CBB Picks: First-Class Weekend

With all over sports done, I need to make some picks so we do it with college basketball. Let's have some fun with it and see what happens. I should probably record my record, but I will say this is the hardest sport to pick without question.

FIRST TIER 
1. Syracuse at 5. Duke 5:00 pm ESPN - A rematch of arguably the best game of the season. Both teams will be coming off losses in games where they did not play at their very best. Duke's cold streaks against North Carolina's zone has to give you some trepidation heading into this one. While Carolina played a 1-3-1, Syracuse's 2-3 is just as mean and could really affect Blue Devils shooters. Jabari Parker will need to play a complete game. He disappeared last night and it hurt Duke. As for Syracuse, they have been skirting by in the last couple of weeks with similar offensive issues. C.J. Fair reverted back to his old ways of appearing only for short bursts versus the entire game. I like Duke at home in another close one with the difference being Amile Jefferson. DUKE 65-62  

11. Louisville at 7. Cincinnati 11:00 am CBS - Last time these two teams met, the Bearcats nearly blew a 17 point lead in the second half only to have Sean Kilpatrick close out the game. Louisville been red hot with their only loss being to Cincy in the last month or so yet the finish to their season will be brutal. I do not know if it is fair to judge how Louisville is playing right now since it is all against inferior opponents. Cincinnati only fell once to SMU but other than that, it is all cylinders ahead. Russ Smith will need to be involved and not go 6/15 like he did the first time these two teams played in January. Kilpatrick will carry the squad again with a big game inside from Justin Jackson. CIN 68-63

16. Wisconsin at 15. Iowa 11:00 am ESPN - These two have a good rivalry going in the last couple of years. I am fascinated to see what would have happened in early January if Fran McCaffery does not get ejected from the game. Iowa stood a fighting chance in that game, and it completely changed with McCaffery got tossed. People forget how good Deyvn Marble was in that one with 27 points. Wisconsin is red hot in recent weeks with strong play from Frank Kaminsky and Nigel Hayes keeps doing work off the bench. Hayes had eight points the first time these two met, but not as much of a factor as he has been in the last couple games. I have Iowa. I feel like they will rise to the occasion again at home gaining another major win for their resume. IOWA 79-76

6. San Diego State at New Mexico 9:00 pm ESPN2 - This will be worth a bar watch on Saturday night pitting the top two Mountain West opponents. Also these two teams have played some classics in the last couple of years. San Diego State's defense has been stout all year and rarely do they allow 65 points or more. Lobos will have to capitalize on every opportunity they get on Saturday night. As for New Mexico, they can give it to with either Kendall Williams or Alex Kirk inside whom should be healthier. I could see Kirk being a real issue for the Aztecs and will push the home team to victory. UNM 71-69

13. Michigan State at 20. Michigan (Played on Sunday) 11:00 am CBS - This game was a lot more exciting a couple weeks ago. Both teams are in desperate need of a win. Keith Appling played in a win against Purdue having nine assists and it can only be assumed he will be closer to full strength for this one. Michigan has alternated wins for the entire month of February. This should be bode well as they lost the last one. They need to find their offense again because it has suddenly disappear or Indiana unlocked a secret about how to stop them. Michigan State hit a record 17 threes on Thursday night. They beat Michigan for 35 minutes last time and didn't close. They finish the deal Sunday. MSU 67-61

SECOND TIER
19. Texas at 8. Kansas 6:30 pm ESPNU - First time these two teams met Texas threw a #BEATEMDOWN on Kansas. And I think the reverse could happen on Saturday.  Texas holds a team without seniors, we know that, and I have to think this is a problem heading into one of the toughest arenas in all of college basketball. Jayhawks also have scuffled in the last few games meaning they are poised for another outbreak. Kansas rolls in this one. KU 79-62

4. Arizona at Colorado 8:00 pm ESPN - No one can deny Arizona is a different team without Brandon Ashley. They went from contending for the title to maybe being a fringe Elite Eight squad. They need to find some offense inside possibly with Big Zeus or Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in conjunction with more consistent guard play. Colorado is warming up and learning how to play without their star, Spencer Dinwiddle as they have won five of their last six. Wildcats were able to squeak one out in Salt Lake City and I cannot see the same thing happening in Boulder. Big time Askia Booker performance. BUFFS 74-65

SMU at 21. UConn (Played on Sunday)  1:00 pm CBS Sports Network - First time around the world learned SMU is a better team than anyone gave them credit for at the beginning of the year. Since then, UConn has been a different team only falling to Louisville, Cincinnati and sweeping Memphis. I think this will be a pissed off Husky team ready to dominate the Mustangs. If Shabazz Napier does not get 30, I will buy everyone whom reads this a coffee. UCONN 81-68

