For the first time since July 17, there will not be a NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL or college football game on Friday.
That means all eyes should be on the game of the night: the No. 10 Michigan State Spartans taking on the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisc.
The Spartans (20-4, 10-3 in Big Ten) are tied for third in the conference. They are coming off a much-needed 85-82 overtime win over No. 5 Illinois, which ended a two-game skid for Michigan State.
The Badgers (17-7, 9-4) also are coming off an overtime victory over Illinois, a 92-90 decision in Champaign on Tuesday. Wisconsin is tied for sixth in the Big Ten.
The Spartans are 2.5-point favorites over the Badgers.
While Michigan State vs. Wisconsin is the marquee attraction on Friday, there are other options on a sporting landscape that includes a full college basketball schedule and the NBA’s Rising Stars. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Friday, Feb. 13. All times Eastern.
College basketball best bets, where to watch
No. 10 Michigan State at Wisconsin
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Madison, Wisc. | TV: FOX | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Wisconsin +2.5 | Expert: Over 145.5 -110 (Chip Patterson)
For whatever reason, the Badgers are getting no love nationally. Even though they have two road wins (Michigan and Illinois) better than any other team’s, Greg Gard’s men aren’t even among the 10 teams also “receiving votes” in the AP Top 25 poll. The Badgers feature a very good back-court in Nick Boyd (20.2 points per game) and John Blackwell (18,7) that would be the envy of many teams. Led by those two, Wisconsin averages 121.7 points per 100 possessions, according to KenPom, which ranks 28th in the country. The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times, says the Badgers have a 59.0% chance to cover and assigns a B grade to Wisconsin +2.5. Meanwhile, Patterson is expecting a lot of points. “If the Badgers are a step faster on offense and Jeremy Fears can cut through the Wisconsin defense like Keaton Wagler did, there’s a real bucket-for-bucket game script that could take us Over this total,” he says.
NBA best bets, where to watch
Rising Stars
Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Inglewood, Calif. | TV: Peacock | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Expert: Team Melo +230 (Mike Barner)
The NBA will showcase its best young talent on Friday when the Rising Stars competition takes place at the Intuit Dome. The mini-tournament will feature three teams of the league’s rookies and sophomores and one team comprised by G-Leaguers. In the first semifinal, Team Austin will face Team Melo. Team Vince will take on Team T-Mac in the second semifinal, with the two winning teams squaring off in the final. Star rookie Cooper Flagg, who was originally set to play for Team Melo, will miss the game because of an ankle sprain, but Barner still likes the team to win the competition. “(Ace) Bailey replaces Flagg, and he has been playing well heading into the break, averaging 15.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 three-pointers over his last 17 games,” he says.
Looking ahead
College basketball: No. 9 Kansas at No. 5 Iowa State
Time: 1 p.m. Saturday | Location: Ames, Iowa | TV: ABC | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Iowa State -6.5
Will he play or won’t he? That the question surrounding Kansas Jayhawks star and potential No. 1 overall pick Darryn Peterson every game now since he has been in and out of the lineup for much of the season, sometimes mysteriously, with various ailments (cramps, hamstring and flu, among other things). When he has played, he has been great (20.5 points per game in 13 starts). And when he hasn’t played, the Jayhawks (19-5, 9-2 in Big 12) still have been very good, knocking off No. 1 Arizona on Monday. But on Saturday, Kansas goes on the road to face the fifth-ranked Iowa State Cyclones (21-3, 8-3), who rank sixth in the country in defensive efficiency (92.0 points per 100 possessions). The SportsLine Projection Model says the Cyclones have a 60.0% chance to cover and gives a B grade to Iowa State -6.5.
No. 25 Kentucky at No. 14 Florida
Time: 3 p.m. Saturday | Location: Gainesville, Fla. | TV: ABC | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Kentucky +11.5
The lead in the SEC will be on the line when the Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats collide on Saturday at the O’Connell Center. The Gators (18-6, 9-2 in SEC) lead the conference by one game over the Wildcats (17-7, 8-3) and Arkansas Razorbacks (18-6, 8-3). Florida has emerged once again as the best team in the SEC. Over their last four games, the Gators have outscored opponents by an average score of 92-65. But on Saturday, they face a Kentucky team that is on its own roll, having won eight of its last nine. The SportsLine Projection Model says there’s a 59.0% chance the Wildcats cover this large spread and assigns a C grade to Kentucky +11.5.
No. 16 Texas Tech at No. 1 Arizona
Time: 6:30 p.m. Saturday | Location: Tucson, Ariz. | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Texas Tech +9.5
The top-ranked Arizona Wildcats will look to bounce back from their first loss of the season when they host the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday at the McKale Center. On Monday the Wildcats (23-1, 10-1 in Big 12) failed to execute in the second half and lost at Kansas. Meanwhile the Red Raiders (18-6, 8-3) are coming off a 34-point victory against Colorado, which prompted Buffaloes coach Tad Boyle to rip into his team. While the Wildcats figure to have the advantage on the glass, Texas Tech leads the conference and ranks seventh in the nation in 3-point makes per game (11.5), while Arizona ranks 336th (5.9) in that category. The SportsLine Projection Model says there’s a 56.0% chance the Red Raiders cover and gives a C grade to Texas Tech +9.5.
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