Final Four Power Rankings Explained by Pop Culture

With the Final Four being about a month away, it is the time to wonder whom might be playing in the Final Four. There is no reason why we should not look the teams at this point. It could be anyone at this point, but I do think we have an idea of some of the teams that look closer to Final Four aspirations versus others that need a paddle as they are swimming up creek. We will look at the Top 30 teams with a couple others thrown in using ESPN's latest Bracketology. Not all will get words behind it, but they will be definitely be ranked.    

Piers Morgan Division - Turn off the lights, there is really no need to wonder about their March 

Michigan State - It is hard to bet against Tom Izzo, but at the same time, this team never really put all together. Think of it as a better functioning Marquette team. 

San Diego State - Bold prediction here. Aztecs did win at Allen Fieldhouse, but their inability to score at times makes me nervous. I feel like due to Wichita State's unbeaten streak and weak conference, no one is discussing the softness of the Mountain West. 

Jared Leto Division - Everyone else is really excited about their chances but you cannot understand the hype

Villanova - Death. Taxes. Jay Wright's team failing to show up when it matters in March. Only time that rule does not apply is when Scottie Reynolds is playing point guard.  

Creighton - It is really hard to envision the Bluejays making any sort of a deep run with how they play basketball. If they face good guards or a tough defensive team, it will be curtains.  

Virginia - I still go back to the fact besides Syracuse, they really do not have the quality wins this season. They have only played the top seven of the ACC, once. That's concerning, no?  I do not think this team can make a push to Dallas.   

Louisville - Am I going to bet against Rick Pitino?  Here's the thing... This team has won a bunch of games against weak opponents, but when the chips are down, they have not beaten many good teams.  

Rob Ford Division - Crazy, unpredictable, really anything can happen. 

Oklahoma State - If this team gets an eight to ten seed, they are the most dangerous low seed right? Even with Travis Ford's lackadaisical nature, it seems like that's a good bet. 

Wichita State - They could either make a run to the Final Four or the Elite Eight or lose in the second round. No real in-between with this team.   

Duke - Anyone noticing how no one is really talking about this team? Isn't that really weird given who they are and what they have in Jabari Parker. A good 3-point shooting team can sink this squad.  

Syracuse - Well they have this zone that has been known to work against the right draw but they can go completely cold against a good defense. Still have seniors and the coach to get them there.

Kansas - One of the best teams in college basketball, but at the same time, they are filled with freshman with no idea what March Mardness is like and we have seen how that goes for teams.   

Matthew McConaughey Division - So hot right now. Steaming hot streak heading into the perfect time.

Iowa State - They are not hot, but hear me out... They have beaten eight top 20 RPI teams. DeAndre Kane and Melvin Ejim are two of the biggest problems on an offense for opposing teams. Yes they do not play defense. Yes they shoot too many threes, but Iowa State has taken down good teams this year consistently.   

Wisconsin - While by the tournament, they could be more of a Leto, I think we need to look at how well the Badgers have played in the last month making this the obvious choice. They are one of the hotter teams in the country.  

North Carolina - No team is hotter right now than Carolina plus add to the equation, they beat Michigan State at full strength and Kentucky before its problems, it's impressive.  

Arizona - Talked about them yesterday, but as of today, they are a team warming up. It is hard to call him a part of the cream of the crop... yet. Still need a couple more games.

True Detective Division - Best of the best right now. 

Florida - They have everything you want from a Final Four. Billy Donovan has won two titles, been to four Final Fours (Three with Florida) and the last three years they have been in the final eight teams in the country. They have loads of seniors, a tough as nails defense and an inside game to compete with anyone.

Right now, it is Florida alone with everyone else trailing behind them. Sure the SEC is not a place where they are challenged every night, but at the same time, that might work to their advantage.  

Charlie.     

CBB Picks: Wild Weekend on Tap?

