College basketball picks, schedule: Predictions for Texas vs. West Virginia and more Top 25 games Saturday

Eight teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll lost last Saturday and more chaos could be coming to the college basketball scene this Saturday with thirteen ranked teams on the road. With an increasing urgency from programs across the country to improve their résumés with Selection Sunday looming next month, this is when things get good. Buckle up.

In the Big 12, league-leading and fifth-ranked Texas welcomes red-hot West Virginia to town with No. 11 Iowa State, No. 12 Kansas State, No. 9 Kansas and No. 14 Baylor all lurking within one game of the Longhorns in the regular-season race. With K-State, Baylor and Kansas all on the road, the best conference in the sport (and the most entertaining conference race) may finally give us some separation.

In the Big East, conference contenders No. 10 Marquette, No. 20 Providence and No. 21 UConn are all on the road as they chase league-leading No. 13 Xavier. In the ACC, there is a three-way tie atop the standings between Clemson, Pitt and No. 8 Virginia, and two of the three — Clemson and Pitt — are on the road as well. And in the SEC, No. 3 Alabama is on potential upset alert as it faces rival Auburn on the road.

Our experts have picks and predictions for the day’s biggest games here.

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | All times Eastern

West Virginia at No. 5 Texas

Featured Game | Texas Longhorns vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

12 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV (Try for free) — West Virginia’s streaking of late with four wins in its last five outings, and the predictive metrics in that span suggest this is a borderline top-10 team. But let’s keep things simple here: Texas is the better team and has been nails all season inside the brand-new Moody Center. Hook ‘Em, straight up (and ATS). Prediction: Texas -6.5 — Boone

Featured Game | Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas Jayhawks

1 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) — Oklahoma’s competitiveness appears to be waning amid the grind of Big 12 play. The Sooners flashed their potential in a stunning 24-point win over Alabama two weeks ago but have suffered three straight double-digit losses since then. Kansas has won three of its last four and won’t be sleeping on this opponent. OU nearly won at Kansas a month ago, and the Jayhawks will be motivated to play well in the rematch order to remain in the Big 12 title hunt. Prediction: Kansas -3 — David Cobb

No. 21 UConn at No. 23 Creighton

Featured Game | Creighton Bluejays vs. Connecticut Huskies

2 p.m. | Fox,  fuboTV (Try for free) — Creighton has a perfect record in league play at home thus far this season, but this figures to be its biggest test to date. UConn is riding high after smacking top-10 Marquette earlier in the week and has the benefit of beating the Bluejays a month ago. It’s hard to win in Omaha, Nebraska, if you’re not Creighton, but UConn does exactly that. Prediction: UConn +4 — Boone

Duke at No. 8 Virginia

Featured Game | Virginia Cavaliers vs. Duke Blue Devils

4 p.m. | ESPN,  fuboTV (Try for free) — Losing by 22 on the road to Miami earlier in the week casts some serious doubts about Duke and its prospects, but I’m going to go on a limb here with an upset pick. The Blue Devils have the size and rebounding ability to give UVa fits, and the emergence of Dereck Lively as a force around the basket gives this team a different dimension. Prediction: Duke +6 — Boone

No. 14 Baylor at No. 17 TCU

Featured Game | TCU Horned Frogs vs. Baylor Bears

4 p.m. | ESPN2,  fuboTV (Try for free) — Really hard to pick against teams at home — especially one as good as TCU — but the health of two of its best players clouds this just enough for me to lean Baylor. Eddie Lampkin is still clearly hobbled and it’s unclear if Mike Miles, who has missed the last two weeks, will be on the court (and he may not be at 100%, eiether). Baylor’s on a hot streak, too, so I’ll take the surging team that’s playing well right now. Prediction: Baylor -1.5 — Boone

Featured Game | Michigan Wolverines vs. Indiana Hoosiers

6 p.m. | ESPN,  fuboTV (Try for free) — Indiana is 7-1 in its last eight games with wins over No. 1 Purdue, No. 24 Rutgers and Wisconsin all scattered within that span. It has consistently been playing like a top-10 caliber team the last month and Trayce Jackson-Davis has been playing like a first-team All-American. Give me the Hoosiers; even on the road, they have the momentum at their sails to win in a tough environment. Prediction: Indiana +3 — Boone

Who will win and cover in every college basketball game? Visit SportsLine to get picks from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times and is up more than $1,200 for $100 players on its top-rated spread picks the past six years.