George Washington at 10. St. Louis 7:00 pm No TV - Bilikens survived George Mason on the road this week and it is clear the bulls-eye is directly on their back right now. They needed a big Jordair Jett performance in the second half and overtime to win the game. George Washington has been playing better but they do not seem like a team that can head into the Arch and win this game. STL 69-61

THIRD TIER
23. UCLA at Stanford 5:00 pm ESPN2 - Must-win for Stanford whose hanging onto the bubble right and last time these two met, the Bruins ran them out of the game putting up 91 points. Even though it is tough to win at Maples for a road team, Stanford does not play defense and UCLA is a good offense team. No upset here. UCLA 89-73

St. John's at 9. Villanova 12:30 pm FOX Sports 1 - Johnnies have yet to lose in the month of February facing their toughest task, a road game in Philadelphia. If they were to win, it will definitely help their bubble case in a major way. Villanova did not play well the first time they saw St. Johns in early January shooting only 35 percent including doing nothing from three. They will need to do a little bit more on Saturday. James Bell was a non-factor in the first meeting and that does not happen in this one. NOVA 69-62

2. Florida at Ole Miss 11:00 am CBS - Quick #HotTake: Marshall Henderson could not handle Kentucky at home, and Florida will frustrate the hell out of him. UF 70-54

Minnesota at 24. Ohio State 5:00 pm Big Ten Network - Quick #HotTake: Gophers are on the wrong side of the bubble and do not see Columbus being nice to them. OSU 61-51

Charlie.

Wisconsin Basketball... Red Hot Once Again.

Many people went with the sky is falling technique with Wisconsin Badgers in late January. Badgers lost five of six games including losing three straight at home. After a wire-to-wire road victory against Michigan winning 75-62, it appears Wisconsin found its swagger once again and is prepared to make a push to a Big Ten title as the conference is wide open. Badgers received a great game from Frank Kaminsky, near turnover-free basketball and kept Nik Stauskas quiet.

This should be put near the top of Wisconsin's most impressive wins of the season. Even though Michigan is struggling a bit compared to earlier in B1G play, they have played well at home under head coach John Beilein. Badgers held the Wolverines to only 19 points in the first half and basically controlled the game minus one Michigan run in the second half where the Wolverines pulled it to three points with six minutes left. Wisconsin had a run of their own and put Michigan away. 

Kaminsky became a part of Wisconsin lore earlier this season when he had 43 points against North Dakota, but for the most part, he has been one of the most improved players on Wisconsin this season. Frank The Tank led the Badgers on Sunday afternoon with an impressive double-double where he had 25 points and 11 rebounds. Kaminsky was efficient from the field going 11/16 from there field. Many of his shots were high percentage ones and exactly what Badgers needed on Sunday afternoon. This is the second straight game where Kaminsky had 15+ points which makes one think he may have figured out how to be a big man in the Big Ten. With all of the other Wisconsin players, it gets overlooked Kaminsky is averaging 13 points a game.

One of the other big things with Kaminsky's big performance is how Sam Dekker shot the ball 10 times as well meaning Wisconsin had their post men shoot the ball 26 times and make 17 of them. Granted, Dekker and Kaminsky are not your prototypical big men where they stay inside for the whole game, but most of their damage on Sunday was around the the basket with a couple threes here and there including Kaminsky's dagger late in the second half to guarantee a victory for Wisconsin. 

Wisconsin had 2 turnovers in 60 possessions today, the lowest turnover percentage (3.3%) in a D-I game this season.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 16, 2014

Wisconsin is a team known for not turning the ball over much, but even this for them was stunning on Sunday afternoon. They only had two turnovers for the entire game. Also for whatever reason, Wisconsin recently struggled out of the gates with turnovers. The only two players to have a turnover were Dekker and Nigel Hayes meaning all Badgers guards played a perfect game when it came to turning the ball over.  This might be the pinnacle for Wisconsin, but if they can somehow keep their turnovers around zero to five plus forcing a couple in the process, they will be in a great shape moving forward this season. 

There is a blueprint to beating Michigan this season, taking away Nik Stauskas. The secret got out about Stauskas when Indiana held him to his Big Ten conference low six points. Since that game, the Michigan guard is averaging 10.2 points a game which is six points below his season average. Wisconsin applied the same strategy letting Caris LeVert go crazy with 25 points and cutting off everyone around him including Stauskas. He only had eleven points making four baskets including only getting up two 3-point shot attempts. This is the second game in the past three where Wisconsin shut down the top guard on the team. It does seem like Wisconsin's defense has turned the corner and that might be the biggest storyline developing with this team. 

Wisconsin gets a near week off before heading to Iowa City where the Badgers have struggled mightily in the past couple years. This game will likely be a battle for third place, but with both the top teams struggling of late, it could prove important to whom takes home the Big Ten title. Wisconsin's confidence should be back at their undefeated high. 

