We reached a milestone in the college basketball season over the weekend when the NCAA revealed its Top 16 seeds if the season were to end prior to Saturday's action. As expected, the SEC was dominant with five of the top six seeds in the exercise, with the lone exception going to Duke as the third team on the top line.
In what has been typical of this season, five of the teams in the Top 16 went on to lose their next game, with some expected (Alabama falling to Auburn in the first-ever 1 vs. 2 matchup in the history of the SEC) and others less so (Kansas getting upset at Utah), which led to some chaos to end Week 15 of the season.
The end result was a new AP Top 25 that sees Auburn claim a near-unanimous No. 1 status with new No. 2 Florida snagging the last first place vote. Some big fallers include Purdue and Arizona, which each fell six spots after getting swept, as well as the aforementioned Jayhawks, who also slid six spots to No. 23 after a bad loss against the Utes.
How will the newly minted Top 25 fare in their games this week? Read on to find out with predictions for every game involving a ranked team this week along with special attention for the Game of the Day, which is italicized in the daily prediction tables.
Week 16 College Basketball Predictions For Every Top 25 Game
Monday, Feb. 17
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 3 Duke | Virginia | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN | Duke |
No. 19 Arizona | Baylor | 10:00 p.m. ET | ESPN | Arizona |
Tuesday, Feb. 18
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Oklahoma | No. 2 Florida | 7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | Florida |
No. 13 Purdue | No. 14 Michigan State | 7:00 p.m. ET | Peacock | Michigan State |
No. 7 Texas A&M | No. 21 Mississippi State | 7:00 p.m. ET | SEC Network | Texas A&M |
Colorado | No. 8 Iowa State | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Iowa State |
No. 9 Texas Tech | TCU | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Texas Tech |
Illinois | No. 11 Wisconsin | 8:30 p.m. ET | FS1 | Wisconsin |
No. 5 Houston | Arizona State | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | Houston |
No. 23 Kansas | BYU | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN | BYU |
Seton Hall | No. 16 Marquette | 9:00 p.m. ET | CBS Sports Network | Marquette |
Game of the day: No. 13 Purdue at No. 14 Michigan State
The Big Ten has an intriguing matchup on Tuesday night as two of its top teams that are currently mired in a rough patch square off against each other in East Lansing. No. 13 Purdue's momentum came to a crashing halt after getting swept in their games last week while the Spartans got a big win at Illinois on Saturday night to snap out of a funk where they had lost three of their last four games.
There are big NCAA Tournament seeding implications here as the Boilermakers were put ahead of the Spartans in the committee's Top 16 seed reveal. Given how dangerous it is to be in line for a potential 5-12 matchup, which No. 14 Michigan State would have been placed into given the commentary of the committee chair in a CBS interview on Sunday, there will be plenty of urgency to win this matchup on both sides.
Wednesday, Feb. 19
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Vanderbilt | No. 17 Kentucky | 7:00 p.m. ET | SEC Network | Kentucky |
Arkansas | No. 1 Auburn | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN | Auburn |
No. 4 Alabama | No. 15 Missouri | 9:00 p.m. ET | SEC Network | Alabama |
No. 10 St. John's | DePaul | 9:00 p.m. ET | FS1 | St. John's |
Game of the day: Vanderbilt at No. 17 Kentucky
There is a distinct SEC flavor on Wednesday night and each day of league action will help clarify how many teams the league can send to the NCAA Tournament. The biggest bubble implications come in Lexington as Vanderbilt, which is currently right around the cut line for the dance, can significantly bolster their odds by completing a season sweep of No. 17 Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
The Wildcats, who have been battling significant injuries in the backcourt and were down three point guards in Saturday's loss at Texas, have done good work to stay level at 6-6 in a very competitive conference. Knowing how the Commodores beat them last month will be helpful for Kentucky coach Mark Pope to make adjustments and secure a split against a desperate Vandy side.
