8PM: Gonzaga @ Michigan State
The Zags mantra of anyone, anytime takes living form tonight as they essentially "open" their season at #2 Sparty. State returns All-American PG Kalin Lucas and a healthy supporting cast. The Zags lost a ton, including leading scorers Jeremy Pargo, Josh Heytvelt and budding star Austin Daye (who made a huge mistake leaving early...but that's another column. William Avery thinks he needed more college for crying out loud...)
That said, two things remain consistent in East Lansing. Izzo's clubs will fight you for 40 minutes, and they are always better in March than they are in November. I think they win tonight, but that Boldin and Co. keep the Zags hanging around long into the second half.
Maniac's Pick: Gonzaga +11
10 PM: Memphis @ #1 Kansas
The Tigers are in an interestingly unfamiliar position in 09-10, the hunter rather than the hunted. The rematch of the title game from two years ago bears absolutly zero resemblance. Only two "real" contributors remain (both Aldrich and Collins played supporting roles for the Jayhawks). However this Jayhawk squad might actually be more talented than the group that cut down the nets 20 months ago.
Memphis is not only unranked, most pundits have them second in a less-than-stellar C-USA. (The Maniac disagrees - Memphis wins the league again this year). Gone is Calipari. So too the bevy of NBA caliber recruits. In comes Josh Pastner, a 31 year old baby-faced rookie coach. The Tigers will be different in 09, but don't sleep on the athleticism of this club. Early in the season when teams struggle with shot selection and finding fluidity in their offenses, defense tends to rule.
The addition of Xavier Henry makes Kansas an early season title fave.Memphis is better than most expect and could very likely be a first round favorite come March. However they won't be tonight. Expect an experienced Jayhawk squad to force a ton of turnovers and bad shots from the young Tigers and win with relative ease in a game that will look more impressive in March than it does tonight.
Maniac's Pick: Kansas -9.5
Other Game of Note:
Duquesne @ Iowa (9PM): To the casual fan, this is another early season patsy...and it might be. Only for the Dukes rather than the Hawkeyes. Iowa will be a punching bag in the loaded Big Ten this year. Get used to it Hawkeye fans. A loss at home tonight to the A-10 sleeper Duquesne is a tougher-than-advertised way to start
Maniac's Pick: Duquesne -2
Other Picks:
Georgetown -8 over Temple
Duke -17 over Charlotte
Iowa State -1 over Drake
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Do it all @ MarchManiacs.com
What no love for the UCF vs Howard game?!?!?
ReplyDeleteJust got back from the "game." Very sloppy but the better team prevailed, as UCF hung on to win.
No, but that was a good solid win over UMass (by 18). They might be decent this year, and CUSA is a little more balanced... maybe a NIT long shot??
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