Charlie. 

CBB Picks: Bubble, Bubble, Bubble Watch

With all over sports done, I need to make some picks so we do it with college basketball. Let's have some fun with it and see what happens. I should probably record my record, but I will say this is the hardest sport to pick without question.

FIRST TIER
3. Florida at 14. Kentucky 8:00 pm ESPN - Only one of two SEC games that mean a damn. People are hyping up the Gators right now, but this will be the game where we could say 'They are legit' versus them racking up wins against inferior opponents. The matchup of day will be the Harrison Twins versus Scottie Wilbekin and Michael Frazier II. Both teams have strong forward play, but the guards playing well can make these teams that much better. Julius Randle versus Patric Young should be bar fight. I have a feeling the Wildcats get up for the game, and win this game with a big performance from Andrew Harrison plus a couple great Randle moments. UK 73-67

6. Villanova at 18. Creighton (Played Sunday) 4:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - Revenge game for the road team as Creighton shot lights out from three when they last played. Odds are it will not happen again, but Nova needs to do a better job guarding the perimeter. Doug McDermott has been out of mind of late, and he tends to step up in the big moments. Nova's balanced attack could give the Jays a ton of problems especially since they do not really play much defense I will take Dougie McBuckets at home. CREIG 75-72

21. Wisconsin at 15. Michigan (Played Sunday) 12:00 pm CBS  - Another revenge game for the road team. Wisconsin seems to have figured it out a bit in the last couple of games. They continue to get great effort out of Nigel Hayes and Ben Brust had a big scoring day against Minnesota. Michigan picked up a key road win Tuesday with a big Derrick Walton Jr. performance. Nik Stauskas got going again as well which is important to Michigan's success. While Badgers have looked better as of late, Michigan is a tough team to beat at home plus their balance should give Wisconsin problems. MICH 73-64

SECOND TIER 
20. Memphis at 24. UConn 11:00 am ESPN - Great guard matchup here with Joe Jackson and Michael Dixon versus Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright.  I feel like all four of these players could equal everyone out meaning it will come down to big men. This could mean a big game from Shaq Goodwin whose been known for a big game here or there. Or for UConn, DeAndre Daniels could come big for the Huskies. I will take UConn at home. I do not trust Memphis to go into a hostile environment to win a big game.
UCONN 69-63

VCU at 12. St. Louis 1:00 pm ESPN2 - This game will be all about pace. If St. Louis is able to slow down 'Havoc', they should win this game. But if VCU makes the Bilikens run a bit, it favors the Rams in a major way. Both teams are red hot as St. Louis has won 16 straight games and VCU won seven of their last eight games. I am going out on a limb and taking the Rams. They seem to be rounding into form, and I feel like they could catch St. Louis on the road with their frenetic offense.  VCU 82-73

25. Pittsburgh at North Carolina 12:00 pm CBS - People might not know this but North Carolina has won their last five games slowly gaining momentum. Tar Heels are not playing the greatest ACC teams, but it could make a splash here with win against Pitt. Panthers are reeling after a buzzer-beater defeat to Syracuse, and they need to respond quickly. Talib Zanna and James Michael McAdoo should be a fun matchup in the middle. I do not think Pittsburgh has a good enough answers for Marcus Paige, and he goes off for a big game to keep Carolina rolling. UNC 65-61

2. Arizona at Arizona State 8:00 pm (Played Friday) ESPN - Sun Devils are warming up with winning five of their last six games. This one will be huge for their NCAA resume. If they could get a win against rival Arizona, it will do wonders for them. I am curious to see whom the Wildcats put on Jahii Carson because I do not know if they have an answer. The battle in the middle between Kaleb Tarczewski and Jordan Bachynski. I am tempted to ride with the Sun Devils, but Wildcats with a Nick Johnson game-winner are the difference. ARIZ 68-67

THIRD TIER 
West Virginia at 19. Texas 7:00 pm Longhorn Network - Don't sleep on the Mountaineers as they have won their last four of five with their only loss being at Allen Fieldhouse. They blew the doors down against Iowa State hitting 13 threes and going 53 percent from the field. I expect a close game. I think these two teams match up well, but it seems like Texas always has one guy go off for 20+ points whether it be Javan Felix, Johnathan Holmes or anyone else. Too many weapons for the Horns take down West Virginia.
TEXAS 76-68

Maryland at 8. Duke 5:00 pm ESPN - Remember when this game mattered in the large scope of things? This will I believe be the last meeting for the Terrapins heading to Cameron Indoor. Duke will likely send them off the right way. I do not not really believe this will be a close game in any facet. Jabari Parker will have a big time game for the Dukies. DUKE 82-65