Thursday, Feb. 20
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
USC | No. 20 Maryland | 8:30 p.m. ET | FS1 | Maryland |
Friday, Feb. 21
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 16 Marquette | Villanova | 7:00 p.m. ET | FS1 | Villanova |
No. 14 Michigan State | No. 12 Michigan | 8:00 p.m. ET | FOX | Michigan |
Game of the day: No. 14 Michigan State at No. 12 Michigan
FOX's Friday night showcase has a monster Big Ten matchup as Round 1 in the battle of Michigan is set to tip off in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines have surged to the top of the Big Ten thanks to a well-timed six game winning streak and were a surprising entry into the Top 16 seed reveal last Saturday, when they checked in on the 4-line as the 14th overall seed.
We talked a bit about the Spartans earlier as they are in the middle of a huge gauntlet of Big Ten games that includes a run of four straight matchups against ranked opponents. Securing a win here would give either team a significant boost ahead of the rematch on Senior Day in East Lansing on March 2nd.
Saturday, Feb. 22
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 6 Tennessee | No. 7 Texas A&M | 12:00 p.m. ET | ESPN | Texas A&M |
Oregon | No. 11 Wisconsin | 12:00 p.m. ET | FOX | Wisconsin |
Florida State | No. 25 Louisville | 12:00 p.m. ET | The CW Network | Louisville |
West Virginia | No. 9 Texas Tech | 1:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Texas Tech |
No. 21 Mississippi State | Oklahoma | 1:00 p.m. ET | SEC Network | Oklahoma |
No. 8 Iowa State | No. 5 Houston | 2:00 p.m. ET | ESPN | Houston |
No. 24 Ole Miss | Vanderbilt | 3:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network | Vanderbilt |
Georgia | No. 1 Auburn | 4:00 p.m. ET | ESPN or ESPN2 | Auburn |
Oklahoma State | No. 23 Kansas | 4:00 p.m. ET | CBS | Kansas |
No. 18 Clemson | SMU | 4:00 p.m. ET | ACC Network | Clemson |
No. 17 Kentucky | No. 4 Alabama | 6:00 p.m. ET | ESPN | Alabama |
No. 2 Florida | LSU | 6:00 p.m. ET | SEC Network | Florida |
No. 3 Duke | Illinois* | 8:00 p.m. ET | FOX | Duke |
No. 15 Missouri | Arkansas | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN or ESPN2 | Arkansas |
BYU | No. 19 Arizona | 10:00 p.m. ET | ESPN | Arizona |
*Game Played At Madison Square Garden In New York, NY
Game of the day: No. 8 Iowa State at No. 5 Houston
There is a lot of great college hoops action to choose from on Saturday, with multiple matchups featuring Top 10 teams and a rare February non-conference tilt as No. 3 Duke takes on Illinois at MSG, but the highlight of the day comes in the afternoon as No. 8 Iowa State takes on No. 5 Houston. This will be the only meeting of the season between these two foes, who were ranked right next to each other in the NCAA's Top 16 seed reveal on Saturday.
While the Cougars' status as the top dogs in the Big 12 is relatively secure, this game is important for Iowa State, which has been a bit inconsistent over the past month. Putting forward a good effort against Houston, even if they don't win the game, would be an important confidence boost for the Cyclones as they head down the stretch.
Sunday, Feb. 23
Away Team | Home Team | Time | Network | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
UCONN | No. 10 St. John's | 12:00 p.m. ET | FOX | St. John's |
No. 13 Purdue | Indiana | 1:30 p.m. ET | CBS | Purdue |
Florida Atlantic | No. 22 Memphis | 2:00 p.m. ET | TBD (ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU) | Memphis |
Game of the day: UConn at No. 10 St. John's
The highlight of the final Sunday of February comes at the mecca of college basketball as No. 10 St. John's bids for a season sweep of UConn at high noon on FOX. The Red Storm made a statement by beating the Huskies on the road a few weeks ago and can move one step closer to securing their first Big East regular season crown since the days of Lou Carnesecca with a win here.
This contest is also extremely important for UConn, which hasn't looked right for a while and suffered a very strange loss at a bad Seton Hall team last Saturday. While Huskies' fans tend to flood MSG for their annual showdown with the Red Storm, the crowd could be a lot more balanced as St. John's fans have begun to show up in droves as Rick Pitino has put together the best team the fan base has seen in years.