka Smart since bolting VCU for Austin, this could be as good a spot as any for his kids to rattle off a third straight win against a top-ranked opponent. Bill Self’s squad could possibly without the services of Devon Dotson who sat last game out due to the injury sustained to his hip last Saturday. In order to come out triumphant at online sportsbooks and take a second straight at home against KU, the Horns offense must continue to play like it has throughout the win streak. ... 

The Penn State Nittany Lions need a spark in the worst of ways. Pat Chambers’ kids have had an extremely rough go of it lately in dropping three straight after falling in Minnesota on Wednesday night 75-69 to the Golden Gophers. Luckily for them, they get to return to the comforts of their own gym for Saturday’s revenge bout with the Ohio State Buckeyes who trashed them in Columbus to tip off Big Ten play back in early December. Since sweeping the Buckeyes in all three skirmishes back in 2018, the Nittany Lions have failed to come out victorious in each of the last two skirmishes. After getting bounced from the game early in the second half of the first meeting, you can expect Lamar Stevens to be out for blood in the second go round in hopes of getting his squad back on track. ... 

The No. 3 ranked Duke Blue Devils return home from Littlejohn Coliseum with their tails between their legs after watching their nine-game win streak go up in flames against the Clemson Tigers. The “Cameron Crazies” were already likely to be lit for this primetime matchup with the No. 11 Louisville Cardinals, but the fact that their team will hit the hardwood looking to avoid dropping two straight should have them amped even more. Chris Mack’s kids were forced to expend a ton of energy to dispose of Pitt last time out, so it will be interesting to see what they have left in the tank to close the road trip out in style. That said, The Ville has failed to win or cover its pair of treks to Durham since joining the ACC and got smashed 82-56 back in 2018. ... 

Though the regular season is still in its infancy, the Cincinnati Bearcats and No. 22 Memphis Tigers look to be two of the stronger teams the conference has to offer. With that, Thursday night’s clash off Beale Street could end up going a long way in helping decide the regular season title holder. Having already dropped a 76-67 decision on the road at Wichita State, this is a game Anfernee Hardaway’s kids must win and linemakers at online sportsbooks are likely to have them installed short favorites to do just that; especially with the Bearcats owners of poor 1-5 SU and ATS records when playing away from the comforts of its own gym. Three seasons have passed since the Tigers logged a win in this rivalry (3-3 ATS), so you can expect Memphis to be way up for this one knowing full well the last time it played in front of the hometown faithful it dropped a 65-62 decision to Anthony Edwards and the Georgia Bulldogs. ... 

The Purdue Boilermakers just got done handing their supporters one of the worst pointspread defeats of the college basketball betting season when they dropped an 84-78 decision to the Michigan Wolverines in overtime as 5.5-point underdogs. Maybe they can make up for it at online sportsbooks Sunday afternoon when they return home to the comforts of Mackey Arena to host the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans. The chore won’t be easy however with Tom Izzo’s troops catching fire of late having rattled off five straight pointspread covers since stinking the joint up for CBB bettors throughout the month of December. ... 

Must-see college hoops is set to go down in the Big 12 at online sportsbooks on Saturday afternoon when the No. 4 Baylor Bears and No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks square off in hopes of getting a leg up in the conference title race. Scott Drew’s Bears have busted out of the gates with 12 wins through 13 tries and invade Lawrence amidst an 11-game win streak after going into Lubbock and handling the Texas Tech Red Raiders earlier in the week. Rock Chalk was also impressive on Wednesday night when it went into the Hilton Coliseum, a place that’s been nightmarish recently, and trounced the Iowa State Cyclones. Both teams ability to play lock down defense and hit the glass should find this matchup go down to the wire in a game the scoreboard operators aren’t likely to get a workout in. ... 

The No. 13 ranked Louisville Cardinals hit the road for the first time since coughing up a win in Lexington on Saturday afternoon when they head for South Bend in hopes of handing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a fifth straight defeat in the recent rivalry. Mike Brey’s troops return home off spitting the bit in Raleigh where they had the NC State Wolfpack on the ropes but failed to administer the knockout blow and suffered both SU and ATS defeats at online sportsbooks because of it. With the Irish winless at home in ACC play and the Cardinals looking to remain undefeated on the conference road, huge efforts are expected to be put forth from both squads making points likely tougher to come by. ... 

The No. 11 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will be out to put an end to an ugly three-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon when they invade Assembly Hall looking to increase its win streak to five straight against the Indiana Hoosiers. The season has taken a dramatic turn for the worse for Chris Holtmann’s kids; but they’ll no doubt enter this tilt confident having had Indiana’s number the last two seasons. That said, Archie Miller’s troops have been at their best in front of the hometown faithful where they’ve rattled off 10 wins through 11 tries on the year. Regardless, this is a spot the Buckeyes should shine should it be taken as a serious Big Ten title contender moving forward. ... 

The Iowa Hawkeyes return to the comforts of their own gym badly in need of a victory after dropping back-to-back contests to Penn State and Nebraska on the road to fall to 1-3 SU and 1-2-1 ATS in Big Ten play. On the flipside, the Maryland Terrapins invade the Midwest fresh off earning three straight wins at home with the most recent coming in a dominating effort against the Ohio State Buckeyes to move to 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS versus B1G opposition. Fran McCaffery’s kids have logged just one win and pointspread cover at online sportsbooks in their last five run-ins with the Terps, so you can expect Luka Garza and his mates to put forth one of those patented “circle the wagons” type efforts in hopes of getting off the schneid and back in the good graces of their wagering supporters. ... 

To say the No. 12 Michigan Wolverines have Sunday’s B1G matchup against the No. 14 Michigan State Spartans circled would be quite the understatement. Tom Izzo’s troops just so happened to bust the broom out on the Wolverines last season by taking both regular season matchups as well as the biggest of the year in the title game of the Big Ten Tournament. On top of all that, they covered the closing college basketball odds offered up at online sportsbooks in each and every one of those skirmishes. Sparty had a tune-up against Illinois to kick off the New Year, while the Wolverines will have had six full days to get their minds and bodies right for this pivotal grudge match. Will that scheduling advantage have Juwan Howard’s kids in a position to excel come Sunday afternoon’s tip? ...