Judgement Saturday Picks

Ok, the Gold Medal Hockey game is tomorrow, so there is no excuse not to gorge on a bounty of fantastic basketball games today.  Most of today's games likely won't affect who is "in" and who is "out", but there are about a dozen fantastic games that provide a nice look at who is ready for March and who might be a little overvalued.

The glamour game is tonight in Syracuse, where they are expecting more people in attendance than have EVER attended an on-campus basketball game.  As in EVER.  That's pretty impressive, and the Maniac imagines they will get their money's worth.  Villanova matches up well with the Orange, in the sense that their guard-dominated lineup is well suited to shoot teams out of the zone.  My only question with Nova tonight is how they will bang with the Cuse bigs.  If Syracuse can limit the Wildcats to one shot I like their chances.  The winner of tonight's game gets the inside track on a #1 ssed, particularly if the Cuse win (it pretty muck locks their #1, Villanova would still have a little work to do).

On to the quick picks:


Notre Dame +11 @ Georgetown:  The Irish have found something special in the past few games without Luke Harangody.  Their crushing win over Pitt puts them oddly back in the tourney mix, despite having lost three straight before that contest.  It's been a while since ND was blowout, and Georgetown seems oddly susceptable to the home upset to bubble teams.  Gimme the Irish with the bevy of points.

Boston College @ Georgia Tech - 7:  For some reason every mock bracket has the Jackets tucked safely in the field, despite a 6-7 record in an average ACC.  I think that's a mistake, and I think GT knows they have work to do.  Expect them to finally do it today at home.

Kentucky -2 @ Tennessee:  Yes, the Vols will be amped up today.  The crowd will be electric.  But this is a terrible matchup for UT.  They just don't have the depth or the guard play to hang with Kentucky.  Expect Cousins and Patterson to get Chism in some foul trouble early and the Vols have no one to turn to after that.

Rhode Island -5 @ St. Bonnaventure:   The Rams are in danger of playing themselves out of the tournament with another bad loss.  Fortunatly for them St. Bonnie is terrible.  I like the Rams to get well and win by double digits on the road.

Arizona State @ Cal -6:  Knock the Pac 10 all we want, but I think Cal locks up a comfortable tourney spot with a win tonight.  One thing nearly every Pac 10 team has done this year is pack it in on the road.  I like Cal, one of the nation's hottest teams, to roll at home and grab the conference regualr season crown.  However, should the Devils steal on on the road, they move into the soft bubble mix.

New Mexico +9 @ BYU:  Syracuse gets all the attention tonight, but the game of the day is right here in Provo, Utah.  Both teams are NCAA locks, the winner today likely sews up a Top 4 seed.  New Mexico is absolutely on fire and is more athletic than the Cougars.  I like them to control the looks Jimmer Fredette gets from the perimeter and to control the glass.  I'm not sure the Lobos get the huge road win, but I'll take them with the points.

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