NC State at 1. Syracuse 3:00 pm ESPN3 - With how soft the bubble is this year, NC State still has a legitimate chance to get into the NCAA Tournament. They could bolster their resume with a win at the Carrier Dome. T.J. Warren has been great in the last couple games, but I think the zone suffocates him leading to yet another Orange victory. CUSE 62-57

16. Iowa at Penn State 12:00 pm ESPNU - I need to make an upset pick as I have been on fire the last couple weeks. I nearly went with Arizona State, but here it is from Happy Valley. Penn State had an amazing comeback win on Wednesday night at Indiana, and I think they will ride the momentum to take down Iowa. Just feels like a trap game for the Hawkeyes as they have a big week upcoming with a road trip to Indiana and home against Wisconsin. PSU 68-62

CBB Picks: Rematch Weekend

Since college football and National Football League is done, we have been making picks for college basketball. Let's have some fun with it and see what happens. I should probably record my record, but I will say this is the hardest sport to pick without question.

FIRST TIER
10. Michigan at 17. Iowa 1:00 pm ESPN - One of the big narrative right now in college basketball is 'Iowa cannot beat good teams.'  There is no evidence against it honestly. They have come close to a sweep against Ohio State, road win against Wisconsin, Michigan State at home, but they have not finished. Two games featured the Hawkeyes going on epic cold streaks to finish the game. That cannot happen against Michigan, a team that burned them late in the game in their first meeting. Wolverines bounced back from their first B1G loss with a 29 point drubbing of Nebraska earlier this week. I believe in you Iowa, and I think Aaron White comes off his cold streak to have a big game. IOWA 78-73

9. Michigan State at Wisconsin (Played on Sunday) 12:00 pm CBS - As I mentioned in my Wisconsin-Illinois recap, the notion of 'Bo owns Izzo' is deader than a strip club at 3:00 pm on a Wednesday. Michigan State has won the last five games against Wisconsin. Badgers could be catching Sparty at the wrong time with Adreian Payne returning from injury. Payne poises a huge problem for Wisconsin. Wisconsin will need another big effort from Sam Dekker, and Traevon Jackson will need to play within himself if Keith Appling plays or not. I cannot fathom Wisconsin losing four straight at home. They find a way to squeak this one out. Maybe a clutch Ben Brust three at the end. UW 70-68

23. Gonzaga at 24. Memphis 8:00 pm ESPN - These two teams do this made-for-ESPN February non-conference game. It is good exposure for both teams especially Gonzaga. West Coast Conference is not really what it used to be, and everyone forgets about the Zags when talking about teams out west. Bulldogs have battled all sorts of injuries all season, but they are at full strength heading into this one. Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. would be ill-advised to get into an up-and-down game with this team. Memphis blew out Rutgers and has won five of their last six games. I expect a strong Joe Jackson performance along with Austin Nichols contributing a big game giving the home team a much-needed resume builder. MEMP 73-67

SECOND TIER
4. Wichita State at Northern Iowa 8:00 pm ESPN2 - If Wichita State gets past Northern Iowa, they might be on an undefeated path. CBS Eye on College Basketball podcast pointed out the Shockers will be double-digit favorites the rest of the season after this one. Northern Iowa has not been good this season with going 5-6 in Missouri Valley play including losing four of its last five. Although I expect they will treat this one like their Super Bowl, but I cannot bet against the Shockers. They have shown too much toughness down the stretch in big games to lose this one against an inferior team in a tough road environment. WSU 78-72

12. Creighton at St. John's (Played Sunday) 6:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - Weird weekend for the Jays. They have a game on Friday and Sunday which is virtually unheard of plus they played St. John's last week where Dougie McBuckets hit a game-winner. Although since then, the Johnnies are red hot shooting the lights out which could be trouble for a Creighton team that does not play much defense. Red Storm were close to beating Bluejays on the road, and I think D'Angelo Harrison goes for 30 in a great battle with McDermott in another upset win for St. John's. STJ 77-74

15. Texas at Kansas State 12:30 pm ESPN3 - These two played a classic last time around with Texas' Johnathan Holmes hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater about a month ago. Kansas State has fallen on hard times losing their last three of four, but all of those games on the road. Wildcats have yet to lose at home in the Big 12. Thomas Gipson had a big game the last time these two played, and I believe he will be a factor again in this one. Kansas State is a different team at home, and that will show through again as Texas is due for a game where they look a little pedestrian. KSTATE 75-61

7. Cincinnati at SMU 6:30 pm ESPNU - Two of the bigger surprises so far this season especially Cincinnati. Bearcats gained another tough win on Thursday against UConn with tough defense and clutch free throws setting up their showdown with the Mustangs.  SMU could use this win for their resume, but the Ponies are hot winning seven of their last eight with a fanbase believing in this team meaning Cincinnati will be heading to a hornet's nest.  Good thing for the Bearcats, Sean Kilpatrick has found his stroke again. He struggled against SMU the first time around, but I doubt it happens again. The senior has 25+ points in three of his last five games. I expect a big effort from him, and Cincy stays unbeaten. CIN 62-56

