Our free College Basketball picks are out for Saturday, December 11th, 2021! Make sure you check our expert College Basketball picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free College Basketball picks for the best games on today’s schedule!
#22 Wisconsin @ #21 Ohio State – 12pm ET
This ranked Big Ten Conference matchup is going to be one of the most interesting games of the season. Both of these teams will be looking to pick up a top 25 win over the other. As well as start with a second victory in Big Ten play. Both Ohio State and Wisconsin are 1-0 in the Big Ten coming into this one. There is sure to be an electric environment in Columbus for this game.
Denis Kirilov
Wisconsin found themselves in a pretty good spot ahead of their match with Ohio State. The Badgers are 8-1 so far which puts them in 2nd place in the Big 10 Conference, right behind Purdue. Ohio State holds a 7-2 record and are 7th right around Illinois and Indiana. Wisconsin managed to defeat Indiana in their last match, 64:59. They clinched onto this victory after erasing a 22-point deficit. This was the largest deficit any Division I team has dealt with to get the win in the end this season. Johnny Davis led the way for the Badgers with his 23 points, while Tyler Wahl and Chucky Hepburn kept Indiana below 40% field goals made.
On the other hand, Ohio State has also had a tough schedule so far. They had to face the top-seeded, Duke, in their first match for December. The Buckeyes somehow managed to cruise past the Blue Devils as this brought a lot of joy for their fans at Value City Arena. They have lost twice already this season to Xavier and Florida. The team also found a way to defeat Seton Hall in a tight contest. E.J. Liddell is the man to watch for in this Ohio State team as he averages 19.8 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game. In my opinion, he will be the game-changer against Wisconsin and my preferences will go towards his team.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Ohio State (-192)
Noah Dunlap
In one of the better Big Ten matchups that we’ll see this year, we get Wisconsin and Ohio State going head-to-head in what is sure to be an entertaining affair. Wisconsin comes in at 8-1, but I’m still not totally sold on this Badgers team. The schedule they’ve faced has been decent, but not great, and it’s hard for the Badger offense to impress me as they’re always a defense-first team.
B1G top-25 matchup on the road
#22 Wisconsin at #21 Ohio State
Saturday, 11am/ct Big Ten Networkhttps://t.co/P9HUilh4Wm— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) December 10, 2021
Ohio State, on the other hand, doesn’t have the record that Wisconsin does,as they’ve dropped two games to Florida and Xavier, but they have a strength of schedule that I would put against anyone. They also have an upset win over Duke in come-from-behind fashion, which may be the best win in the country for anyone in the country up to this point. I think home-court advantage ultimately plays the biggest role in this one, so with this one being in Columbus, give me OSU by a nose.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Ohio State (-184)
Tony Battalio
It is time for yet another high profile early season college basketball matchup. This one will feature two Big Ten teams as the nationally ranked Wisconsin Badgers travel to Columbus to play the nationally ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon. The Badgers come into this game with a record of 8-1 on the year. Their lone loss of the season was an upset loss to the Providence Friars in the Gavitt TipOff Games. Since that loss Wisconsin has won six straight games, including the Maui Jim Maui Invitational Championship. They also picked up a conference win in their last game against the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Ohio State Buckeyes come into this game with a record of 7-2 on the year as they have suffered a pair of upset losses. Those losses came to Xavier and Florida in the Gavitt and Fort Myers Tip Off Games. However they also have what is perhaps the biggest win of the year as they beat the Duke Blue Devils in Columbus, at the time Duke was the #1 team in the nation. They also hold a Big Ten Conference win over the Nittany Lions of Penn State and will be looking to move to 2-0 in this one. As for the result of this game I have the Buckeyes picking up the home win on Saturday.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Ohio State (-184)
#12 Arkansas @ Oklahoma – 1:30 pm ET
In a few short years, this game will likely be a regular occurrence once the University Of Oklahoma completes their move to the SEC. But for now it is still a Big 12 vs SEC game with two fantastic teams. It will be interesting to see if Arkansas can keep their undefeated season alive when they travel to Norman for this game.
