# College basketball picks for loaded Top 25 schedule

> Duke vs. Michigan State, Kentucky vs. Kansas predictions for Tuesday's college basketball slate.
- Title: College basketball picks for loaded Top 25 schedule | Shortify
- Summary: Duke vs. Michigan State, Kentucky vs. Kansas predictions for Tuesday's college basketball slate.
- Keywords: college basketball, duke, michigan state, kentucky, kansas, top 25, college basketball schedule, college basketball predictions, college basketball picks, college basketball game, CBS Sports
- Source: CBS Sports — https://cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/picks-loaded-top-25-schedule-duke-michigan-state-kentucky-kansas-predictions
- Published: 2026-11-09T21:59:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: college basketball, duke, michigan state, kentucky, kansas, top 25, college basketball schedule, college basketball predictions, college basketball picks, college basketball game, sports
## Tuesday's college basketball slate
Tuesday's college basketball slate features top teams including Florida vs. Florida State, Duke vs. Michigan State, and Kansas vs. Kentucky.
## Florida vs. Florida State
Florida faces Florida State in a home game after beating Miami, with Florida State's home court advantage expected to impact the outcome.
## Duke vs. Michigan State
Duke is favored to beat Michigan State by 6.5 points due to their depth and frontcourt advantage.
## Memphis vs. Vanderbilt
Memphis faces Vanderbilt in a tough test with Vanderbilt's strong defense and Memphis missing key player Nemanja Popovic.
## Illinois vs. Texas Tech
Illinois plays Texas Tech with both teams missing key players but Illinois' fast pace and Texas Tech's depth expected to influence the game.
## Kansas vs. Kentucky
Kansas faces Kentucky with Kansas' star guard Melvin Council Jr. out after breaking his foot in practice.
## Predictions for Tuesday's games
Duke -6.5, Florida State +10, Vanderbilt -15, Texas Tech +1.5, Kentucky +4.5 are the predicted margins for Tuesday's games.
## Key player absences
Illinois lacks David Mirkovic and Jake Davis, while Texas Tech is without JT Toppin but has Jamichael Stillwell returning.
## Kansas' injury concerns
Kansas' star guard Melvin Council Jr. broke his foot in practice, forcing Bill Self to adjust his team's strategy.
## Vanderbilt's defensive strength
Vanderbilt has elite defense with strong perimeter coverage and a focus on limiting three-point shooting.
## Illinois' fast-paced offense
Illinois plays with a fast pace, relying on five-star freshman Quentin Coleman and senior Andrej Stojakovic for scoring.
## Kentucky's three-point shooting
Kentucky's three-point shooting is critical for overcoming Kansas' lack of volume shooting and rebounding.
## Key takeaway

Duke and Michigan State face off in a key matchup, with Kentucky favored to beat Kansas despite Kansas' recent injury concerns.