THIRD TIER
Baylor at 21. Oklahoma 6:00 pm ESPN2 - After beating Oklahoma State, Oklahoma dropped their last two games falling to Iowa State and West Virginia both on the road. They head home to take on Baylor, a team in desperation of a win. Bears were able to score one against Oklahoma State last week, and they will need to do it again Saturday.  Baylor suffered a two-point loss to these Sooners in January where they let Buddy Hield go off in the second half with 19 points. Kenny Cherry is still bothered by an ankle injury, and that makes me less confident in Baylor's chances in this one. Boomer Sooner in another double-digit loss for Baylor. OKLA 78-66

Seton Hall at 6. Villanova (Played Friday) 6:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - Seton Hall scored a big road win against Xavier last Saturday and look to break their alternate win/loss streak which is currently at six. Pirates are 4-5 in conference and more healthy than they were against Villanova the first time they played this season. With how well the Pirates took care of Xavier from three, Wildcats might need an alternative way to score points. I cannot pick against Nova at home, but I do think it will be a close on in Philly. NOVA 73-68

13. St. Louis at LaSalle 4:00 pm ESPN2 - On paper, this looks like it might have some upset potential. But then you take in consideration, La Salle is one of the worst offenses in the nation plus they have dropped four of the last five. Including with that, they face St. Louis whose one of the best defenses in the nation. Billikens keep rolling on. STL 68-52

Charlie.

CBB Stock Market: January 25-26th

Looking for something else on Sports News on Tap, I found a gem called 'CBB Stock Market' which highlighted what happened on the weekend of college hoops. Sometimes I will use this space for a longer form recap, but mostly, it will be a subheading. 

BUY BUY BUY 

Michigan Wolverines - All hail to the victors. What can you say about Michigan right now? They are easily the hottest team in the country with winning ten of their last eleven games with their only lost coming to Arizona by a single point in mid-December. I think I have said it at least 20 times but John Beilein is by far my Coach of the Year thus far. He's done yeoman's work with this team. It also has a great deal to do with Nik Stauskas developing into more than just a guy with a silky 3-point jumper. While I enjoy him, I have a feeling he might become very unlikable by March. Another underrated part of this run is Derrick Walton Jr. coming into his own as a point guard.

Florida Gators - Like many forgot about Dre, people have completely forgot Florida. The Gators are on fire as of late including a 26 point win against Tennessee at home on Saturday. They are currently undefeated in the SEC including giving up 50 points or less in the last four SEC games. Additionally, Florida has not lost since December 2nd against UConn where Shabazz Napier hit a game-winner. They have five double-digit scorers meaning any night Florida could have a big performance from the likes of Michael Frazier II or Casey Prather. This also means not every player needs to be on every game night. Florida might be undefeated before heading to Tennessee and Kentucky in the week of February 9th.

Cincinnati Bearcats - Another team that has not lost since mid-December is Cincinnati. People did not really expect from the Cats this season as they lost some tools from a tournament team although Sean Kilpatrick did return for his senior year. Kilpatrick is having a great season shooting 42 percent from the field which is an improvement from last year's clip of 39 percent. Additionally, he is shooting 34 percent from three as well as getting to the free-throw line more often than he did in his first three years.  Justin Jackson also came into his own as a senior with scoring eleven points a game, seven rebounds and three blocks a game. All up from his first three years with the Bearcats. Mick Cronin has done a great job with this program.

HOLD HOLD HOLD

Marcus Smart -  I do not think we should make much of Smart's recent struggles. He did not play really well against Kansas including getting dunked on by Joel Embiid then struggled against West Virginia leading him to do this on the bench. Smart apologized after the game and if we have learned anything from the young players in the nation right now, everyone struggles for a bit during the season. Smart is just taking some hard knocks, he will be fine in the coming weeks.

Providence Friars - Many people are looking towards Providence's hot streak recently because the Friars have not been relevant in the last couple of years. People believed this was the same old Providence squad as they lost three straight in late December and early January yet since then they have reeled off five straight wins with some major victories against Creighton and Xavier, two of the Big East bests. My one knock on Providence which could come back to bite me in the ass is the fact they have yet to win one on the road. In this streak, their only road win is against St. John's and it took double-overtime to do it. They have four of the next five games on the road so we will see if the Friars can keep this up.

Nebraska Cornhuskers - I realize they are 2-5 in the Big Ten, but they had big wins against Ohio State and Minnesota this week. This is an encouraging sign for not only Nebraska's future with Tim Miles but also with the Big Ten as they added Nebraska a couple years ago for 'football' purposes only (Honestly). If Nebraska becomes a threat to beat some teams at home in the next couple of years, that's a really good thing for the conference.