Denis Kirilov
The game between Arkansas and Oklahoma will be yet another compelling contest to follow on Sunday afternoon in the NCAA. The Arkansas Razorbacks are still undefeated, having won all their 9 games so far. The team has been quite merciless in their action as only Cincinnati kept the gap close against them. However, they have had a really easy schedule compared to most of their direct opponents. Their biggest obstacle was indeed Cincinnati, whilst Kansas State and Northern Iowa seem to be the next in line.
Oklahoma will try to get themselves together after losing in overtime against Butler in their last meeting. They are heading into this game with a 7-2 record and a 7th place in the Big 12 Conference. The Sooners will also have to work on their shots from the 3-point line as they have success in 30% of their attempts. Tanner Groves seems to be the guy for Oklahoma as he leads the team in points and rebounds. He also has a decent FG%, standing at 59.3%. I think that this game will be really close, but I think it’s high-time Arkansas lost a game this season. My preferences go towards Oklahoma in this one.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Oklahoma (-118)
Noah Dunlap
Arkansas has looked like one of the best teams in the country so far this year, as they’re still undefeated, but the schedule has been a bit weak along the way. Much like Wisconsin, I do have questions about the Razorback offense, as under Eric Musselman they’re much more of a physical, defensive minded team, and against teams that can put up points in bunches I think they do have the potential to struggle.
For Oklahoma, they enter at 7-2, but have quite honestly looked a little better than their record, and they have a few quality wins on the season already, which could be a difference maker in this one. Arkansas is going to stumble eventually, and on the road against Oklahoma seems like a pretty good bet for that to be the case. The fact that Oklahoma has already played a few tough games against quality opponents only plays into my pick that the Sooners pull off the upset, as I question how Arkansas responds when they finally run across a team that can keep them on edge on both sides of the floor. Give me Oklahoma at home in a tight one.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Oklahoma (-118)
Tony Battalio
The nationally ranked and undefeated Arkansas Razorbacks will travel to Norman to play the Oklahoma Sooners. This game for the Razorbacks is arguably their toughest test of the year as they face the Sooners in this one on the road. Arkansas comes into this game with a record of 9-0 on the season. Outside of two games in the Hall Of Fame Classic that resulted in a first place finish for Arkansas, they have won their other seven games by double digits.
The Oklahoma Sooners come into this game with a record of 7-2 on the year. They have been upset twice this year and that has negated their top 25 win over Florida at the moment. The first loss came to Utah State in the Myrtle Beach Invitational and their second loss came to Butler in their last game which was a part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle. Now they will be looking to bounce back with a huge victory in this one against the Razorbacks. I expect them to do exactly that as I have the Oklahoma Sooners using their home court advantage to pick up the win in this game.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Oklahoma (-118)
#4 UCLA @ Marquette – 9:30 pm ET
The fourth ranked UCLA Bruins will travel to Wisconsin to play the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee. The Bruins are currently 7-1 on the year and have won three games in a row since their loss to Gonzaga. Marquette is 8-2 on the year and they are having a great season as well.
Denis Kirilov
One of the best teams in the NCAA, UCLA, will have a tough visit at Marquette on Sunday. The UCLA Bruins have lost once this season and it was against the top-seeded, Gonzaga. There were some concerns raised after the game as they didn’t manage to stay close to the Zags throughout the game. They were trailing from the very beginning of the match and the gap grew bigger until it reached the 20-point mark when it kept constant onwards. I think that something vital is missing for UCLA during this campaign and I believe it’s the fact that they are in the driving seat right now. People are expecting big things from them and they are not experienced enough to cope with such pressure. However, UCLA still stayed in the top 3 of Pacific-12 with an 8-1 record.
Marquette, on the other side, are in UCLA’s position from last season. They have been the underdogs in most games so far and they managed to prove everybody wrong. The team won 8 out of 10 games and although they are 6th in the Big East, they are doing something extraordinary. The Golden Eagles rely much on Justin Lewis who leads the team in points and rebounds. Kur Kuath and Oso Ighodaro are helping him in defensive positions. However, I don’t think they can match Johnny Juzang, Jules Bernard, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. from UCLA as I will suggest picking UCLA’s spread for this game. The Bruins will be looking to make a statement before the upcoming tough matchups.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: UCLA -5.5 (-110)
Noah Dunlap
Coming into the year, this might not have been a matchup that people were all that interested in, but now that we’re a month in, this one looks like a game that could be one of the best games of the year so far. UCLA is one of the best teams in the country, due in large part to the play of Johnny Juzang, but in their biggest game of the year they completely fell apart against Gonzaga. In and of itself that’s an excusable loss, but the bigger issue was the fact that they got destroyed in the game and never really competed. I have questions about their fight when they get tested, and that has me worried as they take on a really good Marquette team that has been surprising so far this season.
