Kentucky seized a No. 1 seed in Joe Lunardi's Bracketology this week and will immediately test that status in a difficult trip to Knoxville on Saturday. ESPN.com's college basketball experts made their predictions for that game, then expounded on the wild state of the Big 12 race and the relative staying power of Gonzaga (at Saint Mary's, Saturday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Jump to score predictions for the weekend's top games

Let's start with a two-part question: Do you see Kentucky completing the sweep of Tennessee in Knoxville, and if so (or if not), what will that result say about both teams?

Myron Medcalf, senior college basketball writer: Kentucky was dominant in the first game, and I expect the Wildcats to win the rematch, even without Reid Travis. The analytics suggest Kentucky has been a great defensive team with Nick Richards on the floor and Travis on the bench. A loss won't change anything about the perception of a (short-handed) Kentucky squad that has looked like a Final Four team in 2019. Maybe John Calipari will be included on the national coach of the year lists (he should be on them now) with a win. If Tennessee loses, however, the doubts will persist about a team that seemed invincible before this humbling stretch. A win would feel like a "we're back" moment for the Vols.

Jeff Borzello, college basketball insider: I don't. I know Tennessee isn't playing all that well right now and Kentucky is one of the hottest teams in the country, but I think the veteran Volunteers show some toughness and hold serve on their home court. The bottom line is we shouldn't write off Tennessee just yet; the Vols still have the experience and weapons to make a deep run. As for Kentucky, it might show that Reid Travis still brings something to the table for the Wildcats. Travis did a great job against Tennessee in the first meeting; will they miss him on Saturday? Or will Nick Richards and EJ Montgomery make up for his absence?

John Gasaway, college basketball writer: In the first game, UK limited Grant Williams to four shots from the field. (That probably deserves an exclamation point.) Travis was a big part of that, and it's fair to say he's one of the few players in the SEC who can legitimately deal with Williams on equal terms as far as physicality. Now that's gone, and, anyway, the Wildcats, as incredible as they looked against the Volunteers at Rupp, had to come back from 15 down to win at Arkansas. Tennessee is not Arkansas. I'm taking the Vols, but, that said, this result will say very little about what full-strength Kentucky can do on neutral floors in March.

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Jordan Schultz, insider/analyst: The first one might have gotten away at Rupp Arena, but the Vols don't lose at Thompson-Boling Arena. Both teams are likely No. 1 seeds, but the game holds weight nevertheless. These are two national title contenders, but for different reasons. Kentucky continues to improve, thanks in large part to Tyler Herro (29 points on 9-of-10 shooting, 5-of-6 3s vs Arkansas) and PJ Washington, who has significantly elevated his draft stock with his stellar play. Rick Barnes' club has suffered two tough L's -- at UK and at LSU -- but remains an offensive juggernaut. Jordan Bone (19 points, six assists vs. UK) will once again show us why he is an elite lead guard, but the games come down to Grant Williams, who will go off in this one with Reid Travis unavailable for the Cats.

The Big 12 race appears destined to be a mess until the final day of the regular season. Tell us now, in order from 1-5, who the top five seeds will be in the upcoming Big 12 tournament in Kansas City.

Medcalf: This feels like a math problem. And I got C's in math. But here we go. I don't believe the chaos will be as dramatic as we presume, with Kansas State beating Baylor (home), TCU (road) and Oklahoma (home) to win the Big 12 title and lock up the No. 1 seed. From there, I expect Kansas to win its next three games and get the No. 2 seed and the tiebreaker (two wins over Baylor) over Texas Tech, the 3-seed after the Red Raiders take a loss to either Texas or Iowa State down the stretch. Baylor at 4, Iowa State at 5. But this could be terribly wrong and Kansas could just win another title and ruin all of this beautiful math I think I just did.

Borzello: Well now you're making me look up conference tournament tiebreakers. I think Texas Tech, Kansas and Kansas State all end up with a share of the title (yes, The Streak continues). The three teams all split with each other, but Texas Tech lost twice to Iowa State. The tiebreakers go all the way down to TCU, whom Kansas swept. So I'll go Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Iowa State and then Baylor. The Jayhawks have three winnable games remaining, while Kansas State still has to go to TCU, and Texas Tech still heads to TCU and Iowa State. I think the Cyclones get a win over the Red Raiders on the final Saturday of the regular season to nab the 4-seed and force that three-way share of first place. Baylor beats out Texas for the 5-seed.

Gasaway: Myron says "math problem" like that's a bad thing. Let's do this, 1 through 5: Kansas State, Kansas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Iowa State. Say goodbye to The Streak -- all K-State has to do is defend the home floor against the Bears and Oklahoma and win at TCU. The Horned Frogs have already lost in Fort Worth to Lipscomb, OU and KU, so, sure, the Wildcats can probably get that done, as well.

Schultz: A conversation this week with a Big 12 head coach reaffirmed my thought that the Big 12 is the best, most balanced league in America. Texas Tech, Kansas State, Kansas, Baylor and Iowa State are a quintet of potential second-weekend teams and beyond. That is how I will seed the tournament, with the caveat being that Tech, KU and K-State will all own a piece of the title. Undoubtedly, my lack of math aptitude takes the cake here, but here we go: Kansas wins out, and Tech wins at TCU but then loses to the Cyclones at Hilton. Kansas State meanwhile, loses in Fort Worth on Monday night to the Horned Frogs. Did you get all of that?

Gonzaga took back the No. 1 ranking this week. Give us one reason you trust the Zags to still be playing in April, and one reason you don't.

Medcalf: The NCAA tournament is all about teams succeeding when things go wrong. And the Bulldogs have endured a lot of injuries. That will help. They also have this energized offense and a pair of All-Americans. That win over full-strength Duke in Maui is the only victory of its kind this season. My concern is the same concern I have every year: They haven't faced a contender since December, and that hurts their cause. That, to me, is always the challenge for Gonzaga in the WCC. You've been fighting tomato cans for three months while your opponents have been tussling with Floyd Mayweather and Oscar de la Hoya.

Borzello: On the one hand, Gonzaga has all the pieces needed to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs are led by two elite frontcourt players in Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura and they have post depth, so Mark Few's team won't be overwhelmed down low by anyone. They have a veteran point guard in Josh Perkins and shooters in Zach Norvell and Corey Kispert. If Killian Tillie returns from injury, he'll be another boost off the bench for the Bulldogs. I think Geno Crandall has a role to play, too.

On the flip side, they haven't been tested by anyone since mid-December -- but my one potential weakness is still Perkins. The point guard has been terrific as a senior, but he has had his inconsistencies in the past. Moreover, I do wonder whether he can go create a bucket on his own in the final seconds of a one-possession game in March.

Gasaway: I trust the Zags to still be playing in April because they have the most oddly undeserved reputation for postseason underperformance in the past five years. It's simple -- when the Bulldogs are at their best, they don't stop in March/April until they happen to run into the national champion. That was true in 2015 (Duke in the Elite Eight) and, of course, in 2017 (North Carolina in the national title game). Then again, I don't trust Gonzaga because, back when mastodons still roamed the Earth and the Zags were playing teams that could actually beat them (i.e., in November and December), this defense looked consistently mediocre.

Schultz: Admittedly, I am biased: Gonzaga was my preseason pick to cut down the nets in Minneapolis. You need stars to win a title, and the Zags have those in spades, hence the No. 1-ranked offensive efficiency in the nation, per KenPom. Despite the loss of multidimensional threat Killian Tillie -- who could still return for the tournament -- forwards Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke present arguably the most efficient and feared frontcourt west of Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams. They both excel playing screen-and-roll with pace-setting point guard, Mr. Steady himself, Josh Perkins, whose 6.8 APG slot him top 10 nationally. The Zags also have another potential first-round draft choice in 6-5 shooting guard Zach Norvell Jr. The sweet-shooting lefty nails 39.3 percent of his treys and can guard multiple spots.

The one concern I do have for Mark Few & Co. is mirrored by our panel: The West Coast Conference simply does not prepare you for tournament play the same way a Power Five conference does, or even a league like the American will. With that in mind, Gonzaga has not played a ranked opponent since Dec. 12, and many of its wins have come against sub-100 BPI clubs.

ESPN.com expert picks for this weekend's top games

(Lines, published as they become available, from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.)

Medcalf Borzello Gasaway Schultz Michigan State at Indiana

12 p.m. ET Saturday (MSU -7.5)

MSU 74-68

MSU 70-60

MSU 75-66

MSU 78-74 Kentucky at Tennessee

2 p.m. ET Saturday (UT -2.5)

UK 83-80

UT 77-75

UT 68-64

UT 82-73 Ohio State at Purdue

2 p.m. ET Saturday (PUR -10.5)

PUR 72-65

PUR 69-56

PUR 71-61

PUR 69-61 Miami at Duke

4 p.m. ET Saturday (DUKE -18)

DUKE 84-72

DUKE 87-58

DUKE 79-67

DUKE 84-68 UCF at Houston

4 p.m. ET Saturday (HOU -8)

HOU 74-65

HOU 72-60

HOU 75-68

HOU 79-69 Texas Tech at TCU

4 p.m. ET Saturday (TECH -4)

TECH 70-59

TECH 69-64

TECH 61-58

TECH 75-65 North Carolina at Clemson

6 p.m. ET Saturday (UNC -5.5)

UNC 87-77

UNC 82-73

UNC 80-70

UNC 77-73 Baylor at Kansas State

8 p.m. ET Saturday (KSU -6)

KSU 71-64

KSU 70-61

KSU 62-56

KSU 70-66 Gonzaga at Saint Mary's

10 p.m. ET Saturday (ZAGS -9)

ZAGS 94-79

ZAGS 84-73

ZAGS 90-75

ZAGS 86-69 Michigan at Maryland

3:45 p.m. ET Sunday (MICH -1.5)

MICH 72-68

UMD 67-64

MICH 65-60

MICH 81-72