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
4. Syracuse at 12. Virginia 3:00 pm ESPN - College basketball is a crazy mistress. At the beginning of the year, no one would say the biggest game on Saturday March 1st would be Syracuse against Virginia. The Orange skated by another tough game at Maryland Monday night, but once again, it speaks to the Cuse's ability to find a way to win no matter the situation. While Virginia's record is great, the last time they played a ranked team... February 2nd and it was Pittsburgh whose struggling as of late. Beat North Carolina when the Tar Heels were down. Am I saying this team is overrated? Kinda. They play great defense, but to win this one, they will need Joe Harris to have a big game especially from the outside where he is 42 percent from three. I think C.J. Fair and Tyler Ennis turn in big games with the spotlight on them leading them to victory. CUSE 53-49

7. Louisville at 21. Memphis 1:00 pm CBS - This game lost some of its luster with Memphis falling to Houston on Thursday night. Louisville did their part, and I think people are sort of forgetting about the defending champs. They have rounded into form rather nicely in the past couple weeks with Terry Rozier playing his ass off. This team is lurking around right now. Memphis scored a big win in January by beating Louisville with a big second half led by Shaq Goodwin. They will need Goodwin to be good. Looking at Memphis' last four games, they lost to UConn, beat Rutgers only by five, a 20-loss Temple team to them to overtime and they lost to Houston. Even though it is a road game, Louisville wins bigger than expected. LOU 83-69

10. Saint Louis at VCU 5:00 pm ESPN2 - Billikens fell into a classic trap game. They played Duquense at home Thursday night only to fall before heading to Richmond. What to make of it?  There is the attitude that teams need a loss as sort of a reset, and then they come back to form. Also we have seen team losing multiple games after a long unbeaten streak. In the first meeting, Saint Louis controlled the tempo and it pushed them to a late victory. I do not see it again at VCU's homecourt. Juvonte Reddic been great in the last couple of weeks and I think he continues this strong stretch in another victory for the Rams. VCU 78-72

5. Kansas at Oklahoma State 8:00 pm ESPN - People expected these two teams battling for the Big 12 crown with the storyline... 'Could Bill Self get his 10th straight at his alma mater?' But that's not happening with the Jayhawks already wrapping up yet another Big 12 crown on Monday. Oklahoma State is building steam and desparately need this win for the tournament resume. I think this is a case of 'Who wants it more?' right now. Kansas already has things wrapped up and despite knowing they could finish the Cowboys, Oklahoma State will get another huge Marcus Smart and Markel Brown combination effort. If Oklahoma State gets embarrassed here, Travis Ford's seat will be white hot. OSU 77-70

SECOND TIER
Missouri State at 2. Wichita State 1:00 pm ESPN - This is the Shockers last game of the season, and it will be a tough test. When these teams met in January, Missouri State had a 18 point lead at half holding Wichita State to only 24 points. This lead to furious comeback to force overtime and Shockers ended up winning it. This was easily their toughest challenge in the conference season. If the Bears want to pull the upset, they will need Jamar Gully and Marcus Marshall to be great with more control shooting as they both struggled in the first matchup. While Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker are the story, Tekele Cotton has been tremendous in the past couple games. He stays the course and the undefeated season happens for the Shockers.
WSU 72-65

9. Creighton at Xavier 4:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - Big one for the bubble as well as how the standings will play out in the Big East. This will be a ton of offense and not much defense. Doug McDermott had 35 points in their first meeting and guess what? There is still no one whom cannot stop Douglas MC Buckets on Xavier. He should have another solid game. If the X were to get a win here, they need a huge effort from Dee Davis and Semaj Christon. If those two can score around 15-25, they can win this game. But I cannot see it with Xavier's inability to stop McDermott. He has a big game and pulls the Jays from the depth late. CREIG 88-83

11. Cincinnati at Connecticut 11:00 am ESPN - Can we please just get a game where Shabazz Napier and Sean Kilpatrick just play Rucker rules and go back and forth for the whole game please?  That's all I want in life. Glad no one took me up on the coffee after the Huskies terrible loss on Sunday. UConn is rather shaky of late with scoring only 55 against SMU and 61 against South Florida. Now they face Cincinnati, arguably one of the best defensive team in the nation, meaning it could be a ton of trouble. Honestly, this feels like a road beatdown from Cincy. They had a week to stew watching highlights of Russ Smith hitting a game-winner jumper combined with UConn's inability to shoot recently, it is a perfect storm for the Bearcats win. CIN 66-59

23. Texas at Oklahoma 3:00 pm ESPN3- This is me being a dumb Wisconsinite but it does not feel like this is a real big rivalry for basketball. When both were real good, it got amped up to near football levels with the Hollis Price, T.J. Ford days.  Here is a dirty little secret about Texas... They only have two road wins in the Big 12 conference play and they are against TCU and West Virginia. Buddy Hield played well in their first meeting and I expect to remain the same with this one. Maybe a sneaky good Ryan Spangler game.
OKLA 81-76