SELL SELL SELL 

Baylor Bears - What in the hell happened to Baylor? I ask this question a lot with teams, but Baylor fell completely from the wagon in the last couple of weeks. Bears have now lost four of the last five games although the only bad loss in those games were to Texas Tech. The only problem is Baylor needs a big win quickly with games against Oklahoma State and Kansas on the horizon with West Virginia before them. They need to find a way to win two of the next three or Baylor is on the bubble without question.  

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK 
Monday: 17. Duke at 18. Pittsburgh 6:00 pm ESPN, 9. Villanova at Georgetown 8:00 pm FOX Sports 1
                8. Oklahoma State at 23. Oklahoma 8:00 pm ESPN

Tuesday: 7. Michigan State at 15. Iowa 6:00 pm ESPN

Wednesday: 16. Iowa State at 6. Kansas 8:00 pm ESPNU, 1. Arizona at Stanford 8:00 pm ESPN2,
                      2. Syracuse at Wake Forest 8:00 pm ESPN3

Thursday: 13. Cincinnati at 12. Louisville 6:00 pm ESPN

Tappers Viewer Guide to Survive NFL-Less Weekend.

This will be the first weekend without true football since late August. I am assume there are many of you whom are having the shakes just thinking about it. Not helping is the weather in most parts of the United States is absolutely unbearable. You need some help to figure out what to watch, and that's why I am going to assist you in finding some options to watch tonight.

College Basketball - I would not say this is the best weekend for college basketball, but at least Michigan-Michigan State figures to be an awesome game. Florida State-Duke tend to always play close ones. There is enough there to wet your palate. Also if you are a fan of Marquette or Wisconsin, both teams are in action Saturday afternoon.

Senior Bowl - If you are really needed a fix of football, this is probably your best bet. Get your best scouting hat on, and start looking for players that can help your team. In the next month, I will probably utter 'player x would look great in the Green and Gold.' It is like clockwork.

NBA - Not the greatest weekend for NBA, but you do have Clippers-Bulls playing on Friday night with Minnesota-Golden State for the night owls. On Sunday, San Antonio plays Miami and hopefully each team will be playing at full strength. If you really want to torture yourself, you stay for Lakers and Knicks later that day.

NHL - There are multiple outdoor games this weekend as Anaheim and Los Angeles play on Dodger Stadium which will look crazy, but be fun in the late afternoon on Saturday. On Sunday, we have New York Rangers playing New Jersey Devils at Yankee Stadium. I assume for the second, the weather will not be an issue.

Farmer's Insurance Open - While Tiger Woods is not off to the best of starts, there is still a loaded field of talented golfers plus if you live in Wisconsin like I do, the weather will look much nicer in San Diego than it does right now. As of three o clock on Friday, Marc Leishman is in the lead and Jordan Spieth is making a push at the leaderboard.

Australian Open - We have two Australian Open finals if you are into watching things late into the night. Consider like the Hawaii football game of television viewing this weekend. You get Rafael Nadal playing on Sunday, and you have two tennis players trying to become first-time major winners in Stansis Wawrinka and Dominika Cibulkova.

Winter X-Games - Getting sort of fired up for the Olympics? This would be a good pregame for it even though some of the greats are not participating. Plus next month you are not seeing Moto-X grace Sochi so you better get your fill this weekend.

There is NFL this weekend?  The Pro Bowl?  Oh that's... still a thing... Well I guess you could watch that too.

Have a good weekend,

Charlie.

CBB Picks: B1G Showdown, Ghost of Michael Snaer

Since college football and basically National Football League is done, we have been making picks for college basketball. Let's have some fun with it and see what happens. I should probably record my record, but I will say this is the hardest sport to pick without question.

First Tier Games 
21. Michigan at 3. Michigan State 6:00 pm ESPN - Crazy to think the first time ever, two teams are 6-0 facing off each other in the Big Ten against each other. John Beilein deserves to be Coach of the Year thus far, and Nik Stauskas is red hot right now. Michigan seems to be getting a team effort versus two guys like Mitch McGary and Trey Burke carrying the team like they did last night. They faced rival Michigan State, and they are hurting right now. Sparty will be without Branden Dawson as he broke his hand in frustration and Adreian Payne will also be missing in this one. Gary Harris needs to put himself on the map in this one, and I am not sure he is ready for the moment. I am riding the Wolverines' hot streak. MICH 74-68

4. Villanova at Marquette 1:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - Hmm. The homer in me wants to believe Marquette will play like they did at the end of the second half led by unsung heroes John Dawson and Steve Taylor Jr. The realist in me says this team has not proven they made the turn just yet, and need to be a team like Villanova, who is probably a little overrated given their ranking. Marquette needs to be better at guarding the perimeter as Villanova has four players shooting over 35 percent from 3-point land. My worry about Marquette in this one is James Bell and Darrun Hillard will go off against Marquette's guards, but I do think they can contain JayVaughn Pinkston. I am taking the Wildcats. I don't want to, but until Marquette can beat a high quality opponent, I cannot pick them. NOVA 69-64

