Free Saturday College Basketball Picks: NCAA Conference Tournaments

Here are some of my favorite NCAA Basketball games for Saturday in Conference Tournament week. There are some great semi-final and finals match-ups this week, getting me prepared for the Big Dance right around the bend. Enjoy the show!

Tennessee Volunteers @ Kentucky Wildcats (-4): I like the Wildcats to turn it on here. The Vols have always been big game warriors, but one of these days their lack of consistency is going to catch up with them, and it’s going to happen on a big stage. This is that big stage, and I think the time is now. John Wall can make the Vols pay by running the floor and pushing the ball. I don’t expect a lack of focus by the Cats this morning and that should give them the advantage.

Illinois Fighting Illini @ Ohio State Buckeyes (-7.5): I know the Illini fought through a tough Wisconsin team early last night, then held off their comeback hopes and got the big upset. I know that they are tough and resilient. However, I still see a void in their big games, something that didn’t show up yesterday but will likely be evident today when they play an Ohio State team looking at a possible 1-seed. There’s a lot for both teams to play for, and I don’t see Evan turner letting Ohio State win. I’m taking the Buckeyes big.

Miami Hurricanes (+11.5) @ Duke Blue Devils: I don’t know what I think about this except that the line is inflated because it’s a tournament game and Duke is taking part in it. The regular season line was 4 points lower, and that’s about what it should be here. So I’ll take Miami – it seems like the smart bet, and while Duke might not shoot poorly again, Miami can do lots of good things offensively – and if Duke is having a down game shooting, the Canes will upset the Devils.