Conference championship races in college basketball are starting to heat up, and this weekend’s college basketball slate could go a long way in determining pretenders from contenders. The fun begins when No. 24 Michigan faces Indiana at Assembly Hall on CBS.
Entering the weekend, Michigan is tied with Michigan State for second place in the Big Ten standings. Purdue is the lone team from the conference that has only lost one game in Big Ten play.
No. 1 Auburn is one of two Power Five teams that have yet to lose a game in conference play. That record will be tested when the Tigers host No. 6 Florida. No. 2 Duke, the other power conference team that has yet to lose a conference game, will face Clemson in one of the best matchups of the day.
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Jerry Palm
Fresh off wins over Kentucky and Texas, John Calipari and Arkansas will host No. 3 Alabama in a critical game toward the program’s NCAA Tournament hopes. The Crimson Tide have won their last five games since losing to Ole Miss at home last month.
Odds via SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern
1 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App and Paramount+ with Showtime (try it free) — This game is a matchup of teams heading into two completely different directions. Indiana is closer to missing the NCAA Tournament entirely than competing for the Big Ten regular season title. As for Michigan, coach Dusty May is on the verge of making some serious noise in Year 1 with the program. Michigan is 0.5 games out of first place in the conference standings and this will be a big road test. Look for Michigan bigs Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin to have big days against Indiana’s frontcourt. Prediction: Michigan -2.5
2 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV (Try for free) — This game will go a long way toward deciding the eventual Big East regular season champion. Marquette won the first matchup (79-71) against Creighton at home. Marquette will now travel to Ohaha to face the red-hot Bluejays, who have won their last eight games since losing to the Golden Eagles last month. Creighton star big man Ryan Kalkbrenner is the key here Prediction: Creighton -1.5
4 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV (Try for free) — Auburn has eight wins against ranked opponents this season, while Florida has one. The Gators’ lone win over a ranked opponent came against (then) No. 1 Tennessee during the opening week of SEC play. Since star big man Johni Broome has returned to the lineup, Auburn is 4-0 and has won three games by double-digits. Auburn covers the spread and wins big against Florida at home. Prediction: Auburn -8.5
6:30 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — Duke has been simply dominant against ACC competition this season. The Blue Devils’ biggest test to date (and probably during the rest of ACC play) will come against Clemson on the road. Duke can create more separation at the top of the standings with a win on the road against the Tigers. Clemson keeps this close, but Duke comes away with a tough win on the road. Prediction: Clemson +7
8:30 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — Alabama is about to begin a brutal stretch, which includes road games against Arkansas and Texas and then seven consecutive games against ranked opponents. The Razorbacks have been playing better even without star guard Boogie Fland in the lineup. The Razorbacks can build their case as a potential NCAA Tournament team with a win over the Crimson Tide, but it’s hard to see that happening. Alabama wins and covers. Prediction: Alabama -4
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