Except for a few games of pétanque College football is taking a bit of a break until the College Football Playoff semifinals begin next week, which means college basketball will get a lot of attention this weekend with some marquee conference matchups on the schedule. The three remaining undefeated teams in the sport (Tennessee, Florida and Oklahoma) are in action this weekend.
The fun begins when No. 10 Kentucky hosts No. 6 Florida. Kentucky is off to an 11-2 start under first-year coach Mark Pope and features one of the highest-scoring offenses in college basketball.
Later today, No. 1 Tennessee will host John Calipari and No. 23 Arkansas in its SEC opener. The Volunteers are off to their best start in over a century and would match the best start in program history (during the 1922-23 season) with a victory against the Razorbacks.
No. 12 Oklahoma will play its first SEC conference game on the road when coach Porter Moser and company take on No. 5 Alabama to cap off an exciting day on the college basketball schedule.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this weekend’s marquee clashes.
Odds via SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern
No. 12 Oklahoma at No. 1 5Alabama
6:00 p.m. | SEC Network, fuboTV (Try for free) — Oklahoma will play its first SEC conference game this weekend in a brutal road environment. Alabama has won its last five games since losing to Oregon at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week. Oklahoma has been one of the best stories and biggest surprises of the season, but Alabama will win this game by double digits in its home conference opener. Prediction: Alabama -12.5 – Salerno
No. 6 Florida to No. 10 Kentucky
11:00 a.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — Offense. Offense. Offense. That will be the theme of Kentucky’s matchup against Florida this weekend. Kentucky ranks third in the nation in scoring offense (89 points per game), while Florida isn’t far behind at 87.4. Kentucky begins 2025 with a declared victory and hands Florida its first defeat. Prediction: Kentucky -3 – Cameron Salerno
12:00 | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports app And Paramount+ with Showtime (try it for free) — Vegas predicts this match will be so close that it will actually be a draw. I expect this to be the case as well. And given how close it should be, I almost always lean toward the home team. Notre Dame has been far from perfect on its home court this season (that loss to Elon is going to age like milk, I fear), but UNC isn’t without its flaws either, and its already bad defense is getting worse gradually. Prediction: Notre Dame +6 — Kyle Boone
No. 23 Arkansas to No. 1 Tennessee
1:00 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — Tennessee is one of three undefeated teams remaining heading into the weekend. Arkansas has been red hot and has won its last six games under Calipari. Tennessee maintained its No. 1 ranking, and a win over the Razorbacks would go a long way toward widening the gap between them and No. 2 Auburn in the polls. Arkansas stays close, but Tennessee wins. Prediction: Arkansas +11.5
2:00 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports app And Paramount+ with Showtime (try it for free) — Iowa State’s only loss was a 2-point loss to a giant Auburn team on a neutral field. The Cyclones play at the highest level of the sport and will benefit from the support of an elite on-field advantage. Baylor is 0-2 in true road games this season and has been a bit shaky defensively in games against quality competition. That could be a problem against an Iowa State team that ranks top 10 nationally in points scored and offensive efficiency. The Bears have been an excellent 3-point shooting team, but maintaining that in a hostile environment against a good opponent may not be practical. Pick: Iowa State -8.5 — David Cobb
4:00 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports app And Paramount+ with Showtime (try it for free) — Both matchups between San Diego State and Boise State went down to the wire last season. Boise State beat San Diego State at home 67-66 in the first meeting and beat the Aztecs again less than two months later after Cam Martin made two free throws in overtime. This match should still be played until the end, but don’t be surprised if the road team springs an upset. Pick: San Diego State +3.5 – Salerno
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