📢 📢 BREAKING!!! Due to an issue with UCLA’s aircraft that resulted in a travel delay, Saturday’s game has been pushed back to 8:30 p.m. CT on FS2. The game was originally scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT. #MUBB @UCLAMBB@BIGEASTMBB pic.twitter.com/oBVXdHYlcA
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) December 11, 2021
Marquette comes into this one at 8-2, and have played pretty well even in the losses, one of which came to fellow in-state program Wisconsin. The Golden Eagles offense has been pretty good so far this year, but the defense has been extremely solid. With this one being at home for Marquette, I expect the energy and the atmosphere to be electric, and I think the Golden Eagles manage to pull off a huge upset over the Bruins. It’s going to be close, but in a hostile environment, with a team that hasn’t necessarily handled that pressure all that well to this point, I think UCLA comes out a little flat, giving Marquette a chance to pull off the upset, and I think it’s a chance they actually take, as they get a tight win at home.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Marquette (+270)
Tony Battalio
The UCLA Bruins come into this game with a record of 7-1 on the year with their only loss coming to the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The loss happened when Gonzaga was the number one ranked team in the nation. Since the loss UCLA has gone on a run having won their last three games. Now coming into this one they will be looking for a win over a tough Marquette squad.
The Marquette Golden Eagles come into this game with a record of 8-2 on the year. They picked up a win over Kansas State in their last game, prior to that they fell to their in-state rival the Wisconsin Badgers. They already hold a huge top 10 upset over the then ranked Illinois Fighting Illni who were 10th in the country at the time. As for the result of this game however I have the UCLA Bruins picking up the win in this game.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: UCLA -5.5 (-110)
#11 Arizona @ Illinois – 5pm ET
This PAC-12 vs Big Ten matchup will be a great one on Saturday afternoon. The undefeated Arizona Wildcats will travel to Champaign to play the Fighting Illini of Illinois. It will be a great chance for Player Of The Year candidate Kofi Cockburn to put on a show against the Wildcats.
Denis Kirilov
One of the disappointments so far this season, Illinois, will take on the 11th-seeded, Arizona, in their home ground at State Farm Center. Illinois might hold a 7-2 record, but their performance is far from the desirable one. They score 77.9 points on average which doesn’t support their high goals for this campaign. The Fighting Illini lost two of their early games this year as they fell victim to Marquette and Cincinnati. The team has been struggling, but ever since Kofi Cockburn started playing for them, they have increased their level of play. With him on the roster alongside Alfonso Plummer, Da’Monte Williams, and Jacob Grandison, the team has a chance to go deep in the bracket in March.
Arizona have been pretty dominant so far which was first shown in their match against #4 Michigan. They defeated the Wolverines in the final of the Roman Main Event by a massive 18-point margin. The Wildcats are undefeated with a 8-0 record, only struggling against Wichita State who forced an overtime in their meeting. The team surprisingly leads the Pacific-12 right alongside USC. Arizona will surely have a chance at making a huge breakthrough this campaign, but they will need to calculate everything very well in order to keep their performance at a high level. I think that their march will continue even after the unpleasant visit to Illinois. On my card, Arizona are slight favorites to win and I will trust them to do so.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-122)
Noah Dunlap
Can Arizona keep their undefeated season intact as they go on the road against an Illinois team that has been a bit of a letdown up to this point. The Wildcats from Arizona have been an absolute force so far to start the year, but part of that is due to the fact that their schedule has been a bit of a breeze to this point. Illinois opened the year as a top-10 team, but almost immediately showed that they didn’t appear to be up to the task of proving that ranking accurate. They’ve only lost twice, but they haven’t looked all that great even in victory, and now taking on one of the best teams in the country, they’re going to need a near flawless performance to actually get the win.
