College basketball picks, schedule: Predictions, odds for Illinois vs. Wisconsin and other key games

The madness of March is approaching quickly, with races to win conference championships heating up all over the nation and battles for NCAA Tournament seeding getting intense. So as the regular season grinds to a halt, these next two weeks are when titles are won or lost, bubbles are burst, and the real fun begins.

Saturday’s slate should be a nice sampling of everything that’s at stake. As far as conference races go, there’s plenty on the line. Alabama can win at least a share of the SEC with a win. Michigan can do the same in the Big Ten with a win (and some help). And Baylor can grab its first regular-season conference crown in the Big 12 with a win, or a West Virginia loss.

Then there are seeding ramifications. Scenarios abound, ranging from teams vying for better positioning, others fighting for at-large worthiness and a handful trying to avoid the dreaded bubble. But Duke’s home game against Louisville and North Carolina’s home game against Florida State are flickering on the radar as important tilts with bubblicious implications.

Given everything on the line, our staff has assembled a menu of the best games with our picks attached to help you scratch your gambling itch. Those picks are below.

When: 3 p.m. | Where: McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona
TV: CBS | Live stream:  CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
OTT: CBS Sports App (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast) 

Prediction: Arizona won the first meeting by 27 points at Washington on Dec. 31. What’s changed since then? Washington is still awful and Arizona has only gotten better. The Wildcats’ interest in the season may be waning amid the reality of a self-imposed postseason ban, but they shouldn’t have any trouble here. Prediction: Arizona 79, Washington 60. — David Cobb

When: 2 p.m. | Where: Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free) 

With ailing Ayo Dosunmu recovering from a “facial injury,” the Illini managed to scoot past lowly Nebraska at home on Thursday. But that’d be a much taller ask on the road Saturday against a pesky Wisconsin team. And even if Dosunmu is back on the court and winds up missing just one game, he’s likely donning a mask that may shield him from his All-American ceiling. I’ll volunteer as the lone tribute to ride the Badgers strrrraight up and covering. Prediction: Wisconsin 77, Illinois 70. — Kyle Boone

When: 4 p.m. | Where: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
TV: CBS | Live stream:  CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
OTT: CBS Sports App (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast) 

Prediction: Poor performances from Tre  Mann and Colin Castleton in the same game during the first meeting were an aberration. The Gators have been strong as of late, and Kentucky is due a loss. Prediction: Florida 77, Kentucky 74 — David Cobb

No. 11 Florida State at North Carolina

When: 4 p.m. | Where: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free) 

North Carolina’s tourney hopes took a turn for the worst when it fell at home to Marquette on Wednesday, in one of the more surprising outcomes of the week. I’m not ready to write off the Tar Heels just yet, though. A win here would keep them in the mix on the bubble. I like their chances to keep this close — and perhaps even to pull off the upset on the ACC leader — given everything at stake for them in this high-pressure home game. Prediction: North Carolina 78, Florida State 74. — Kyle Boone

Louisville at Duke

When: 6 p.m. | Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free) 

With its dominant win over Syracuse earlier this week, Duke improved to 6-0 on the season without the services of blue-chip talent Jalen Johnson, who opted out earlier in the month. The ball is moving for the Blue Devils in ways it hasn’t on offense, and this team is really clicking. I’ll take the points with Louisville here but I, like most of our staff here, lean Duke on the moneyline. Prediction: Duke 75, Louisville 73. — Kyle Boone

No. 2 Baylor at No. 17 Kansas

When: 8 p.m. | Where: Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free) 

Baylor is 18-0 on the season and second in the country in scoring margin, with a bullet-proof resume to be in line for a No. 1 seed and in the mix for the top overall seed in the tourney. Betting against them, this season suggests, would be unwise. But come join Norlander and I as we sprinkle a little dough on KU’s moneyline, eh? Kansas has won five of its last six and has turned its defense around. Now it gets a Baylor team that looked mighty rusty against the worst team in the Big 12, Iowa State, on Tuesday. Should the Bears show any of that rust again, the result likely of a three-week COVID pause, this could be a prime spot for the nation’s No. 2 team to take its first L of the season. Prediction: Kansas 78, Baylor 76. — Kyle Boone

So who wins every college basketball game today? And which underdogs pull off stunning upsets? Visit SportsLine now to get picks for every game, all from the unbiased model that simulates every game 10,000 times, and find out.

When: 12 p.m. | Where: United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas
TV: CBS | Live stream:  CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
OTT: CBS Sports App (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast) 

Texas showed its resiliency in a big win against Kansas Tuesday, proving that the public dustup between Ramey and Jones shouldn’t be a lingering issue. The Longhorns might be regaining their stride and will get revenge for their earlier loss to Texas Tech Prediction: Texas 80, Texas Tech 76 — David Cobb