College basketball picks: predictions, odds for Saturday’s most important top 25 games

If all you want for Christmas this holiday weekend are your two front teeth and an incredible college basketball slate, then I have some news for you: Santa Claus (spoiler alert!) has chosen you for his lovely list. Because Saturday is an incredible day of action on the hardwood, headlined by the annual CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta, featuring ranked teams in every game and opportunities for both Kentucky and Ohio State to prove themselves after recent stumbles.

All day and into the night, 12 ranked teams will be in action Saturday — including No. 22 St. John’s and No. 12 North Carolina — and there are three more ranked-versus-ranked matchups to boot. One of those might be the game of the day on CBS at 5:30 PM ET between No. 8 Houston and No. 14 Arkansas. But we also have No. 6 Purdue vs. No. 21 Auburn and No. 3 Duke vs. No. 19 Texas Tech as part of the nightcap. And for those staying up late #1 Arizona tips at 11:30 PM ET (!!) vs. San Diego State.

Like I said: a loaded slate.

The college basketball experts made their picks straight up and against the spread for some of the biggest games of the day Saturday. Those choices are below.

Chance via DraftKings Sportsbook | All times ET

3 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App, Paramount+ Premium: A welcome test in the CBS Sports Classic for both UNC and Ohio State – and I expect it to end in the Tar Heels’ favor. UNC is 3-0 against the Buckeyes in the CBS Sports Classic and has played very well against big opponents thus far with wins over Kansas, Kentucky and Georgetown among the list. The Tar Heels’ length and defense earn them the win. Choice: UNC -4.5

5:30 PM on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App, Paramount+ Premium: Arkansas is the real deal and has proven it several times this season with wins over Louisville and Texas Tech. That’s not to say Houston isn’t the real deal either – I think Houston wins this game – but if I were to play it, it would be by taking the points with the Razorbacks. They have a great defense, they get great defensive play from their backcourt, and they have the personnel to match, or at least potentially keep up with, the physicality that Houston will bring to this one. Pick: Arkansas +4.5

No. No. 6 Purdue vs. No. 21 Auburn

6.30 pm at Pauw: Purdue wins, but this one could be closer than people expect. Auburn nearly beat Houston in November and is coming off wins over St. John’s and NC State in recent weeks as it gains confidence in its staff under first-year coach Steven Pearl. The Tigers can score almost as well as any team in the country, but Purdue isn’t one of them. Choice: maroon +8.5

8 p.m. on ESPN, fuboTV (try for free): The 8-3 record doesn’t quite tell the story of how good Texas Tech is and how good it can be. I’m also an avid JT Toppin stan and think the match with Cameron Boozer could be great. That said, this Duke team is currently operating on a different level: the defense is No. 10 defending 3-pointers, No. 2 in 2-point percentage, and No. 1 in charge of effective field goal percentage. A win would be a heavy burden for a Tech team that has been good, not great, on offense so far, even with the star change of Christian Anderson. I take the points with the dog, but Duke wins this one with multiple possessions. Pick: Texas Tech +8.5 — Boone

12:30 PM on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App, Paramount+ Premium: Rick Pitino is 1-0 this season against teams he previously coached (St. John’s beat Iona 91-64 last week) and I expect that record to go to 2-0 on Saturday. This Kentucky team has looked lethargic on offense for most of the past month, and the Johnnies are starting to figure things out defensively at an opportune time. This St. John’s team has taken most of its chances to score a signature win – it’s 0-3 against ranked teams so far – but the worm is turning against the Wildcats here. Pick: St. John’s -2.5

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