Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, and more picks college basketball big games tomorrow

It is the final Saturday before championship week part 1 starts on Monday. It is going to be a huge moving day along the bracket and some bubble teams are going to wake up on Sunday morning with a lot of work to do. Here are five of the most important games taking place tomorrow.

No 1. Auburn at No. 17 Kentucky prediction and pick

Let’s say it again just in case people didn’t hear me the first time. Auburn is on pace to be one of the historically great teams of all time. The Tigers just need to finish the job. They have a two-game lead in the SEC, which is also a huge sign of their dominance, given how great that league is. The SEC may get 14 teams into the NCAA tournament. Auburn starts their brutal stretch of games with a game at Rupp Arena against Kentucky. The Tigers are coming off a season-high 106 points against Ole Miss, so some regression is expected. Kentucky has the front court players to make life hard for star Johni Broome.

Kentucky is coming off a huge momentum game when star Otega Oweh hit a shot at the buzzer to beat Oklahoma by one point. The Wildcats head into the Auburn game fully healthy, although guard Jaxon Robinson may have limited minutes as he nurses a hand injury. Kentucky is going to score points. The Wildcats have gotten in trouble when they don’t play defense, and that issue was present again against Oklahoma. Auburn is much better than Oklahoma, and if the Wildcats don’t play defense, they will get run out of their own gym. Kentucky has the momentum and needs a good win heading into the tournament.

Minnesota at Nebraska prediction and pick

The Gophers are inconsistent. One game, they look like they could win the Big Ten, and the next minute, they are getting smoked at home by inferior competition. The fact is that Minnesota has one superstar who must have a good game for them to win. Dawson Garcia is the player that will determine if Minnesota wins the game or not, if he is scoring and protecting the rim it looks for the Gophers, but if he isn’t then it will be a long night. Minnesota heads into the game against Nebraska as a desperate team that needs wins to qualify for the Big Ten tournament; they currently sit right on the cut line.

Nebraska is a desperate team in that they need to win to keep their footing for a possible NCAA tournament bid. The Huskers have some great wins but have a couple of questionable losses, and losing to Minnesota would fall into the terrible loss category. The Huskers have been inconsistent this year as well as evidenced by their last game against Michigan. Nebraska did everything right except for put the ball in the basket and lost a heartbreaker after a missed three at the buzzer. The Huskers need to focus on winning as much as possible and beating Minnesota. Hopefully they can give Brice Williams some help.

No. 6 Alabama at No. 5 Tennessee prediction and pick

There is a lot riding on this game for the Crimson Tide. They need to win to keep pace with Auburn in the SEC. They are currently two games behind the Tigers with three games to play. Everyone should know how Alabama plays by now. They run the floor, shoot threes, get to the rim, and get to the free throw line. Defense is optional at points which is ultimately going to lead to their downfall in the NCAA tournament. If they are hitting shots, they can turn the game against Tennessee into a blowout quickly, but that doesn’t usually happen in Knoxville.

Tennessee is one of the best defensive teams in the country and has shown they can shut down some of the best offenses in the country.  They allowed 53 points to Auburn and allowed 44 to Florida. The defense won’t be the issue against Alabama, and the Tide will likely be held under their average. Can the Volunteers score?  That is going to be the question for the rest of the year as far as Tennessee is concerned. The offense is three-point heavy, and if the shots are not falling, it is tough for Tennessee to win games against high-scoring opponents.

Georgia at Texas prediction and pick

Can I interest anyone in a bubble matchup?  This could very well be an elimination game for the loser. The Bulldogs just beat Florida to close out the month of February, and that win gave them their 4th quad one win. That should be enough on the bubble to make the tournament. Normally, yes, that would be enough, but the case for Georgia is their inability to win on the road. They enter play against Texas at 1-7 in true road games. The committee wants to see teams that can win on the road, and they don’t usually reward teams who can’t win on the road. This is a critically important game for the Bulldogs for their NCAA tournament resume.

The Longhorns are a confounding team. They have one of the best freshmen in the country in Tre Johnson, but he often gets very little help; their defense isn’t good enough, and yet they are still right in the thick of the NCAA tournament picture because they have been able to pull off some huge wins. Texas has wins over Kentucky, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas A&M. They also have losses to Arkansas twice, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina. The South Carolina loss is a damaging one, given they were 0-13 in the SEC when they won the game. The Longhorns need to start being desperate to make the NCAA tournament.

No. 12 Texas A&M at No. 3 Florida prediction and pick

The Aggies head into the game with Florida on a three-game losing streak, and it is in large part because of their inability to shoot the ball from deep. Texas A&M is at their best when they are getting their guards in space and are making threes. That is when they are tough to beat. The Aggies always present matchup problems for the teams they play because of their ability to crash the offensive glass and get extra possessions. They will on the glass most nights it is all going to come down to shot-making, and if they are not making threes then it will be a struggle. This is also the third-ranked game out of their last four games. SEC life is tough this year.

The Gators are coming off a loss to Georgia in Athens. Florida got behind big in that game and had to make a furious comeback before finally losing by 5 points. Everyone loses games, and the Gators have still only lost once at home, and it was a 1-point loss to hot-shooting Missouri. Florida has a better team and has far more depth than the Aggies do. Florida is also an elite rebounding team that will crash the offensive glass and have guys on the outside who will be able to minimize the effect of the Aggies guards. Florida has blown a lot of people out at home and this one may get that way.

Here are the rest of the picks from a loaded Saturday of games.