He’s back, baby! After a two-year hiatus, legendary broadcaster Dick Vitale is set to make his return on Saturday, February 8 when the No. 2 ranked Duke Blue Devils take on Clemson in an important ACC matchup.
While Vitale’s return is certain to excite fans, the Duke-Clemson contest is far from the best game on the overstuffed Saturday slate.
With three games featuring ranked teams facing off, what should bettors expect from these important conference battles? We’ll give you that answer in our top three college basketball bets for Saturday, February 8.
The Aggies have rebounded from back-to-back losses to Alabama and Kentucky, winning four of their next five SEC games. Texas A&M squeezed out a pair of victories on the road, besting No. 16 ranked Ole Miss along with upending South Carolina during their past five games.
On Saturday, they’ll face a Missouri team determined to avoid their first back-to-back losses of the season. The Tigers fell in a close battle with Tennessee on Wednesday despite Tamar Bates’ 22-point performance.
This should be a close game throughout as Texas A&M kept six of the past eight matchups within a single-digit margin. Still, the Tigers will pull this one out, covering their spread and winning this SEC matchup.
Best Bet: Missouri (-2.5)
The premier game for Saturday will once again feature the Gators. After last week’s blowout loss to Tennessee, Florida rebounded with a victory over Vanderbilt on Tuesday. Now, the Gators will attempt to be the first SEC opponent to stop the top-ranked Tigers on February 8.
Auburn is riding a 14-game winning streak into this contest, having last lost to Duke in December. The Tigers have won all but four of those games by double figures, including strong wins over three ranked opponents during this stretch. There’s little reason to expect Saturday’s game against Florida to be any different, and bettors should take Auburn to cover.
Best Bet: Auburn (-9.5)
Two of the top three teams in the Big 12 Conference will collide when Texas Tech invades the McKale Center to face Arizona. The Red Raiders have only two losses since entering conference play, and both were to teams ranked in the top six at the time.
Arizona has been on a hot streak, winning 12 of their past 13 games. The Wildcats have four wins over Top 25 programs during that span, losing only a 70-54 decision to the Red Raiders since December.
While it’s tempting to take Arizona to avenge this loss, the best bet from Saturday’s game will be taking the over for the total combined points. In their first matchup, these two teams combined for only 124 points. Don’t expect a repeat of that score as oddsmakers are not giving these two defense-oriented teams enough credit on the offensive end.
Best Bet: OVER 148.5 Points