College Basketball Weekend

Another weekend of college basketball and it looks to be another good one.

1. Pittsburgh-at Seton Hall- Well this one was a one week stay at the number one spot for the Panthers and they have proven that if DeJuan Blair isnt a factor, they will not win ball games. Good news is that the Pirates cant compete with the Panthers in any aspects of the game. PITT 76-54

2. Connecticut-vs. Notre Dame- The Irish have made their climb back into the tourney discussion now being a win away from .500 in the conference. They need to find a third scorer to win this game because I think Shrek can beat Thabeet down low and Puff the Magic Dragon-AJ Price will balance each other. I think the Huskies have too many weapons, close game though. UCONN 81-76

3. Oklahoma-at Texas Tech- Rut roh, Blake Griffin gets cleared to play today. It will be interesting to see how Jeff Capel uses him in this game because this is going to be a lot like the football game between these two teams, just ugly. OKLA 91-69

4. Memphis-vs. Southern Miss- The Tigers have bolted to the top five again due to lack of a conference. I have to credit to John Calipari who continues to retool his team year in and year out. This should be a cake walk for them. MEMP 82-64

5. North Carolina-vs. Georgia Tech- The Tar Heels have had a week to stew over the lost against the Terps and I am guessing they will be pretty hungry going into the game against the lowly Yellow Jackets. This one will be ugly. UNC 89-70

6. Louisville-vs. 10. Marquette (Sunday)- Well this rivalry has been very one-sided in the past couple of years with the Cardinals dominating wherever the games have been played. I am guessing Marquette plays with a chip on their should and a "win one for Dom" attitude tomorrow. I havent bet against my team nor will I start. MARQ 84-82

7. Duke-at Virgina Tech- The Blue Devils have looked better and better in the last couple games due to the play of Elliot Williams whose is going to be stud for years to come. They head into Blacksburg which is a house of horrors for Duke, I believe they have lost the last two at Va. Tech. Good news for the Dukies is they are the hottest team in basketball. DUKE 83-76

8. Missouri-at 15. Kansas (Sunday)- The Border War is renewed in Lawrence on Sunday where the Tigers can prove if they deserve a top 10 ranking right now. I think the Jayhawks know they shouldnt have lost the first time so they sure as hell wont lose this one. KU 82-78

9. Michigan State-at 20. Illinois- The Spartans have taken care of business in the last couple of games and are looking to do so again in a tough road test. The Illini havent stepped up to these big games this year and got beat physically by Michigan State last time, I dont see anything changing. MSU 67-61

11. Arizona State-at Washington St.- The Sun Devils almost stole a win agianst Washington on Thursday night and now face a Cougar team who is on the outskirts of the bubble at this point. I think the Sun Devils will methodically win this ball game. ASU 72-57

12. Villanova-vs. Georgetown- The Hoyas unless they start pulling rabbit tricks out of their asses, they are pretty much headed for the NIT at this point. The Wildcats have just found different ways to win basketball and still lurking towards the top of the Big East. Georgetown will not come to play today. NOVA 84-71

13. Clemson-at 25. Florida State- Big time ACC matchup today as the Tigers head into Tallahassee. The Noles proved me right by losing to Boston College earlier this week but at home, they are so tough to beat. Trevor Booker and co. come up short. FSU 83-80

14. Wake Forest-at Virgina- The Demon Deacons have had a tendency to lose against the bottom barrel in the ACC this year. I think it stems from being a young team and what not. They need to just play their game and they will win. WAKE 86-77

16. Purdue-vs. Ohio State- Another bubble team that is in a must win situation today as the Buckeyes take on the Boilermakers. Purdue has played well of late with the return of Robbie Hummel and will take care of business at home today. PURDUE 69-63

17. Gonzaga-at San Diego- The Zags got out of Santa Clara a winner on Thursday night with some resilient play by their whole team. They now head down south to San Diego who because of injury isnt the same team as last year. ZAGS 74-58

18. LSU-at Kentucky- A big SEC showdown today in the bluegrass state as the Tigers take on the Wildcats who are in desperate need of a big win. The wheels have seemed to fall of as of late for Kentucky. LSU needs to prove that they can do it on the road too which will prove to be too tough at Rupp Arena. UK 70-67

19. UCLA-at California- The prime time game on ESPN with two teams that have exact records but one is not in the top 25. It will be interesting to see how the Golden Bears handle the pressure of having such a big game at home tonight. I foresee a close battle but the Bruins experience takes care of business. UCLA 68-65

21. Washington-vs. Arizona- Its time to start giving the Huskies their respect if they can win this game. They are at the top of the Pac-10 and no one seems to recognizes this. The Cats need a win to keep themselves on the bubble after losing two straight but Jon Brockman down low too tough for Arizona. WASH 76-70

22. Butler-vs. Cleveland State- The Bulldogs in what I believe is the last game of the Horizon play a very good Viking team who knocked off the Orange earlier this year. I was impressed with Butler against Davidson last week and they have no excuse to lose this one. BUTL 68-60

24. Texas-at Oklahoma State- The Longhorns have found themselves back in the top 25 with some strong play in the last couple of weeks. The Cowboys have a couple good guards but nothing really that special. I got a feeling about this one and these games usually are classics so I will take the Pokes in a close one. OSU 82-80

-Charlie.