Weekly NCAA Picks

The conference is really underway and there are some key games this week. I did not watch much of Kansas-Tennessee, but kudos to Bruce Pearl.  He coached his team very good and people stepped up in absence of all their players.  Kansas will bounce back, and I am sure they are glad it's a non-conference game. 

Monday
4. Villanova at. Louisville- Once again, Marquette broke my heart by coming all the way back only to turn the ball over on the final play.  The thing with the Wildcats is if they shoot their threes, they are likely to run the other team out of the gym simple as that. I haven't heard much from Louisville but this is a tough place to play, with Nova not having much time to prepare. UL 75-69 

Tuesday
2. Kentucky at Florida- The Wildcats once again escaped against a less opponent, but as a young team, they found a way to win.  John Wall continues to impress me but the question is can he got down to Gainesville and lead his team to victory. I personally think this also could be an upset even though they lost to Vanderbilt on the road. I think it will come down to the wire again, and Wall ends up pulling it out for the Gators. UK 74-72

Ohio State at 6. Purdue- I think the Boilermakers struggles at the free-throw line on Saturday against the Wisconsin Badgers might be a tell-tale sign for the next couple of months. They are one of the toughest teams at home and I do not believe Evan Turner is back from injury, the Buckeyes are entirely different team without him. PUR 68-53

Texas A&M at 12. Kansas State- Once again, the Big 12 flexed their muscles with the Wildcats losing in Missouri and now has to face a good Aggie team. Donald Sloan is a hell of a player that the Cats need to stop if they want to pull away in this one. I like Jacob Pullen and the other parts of K-State.  KSU 76-71

Wednesday
1. Texas at Iowa State- I think whenever you are number one in the nation people are out gunning for you and the Longhorns are going to have a big target especially on the road.  The Cyclones didn't play well against the Dukies last week but I think this will be a close ball game with the Horns pulling it out. UT 67-65

13. North Carolina at 19. Clemson- The Tar Heels looked impressive against the Hokies last night and they go to Clemson where it is always a tough place to play.  Trevor Booker I think will get contained by all the size the Tar Heels have and that will propel them to victory.  UNC 79-71

20. Pittsburgh at 15. UConn- It's time to see whether the Panthers who are the surprising them in the NCAA this season are the real deal. UConn seems to have the same make-up as they usually do, they have really good players-Kemba Walker, Stanley Robinson but they have huge mental lapses multiple times. I don't see the Huskies losing at home.  UCONN 75-65

16. Wisconsin at Northwestern- The Badgers lost Jon Leuer for awhile and I felt like he was the reason why the Badgers were a better team than their ranking might show. Like I said last week, their bench is a big reason why they are a great team BUT Evanston is a house of horrors for the Badgers plus without Leuer I think we see the offense struggle.  NW 54-49 

-Charlie.