College basketball picks for Dec. 2-Dec. 8: Predictions for every Top 25 game
Feast Week delivered a true cornucopia of college basketball action surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday but no one could have predicted the sheer chaos that resulted from the past seven days of action.
A whopping 15 teams inside last week's AP Top 25 lost at least one game, with six dropping two or more matchups during Feast Week — leading to some dramatic shakeups in the new poll.
Kansas remained on top but barely held off a surging Auburn for No. 1, which makes sense since the Tigers made an impressive statement with a dominant tournament win in the Maui Invitational. The SEC is feasting at the top of the polls as Tennessee and Kentucky joined Auburn inside the Top 5, while Alabama made it an incredible five SEC teams inside the top 10.
The biggest sinker was UCONN, which fell from No. 2 all the way to No. 25 after getting swept out of Maui with three straight losses. There was a case to be made to drop the Huskies out of the rankings altogether after last week's disaster but the cachet that Dan Hurley's program has built with back-to-back national championships appears to have spared UCONN with an infamous fate of going from No. 2 to unranked.
Six new teams made the Top 25 this week, with the biggest jump coming with Oregon landing all the way at No. 12 after strong work at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. How will the newest teams fare this week, when big events like the SEC/ACC Challenge and Big East-Big 12 Battle bring more strong matchups? Read on for predictions of every game involving a Top 25 team below.
College Basketball Week 5 AP Top 25 Predictions
Tuesday, Dec. 3
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 14 Cincinnati | Villanova* | 6:30 p.m. ET | FS1 | Cincinnati |
Syracuse | No. 3 Tennessee** | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Tennessee |
Michigan | No. 11 Wisconsin | 9:00 p.m. ET | Peacock | Wisconsin |
Georgia Tech | No. 21 Oklahoma** | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPNU | Oklahoma |
Wake Forest | No. 22 Texas A&M** | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | Texas A&M |
No. 23 Ole Miss | Louisville** | 9:00 p.m. ET | ACC Network | Louisville |
No. 4 Kentucky | Clemson** | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Kentucky |
*Big East-Big 12 Battle
**SEC/ACC Men's Challenge Presented by Continental Tire
Wednesday, Dec. 4
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 15 Baylor | No. 25 UCONN* | 6:30 p.m. ET | FS1 | UCONN |
No. 10 Alabama | No. 20 North Carolina** | 7:15 p.m. ET | ESPN | Alabama |
Virginia | No. 13 Florida** | 7:15 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | Florida |
No. 5 Marquette | No. 6 Iowa State* | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Iowa State |
Louisiana Tech | No. 16 Memphis | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Memphis |
No. 1 Kansas | Creighton* | 8:30 p.m. ET | FS1 | Kansas |
No. 2 Auburn | No. 9 Duke** | 9:15 p.m. ET | ESPN | Duke |
No. 18 Pittsburgh | Mississippi State** | 9:15 p.m. ET | SEC Network | Mississippi State |
No. 12 Oregon | USC | 10:30 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network | Oregon |
No. 24 San Diego State | Fresno State | 10:30 p.m. ET | FS1 | San Diego State |
*Big East-Big 12 Battle
**SEC/ACC Men's Challenge Presented by Continental Tire
Thursday, Dec. 5
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 8 Purdue | Penn State | 6:30 p.m. ET | FS1 | Purdue |
Friday, Dec. 6
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 19 Illinois | Northwestern | 9:00 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network | Illinois |
Saturday, Dec. 7
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 11 Wisconsin | No. 5 Marquette | 1:30 p.m. ET | FOX | Marquette |
No. 18 Pittsburgh | Virginia Tech | 2:00 p.m. ET | ESPNU | Pittsburgh |
Georgia Tech | No. 20 North Carolina | 2:00 p.m. ET | ACC Network | North Carolina |
Butler | No. 17 Houston* | 5:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | Houston |
Alcorn State | No. 21 Oklahoma | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Oklahoma |
Lindenwood | No. 23 Ole Miss | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Ole Miss |
No. 4 Kentucky | No. 7 Gonzaga** | 10:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | Gonzaga |
San Diego | No. 24 San Diego State | 10:00 p.m. ET | Mountain West Network | San Diego State |
*Big East-Big 12 Battle
**Battle in Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA
Sunday, Dec. 8
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Richmond | No. 2 Auburn | 12:00 p.m. ET | SEC Network | Auburn |
Maryland | No. 8 Purdue | 12:00 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network | Purdue |
No. 1 Kansas | Missouri | 1:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | Kansas |
Howard | No. 14 Cincinnati | 2:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Cincinnati |
No. 22 Texas A&M | Texas Tech* | 3:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | Texas A&M |
Arkansas State | No. 16 Memphis | 4:00 p.m. ET | ESPNU | Memphis |
No. 25 UCONN | Texas | 5:00 p.m. ET | ESPN | UCONN |
Jackson State | No. 6 Iowa State | 6:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Iowa State |
No. 9 Duke | Louisville | 6:00 p.m. ET | ACC Network | Duke |
UCLA | No. 12 Oregon | 6:00 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network | Oregon |
*US LBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX