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Thursday, January 29, 2009

College Basketball Weekend

Another week of picks and things have gotten crazier this week with Duke, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse all going down this week plus Georgetown and Notre Dame have long losing streaks. So here we go...

1. Duke-vs. Virgina (Sunday)- If one team I would not want to be this weekend, it would be the Virgina Cavaliers. They will not even come close to beating the Dukies in Cameron Indoor. DUKE 77-55

2. Connecticut-vs. Providence- Hard to believe there is a possibility that the Huskies will be number one next week; they just havent played like a number one in my opinon. Anyways they play a very good Providence who will find themselves in the Top 25 no matter the outcome of this one and they actually have the size to matchup with the Huskies. I wouldnt be shocked if an upset happened but I think Uconn is too deep which will result in a victory. UCONN 84-77

3. Pittsburgh-vs. 22. Notre Dame- The Irish have struggled in the past couple of week losing four straight but it has been an absolute gaunlet. The Panthers also lose this week to Villanova and I will definitely tuning in to see DeJuan Blair (credits to Mach) vs. Luke Harangoody in the paint; that will be comparable to a UFC fight. When the chips are down, the Panthers have more tools than Blair. PITT 68-61

4. Wake Forest-at Georgia Tech- As I say at least once a weekend, beware of the letdown... This is a perfect chance to opportunity but I really dont see it happening. The Yellow Jackets are lost this season and like I said before, I apologize to Danny for underestimating the Demon Decons. WAKE 88-73
5. Oklahoma- at Iowa State- The Sooners continue to impress me after holding off Oklahoma State on Monday on the road and they take their show to Ames which have given teams trouble but it should be no problem for the National Player of the Year right now Blake Griffen. OKLA 72-65

6. North Carolina- at NC State- The Tar Heels got very lucky with a Ty Lawson runner to beat Florida State this week but now they play a rival whose got the best of them in recent years. My buddy Brett made a good point today, "Tyler Hansbrough isnt getting the calls he was getting the last two years, you cant just go straight at people." Thats a spot on prediction. I think the Tar Heels should be fine in this one but they could really benefit from Wayne Ellington having a good day. UNC 75-64

7. Louisville-vs West Virgina- The Cardinals cannot overlook the Mountaineers with their big game looming on Monday night against the UConn. They have won the last four of five and are not afraid of the road. But Louisville is the hottest team in the NCAA right now and I havent seen a team yet that can stop them. They will pull away late. LOUIS 79-68

8. Marquette-vs 23. Georgetown- Once again Marquette plays a team that is on the ropes and this one worries me although Marquette will want some revenge after getting swept by the Hoyas last year. According to Mach, DeJuan Summers got hurt against Cincinnati so we will see how much it effects them. I believe if Marquette can contain their guards and let Summers/Greg Monroe go off, they will be just fine. Marquette pulls away late. MARQ 74-66

9. Michigan State-vs. Penn State (Sunday) The Spartans almost blew a 15+ lead against Penn State on the road and now they have them at home this weekend. The guards of Penn State can keep up with the Spartans but they have no inside game to stop them. MSU 64-51

10. Xavier-vs. Massachusetts- All the sudden the Musketeers are back in the Top 10 and they are the premier team in the Atlantic 10 and I dont see them having any problem in this one. XAVIER 83-67

12. Texas-vs. Kansas State- The Wildcats could of used Michael Beasley in this one but he is residing in Miami so they have deal with what they got and it will not be enough to stop the combination of A.J. Abrams or Damion James. TEXAS 73-61

14. Arizona State-vs. Washington- The Sun Devils and Huskies have already suffered defeats this year and they both could benefit from winning this one in Tempe. The big question is does anyone on Washington play good enough defense to stop James Harden? I dont think so but I think if they contain the rest of the team which Wazzou did, they can win this game. WASH 66-64
16. UCLA-vs. Stanford- The Bruins fell in the rankings after dropping a game to the Huskies and they bounced back against California and looking to start a new streak against the Goofy Tree. Stanford has lost the last two by considerable amounts and I dont like thier chances on the road in this one. UCLA 64-49

17. Purdue-vs. Michigan- After a quick start, the Wolverines have struggled in the last couple of weeks and now they play a tough Boilermaker team whose picking up steam getting everyone back from injury. I think Purdue is the kind of team can pick apart the 1-3-1. PURDUE 70-56

18. St. Mary's-at Portland- The Gaels suffered a tough loss on Thursday but they need to respond quickly as they play a red-hot Pilot team on the road. My only concern with Portland is that they got their asses kicked against Gonzaga when the Zags were cold so to me I dont think they can keep up with Paddy Mills. STM 68-59

19. Memphis-vs. Houston- The Tigers are slowly moving up the rankings because they are now playing in the C-USA and Tyreke Evans with help are starting to gel which could be deadly for teams come March. They are playing a Houston team whose been in the news for face-stomping.. well the Cougars get curbstomped on Saturday. MEMP 86-68

20. Illinois-vs. Iowa (Sunday)- Another top 25 team that was dealt a defeat this week and they didnt even crack the forty mark in their game against the Gophers. Dont look for that to happen in this one as they will be seeking revenge. ILLINI 58-45

21. Villanova-vs Cincinnati (Sunday) The Wildcats picked up their first signature win and they need not to let down against the Bearcats who have won the last four of five including a win against Georgetown. I think Nova has enough guards to hold down Deonta Vaughan. NOVA 73-59

25. Gonzaga-vs. San Diego- The Zags got a big victory on Thursday defeating St. Mary's who had the longest winning streak in the nation and like I mentioned before this Gonzaga team has its swagger back and I think that is very deadly for the West Coast Conference. San Diego is on the ropes and Josh Heyvelt/Micah Downs deliver the knockout punch. ZAGS 70-54

-Charlie.

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