THIRD TIER
LSU at 1. Florida 3:00 pm CBS - Gators had to survive Vanderbilt on Tuesday, but I felt that was a real important game for them. Florida did not score for five minutes to end the game before Dorian Finney-Smith hit a big three to dagger the Commodores. They will roll in this one as LSU not playing well especially with Anthony Hickey struggling as of late and I think Florida will be shake off the poor shooting night in Nashville. UF 79-62

Marquette at 8. Villanova (Played on Sunday) 1:00 pm CBS - I hate the fact this Marquette team is on national television. I hope Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery get the call to talk about their love for Davante Gardner. Marquette will need to be tough on the perimeter holding back Villanova's big shooters as well as pound it inside. I would love to tell you Marquette wins and puts their name in the hat yet I cannot see it. Villanova does too many things that exploit the Golden Eagles' weaknesses. NOVA 84-78

15. Iowa State at Kansas State 6:00 pm ESPNU - People really have no idea how good the Big 12 is but this is a fun matchup between two solid teams. Iowa State beat this team without DeAndre Kane having a big game going 3/12 only having 10 points. Then again, I do not usually bet against Kanas State at home. Yup, let's go with the latter. KSU 73-65

Stanford at 3. Arizona (Played on Sunday) 7:00 pm ESPNU - GUESS WHOSE BACK?  BACK AGAIN. ARIZONA'S BACK!  TELL A FRIEND. Honest to God, they look like themselves again and Stanford plays no defense at all. Bad combination, bet the house on the Cats. ZONA 101-79

FOURTH TIER
22. Ohio State at Indiana (Played Sunday) 3:00 pm CBS - Woof this is a national televised game? Ohio State continues their inconsistent circus, and Indiana won their first big game versus Iowa on Thursday. Hoosiers need this one for their distance bubble hopes, but I like Aaron Craft keeping Yogi Ferrell at bay being the difference. OSU 64-56

14. Wisconsin at Penn State (Played Sunday) 11:00 am Big Ten Network - I do think Wisconsin will need to be careful in this one as Bryce Jordan Center knows to play mind games on teams and Tim Frazier done some things against Wisconsin yet Penn State will not be able to keep up with the Badgers. UW 70-59

13. San Diego State at Fresno State 9:05 pm CBS Sports Network - Do not let their record fool you as the Bulldogs have won seven of their last eight games, could they give San Diego State a run for their money?  Signs point to yes. Tyler Johnson is a hell of a player for Fresno. Let's get crazy and take the Dawgs in this one. FRESNO 68-62

Minnesota at 16. Michigan 5:00 pm Big Ten Network - Gophers did get a nice win for their bubble hopes this week beating Iowa, but what others forget is Minnesota lost six of their last eight before the game. Michigan big. MICH 74-57

Charlie.

Sportandfashion-news Double Take: Marcus Smart's Shove

I have no idea if this will be a new trend here or just a one time thing, but Adam Hatlak told me he had some thoughts on Marcus Smart. I took the angle of Smart and perspective around him while Adam looked at the fans and their behavior. This worked out really well. 

Charlie Tritschler 
This is the not the season Oklahoma State Cowboys expected in November. They started out the season ranked number four in the nation with Marcus Smart returning for his sophomore despite a weak 2013 NBA Draft class. People believed this team had as much talent as anyone in the country and could make a serious run at Kansas' Big 12 title run. Those dreams died in January as the Cowboys took their lumps, and the biggest lump of the season happened Saturday night when Marcus Smart pushed a Texas Tech fan in yet another game Oklahoma State lost in what continues to be a disappointing season.

Smart pushing a fan known around the Big 12 for causing trouble was definitely uncalled for, but it should not raise questions about Smart's career at Oklahoma State or the NBA, but rather it should raise questions about fans' attitudes during sporting events across the country in college athletics especially. Additionally, it should not defer people's attention to the putrid season Oklahoma State is having and not all of that blame falls on Smart.

Before the season began, people praised Smart for a variety of reasons. The college basketball purists loved the fact he stayed another year. They reigned down compliments of him staying in school. Related, people loved how he became a leader as a freshman, and how Smart worked on trying to develop his 3-point shot. If you remember at the beginning of the season, ESPN did a whole feature with Jay Bilas and Smart about his knowledge of the game. Weird thing about the season is that narrative can vaporize quickly especially if the team starts losing more than expected. Like a quarterback in football, the reason for losing starts with the best player on the team.

