Selection Sunday is only nine days away!
Saturday’s NCAA college basketball slate will end the regular season for many clubs who will then turn their focus to their respective conference tournaments.
On tap Saturday, the board offers bettors solid investment opportunities highlighted by an intriguing SEC clash of ranked rivals, a Big 12 showdown involving ranked foes as well Mike Krzyzewski’s last home game as head coach of Duke.
Let’s dive into the matchups!
Check NCAA Men's College Basketball Odds at SI Sportsbook
Spread: Arkansas +7 (-110) | Tennessee -7 (-110)
Total: 140– Over (-110) | Under 140 (-110)
Venue: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn.
Game Info: Saturday Mar. 5, 2022 | 12 p.m. ET | ESPN
The line has held steady since its opening in favor of No. 13 Tennessee (22-7 straight-up (SU); 17-12 against the spread (ATS)) as a 7-point favorite over No. 14 Arkansas (24-6 SU; 18-11-1 ATS) at SI Sportsbook.
Arkansas, who is 5-3 on the road, will look to extend its five-game winning streak Saturday when it heads to Knoxville. The Razorbacks have rewarded bettors away from Fayetteville by posting a lucrative 6-2 ATS mark.
In the first matchup against Tennessee, JD Notae and Jaylin Williams combined for 26 of the club’s 58 points (45%) in a 58-48 victory as two-point home favorites.
Arkansas, fresh off a 77-76 home win over LSU on Wednesday, are an impressive 14-1 in their last 15 games. The Razorbacks have translated those wins into financial rewards for bettors, as the club has posted a solid 12-2-1 ATS mark at home.
Notae is the SEC’s second-leading scorer behind only Scottie Pippen Jr. of Vanderbilt at 18.8 points per game.
Tennessee, who has won eight of its last nine SEC games, owns signature wins over Auburn, Kentucky and Arizona. The Volunteers, who are one-game behind Auburn in the SEC, will again need solid production from their backcourt duo of Kennedy Chandler (13.6 ppg) and Santiago Vescovi (13.5 ppg). Dating to January, the dynamic pair have led the team in scoring in 12 of the 17 games for Rick Barnes’ squad.
In the first meeting, the Razorbacks contained both Chandler and Vescovi as both players struggled from deep, combining for 2 of 14 in a game the Volunteers shot an abysmal 4-24 (16.7%) overall from beyond the arc.
Arkansas has won six of the last 10 meetings against Tennessee, and both clubs are desperate to win their final SEC regular season game as they attempt to improve their seeding ahead of next week’s SEC tournament in Nashville.
Respected money in early wagering believes that the Razorbacks, despite the Volunteers being 15-0 at home this season, will stay within the points Saturday.
BET: Arkansas +7
Spread: Texas +6.5 (-110) | Kansas -6.5 (-110)
Total: 141– Over (-110) | Under 141 (-110)
Venue: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
Game Info: Saturday Mar. 5, 2022 | 4 p.m. ET | ESPN
The line has held steady since its opening in favor of No. 6 Kansas (24-6 SU; 13-16-1 ATS) as a 6.5-point favorite over No. 21 Texas (19-9 SU; 12-18 ATS) at SI Sportsbook.
The Longhorns head into battle with the Jayhawks looking to get their uneven play on the right track ahead of the Big 12 tournament. Texas has posted a pedestrian 3-3 SU record over their last six conference tilts that has resulted in a disappointing 1-5 ATS mark. The Longhorns are led by senior forward Timmy Allen (12.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg).
Senior guard Marcus Carr, who has scored in double-digits in three straight games, will need help from his backcourt teammates Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey if they have any hopes of upsetting Kansas and improving their 4-6 road record.
In the first meeting between these Big 12 foes last month, Texas beat Kansas, 79-76, in Austin as 1-point home underdogs. Allen scored a game-high 24 points and Tre Mitchell poured in a season-high 17 points for the Longhorns.
Kansas, who snapped a two-game losing skid Thursday night with a victory over TCU, have not been kind to bettors since the start of 2022. The Jayhawks have posted a disappointing 7-12 ATS mark over their last 19 games since the start of January.
The Jayhawks, who are tied with Baylor for the coveted No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament, are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games.
Kansas will need solid production from their dynamic backcourt duo of Ochai Agbaji (20.1 ppg, 5.3 rbg) and Christian Bruan (15.1 ppg, 6.0 rbg) against a Longhorns squad that is eighth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 59.1 points per game.
Texas has won three consecutive games against Kansas but the Jayhawks have won six of the last 10 meetings overall. The respected money in Vegas immediately grabbed the points when this line opened Friday afternoon.
Let’s follow their lead and fade the Jayhawks despite being 14-1 at Allen Fieldhouse this season. This appears to be just too many points.
BET: Texas +6.5
Spread: UNC +10.5 (-110) | Duke -10.5 (-110)
Total: 154– Over (-110) | Under 154 (-110)
Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, N.C.
Game Info: Saturday March 5, 2022 | 6 p.m. ET | ESPN
The line has ticked up since its opening in favor of No. 4 Duke (26-4 SU; 17-11-2 ATS) as 11-point home favorites over North Carolina (22-8 SU, 14-15-1 ATS) to a 10.5-point demand at SI Sportsbook.
The Blue Devils remain the only team in the ACC to be ranked in the Top 25. Freshman Paolo Banchero leads the club in scoring (16.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 pg), but Duke has a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging double-digits scoring.
Duke is 7-0 SU and 4-3 ATS in its last seven games and enters Saturday’s tilt fresh off a 86-56 road win at Pittsburgh on Tuesday as 14.5-point road favorites.
The Blue Devils have already locked up the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament and will face the Tar Heels for the second time this season.
In the first matchup, Duke dismantled North Carolina, 87-67, at the Dean Center as a 3.5-point road favorite. Freshman forward AJ Griffin was instrumental in the victory, pouring in a season-high 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field. Banchero, Wendell Moore and Trevor Keels joined Griffin in adding double-digit scoring, which resulted in Duke shooting an eye-popping 57.6% from the field.
North Carolina, who is currently on a four-game winning streak, has rewarded bettors with a 3-1 ATS mark over that span. Junior forward Armando Bacot has recorded an astounding 23 double-doubles in 30 games this season which has resulted in the team lead in scoring (16.4 ppg) and rebounding (12.7 rbg).
Bacot leads a cast of four Tar Heels averaging double-digits, which includes sophomore guard Caleb Love (15.5 ppg), who has been the club’s leading scorer in six of the last 11 games.
Upon a deeper dive we, also discover North Carolina is an impressive 8-3 ATS in the last 11 matchups with the Blue Devils with five consecutive games soaring over the posted total demanded by oddsmakers. Duke will have arguably the best player on the court in Banchero, as well as a tremendous home court advantage playing in front of a raucous crowd in Coach K’s last game as head coach of the Blue Devils at Cameron.
BET: Duke -10.5