College basketball upset alert: Kentucky and 4 teams in danger of losing this weekend
As the final weekend of the regular season begins, Kentucky is one of five schools that need to be on upset alert ahead of the conference tournaments.
The final weekend of the regular season in college basketball is always a bit chaotic. With few opportunities left to make statements ahead of the NCAA Tournament, each time a ranked team comes to your building is a massive chance to boost a bubble team’s resume.
The desperation factor also cannot be ignored and it has guided this column’s work over the past month, where it has accurately predicted nine upsets in 15 attempts. Here are the next five teams that need to be on high alert of an upset bid, beginning with Wisconsin.
No. 24 Wisconsin (20-10) at Indiana (19-11) – Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
As the Big Ten regular-season wraps up Wisconsin is absolutely surging. The Badgers have wrapped up seven straight wins, and they will be playing for a share of the Big Ten regular-season title on Saturday. There is, however, much more to lose for Indiana, which is right near the cut line and has been a dangerous team at home. Florida State and Michigan State are among the ranked foes to lose at Assembly Hall this season, so don’t be shocked if the Hoosiers upset Wisconsin on Senior Day.
No. 6 Kentucky (24-6) at Florida (19-11) – Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS
The Wildcats already lost once this week, falling to Tennessee by eight, so they will look to end the regular season with a win against the Gators. That won’t be an easy task since Florida is a desperate bubble team in need of a win. The Gators only lost by six points at Lexington earlier in the season and have defended their home court well against Kentucky, splitting the past six meetings at Exatech Arena. There is no question Kentucky is the more talented team but Florida has more than enough firepower to take down the Wildcats.
No. 1 Kansas (27-3) at Texas Tech (18-12) – Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN
The Big 12’s regular-season title is returning to Lawrence after the Jayhawks secured at least a share of the crown with a win over TCU earlier this week. Kansas will look to get the outright title by beating Texas Tech on Saturday, but the Red Raiders are game for a fight. Texas Tech is on a three-game losing skid, so they are desperate, but they nearly took down Baylor in Waco. The Bears escaped with a three-point win and the Red Raiders will look to ride their defense again to slow down a Kansas team scoring nearly 75 points a game.
No. 10 Louisville (24-6) at No. 22 Virginia (22-7) – Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN
The ACC’s regular-season crown will be on the line here with Louisville looking to secure at least a share of the title in this one. The Cardinals are tied with Florida State atop the league, but they have the tougher assignment hitting the road to take on red-hot Virginia. Winners of seven straight, the Cavaliers aren’t scoring the basketball much but the Pack Line defense is smothering opponents, bringing the defending national champs back into the top 25 this week. Virginia is peaking at the right time and they will be looking for revenge after losing at Louisville by seven on Feb. 8, their only loss in the past six weeks.
No. 18 Iowa (20-10) at No. 23 Illinois (20-10) – Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network
Our last potential upset victim is Iowa, which has the unenviable task of trying to win a Big Ten road game against a ranked opponent. The Hawkeyes have only won four road games all season, with just two coming in conference play against bottom feeder Northwestern and a talented 13-16 Minnesota outfit. That is a recipe for disaster against Illinois, which is 14-3 at home, with two of those defeats coming to Michigan State and Maryland. The Fighting Illini are playing very well right now and have an excellent shot to upset Iowa ahead of the Big Ten Tournament.