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 February rolls around so it’s fitting that we have six fantastic matchups for the last Saturday of the month. Here’s our picks for the Quick 6 on Saturday! Good luck!
Tennessee at Texas A&M. Who wins?
This is a fantastic ‘Buy Low’ spot on the Aggies, who are coming off a tough outing against Mississippi State on Tuesday. Even with that loss, Texas A&M is still a very dangerous team, especially when they’re playing at home. I expect a big game from Wade Taylor IV, who leads the team in both points and assists
Tennessee has a stellar defense and they should be well-rested after a whole week off. That being said, this is a tough travel spot for the Vols. They had to fight tooth and nail just to get by Vandy last Saturday. The Aggies will win a close one here!
Tennessee (+3)
Texas A&M (+3)
Iowa State at Houston. Who wins?
I was tempted to take the underdog Cyclones in this spot, but I just can’t fade the best defense in the country. Houston leads the nation in defensive efficiency and points allowed per game. The Coogs should also get plenty of offense at home behind LJ Cryer and J’Wan Roberts.
Iowa State will be a tough out, but they’ll have a difficult time finding any open shots in this one. The Cyclones have a stellar offense, but they have yet to face a defense as fierce as the Cougars. Give me Houston!
Iowa State (+4)
Houston (+2)
Kentucky at Alabama. Who Wins?
This is a great revenge spot for Kentucky, who lost to Alabama back on January 18th at Rupp Arena. However, the Wildcats are extremely banged up at the point guard position. Otega Oweh is a talented player, but Kentucky’s lack of depth will hurt them against this fast-paced Crimson Tide squad.
Alabama lost a tough one against their archrival Auburn last weekend, but they are due for some positive regression. There’s no way they’ll shoot just 5 of 26 from three-point land this game, especially since Kentucky ranks just 91st in opponent field-goal percentage. Mark Sears and Grant Nelson will prove to be too much for Big Blue to handle. Roll Tide!
Kentucky (3)
Alabama (1)
Oregon at Wisconsin. Who Wins?
I wanted to pick the Ducks to pull the upset, but the Badgers have won five in a row and have shown no signs of slowing down. John Tonje has posted back-to-back 30+ point games and Oregon just doesn’t have the defense to contain him. The Ducks rank just 150th in points allowed.
Oregon has some nice pieces on offense, so they could make this game interesting in the first half. Nate Bittle is a solid scorer and rebounder down low, but Wisconsin center Nolan Winter has the size and ability to slow him down just enough. The Badgers should cruise at home in the second half.
Oregon (5)
Wisconsin (1)
Purdue at Indiana. Who Wins?
Purdue has a lot more talent than Indiana, but the Boilermakers have been ice-cold lately. Purdue has lost three straight games and this Sunday’s game will be their second straight road contest. Indiana will be hungry for revenge after losing by just five to Purdue just a few weeks ago.
The Hoosiers’ main offensive weapon is their big man Oumar Ballo, who leads the team in both points and rebounds. I’m calling my shot for the big upset and hoping against hope that Bello can get Trey Kaufman-Renn into some foul trouble early on in this Big Ten battle.
Purdue (1)
Indiana (6)
BYU at Arizona. Who Wins?
BYU may be the underdog in this spot, but this team is in excellent form of late. The Cougars have won three straight and their recent blowout win over Kansas showed the college hoops world that they are for real. Richie Sanders is a gifted scorer that ‘Zona will struggle to stop.
Arizona has had an up-and-down season so far and they’ve lost two of their last three games. The Wildcats have a solid defense but they’ve struggled on the offensive end all year long, especially from three-point land. Caleb Love will probably have a big game, but I still like BYU to pull off the road upset!
BYU (4)
Arizona (2)
