College Basketball Picks Today: Nebraska vs. Michigan Headlines Loaded Slate

Top-ranked Arizona survived at No. 13 BYU on Monday to improve to 21-0, passing the baton to two fellow unbeatens tonight.

Fifth-ranked Nebraska and No. 24 Miami (Ohio) each feature red as a primary color yet wish to avoid seeing red, as the expression goes. That would mean the Cornhuskers and/or RedHawks fell to 20-1.

The Big Ten game of the year (thus far) kicks off the college basketball betting slate.

NO. 5 NEBRASKA at NO. 3 MICHIGAN, 7 p.m.

Michigan may hold the edge in poll position, but Nebraska boasts the Big Ten lead by one game over a group that includes the once-blemished Wolverines.

This top-5 clash at Crisler Center looms as the Cornhuskers’ biggest test yet as the program aims to build on its best ranking in history.

“We’re going to have to be perfect,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “At the end of the day, that’s what it takes to play against a team like this, to give yourself a chance. And that still may not be good enough. This team is that good that we’re facing.”

Naturally, the Huskers aren’t too shabby themselves, what with the nation’s longest winning streak (24 games, dating to last season) and a frontcourt with double-figure scorers Pryce Sandfort (17.3 points a game), Rienk Mast (14.6) and Braden Frager (12.2).

Frager (ankle) is day-to-day, however, and Michigan answers with its own size in 6-foot-9 Yaxel Lendeborg, who leads the team in scoring (14.4) and rebounding (7.2). Then there’s 6-9 forward Morez Johnson Jr. and 7-3 center Aday Mara, who each average 10.9 points or better.

Expect Michigan to prevail in a close game behind its blend of size and long-range success. Elliot Cadeau and Johnson Jr. both are shooting at least 40% from deep, although Sandfort enters as the most accurate marksman on the floor (41.7%).

Nebraska, a 10.5-point underdog, covered the spread the only other time an opponent was favored by at least that many points this season.

Nebraska +10.5 (-102 with FanDuel)

PROVIDENCE at NO. 2 UCONN, 7:30 p.m.

The UConn athletics website hardly pulled punches with its headline previewing this one: “No. 2 UConn Hosts Providence For $2 Miller Lite Night.”

Oh, the humanity. And oh, the insanity sure to engulf the of-age Gampel Pavilion faithful cheering the Huskies during a study break.

It’s a sizable spread in UConn’s favor, but the surging Huskies have won their past three games by a mere 15 points and needed OT to clip host Providence less than three weeks ago.

Providence +16.5 (-110 with FanDuel)

MASSACHUSETTS at NO. 24 MIAMI (OHIO), 9 p.m.

Last week, Miami (Ohio) ascended to its first Associated Press Top 25 poll since Feb. 15, 1999 — around the time this prognosticator reached the pinnacle of his awkwardness at eighth-grade mixers.

As with the gals of that era, the RedHawks remain undefeated, although they’ve navigated overtime scares against Buffalo and at Kent State in the past two games.

Buoyed by a deep backcourt led by Brant Byers (15.3 points a game) and Peter Suder (14.1), the RedHawks boast five active players averaging double-figure scoring and another in Luke Skaljac (9.0) who’s approaching that threshold. Suder and Skaljac have seen increased minutes since point guard Evan Ipsaro sustained a season-ending torn ACL last month, helping Miami crack triple digits in three straight games and a program-record seven times this season.

UMass excels at muddling things up, though, ranking fourth in the 13-team Mid-American Conference at 74.2 points allowed per game. The Minutemen clipped Buffalo 68-67 on Friday, six days after the RedHawks edged the Bulls 105-102 in OT, as Jayden Ndjigue recorded multiple steals for the fourth straight contest.

Miami (Ohio) keeps the Wally Szczerbiak references rolling, but this one won’t be a shootout.

Under 164.5 points (-110 with BetMGM)