5 Potential Upsets for Saturday’s College Basketball Slate

TJ Inman
Host · Writer
Connecticut (+1.5) at Xavier - Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: FOX
The UConn Huskies are the back-to-back reigning national champs, but 2024-2025 has not been an easy ride for Dan Hurley and his squad. UConn suffered three straight defeats earlier this season and have lost two of their past four games (Villanova, Creighton) with a narrow overtime win over Butler in their last time out. They travel to Xavier as slight underdogs. Xavier is only 12-8, and Sean Miller's return has not gone as planned for the Musketeers. They just lost to St. John’s and have already lost to UConn this season. It is rare to get points with UConn, so you can take Hurley as an underdog, playing against a mediocre team.
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Kentucky at Vanderbilt (+3.5) - Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN
The Kentucky Wildcats are 14-4 but stumbled in a couple of road games in which they were more talented than the opponent (Clemson and Georgia). The Wildcats travel to Nashville to play Mark Byington’s Commodores, winners of two straight at home. Vanderbilt beat South Carolina and Tennessee at home recently and can slow the pace down and take away some of Kentucky’s open perimeter looks.
Oregon at Minnesota (+5.5) - Saturday at 4:00 p.m. ET
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: BTN
It has been astonishing to watch, but Ben Johnson and the Minnesota Golden Gophers deserve a lot of credit for how they played the past week. After losing four straight games, the Gophers beat Michigan 84-81 and won at Iowa in a road stunner. Minnesota does not have much top-end talent, but Dawson Garcia is one of the better players in the Big Ten, and the Oregon Ducks have to solve the tricky puzzle of winning after traveling East. That has been a problem for West Coast teams in the Big Ten thus far, and Minnesota fans finally have something to cheer about, so The Barn could be rocking.
West Virginia (+1.5) at Kansas State - Saturday at 6:00 p.m. ET
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: CBSSN
Darian DeVries has gotten off to an excellent start at West Virginia after jumping from Drake. That has come despite some injury woes and a rugged schedule. The Mountaineers are coming off of a loss to Arizona State, but before that, they knocked off No. 2 Iowa State by seven points and have generally been excellent on defense. They are now mysteriously underdogs to the woeful Kansas State Wildcats. K-State has lost six straight games, including back-to-back home games against Houston and Texas Tech. West Virginia has shown throughout the season to be the much better club, and they are a good bet to win this one in Manhattan.
Houston (+1.5) at Kansas - Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN
The marquee matchup on Saturday’s slate is a Big 12 showdown between the No. 7 Houston Cougars and the No. 12 Kansas Jayhawks in historic Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas is a talented team, but it's fair to point out that they have struggled mightily in games against good teams. The Jayhawks lost by 17 points to Iowa State, 13 to Creighton, and nine to Missouri. They also have a one-point loss against West Virginia. Now, they have to face one of the hottest teams in the country as the Houston Cougars invade Lawrence. Houston has won 11 straight games and is unbeaten in Big 12 play. Kansas is a slight favorite, but the atmosphere won’t intimidate Houston.
Connecticut (+1.5) at Xavier - Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: FOX
The UConn Huskies are the back-to-back reigning national champs, but 2024-2025 has not been an easy ride for Dan Hurley and his squad. UConn suffered three straight defeats earlier this season and have lost two of their past four games (Villanova, Creighton) with a narrow overtime win over Butler in their last time out. They travel to Xavier as slight underdogs. Xavier is only 12-8, and Sean Miller's return has not gone as planned for the Musketeers. They just lost to St. John’s and have already lost to UConn this season. It is rare to get points with UConn, so you can take Hurley as an underdog, playing against a mediocre team.
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
Kentucky at Vanderbilt (+3.5) - Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN
The Kentucky Wildcats are 14-4 but stumbled in a couple of road games in which they were more talented than the opponent (Clemson and Georgia). The Wildcats travel to Nashville to play Mark Byington’s Commodores, winners of two straight at home. Vanderbilt beat South Carolina and Tennessee at home recently and can slow the pace down and take away some of Kentucky’s open perimeter looks.

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