Bold Predictions In College Basketball This Weekend

I don’t know if last week can ever be topped. We had two top-5 matchups on the same day, and they both turned into great college basketball games. So, while this week feels a little like a “cool-down” from last week, we’ve still got a lot of great action taking place as the regular season starts to wind down and NCAA Tournament resumes start to take shape. Here are our bold predictions for the weekend!

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Kentucky dominates the glass as they beat Vanderbilt by 9

Jan 17, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) dunks the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Vanderbilt has gotten Duke Miles back from injury and looked mighty good in an 88-80 win over Georgia. But I think Kentucky possesses a combination of size and athleticism that will give the Commodores issues. Vanderbilt is generally undersized at every position 1 – 5, and a big guard like Otega Oweh could be a complete matchup nightmare for them.

USC overwhelms Nebraska and gives them their 5th loss

Nebraska has had a near dream season to this point, sitting at 24-4 with just a few weeks left in the regular season and in line for a top-3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But they are about to embark on a journey where Big Ten records go to die – the West Coast road trip. The Huskers will have to play at USC and UCLA 72 hours apart and two time zones from home. USC is the type of team that can give Nebraska issues – with Alijah Arenas in the fold, and Chad Baker-Mazara back from injury, USC will be the vastly more athletic team with a lot to play for, currently sitting on the bubble.

Dailyn Swain goes for 20, 6, and 5 as Texas gets revenge on Texas A&M

Jan 21, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) passes the ball during the first half of the college basketball game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Texas’ Dailyn Swain is a unique type of 6’9”, hyper-athletic, swiss-army-knife who leads the Longhorns in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Yes, you read that right. Texas A&M has no one who really matches up with him. Texas A&M has really struggled on their second meeting against other SEC teams, and I think that pattern will continue here.

Duke beats Virginia to clinch the ACC while Cameron Boozer locks up Player of the Year

Thanks to unbalanced conference scheduling, Duke finally gets to play the 2nd place team in the ACC this weekend as Virginia comes to visit Cameron Indoor. This is their chance to place the exclamation point on their domination of the conference, and for Cameron Boozer to cap off an incredible season. I think Boozer goes for 28-10-4 and makes the vote for National Player of the Year a mere formality.

Christian Anderson goes nuclear as Texas Tech beats Iowa State

Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson prepares to shoot against Cincinnati during a Big 12 Conference men’s basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in United Supermarkets Arena.

So far, it’s been no JT Toppin, no problem for Texas Tech, as they sit 2-0 after his injury. This is thanks in large part to Christian Anderson, who is averaging 26, 8, and 8 in those two games. He’s carried the team so far; why stop there? Texas Tech has already beaten Houston, Duke, and Arizona, so why not add Iowa State to the list of great basketball teams?