Things began to twist on Smart during the Big 12 season. Articles were written about Smart freaking out on the sidelines taking his agression out on the chairs at West Virginia.  More articles continued to pile in criticizing how much Smart flopped on a more than regular basis. Questions about Smart's leadership as Oklahoma State continued to struggle in the Big 12. Smart pushing a fan at Texas Tech was his rock bottom. People had some thoughts whether this affected Smart's Oklahoma State's legacy which is ridiculous given he played one and a half years at a place, but the notion is out there.  Without a doubt, this should not define the person who he is as a basketball player and a person.

People overreact to things, and that's exactly what Smart did on Saturday. Overreactions usually are the worst in people. It shows a vulnerable side that we as humans all have but hate to show plus immediately regret it the following day. Smart pushed a man in the heat of the moment because he either told him 'Go back to Africa' or 'a piece of crap.' These are opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to what fans will say, but at the same time, how many fans actually look a player dead in the eye and say something hoping for a reaction. Texas Tech's fan, Jeff Orr, baited Smart and he took it damn hard. It is shame Smart fell for it.

Adam Hatlak First and foremost, what Smart did was wrong, and he was right to be punished. Shoving a fan isn't acceptable, and 3 games shows that this is more than a slap on the wrist. However, what happened might bring a bit more light to a situation that is quickly becoming an issue in sports. Fans are losing perspective.

Social media is great, it allows us to interact with famous people in a way that we never could before. We can get random thoughts from a player without having it published and analyzed by major media outlets, player's creativity can come through as seen in the back and forth with Aaron Rodgers and Tom Crabtree, and players can even recognized specific fans with a retweet or mention for all of the player's followers to see. 

The problem with social media is growing rapidly. Twitter began in 2006, and took a few years to truly hit the mainstream as something that a lot of people use. While it is nowhere near the general popularity of Facebook, it has a specific level of importance in the sports world. In the early years of Twitter, the issue seemed to be that athletes wouldn't think before sending off a tweet, and the media would eat them alive for whatever stupid thing was said. 

Now that we are in 2014, the issue seems to be different, but far less mainstream. Fans are ruthless and unrelenting to public figures. This gets mentioned a lot on sports radio, as many hosts will attack Twitter "idiots" on their shows, as it must be annoying to listen to all the negative talk all the time. Hosts are able to fight back, but athletes themselves have a harder time doing so, as they need to keep their fans, brand, and don't want to get yelled at by the team that employs them. 

Check a player's mentions on Twitter or comments on Facebook, it's atrocious. People are able to take loyal bonds of a rival team or disappointment in their own team's performance and say generally terrible things. They forget the human aspect that comes from it and are able to hide mostly without consequence. Players have slowly started firing back slightly, but it'll blow up soon.

Which brings us back to Smart. In the past few seasons, it feels as if the social media issue is spilling into live sporting events. Fans are taking the consequence free speech that they are allowed on social media, where they don't even have to say it to someone's face, and applying it to live sporting events. I'm all for cheering for your own team, and creating noise to distract the opponent, and even booing, but there is a line that takes things too far. 

I talked to a buddy of mine about this, and he reminded me of a Duke/NC State game about a year ago, where fans chanted about someone's grandmother who had passed away. Players were booed this past season in the NFL when they were legitimately injured. I read reports that things were thrown at Novarro Bowman as he was carted off in the NFC Championship game. This goes past the fun, the entertainment of sports, and just becomes people treating other people poorly. 

Regardless of what was said to Smart, you can tell that something caught his attention, as he is sitting on the floor and clearly switches his focus to the stands. What he did was wrong, but fans need to be sure to clean up their act, before something truly gets out of control with this. 

Charlie & Adam  

CBB Stock Market: Duke & Syracuse Special Opening Act

While Super Bowl happened on Sunday, the best game of the weekend happened on Saturday night in upstate New York. Duke and Syracuse played a phenomenal game of college basketball as the Orange won in overtime, 91-89. The game had it all with big shots, questionable foul calls and a new born rivalry in the ACC.

