My second edition of Saturday Selections. We have a great schedule of games today including a national championship rematch and Super Wild Card Weekend.
NCAA Basketball:
Ohio State (8-3) at #15 Rutgers (7-3) (-4)
Rutgers recently has seemed to always win at home. I’m a Pikiell fan and I see the Scarlet Knights pulling off a win in a close game, as we shouldn’t underestimate the Buckeyes.
Watch Ohio State at Rutgers at 12:00 PM ET on Big Ten Network.
Alabama (8-3) (-5.5) at Auburn (6-5)
Alabama has had some great wins recently, with Jahvon Quinerly the star of the team. I think the college basketball version of the Iron Bowl will be the same as the last football Iron Bowl- Alabama wins.
Watch Alabama at Auburn at 12:00 PM ET on ESPN2
#4 Texas (9-1) at #14 West Virginia (9-3) (-1.5)
If WVU Coliseum had fans, especially at full capacity, I’d pick the Mountaineers to win. But without that aspect, the Longhorns can just focus on getting a win in Morgantown. Would be a big win on the road for the number 4 team in the country.
Watch Texas at West Virginia at 1:00 PM ET on ESPN.
UConn (5-1) (-2) at Butler (3-5)
These two teams haven’t met since the 2011 National Championship Game at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The Huskies will finally get a taste of Hinkle Fieldhouse and I couldn’t be more excited. Butler looks for revenge and could have a chance, with James Bouknight a game-time decision, but the Huskies found more ways to score without Bouknight when they came back to beat Marquette by 11. Akok Akok is also expected to be back, so there’s also that. UConn by 6.
Watch UConn at Butler at 4:00 PM ET on CBS Sports Network.
Oklahoma (6-3) at #6 Kansas (9-2) (-6.5)
Last Saturday, Kansas ended up losing to a very good Texas team at home. Today, they play a tough but much easier team in Oklahoma. Seeing Oklahoma lose by 15 to Baylor in Waco certainly locks in a Kansas win for me.
Watch Oklahoma at Kansas at 4:30 PM ET on CBS.
Kentucky (3-6) at Florida (5-2) (-4.5)
Yes, Kentucky is on a 2 game winning streak after beating Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, but both of those teams aren’t very good. Florida is much more of a challenge for the Wildcats, and how they’ve not been able to win big against worse opponents secures a win for the Gators.
Watch Kentucky at Florida at 5:00 PM ET on ESPN.
LSU (7-2) at Ole Miss (6-3) (-2)
I do think LSU is a good team and maybe ranked at some point this season. Cam Thomas has been killing it in Baton Rouge and he could very well do the same here. I wish Ole Miss had played Florida so we could compare LSU’s loss to them and the outcome the Rebels would have. Kenpom.com thinks this will be a top 3 game of the day, so watch this one.
Watch LSU at Ole Miss at 8:30 PM ET on SEC Network.
UCLA (8-2) at Arizona (9-2) (-3)
After suffering a loss to USC the other night, I expect the Wildcats to bounce back against a tough UCLA team. Should be a fun late game. I think UCLA is a better team but I think Arizona has to get a bounce-back win here. The problem is the leading scorers aren’t scoring over 15 points per game.
Watch UCLA at Arizona at 9:00 PM ET on ESPN.
#17 Oregon (8-2) (-2) at Utah (4-3)
This is supposed to be a good game, but knowing the potential of Oregon compared to Utah, I see a strong road win for the Ducks in Salt Lake City.
Watch Oregon at Utah at 9:30 PM ET on Pac-12 Network.
NFL:
Colts (11-5) at Bills (13-3) (-6.5)
The Bills are one of the teams I think can make the AFC Championship game. Josh Allen was one of the best quarterbacks this year, Stefon Diggs was one of the best wide receivers, and the rest of the team is strong as well. I think this can be a very fun matchup, as the Colts have one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Watch Colts at Bills at 1:05 PM ET on CBS.
Rams (10-6) at Seahawks (12-4) (-3)
Russell Wilson always seems to succeed in the playoffs, going to 2 Super Bowls and winning one. The Rams arguably have the best overall defense in the league and the Seahawks should be scared of Aaron Donald, but with the offense Seattle has, I’ll pick the Seahawks to win in maybe the closest out of the Wild Card games.
Buccaneers (11-5) (-9) at Washington (7-9)
The moment rookie Chase Young called out Tom Brady I was extremely excited for this matchup to happen. Will Chase Young put the money where his mouth is or will Tom Brady continue his legacy as the greatest quarterback ever? Both teams have great defenses, but it’s the offense that wins me over.
Watch Buccaneers at Washington at 8:15 PM ET on NBC.
Calhoun's Corner 