College basketball picks, schedule: Predictions for Kentucky vs. Alabama and more Top 25 games Saturday

The final Saturday of February is here, and the stakes are high across college basketball as teams fight for their NCAA Tournament chances, jockey for conference title hopes and try and climb their way up the projected seeding charts for March Madness. Saturday’s slate is a high-octane menu of consequential action that includes a pair of top-10 matchups and a rare out-of-conference blockbuster.

No. 3 Duke and Illinois will be squaring off at Madison Square Garden to highlight the evening slate as Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer seeks to test his team against a quality Big Ten opponent. The showcase opportunity presents an opportunity for Duke to escape the doldrums of a bad ACC and get more experience in a neutral-site situation ahead of the postseason.

There are 15 games featuring ranked teams on Saturday, including three ranked vs. ranked matchups. With the regular season coming down to the wire, the intensity will be heating up. March is just around the corner, and the light is at the end of the tunnel following the grind of a long season.

Here are the CBS Sports expert picks for five of the day’s top games.

Odds via SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern

4 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App and Paramount+ with Showtime (try it free) —  If Kansas is going to get back on track, this is where it starts. Oklahoma State doesn’t have a single Big 12 road win and likes to play fast. Look for the Jayhawks to embrace the Cowboys’ tempo and use a few big runs to build an insurmountable lead. KU doesn’t just need to win; it needs a cathartic release of pent-up frustration, and that could come at Oklahoma State’s expense.  Prediction: Kansas -16.5

6 p.m. | ESPN,  fuboTV (Try for free) — Alabama beat a full-strength Kentucky team 102-97 on the road last month. Now, the Crimson Tide get a hobbled UK team at home. A two-game losing skid should create a sense of urgency for an Alabama squad that is navigating a brutal closing stretch to the regular season. Head coach Nate Oats will have his team’s full attention after a 110-98 loss at Missouri, and that should translate to a better defensive effort against the Wildcats. Prediction: Alabama -8.5

No. 3 Duke vs. Illinois at New York

8 p.m. | Fox,  fuboTV (Try for free) — Duke has mastered the art of bludgeoning overmatched teams in the ACC. But its track record against competent opposition is a bit murkier. All three of its losses are away from home against teams ranked between 17 and 24 at KenPom.com. Illinois ranks No. 21 at KenPom, and this game is at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Devils should win, but the spread here is tough to take. Prediction: Illinois +10.5

10 p.m. | ESPN,  fuboTV (Try for free) — Considering that BYU just eviscerated Kansas 91-57, it may be tempting to side with the Cougars. But Arizona’s only home loss this season is against No. 4 Houston, and all of its home victories are by at least eight points. The Wildcats won the first meeting by 11 at BYU earlier this month and should produce a similar performance in the second meeting.  Prediction: Arizona -7.5

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