Rasheed Sulamon had set up the perfect story for sportswriters. A guy whom Duke buried on the bench after a slow start to the season and instead of packing it in this season, he started contributing more and became a player again. Sulamon hit a game-tying three at the buzzer as well as another three with 48 seconds left in the game. With Jabari Parker and Amile Jefferson fouled out, Sulamon and Tyler Thornton stepped up in a major way to force overtime in a game where they probably did not even belong there. Great effort by Duke.



One of the big reasons Syracuse will be the new number one team today as Arizona fell to California is Tyler Ennis' play late in games. This guy is a freshman, and he acts like a Van Wilder team member when the game gets down to the final three minutes. Ennis is the Mariano Rivera of college basketball right now. A complete closer, and this is something that becomes very important when it gets down to March. Another thing helping Syracuse is the consistent play of C.J. Fair. In years past, Fair was a wildcard of sorts, but this year he is coming up in the big moments. Fair had 28 points, a season-high, and for the season, Fair is averaging 17.2, three points higher than last season's average.

You cannot help but wonder 'what if' about this game because Parker and Jefferson fouled out on shit calls from Karl Hess. Jefferson's was a foul, but Rakeem Christmas made it look like Jefferson committed a crime against him. If both played the extra period, would anything had changed? Would Sheed have even took the two 3-pointers? Who knows. Good thing these two teams meet again in three years at Cameron Indoor. As some would say, I think this is a start of a beautiful thing.

BUY BUY BUY 

St. Louis Billikens - Anyone realize this team is unbeaten in conference. St. Louis made the postseason last season as a four seed winning their first game of the tournament, but it seems like they are being forgotten again. They did nearly lose to a struggling George Mason team on Saturday, but St. Louis is playing better than most teams right now ranked in the top 25. Dwayne Evans is having another great season inside averaging nearly 15 points a game while pulling down 6.5 rebound a game, a team leader in both categories. Jordair Jett is having a great year as well at guard with his scoring up to nearly 13 points a game and his assist average up by 1.5. St. Louis hits the road this week with games against St. Joes and LaSalle.

HOLD HOLD HOLD

Kentucky Wildcats - On Tuesday, I was ready to go all in on selling Kentucky. For weeks I have been thinking the John Calipari model might not work again in college basketball. Kentucky got a nice win Saturday on the road against Missouri. It really all comes down to what Andrew Harrison are we going to get on a nightly basis. He played his worst game against LSU and then his best game against Missouri. I think the jury is still out on whether the Cats can be a team that goes far in the NCAA Tournament.

SELL SELL SELL 

Oklahoma State Cowboys - With how good the Big 12 is right now, it seems like every week, a team falls on hard times. But this has to be disappointing for Oklahoma State. This team had a great deal of expectations, and I am willing to bet no one thought they would 4-4 in conference at the start of February. They suffered a road loss to rival Oklahoma and a home loss against a desperate Baylor team whose starting point guard, Kenny Cherry, did not play. Marcus Smart looks off right now, and Oklahoma State needs to figure it out quickly with a big game tonight at home against Iowa State. 

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK 
Monday: Norte Dame at Syracuse 6:00 pm ESPN, Xavier at Villanova 6:00 pm FOX Sports 1
                Iowa State at Oklahoma State 8:00 pm ESPN

Tuesday: Ohio State at  Iowa 6:00 pm ESPN, Kansas at Baylor 6:00 pm ESPN2,
               Missouri at Florida 8:00 pm ESPN, Wisconsin at Illinois 8:00 pm Big Ten Network

Wednesday: Wichita State at Indiana State 7:05 pm ESPN3,
                     San Diego State at Boise State 8:15 pm CBS Sports Network

DOY: Markel Brown

It is fair to say Oklahoma State's guard Markel Brown is right up there with the best dunkers in college basketball. It is either between him or Sam Thompson from Ohio State. I wish the NCAA allowed all players to enter their dunk and 3-point contest before the Final Four but alas, they only let seniors in. This means Brown will get an opportunity to win the contest if Oklahoma State does not get to the Final Four and I expect him to be the favorite. This is a great dunk from Brown as he splits two Oklahoma defenders and throws it down with authority. Unfortunately this came in a losing effort as the Cowboys fell to rival Oklahoma, 88-76, Brown had 18 points.

Charlie.

