The top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats made a statement with a 72-40 blowout win over the fifth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks earlier in the week. While the college basketball schedule for this Saturday doesn’t feature that type of marquee matchup, there are five top 25 teams looking to assert themselves with big wins.
Here are the best college basketball games featuring Top 25 teams to watch and bet today:
#6 North Carolina Tar Heels @ Davidson Wildcats
Saturday, 2:00 PM ET
Odds: Tar Heels (-13)
North Carolina has looked dominant in each of its first two wins, including a 103-59 win over Robert Morris that wasn’t even close, but these are the types of performances that Roy Williams’ team needs to put together in order to build confidence early on in the season.
Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks have led the way up front early on with averages of 17.5 and 15.5 points per game respectively and another strong performance from those two this weekend should lead to another easy win. Don’t expect the same type of blowout against a somewhat underrated Davidson team, though. Pick: North Carolina[divider]Eastern Washington Eagles @ #22 SMU Mustangs
Saturday, 7:00 PM ET
Odds: SMU (-14.5)
The Mustangs are looking to finally end their 21-year NCAA tournament drought and while they don’t have Emmanuel Mudiay, they do have a solid group of athletes led by coach Larry Brown. Nic Moore and Markus Kennedy will be asked to shoulder the load although sophomore Keith Frazier could be on the verge of a breakout season. Frazier has averaged just over eight points in 22 minutes of action through three games and he is worth keeping an eye on in this matchup. SMU should beat up on Eastern Washington here. Pick: SMU[divider]#21 Nebraska Cornhuskers @ Rhode Island Rams
Saturday, 7:00 PM ET
Odds: Nebraska -1
Nebraska opened the season with a pair of dominant wins but they face their first road test of the year against a somewhat underrated Rhode Island team. The Rams aren’t elite by any means but they did do an excellent job from the field through their first two wins and this could be the one game featuring a top 25 team where a sneaky upset could be a real possibility. The Huskers have the weapons to get the job done but they are on the road and could face their first dose of adversity in this contest. Pick: Nebraska[divider] St. Thomas Aquinas @ #13 Gonzaga Bulldogs
Saturday, 9:00 PM ET
Already 3-0 at home, Gonzaga has done an excellent job of moving the basketball around and they are averaging nearly 22 assists this season. Kevin Pangos is an absolute star and he has averaged 13.0 points and 5.0 assists early on. The NIT season tipoff game against St. Thomas Aquinas will be another chance for Pangos to shine as Gonzaga rolls. Pick: Gonzaga[divider] Boise State Broncos @ #3 Wisconsin Badgers
Saturday, 10:00 PM ET
Odds: Badgers -17
Frank Kaminsky is the star force that is going to have to drive Wisconsin if they are going to have any shot at winning a national title but there is plenty of talent around him. Kaminsky with the supporting cast is what makes Wisconsin an elite team. Sam Dekker has averaged 17.3 points per game through Wisconsin’s first two wins while Nigel Hayes is right there too with 15.3. That talent will get another chance to shine against a very good Boise State team this weekend. Bo Ryan and his group shouldn’t have to sweat too much in this one. Pick: Wisconsin
