Expert Basketball Picks and Previews

The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers meet at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday, March 14, with tipoff set for 8:30 PM ET on ABC. It is one of the biggest games on the Western Conference board tonight, and it feels that way. Los Angeles enters at 41-25 and riding a four-game winning streak, while Denver is 41-26 and has won

Kent State and Akron meet Friday night at Rocket Arena in Cleveland in a Mid-American Conference tournament matchup that should feel close to a title game even if it is not the final. The Golden Flashes enter 24-8 after beating Ohio 86-75 on Thursday, while Akron is 27-5 and moved on with a 73-70 win over Buffalo. Tipoff is set

Davidson and Saint Joseph’s meet Friday night at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh in an Atlantic 10 quarterfinal that feels tighter than the seed line and maybe tighter than the market too. Tipoff is set for 7:30 PM ET on CNBC, and the neutral floor matters because both teams come in with real momentum. Davidson is 20-12 after surviving Loyola

Ole Miss and Alabama meet Friday night at 7:00 PM ET in Nashville, with Bridgestone Arena hosting this SEC Tournament matchup on a neutral floor. Alabama comes in at 23-8 and finished near the top of the league, while Ole Miss is 14-19 and trying to extend a surprising tournament push after knocking off Georgia on Thursday. The Tide are

Southern and Florida A&M meet Friday night at 8:30 PM ET at Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia, with a trip to the SWAC title game on the line. Even on a neutral floor, this feels like a tight, high-pressure conference tournament matchup between two teams that know each other well. Southern enters at 16-16 overall after an 84-81 win

UCLA and Michigan State meet Friday night at the United Center in Chicago in a Big Ten tournament matchup that feels a little more serious than a normal conference game in March. The Bruins are 22-10 and just handled Rutgers 72-59 behind a historic triple-double from Donovan Dent, while No. 8 Michigan State enters at 25-6 after closing the regular

UT Arlington and Utah Valley meet Friday night at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas with a trip to the WAC title game on the line. Tipoff is set for 9:00 PM ET on ESPN+, and the neutral floor matters at least a little here because Utah Valley has been dominant in Orem all season while UT Arlington has done some

Nevada and Utah State meet Friday night at 9:30 PM ET in Las Vegas, with the Mountain West tournament shifting this matchup onto a neutral floor at Thomas & Mack Center. Utah State comes in at 26-6 and finished ahead of Nevada in the conference race, while the Wolf Pack arrive at 22-11 after putting together a timely three-game winning

Kennesaw State and Sam Houston meet Friday at 3:00 PM ET from the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama, with a Conference USA tournament setting and a neutral floor that matters a little more than usual in this matchup. The Owls come in at 19-13 after a 96-87 win over Western Kentucky on Thursday, while Sam Houston sits at 22-10