Tapping The Keg Podcast Episode 72:

Tapping The Keg returns again with Mitch Pratt and Charlie Tritschler discussing all things sports related and then some. We led off with talking about the young Oklahoma State freshman whom went as Lisa Ann's date to the AVN Awards. We move on to tread lightly in a little bit of Super Bowl talk with Seattle and Denver before moving on to discussing the prospect of the Milwaukee Bucks new arena and new owner. From there, we talk about Kevin Durant's hot couple of weeks. The program finishes with Milwaukee Brewers talk ranging from Ryan Braun's appearance at Brewers On-Deck to a HEATED discussion about Lyle Overbay and Juan Francisco.

CBB Picks: Mid-Afternoon Madness

This is probably the first big weekend in college basketball. There were some good games last weekend, but this one is much better. I decided to make all sorts of picks here breaking them down in three different tiers. I picked all sorts of Top 25 games and I included a quick pick with Marquette because I am a homer.  

First Tier Games 
9. Oklahoma State at 15. Kansas 3:00 pm CBS - First of all, I cannot believe how many good games are on in the middle of the day which is infuriating and a surefire way to find me into the bar by the mid-afternoon. I love this matchup. Marcus Smart, Le'Bryan Nash, Markel Brown can get Joel Embiid into foul trouble by attacking the rim yet I do not know if anyone can stop Embiid on Oklahoma State's team. Andrew Wiggins-Marcus Smart matchup will be must-see television. While I think Smart will get the edge in this one, I still think Kansas is playing too well right. KU 86-83

22. Pittsburgh at 2. Syracuse 3:00 pm ESPN - Naturally, the first thing I checked was how well Pittsburgh shoots the three playing against the tough 2-3 Cuse zone. Well they shoot 34 percent which is pretty average, but their star Lamar Patterson shoots over 42 percent. At some point, Syracuse hits a wall with their season, but it is not starting at home against a former Big East rival who is now an ACC rival. I think the game will be close, but Orange win this one. I am very interested to see how this is officiated too.
SYR 70-65

Indiana State at 5. Wichita State 3:00 pm ESPN2 - Sneaky good game. If there is going to be another Missouri Valley team in the NCAA Tournament, it would be Indiana State. Sycamores have won their last seven games led by Manny Arop and Jake Odum. They are a balanced attack that can compete with the Shockers yet I cannot see them pulling off the road upset. That's a little too difficult of a task for this team. WSU 78-71

Second Tier Games
Michigan at 3. Wisconsin 5:00 pm ESPN - Badgers attempt to bounce back against Michigan on Saturday. These two played a hell of a game at the Kohl Center last season, and I assume they will show Ben Brust's three at least 8,234 times. Michigan has won six straight games, but the only one quality team they have beat is Minnesota in the six-game stretch. Glenn Robinson III needs to be a factor as we saw Wisconsin struggle with guys attacking the rim. I think Sam Dekker bounces back though in this one with a big performance and leads Wisconsin to victory. A nugget that causes me concern, Michigan is 133rd in defending the three.
UW 79-67

25. Oklahoma at 12. Baylor 1:00 pm ESPN2 - Two of the top 50 scoring offenses playing in this one meaning we could have quite the game on our hands here. Both teams are also coming off a loss with the Bears loss to Texas Tech being much worse than Oklahoma's road loss to Kansas State. I feel like this is one of those games where Baylor just has to have being 1-2 in the Big 12 right now, and they will power their way through in this one. BAY 81-67

19. Louisville at UConn 8:00 pm ESPN - Another former Big East matchup taking place in primetime. UConn has been wildly inconsistent this season with some bad losses mixed in with some strong wins. Louisville bounced back after a home loss to Memphis last week. It comes down to guard play and who stays more in control, Russ Smith or Shabazz Napier, both are high-volume shooting, and if one is on, the other need not compete with him. I like Louisville to get the road win. I cannot really trust the Huskies at this point, and want to see them do it against another good team. UL 73-65

Third Tier Games 
Marquette at Butler 1:00 pm CBS Sports Network - This game makes me nervous with Butler being 0-5 in Big East play. They need a win and nothing is worse than a team needing a win. Kellen Dunham makes me very nervous with how Marquette guards against the three, but I feel like they will do just enough to win. MARQ 68-67

Minnesota at 14. Iowa (Played on Sunday) 12:00 pm Big Ten Network - Golden Gophers play their third straight game against a ranked opponent. I cannot see them going on the road and winning at Hawkeye-Carver basically judging on how they close out at Michigan State.. IOWA 72-65

