Faculty basketball went quiet over Christmas break as many gamers and coaches loved a sliver of solitude within the season to recharge and regroup for the second semester. However the motion is again in a giant means this weekend beginning with a loaded Saturday slate to whet the urge for food. Of the 25 ranked groups, 17 play Saturday and two play Sunday. It is an ideal spot to leap proper again into the season headfirst.
The video games themselves needs to be even higher than they have been earlier than the 2025 calendar 12 months ended, too, as a result of for many conferences, Saturday marks the primary official weekend when main conferences are dealing with convention foes. Meaning we get, amongst different matchups: Kentucky at Alabama, Purdue at Wisconsin, Duke at Florida State and Tennessee at Arkansas.
And that is only a pattern of the goodies on the menu.
Faculty basketball energy rankings: Michigan, Arizona stand above all else coming into new 12 months
Kyle Boone
With so many nice video games, our employees has picks straight up and towards the unfold to assist break all of them down. These picks are under.
Odds through DraftKings Sportsbook | All instances ET
Kentucky at No. 14 Alabama
12 p.m. on ESPN, fuboTV (attempt without spending a dime): Kentucky quietly closed out the 2025 calendar 12 months with four-straight wins — together with over St. John’s and Indiana — after a ghastly 5-4 begin to its season. Issues are trying up. However this can be a powerful take a look at vs. an Alabama staff that may match properly with UK’s backcourt personnel and has the tempo to set UK in a blaze. Shut recreation. Bama wins, UK covers the quantity. Choose: Kentucky +5.5 — Kyle Boone
1:30 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports activities App, Paramount+ Premium: BYU has had 12 days off to get pleasure from Christmas break and sink its tooth into this matchup. If it wins, break day shall be dubbed an excellent factor for relaxation and leisure. If it loses, I am certain the lengthy layoff shall be blamed by a number of. Finally, this recreation shall be determined by transition protection. Kansas State likes to push the tempo in transition for fast buckets. BYU hasn’t been one to run away from a observe meet, so it higher construct a wall towards Haggerty and recuperate to the shooters.
However the worst unit on this recreation is definitely Kansas State’s protection. Dybantsa has too many guys he can choose at to search out mismatches. BYU’s offense is so good at discovering the new spots with Richie Saunders or Rob Wright, too. Even on the highway, I feel BYU has 4 of the very best 5 gamers on the ground always. Kansas State can dangle round due to the quick-strike transition scoring and Haggerty’s particular person brilliance, however BYU has too many edges schematically, coaching-wise and talent-wise to disregard. Choose: Kansas State +7.5 — Trotter
No. 19 Tennessee at No. 18 Arkansas
3 p.m. on ESPN2, fuboTV (attempt without spending a dime): Arkansas has been excellent at residence this season and welcomes Tennessee into Bud Walton within the SEC opener. I am laying the factors and taking the Razorbacks to stay excellent at residence. In opposition to Louisville in December this staff took it up a notch defensively and smashed on the offensive glass. If they’ll try this towards the Vols with Trevon Brazile and Malique Ewin stepping up, that is one Arkansas can take residence. Choose: Arkansas -2.5 — Boone
No. 6 Duke at Florida State
3:45 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports activities App, Paramount+ Premium: Making a billion 3-pointers (in actuality, like 22 treys) appears like Florida State’s solely hope to spring this upset. Every little thing else screams Duke on this one. FSU is a poor defensive-rebounding staff. Georgia, Florida and UNC all corralled 15+ offensive rebounds. Ngongba, Cameron Boozer and Maliq Brown needs to be licking their chops to go to struggle on the glass. Plus, the pivot to taking part in Cayden Boozer with Caleb Foster in a two-point guard look ought to pay dividends on this one. Florida State will strain the basketball relentlessly. Having two level guards who can break that first wave of strain ought to unlock a ton of benefits on this one.
I additionally don’t suppose FSU has sufficient succesful ball-handlers exterior of McCray to constantly break down this Duke protection. Duke has been so good at grinding groups to a halt with its switches. If that occurs, Florida State has to hope McCray goes nuclear as a result of there’s not a ton of different true switch-beaters on this FSU roster. If it assaults the paint, does its factor on the glass, blankets the 3-point stripe, controls the tempo and strikes the ball with out panicking, Duke can run away with this one. Choose: Duke -15.5 — Isaac Trotter
No. 5 Purdue at Wisconsin
8 p.m. on Fox, fuboTV (attempt without spending a dime): Purdue is the higher staff and Purdue is my choose to win this one. However this can be a lot of factors to put for a staff on the highway vs. a Wisconsin membership that has been frisky and has the personnel to play as much as its competitors. I just like the Badgers to cowl this quantity. If Nolan Winter can hold Trey Kaufman-Renn in examine this’ll be a detailed one. Choose: Wisconsin +6.5 — Boone
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