Friday's college basketball slate brings three intriguing non-conference matchups, with Georgia visiting North Carolina, Ohio State taking on UConn, and Arizona heading to Auburn.
Our college basketball predictions feature expert analysis from Colby Marchio, Shawn Krest, and Geoff Clark. Check out our latest college basketball picks as we break down tonight's biggest games.
College basketball top picks at a glance (Friday, Nov. 13)
| Matchup & time | Top pick & analyst |
|---|---|
| Georgia vs. North Carolina 7 p.m. ET |
Georgia +4.5 Colby Marchio |
| Ohio State vs. UConn 7:30 p.m. ET |
Ohio State +11.5 Shawn Krest |
| Arizona vs. Auburn 9 p.m. ET |
Arizona -2.5 Geoff Clark |
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Georgia vs North Carolina pick: Georgia +4.5
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN2
- Analyst: Colby Marchio
Top pick: Georgia +4.5
This writer has been gearing up for this game all week. After watching Georgia coast past FGCU on Monday, winning by just 12 points as a 22.5-point favorite, it seemed the Bulldogs were looking ahead to Friday's road matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Meanwhile, North Carolina didn't appear to be looking ahead, taking care of Wyoming 76-62 and covering the 12.5-point spread.
The Bulldogs have the familiarity advantage, returning several key contributors from last year's tournament run. Meanwhile, North Carolina returns just one starter, along with a few reserves who didn't contribute much a year ago.
With both teams facing their first Top 50 opponent, I want to back the team with more chemistry early in the season.
Take Georgia down to +3.5.
For more, check out Colby Marchio's Georgia vs. North Carolina predictions.
Ohio State vs UConn pick: Ohio State +11.5
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV: TNT, truTV, HBO Max
- Analyst: Shawn Krest
Top pick: Ohio State +11.5
I’d stick with the Ohio State Buckeyes even if the line drops to 10.
The UConn Huskies already have a neutral-court win over Michigan and open a three-game stretch against Ohio State, Arizona and Duke, with Illinois, Kansas and Virginia still to come.
This is the most winnable of the marquee non-conference matchups, but that also means the Huskies could be caught looking ahead to Duke and Arizona.
UConn will also be without Nik Khamenia, who suffered a foot injury that could keep him out up to two months. The wing was scoring in double figures and hitting more than half of his three-point attempts.
Led by star guard John Mobley Jr. and a pair of post players in Amare Bynum and Andrija Jelavic, all averaging at least 15 points, Ohio State presents an inside-out attack that could give short-handed UConn fits.
For more, check out Shawn Krest's Ohio State vs. UConn predictions.
Arizona vs Auburn pick: Arizona -2.5
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN2
- Analyst: Geoff Clark
Top pick: Arizona -2.5
I'm following the line movement and taking the Arizona Wildcats -2.5, up to -4.5. Arizona opened as 1.5-point favorites and has been steamed up to the current number, even though KenPom predicts the Auburn Tigers will win by two points.
Arizona is 44-28-3 against the spread (ATS) in non-conference games since head coach Tommy Lloyd took over in 2022. Lloyd has taken the Wildcats to four Sweet 16s, including last season's Final Four. Plus, Arizona is 37-17 straight-up in true road games in the Lloyd era.
I'm expecting Auburn's program to regress the further we move away from the Bruce Pearl era. Bruce's son, Steven, succeeded him last season, and it was the first time the Tigers didn't make the NCAA Tournament since 2021.
For more, check out Geoff Clark's Arizona vs. Auburn predictions.
More college basketball picks
Check the college basketball injury report before finalizing today's picks.
All of today's matchups are also on the college basketball scores and matchups page, and the full pick archive lives in free college basketball picks.
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