Free College Basketball Picks Today for Saturday, December 9th, 2023

Our free College Basketball picks are out for Saturday, December 9th, 2023! Make sure you check our College Basketball picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free College Basketball picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!

#20 Illinois @ #17 Tennessee – 12PM ET

Tony Battalio

Illinois is off to a quality start to the regular season and they will be looking to add a huge résumé building win to their record here on Saturday afternoon on the road in Knoxville. This is going to be one of the toughest games they will play all season and that is really saying something because they will be playing in one of the toughest conferences in the country this season as well. They come into this game ranked 20th in the country and they will be looking to move up the rankings with a quality victory here on Saturday afternoon against Tennessee. They come into this game as winners of seven out of their first eight games on the season and they will be looking for their eighth victory of the year here on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville. They have been fantastic on both ends of the court throughout the early part of the season, and they will be looking to maintain their averages throughout this game on Saturday afternoon against Tennessee as well.

Tennessee is off to a fantastic start to the regular season and they will look to keep that momentum rolling with a top 25 victory here at home on Saturday afternoon. They come into this game ranked 17th and the country and they will be looking to move themselves up the rankings for the huge résumé boosting victory here on Saturday at home against Illinois. Tennessee comes into this game as winners of five out of their first eight games on the season and a victory in this game would likely keep them in the top 25 when the new rankings come out on Monday. They have also been solid on both ends of the floor throughout their first eight games of the regular season, and they will be looking to maintain that narrative throughout this game against Illinois as they need to find a way to slow down their high flying offense. That is exactly what I expect them to do as I look for Tennessee to pick up the victory here in this game on Saturday as they use homecourt advantage to get the job done here in this one in Knoxville.

#23 Wisconsin @ #1 Arizona – 3:15PM ET

Tony Battalio

It has been a bit of a confusing start of the season for Wisconsin as they have been up-and-down, depending on who they face. They will be looking to conquer one of their toughest tests of the year here on Saturday afternoon as they hit the road to play the number one team in the country. They have picked up seven victories through their first nine games of the season and they will be looking for their eighth one of the year and they will be looking to grab a massive résumé building victory here in this one on Saturday afternoon as well. They have been incredible on the defensive end of the floor throughout their first nine games of the regular season as they are giving up an average of 63 points per game, which is one of the lowest in the country. They will have to rely on their defensive ability if they want to get the job done here in this game against Arizona, as they will have to shut down a highflying Wildcats offense. 

Arizona has been incredible throughout the early part of the regular season and they will be looking to keep the momentum rolling here on Saturday afternoon at home against Wisconsin. They are arguably the clearcut best team in the country because of the level of talent they possess on their roster. Due to the amount of talent they’ve had one of the best offenses in the country throughout the early part of the season to show for it. As nobody has been able to slow down Arizona throughout the early part of the season and they come into this game undefeated, and they will be looking to add another victory to their record here against Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon at home. They are averaging around 93 points per game. They are averaging around 93 points per game this season and I expect them to use that highflying offense to their advantage and pick up another victory here on Saturday afternoon at home against the Wisconsin Badgers. 

Arkansas @ #19 Oklahoma – 4PM ET

Tony Battalio

Arkansas comes into this game looking to pick up an upset victory on the road in Norman against the Oklahoma Sooners. It would not be a huge momentum boost for Arkansas, but it would provide them with a solid boost to their résumé early on in the regular season as well. They will need to pick up every solid nonconference victory along the way before heading into conference play at the end of the month as they are playing in one of the most competitive conferences in the country. It’s been a pretty average start to the season for the Razorbacks as they come into this game with six victories through their first nine games of the regular season. Arkansas has been pretty solid on the offensive end of the floor averaging over 82 points per game but their defense has let them down several times this year. As they give up around 76 points per game and unless that number decreases quickly it is going to be a long season for the Razorbacks.

Oklahoma is off to a fantastic start to the regular season and they will be looking to record another victory here on Saturday afternoon at home against Arkansas. They come into this game ranked at 19th and the country and they are undefeated throughout the early part of the regular season and they will be looking to remain undefeated with another quality victory here in this one. They come into this game with eight consecutive victories to open up the regular season, and they will be looking for a ninth consecutive win here in this one as they look to move further up the top 25 rankings with another quality performance here on Saturday at home. They have been fantastic at both ends of the court throughout their first eight games of the regular season, and they will be looking to maintain those averages throughout this game on Saturday afternoon as well. That is exactly what I expect as I look for Oklahoma to pick up the victory over Arkansas and cover the spread in the process.

Missouri @ #2 Kansas – 5:15PM ET

Tony Battalio

Missouri comes into this rivalry game looking to grab a huge upset victory against the number two team in the country here on Saturday afternoon in Lawrence. The border war is taking place on the basketball court this time around instead of the football field, and it means just as much regardless of what sport it’s played in. This would be a massive momentum boost for the Missouri Tigers if they could get the job done against the Kansas Jayhawks here on Saturday afternoon, as they look for a huge résumé boosting victory here in this game as well. Missouri comes into this game with seven victories through their first nine games of the regular season and they will be looking for their eighth one of the year here on Saturday afternoon on the road against Kansas. They come into this game with plenty of momentum as they have won four games in a row and they will be looking for a fifth consecutive victory here on Saturday.

The Kansas Jayhawks are off to an incredible start to the regular season as they come into this game with eight victories through their first nine games of the year. They will be looking for their ninth victory of the season here on Saturday night at home against their rivals, and they will be looking for a statement win against their rivals as well to build as much as possible, throughout the early part of December. Kansas is a team that has potential to be one of the best teams in the country this season, and they are legitimate national title contenders as long as they remain healthy and consistent throughout the year. They opened up the year as the number one team in the country, and they find themselves ranked second in the country, and they will be looking to regain that number one ranking with a string of quality performances over the next week. I expect them to not only pick up the victory in this game, but I also look for them to spread on Saturday afternoon at home.

UC Irvine @ #25 San Diego State – 10:30PM ET

Tony Battalio

California Irvine comes into this game looking to pull off the upset against a national runner up from last season as they take on San Diego State here on Saturday night on the road. They have picked up six victories throughout their first nine games of the regular season and they will face their toughest test to date here on Saturday night on the road as they look for an upset against a top 25 team in the country. They have been solid on both ends of the court, and they will need to find a way to slow down the San Diego State offense and put up points against the San Diego State defense as well. It has been a rough week for them as they come into this game on a two game losing streak after losing their last game to Utah State in blowout fashion. Now they will look to bounce back here on Saturday night as they look to get right back into the win column and pick up their seventh victory of the regular season against the Aztecs of San Diego State. 

San Diego State comes into this game ranked 25th in the country and they will be looking to make their way back up the top 25 rankings with a string of quality performances throughout the year. After making it to the national championship game last season, they will be looking to replicate that success and as long as they remain healthy and consistent the possibility is there that they can make another Cinderella run through the NCAA tournament. They come into this game as winners of seven out of their first nine games on the regular season and they will be looking for their eighth victory of the season here on Saturday night at home against California Irvine. The Aztecs have been great on both sides of the court throughout the early part of the regular season and I expect that to continue throughout this game on Saturday night at home as well. As I look for them to not only pick up the victory in this game, but I expect them to cover the spread here in this game.

If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our college basketball hub page for all your college basketball needs!

*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.