College basketball is in full swing, and things are starting to heat up in conference play. The cream starts to rise to the top once March rolls around so it’s fitting that we have six fantastic matchups for the first Saturday of the new month. Here’s our picks for the Quick 6 on Saturday! Let the madness begin!
Auburn at Kentucky. Who wins?
Rupp Arena will be rocking for this early tip-off, but beating the No. 1 team in the land will be a tall order. Kentucky lost quite handily to Alabama last Saturday and they needed a late clutch shot from Otega Oweh to barely get past Oklahoma on Wednesday.
Auburn continues to dominate teams in all phases of the game, mainly thanks to Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome. Tahaad Pettiford is also one of the most talented freshman point guards in the game today. Auburn shouldn’t have any trouble in this one.
Auburn (+1)
Kentucky (+3)
Alabama at Tennessee. Who wins?
This is the game of the day on ESPN! Alabama has a suspect defense, but their lightning-fast offensive pace is tough to slow down. Mark Sears continues to be the team leader in both scoring and assists, but I expect Grant Nelson to do most of the heavy lifting in this one.
Tennessee has one of the top defenses in the country, but I just don’t see them generating enough offense to hang with the Crimson Tide for a full 40 minutes. Bama will win a tight one here. ROLL TIDE!
Alabama (+2)
Tennessee(+2)
Texas A&M at Florida. Who Wins?
This is an interesting spot, as both teams just suffered unlikely upsets in their last outings. Texas A&M dropped a heartbreaker at home to Vandy while Florida dug a huge early hole to lose against Georgia. Both teams are locks to make the Big Dance, so figuring out which team cares the most will be key.
I’m going to roll with the Gators at home. They’re going to be in a foul mood after losing to their rival and I expect a lot more intensity from them on the defensive end. Look for Walter Clayton and Alex Condon to be too much for the Aggies to handle.
Texas A&M (3)
Florida (1)
Arizona at Iowa State. Who Wins?
I can’t believe that Arizona has lost 9 games this season! The Wildcats have a ton of talent, and their offense is tough to defend. Also, doesn’t it seem like Caleb Love has been in college for about eight years now?
Iowa State has had a fantastic season and they’ve exceeded all expectations so far. That being said, the Cyclones have been bitten by the injury bug pretty hard lately. Because of that, I’ll pick Arizona to get a close W on the road.
Arizona (2)
Iowa State (2)
Indiana at Washington. Who Wins?
Indiana has been kind of a disappointment this season, but they still have a decent chance of making the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers should be focused enough to take care of an underachieving Washington squad on the road.
Oumar Ballo will be too much for UW to handle down low. Great Osobor is a beast for Washington, but he gets very little help on offense from his supporting cast. The Hoosiers will win this one quite easily.
Indiana (1)
Washington (3)
Texas Tech at Kansas. Who Wins?
Kansas has fallen out of the Top 25 and I think they’ll be playing with a little more attitude because of that. Home court advantage still means quite a bit in college hoops and I could see the Jayhawks faithful being rowdy all afternoon long.
Texas Tech is a solid ballclub, but are they really ready to win a big conference game on the road? As long as KU can contain JT Toppin, they should be in good shape. Look for Hunter Dickinson to make his presence felt in this one. Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk!
Texas Tech (2)
Kansas (2)
