Picks For Saturday’s Top 25 College Basketball (Feb. 18th)

If you’re a college basketball point spreads enthusiast that is looking to cash in one some college hoops action featuring top 25 teams, then look no further. I’ve got a trio of expert picks featuring top 25 teams that is sure to please. Now, let’s get started.

Expert Picks For Saturday’s Top 25 College Basketball (Feb. 18th)

   

No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks at No. 4 Baylor Bears

When: Saturday, February 18 at 1:00 PM ET Where: Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas TV: CBS Analysis: Baylor has a bunch of long, lean and athletic ballers, not to mention a stellar defense that ranks 11th nationally in point allowed (62.2 ppg). Unfortunately, I just can’t bring myself to back the Bears in this matchup, seeing as how they’ve been wildly inconsistent over the last couple of weeks while underachieving in losses against lesser teams like Kansas State and Texas Tech. Kansas Jayhawks has won three straight and five of their last six games. The Jayhawks have also won each of their last 10 meetings against Baylor, including their hard-fought 73-68 win over the Bears on February 1, despite failing to cover the spread as a 6.5-point home favorite that day. I’m expecting Baylor to be a slight home favorite against Kansas, but it won’t matter as Kansas wins outright because of their smarter play down the stretch. Pick: Kansas 71 Baylor 69

No. 15 Florida Gators (21-5) at Mississippi State (14-11)

When: Saturday, February 18 at 2:00 PM ET Where: Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, Mississippi TV: ESPN Analysis: The Gators have won seven straight games and come into this matchup off a jaw-dropping 114-95 smackdown over Auburn on Tuesday. Mississippi State has lost three straight, five of six and seven of their last 10 games overall The Gators have won six straight against Mississippi State and two straight on the road and I fully expect them to win this game against a Rebels team they are far superior to at both ends of the floor. Florida has an outstanding defense and just opened up a huge case of ‘whup-ass’ against Auburn after opening up slightly lesser ‘cans’ against LSU, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kentucky since the end of January. The Gators have scored at least 84 points five times in their last seven games while scoring 93 points or more three times along the way. The Gators win and win big! Pick: Florida 88 Mississippi State 74

Michigan State Spartans Vs No. 16 Purdue Boilermakers

When: Saturday, February 18 at 4:00 PM ET Where: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana TV: ESPN Analysis: Michigan State Spartans has played with a sense of urgency lately as they desperately seek an NCAA tournament berth after struggling all season long. The Spartans have won two straight and four of their last five games including their impressive 74-66 win over Big Ten rival Ohio State on Tuesday. Purdue has won four straight and seven of their last eight games and comes into this contest off an emphatic 74-55 beatdown of Rutgers on Tuesday as 7-2 center Isaac Haas scored 16 of his game-high 24 points in a nine-minute, second-half stretch while pulling down 11 rebounds. For me, the Boilermakers are the pick to win and cash in despite the fact that they don’t get the same amount of national media attention as some other legitimate title contenders. Purdue is solid at both ends of the floor as they rank 28th in scoring (81.3 ppg) and 47th in point allowed (66.2%) while Michigan State really struggles to score the ball by averaging just 71.8 points per game (222nd). More importantly, the Boilermakers have a legitimate Player of the Year candidate in superstar sophomore forward Caleb Swanigan – and make no mistake about it, Swanigan is the kind of player that can dominate whether scoring (18.7 ppg)  or cleaning up the glass (13.0 rpg). Purdue wins by double digits. Pick: Purdue 80 Michigan State 70