Florida State at 15. Duke 11:00 am ESPN - In recent years, Seminoles have been a throne in Duke's side whether it be at home or in Cameron Indoor. Leonard Hamilton does a great job with this team getting them prepared to deal with the Duke environment. This Florida State team nearly beat Michigan and Florida in the non-conference meaning they can compete with this Duke team. I do think Blue Devils figured it out a bit in the last couple of games especially Jabari Parker as he went for 17 and 15 against Miami. He will need to be a factor in this one. I think Florida State's size keeps them in this game, and Duke escapes with a last-second three. DUKE 73-71

Second Tier Games 
Texas at 24. Baylor 12:30 pm ESPN3 - Texas deserves all the credit in the world this season. Rick Barnes' job is saved because Longhorns' head honchos have to see what he is doing without having any seniors, and no matter the result in this one, Texas deserves to be ranked. I do think Texas is running into a buzzsaw. Baylor lost their last three games plus another one to boot in the Big 12. This is a must-win for them, and I fail to see how Baylor does not capitalize at home in this one. BAY 73-64

9. Wisconsin at Purdue 4:00 pm Big Ten Network - You could look at this game two ways if you are Purdue... One, you are playing a Wisconsin team that cannot play defense, and maybe Purdue's offensive woes can be fixed playing them. Two, you are playing a pissed off Wisconsin team that is ready to break their losing streak. Purdue is not a bad team, but they are not a good team either. I would be shocked if they beat Wisconsin. Badgers score enough points, and the defensive holds strong. UW 74-61

20. Pittsburgh at Maryland 5:00 pm ESPN2 - What's up lookahead game?  This has all the makings of Pittsburgh laying an egg. Terrapins are not a good team, but at the same point, they have talented players like Dez Wells who can win them basketball games. Pittsburgh knows they are welcoming Duke on Monday night in a much anticipated game meaning their head might not be there for this one. I would put some chips on Maryland winning this one at the always tough College Park. MARY 64-57

Third Tier Games 
2. Syracuse at Miami 12:00 pm CBS - An old Big East matchup that is now an ACC matchup. Whenever a team is undefeated this late in the season, a bulls-eye developed on the team. Miami would love nothing more than to end the Orange's unbeaten streak. But at the same time, this Hurricane team likely cannot handle a full 40 minutes of the suffocating 2-3 zone, they need to play a perfect game. It is not happening. CUSE 65-53

Utah at 1. Arizona (Played on Sunday) 7:00 pm FOX Sports 1- Improved year for Utah as they are playing well and beating some good teams in the process yet they have not seen a great team like Arizona. Wildcats will have no issues in this game. ARIZ 77-63

Tennessee at 6. Florida 3:00 pm ESPN - This used to be a high-profile SEC game, and now it is just sort of there. I think people have forgotten about Florida due to the SEC being a mediocre conference besides the Gators and Kentucky. Tennessee does have the size to compete with Florida as Jarnell Stokes and Jerrone Maymon can both be factors if they stay out of foul trouble. It is the guard play I am unsure about, and what probably gets the Gators the win. FLA 72-68

Charlie.

Another Badgers Defensive Letdown Leads to a Michigan Win

Sometimes when a team loses their first game of the season when they had a long winning streak; they do not know how to respond and suffered another loss. This is what happened to Wisconsin's basketball program. Badgers went 0-2 this week losing to Michigan at home 77-70 for the first time since people were concerned about Y2K. Badgers once again was let down by their defensive effort, an inconsistent Traevon Jackson but did get another encouraging Josh Gasser performance on the offensive end.

Mitch McGary went out with a back injury in early December. People felt like all hope was lost for this Michigan team as they struggled in the non-conference. John Beilein figured out how to win with this basketball team, and this is an impressive coaching job thus far.  Nik Stauskas and Caris LeVert tore up Wisconsin as they combined for 43 points including six 3-pointers. Stauskas turned into a player whom is just not a heat-check guy rather an all-around basketball player with a silky jumper. The step-back three from Stauskas deserves to be on 'One Shining Moment' because it was that good.



So what's the problem here with Wisconsin's defense? I think it is a combination of being an undersized team inside with having a player like Sam Dekker, not a true post player and Frank Kaminsky, just a shot blocker. Dekker pulled down 10 rebounds which is great for Wisconsin, but Kaminsky only had four rebounds. It is not like Michigan pulled down a bevy of offensive rebounds, but what it says is Kaminsky really did not have position to make rebounds being a factor on the defensive end. When Ben Brust has sixth defensive rebounds alone to Kaminksy's two is not a good sign for this Badgers team moving forward in the rugged Big Ten.

