We’re just a week away from the start of most men’s college basketball conference tournaments. The action on the court has been thrilling thus far with multiple upsets across the board.
With Saturday’s lineup chocked-full of marquee games, which teams will fans – and bettors alike – pay attention to on March 2? We’ll cover the top three marquee games for Saturday and provide betting guidance for the best selection from each.
No. 24 Florida Gators at No. 18 South Carolina (-1.5) 12 p.m.
The Florida Gators (20-8) kick off Saturday’s slate with a thrilling SEC matchup to determine third place in the conference. Florida has won five of its last six contests, losing only to No. 13 Alabama during the past four weeks. The Gators are led by junior guard Walter Clayton Jr as the Lake Wales, Florida, native is pouring in 16.8 points and 2.8 assists per contest.
South Carolina (23-5) could slide up into a three-way tie for first depending on this weekend’s action. The Gamecocks rebounded from a two-game losing streak by stringing together two wins over the past week.
To extend their win streak to three, South Carolina needs guard Meechie Johnson and forward B.J. Mack to excel against the Gators.
Best Bet: UNDER 147 points
South Carolina is scoring just over 71 points per game, and the Gamecocks are among the nation’s best defensive teams this season.
While Florida is pouring in 84.7 points each outing, expect South Carolina to control this game from the tip and continue their winning ways.
No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks at No. 15 Baylor Bears (-5) 1 p.m.
The Kansas Jayhawks (21-7) continue their march toward another deep postseason run by facing off against a familiar Big 12 foe. Kansas has been pedestrian as of late, losing three of their past five games. The Jayhawks schedule continues to stiffen next week as a date against the No. 1 Houston Cougars and an underrated Kansas State Wildcats awaits them.
Baylor (20-8) put their two-game losing streak to bed by upending TCU 62-54 Monday. The Bears have been a streaky bunch, stringing together winning and losing streaks since the start of the Big 12 conference play.
Baylor relies on guard Ja’Kobe Walter to lead their offense as the 6-5 freshman is averaging 14.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in his debut season.
Best Bet: UNDER 146.5 Points
These two teams have already faced off once this season as Kansas scored a 64-61 victory over Baylor three weeks ago. Expect a similar defensive battle this week with scores roughly in the same range.
While the Bears could win this contest, the final score of 71-67 is a likely outcome for these Big 12 rivals.
No. 5 Marquette Golden Eagles at No. 12 Creighton Bluejays (-4.5) 2:30 pm
Marquette (22-6) faces back-to-back tough tests against Big East foes. The Golden Eagles – winners of 11 of their past 12 outings – can displace the Huskies for first place with some help over the final week of the season. To do so, Marquette needs to win Saturday on the road. The Golden Eagles are led by guard Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek, a pair of 15-point scorers on the year.
Creighton (21-8) looks to continue their climb up the Big East rankings by upsetting their conference foes. The Bluejays are just over a week past their upset of previous No. 1 UConn, defeating the Huskies 85-66 in the team’s worst setback of the season.
Creighton is led by guard Baylor Scheierman as the 6-7 senior is scoring 18.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Best Bet: Creighton -4.5
Despite Marquette owning a five-point victory earlier this season, Creighton is a better team heading into this matchup. The Bluejays are 14-4 at home, last losing on Feb 2 to Butler in a 99-98 upset.
Expect Creighton to build on their three-game home winning streak by beating Marquette soundly Saturday.