I’m a huge believer in home court advantage when it comes to the college game, and I think that rears its head once again in this one. I understand that Arizona is undefeated and has looked dominant, but going on the road against a team that has a similar talent level is something they haven’t seen so far this season. I like the Illini to feed off of a massive home crowd, letting them sneak by in a close one, giving the Wildcats their first loss of the season.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Illinois (+104)
Tony Battalio
The Arizona Wildcats come into this game undefeated and nationally ranked just outside of the top 10 in the nation at #11. The Wildcats knocked off a Michigan team that was top 5 at the time to win the Roman Main Event Classic. They beat Wichita State and Michigan on back to back nights to claim the title. Outside of the Wichita State game they have picked up every other win by 10 points or more. They will be looking for another win over a second Big Ten program in this one.
The Illinois Fighting Illini came into this season with a lot of hype, and throughout the first couple weeks of the season they haven’t quite lived up to it yet. Of course it doesn’t help when they are without their superstar Kofi Cockburn like they were for the first couple of games. They come into this game with a record of 7-2 and have home court advantage. As for the result of this game I think Arizona will pull out another huge win to remain undefeated, this time on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Arizona (-122)
#14 Houston @ #9 Alabama – 10pm ET
The day starts with a ranked game between two conference foes and ends with this inter-conference matchup between two top 15 teams. The Houston Cougars are 8-1 on the year and the Alabama Crimson Tide are 7-1 on the season. Both of these teams will be looking to make a statement with a huge win in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night.
Denis Kirilov
The 14th-seeded, Houston, will take on #9 Alabama in one of the most compelling games for Friday in the NCAA. Both teams are off to a decent start this season as Houston won 8 out of their first 9 matches, while Alabama holds a 7-1 record. The 14th-seeded suffered an upset against Wisconsin in the end of November, while the Crimson Tide lost surprisingly to the high-flying Iona Gaels. Marcus Sasser versus Jaden Shackelford will be a pretty exciting match-up as these are the leaders of both teams.
The Alabama Crimson Tide rely on athletic players who are quick with and off the ball, while the Cougars have players like J’Wan Roberts and Josh Carlton who get their presence felt in the paint. When comparing both teams, we can see that Houston is playing really well in defense. They occasionally keep their opponents below the 50-point mark. However, Alabama plays a more open style which results in more points conceded. The Crimson Tide are coming on a very high mood in this game after defeating Gonzaga on Saturday. I think that we will see a more conservative approach from both rosters which will end up in a low-scoring match.
Denis’ College Basketball Pick: Under 143.5 (-105)
Noah Dunlap
This one has the potential to be the best game of the night, if both teams play well. They’re both top-15 teams, and both have actually done a good job of playing a pretty good non-conference slate this year. The difference is that in their biggest game of the season to date, Houston dropped a contest to Wisconsin, while Alabama travelled to Seattle and managed to knock off Gonzaga. The one key is that the Crimson Tide does have an inexcusable loss to Iona bunched in with otherwise great play.
Working hard in Tuscaloosa tonight#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/isIMZkQWIW
— Houston Men’s Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) December 11, 2021
This one is going to be intriguing, as these two teams play different styles of basketball. Alabama wants to play an up-tempo style that features them throwing up threes in bunches, whereas Houston plays a more defensive style of ball that slows the game quite a bit. In the end, I think Alabama wins, as three is greater than two, so assuming they’re able to hit a reasonable percentage of the high number of threes that they shoot, I think they’re able to slide away with a win. The Cougars offense isn’t going to be used to having to put up the number of points they’ll need in this one, and I think that’s something they end up struggling with. I like Alabama to get the win here, and the points, as the line is sitting extremely low at -1.5.
Noah’s College Basketball Pick: Alabama -1.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The nightcap for the Saturday evening slate, may very well be the best game of the entire weekend. As the nationally ranked Houston Cougars meet the nationally ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in a top 15 match up. The Houston Cougars are currently 8-1 on the year and their lone loss on the season came to Wisconsin in the semifinals of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, they would finish in third place after beating the Oregon Ducks the very next night. They will be looking for a huge top 10 win in this game.
The Alabama Crimson Tide come into this game with a record of 7-1 on the season. They are coming off a huge victory over the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Seattle last Saturday evening. They will be looking to pick up another big win in this game to add to their resume. As for the result of this game however, I have the Houston Cougars picking up the victory in this one on the road.
Tony’s College Basketball Pick: Houston (+106)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