Our one bright spot with their Indiana defeat was the play of Traevon Jackson. He turned around on Saturday and had one of his worst performances of the year. He went 3 for 11 missing two 3-points in the process as well as taking a brutal shot late in the game when Jackson had multiple defenders on him. The inconsistent play of Jackson is something that could really hurt Wisconsin in the long run. He does not need to be a scorer on this team. Sure, there are situations where they might need him, but in the long run, Jackson is the fourth scoring option on this starting five. He needs to be more in control, and if he is not, Bo Ryan needs to be quicker on yanking him out of the game versus letting him play through it.

This game was not great for Wisconsin, but it seems like Josh Gasser is out of his funk.  In December, Gasser had a four-game stretch where he averaged a little over three points a game. In the last four games, he has scored in a double-digits and an efficient manner too. He seemed to have figure things out a bit on the offensive end which is huge for this team making Jackson less of a scoring option. Sometimes when a player suffers a severe injury, it takes some time to figure out how to play basketball again at an efficient rate. Gasser also went four for five from 3-point land which is a season-best for him.

Wisconsin heads out on the road to play a young Minnesota team at The Barn Wednesday night before heading to Purdue on Saturday. Badgers need to get back on track, and these are not easy games for them. With a couple days to prepare, you have to believe Wisconsin will be better on defense and if not, this might be only an above average team.

Charlie.

Sportandfashion-news Bowl Predictions: Hats, Getting Belk'd, Workout Shirts, Wings

New Era Pinstripe Bowl 

Rutgers vs. Notre Dame 11:00 am ESPN - I could not believe Rutgers actually sold out their bowl allotment of tickets. Maybe Rutgers is New York City's football team. But when it all comes down to it, I have no idea how Rutgers is a bowl team. Scarlet Knights have lost five of their last seven games, and they are playing in a bowl game. They have a relativity new quarterback and their defense is horrendous. As for Notre Dame, this is quite the contrast from a BCS Championship game last season, but I feel like there is definitely encouragement they got to eight wins after losing Everett Golson for the year due to academics. They will be without George Atkinson and Jalen Brown whom both were suspended for violating team rules. Nonetheless, Tommy Rees excels when he plays bad teams and bad defenses. He is not a bad quarterback when he faces marginal teams meaning he will have a big day and someone will draft him in the fifth round. ND 41-21   

Belk Bowl 

Cincinnati vs. North Carolina 2:20 pm ESPN - If you are unfamiliar with College Football Twitter, they love to make Belk jokes. It started last year, but it is fantastic. If you follow the right people, you will see all sorts of different Belk jokes throughout the day. It shocked me it started at 8:30 am this morning. Cincinnati gets Belk'd for the second straight year. Bearcats had a weird year. They started off the year 3-2 and finished winning nine games led by backup quarterback Brendon Kay whose thrown for at least 250 yards in every game since October 5th. North Carolina had a weird year themselves starting the year off 1-5 and losing their senior quarterback. Marquise Williams has stepped in nicely and is a solid duel threat option for them. Both teams can score a ton so it comes down which team can make the more stops. I am betting on Cincinnati to continue being the Belk kings even if Carolina has a homefield advantage. CINN 31-28  

Russell Athletic Bowl 

Miami vs. Louisville 5:45 pm ESPN - On paper, this is looks like a good game. We will be excited to watch Stephen Morris faced off against Teddy Bridgewater as both quarterbacks will get drafted in May. But here's the big problem... Miami cannot play a lick a defense. It has not improved from last year, and Bridgewater and company should have their way with this Miami defense. Morris struggles against good defenses as well meaning we could see some turnovers from the senior quarterback making this look like a nightmare scenario for the Hurricanes. Also worth noting, it seems like Louisville is treating this one like it is their first ACC game as they will move there next year and that's important. I think the Cards send a big message tonight. UL 38-14

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl 
Michigan vs. Kansas State 9:15 pm ESPN - I had no real interest in this game until true freshman Shane Morris was announced the starter for Michigan. Not surprising, Morris is a highly rated recruit and he will take the reigns for Devin Gardner. Morris could come out and surprises us being better than expected and pave the way for Michigan's future. But what we forget is Michigan still has to play defense and that's a problem. Wolverines are struggling once again on that side of the ball, and it is much of the reason why Michigan has lost five of their last seven games. Kansas State is the opposite. They started the year off 2-4 and since have won five of their last six. They led by their rushing attack of John Hubert and occasionally Daniel Sams who is a quarterback. Hubert is a beast, and I expect him to have a big day against a weak Michigan defense. I could see Morris handling himself alright, but he will make some mistakes costing the Wolverines in this one. KSU 30-21

Bowl Record: 7-4

Charlie.