Best College Basketball Picks Today: Alabama and Tennessee Collide On Saturday

On Saturday, 20 of the top 25 teams in the country will take the floor, including the sixth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, who will travel to Knoxville for an SEC matchup against the fifth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

Additionally, the top-ranked team, Auburn, hopes to hold on to its two-game lead on the road against the high-powered Kentucky Wildcats.

Find our two best college basketball picks for Saturday’s slate below!

No. 6 Alabama @ No. 5 Tennessee Odds

Date: Saturday, March 1

Time: 4:00 pm EST

Moneyline: Alabama +140 | Tennessee -170

Spread: Alabama +3.5 (-108) | Tennessee -3.5 (-112)

Total: Over 158.5 (-110) | Under 158.5 (-110)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Alabama +3.5 (-108) at FanDuel

Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins

Tennessee has only five losses this season, but two have come against the Kentucky Wildcats, a fast-paced, high-octane team similar to the Crimson Tide.

Alabama will pull from Kentucky’s blueprint and push the pace (first in adjusted tempo), keeping the Vols from being able to set up their half-court defense.

This is not a good matchup for a team that emphasizes slowing the game down and making it a half-court duel.

The Crimson Tide have also put up two monstrous scoring outings since dropping back-to-back games to Missouri and Auburn. I’ll grab the points.

Alabama Prediction

Alabama’s offense has been firing on all cylinders recently, as the Crimson Tide have averaged 99 points per game on a 51/42/80 team shooting split over their past five outings.

And the Tide’s 3-point percentage in that stretch (42%) came with a 5-for-26 shooting performance against Auburn, the best team in the country.

Alabama will have to put up a bit more resistance against teams with top-tier offenses, but it’s hard to see that being much of an issue against this Vols squad.

Tennessee Prediction

Tennessee again has the best defense in the country (KenPom), holding opponents to the third-fewest points per game on the lowest effective field goal percentage.

The Vols are one of the slowest teams nationally and like to grind out games rather than engage in shootouts.

Despite losing star guard Dalton Knecht to last year’s NBA Draft, the Vols have managed to maintain a top-25 offense (KenPom).

However, they don’t want to lean on their play on that end of the floor to stay close to opponents.

No. 1 Auburn @ No. 17 Kentucky Odds

Date: Saturday, March 1

Time: 1:00 pm EST

Moneyline: Auburn -200 | Kentucky +164

Spread: Auburn -4.5 (-114) | Kentucky +4.5 (-106)

Total: Over 164.5 (-115) | Under 164.5 (-105)

All odds are available via FanDuel Sportsbook but are subject to change.

PICK: Over 164.5 (-115) at FanDuel

Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins

While Kentucky and Auburn haven’t faced off this season, we certainly know what to expect: lots of offense.

In a game between Auburn and Alabama, a similarly styled team, the two high octane squads combined to score 179 points earlier this year.

On their home floor, the Wildcats have averaged 91.2 points per game, the most of any team nationally, on the second-highest effective field goal percentage.

Meanwhile, Auburn happens to score the fourth-most points per game on the road (83.1).

Frankly, the Wildcats know that they can keep this game close only if they push the pace and try to outshoot Auburn, so expect an up-tempo game with lots of scoring.

Auburn Prediction

Very little could happen between now and Selection Sunday that would push the Auburn Tigers out of the top seed.

Auburn has had an utterly dominant season, losing just two games, both against teams now ranked in the top five in the country.

The Tigers are pacing to have one of the most efficient offensive seasons in the history of college basketball behind superstar forward Johni Broome and scoring guard Chad Baker-Mazara.

Kentucky Prediction

As expected, the Kentucky Wildcats have experienced some highs and lows in their first season under head coach Mark Pope.

Pope’s focus heading into this season was to be one of the fastest teams in college basketball, and he has undoubtedly succeeded in that venture. The Wildcats rank 36th in adjusted tempo and sixth in adjusted offensive efficiency (KenPom).

On any given night, the Wildcats can win simply due to their high-powered offense and elite shooting.

However, their oftentimes lackadaisical defense can get them in trouble against great teams when their shots aren’t falling.

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