Tennessee at 13. Kentucky 11:00 am CBS - First half is important for Kentucky to get off on the right foot after their loss. Jerrone Maymon and Julius Randle will be an absolute war. No way the Vols go into Lexington and win. UK 75-66

8. Iowa State at Texas 3:00 pm ESPN3 - And here's your upset of the day, people are not really talking about how good the Longhorns have been and the coaching job Rick Barnes is pulling off right now. Texas gets the home win as Iowa State goes cold from three again. TEXAS 69-65

4. Michigan State at Illinois 7:00 pm Big Ten Network - We are going with a double-up on the upsets. I understand how bad Fightin' Illini looked when they played Wisconsin, but they are at home, Michigan State has been sort of on the ropes, sets up perfectly for an Illinois win. ILL 76-74

Charlie.

Sugar Bowl Thoughts & Weekend Bowl Predictions

Well folks, that does it for me in Sports News On Tap confidence pool. I put a great deal of faith in Baylor, Arizona State and Alabama, and that we have lost all three games meaning my stellar record is tanking faster than half the NBA. This usually happens with Sportandfashion-news contests. I come very close to not giving away any money and then somehow I end up giving the little money I have away to someone.  Hopefully tonight's games and this weekend's go better for me, but before we make those picks, I did have a few thoughts on Oklahoma stunning upset of Alabama.

I did not give Oklahoma a chance. Oklahoma fans did not really give this team a chance. No one saw this coming (I am sure some smartass picked it), but seriously, what a complete stunner. Oklahoma looked like a top five team in the country last night, and considering they struggled against Texas and Baylor in major ways, it is amazing to see this team develop into something special. Trevor Knight looks to be first great Oklahoma quarterback in awhile. He can do it all, and I came away utterly impressed with the way he threw the deep ball. No reason why the Sooners should not be in the top 10 to begin the 2014 season.

As for Alabama, it is the first time they have lost consecutive games since 2008. Alabama had five turnovers, and they looked like a completely different team that did not belong out there. A.J. McCarron needs to rethink his Senior Bowl decision because this would not be the way I want to go out. I have no idea why Derrick Henry only had eight carries since he had 100 years plus he also added 61 yards of receiving. Maybe the future is bright with their backfield, but it is pretty clear this Alabama team was certainly not one of their best ones.

AT&T Cotton Bowl 
13.) Oklahoma State vs. 11.) Missouri 6:30 pm FOX - With how the SEC and Big 12 looked this week, I do not know what to think about this game. Like no idea whatsoever. Oklahoma State is one team I have been wrong about for the entire season. Same goes for Missouri. It is like 'Laugh in Charlie's face bowl.' Here what it comes down... Do I believe the Tigers' inability to stop the run against Auburn what they truly are or was it just a mirage? As for Oklahoma State, they can move the ball with the best of them and occasionally they can play some defense. I like this Cowboys team a little more than Missouri. Close and fun game. OK STATE 45-38  

Orange Bowl 
12.) Clemson vs. 7.) Ohio State 7:30 ESPN - Fun game. I had someone shit on this game, and I had no idea why because this should be a pretty fun game if you like offense. I could see if you want to see some defense how this one could be bad because this is not happening. Ohio State will be without two of their best defensive players Bradley Roby and Noah Spence, one out with injury and one out with suspension. This does not help things. This is the last game for Tajh Boyd's illustrious career at Clemson, and you have to think Chad Morris will find a way to make this a memorable one for him. Like peeing your pants in the sixth grade, we do not forget Clemson had 70 points put on them last time at the Orange Bowl.  Urban Meyer has only lost once in his bowl career which you know what that means? He prepares really well for this games. Ohio State with a close shootout win. OSU 52-48

BBVA Compass Bowl (Saturday) 
Vanderbilt vs. Houston 12:00 pm ESPN - I think it is a complete slap in the face that Vanderbilt is even in this bowl. I do not think you will get many disinterested Commodores in this one. Rather they will played pissed off and dominate a Houston team who has not beat anyone worth nothing. VAND 41-14

GoDaddy Bowl (Sunday) 
Arkansas State vs. Ball State 8:00 ESPN - WE GET FOOTBALL ON SUNDAY NIGHT YAAAIS pitting the Sun Beast versus MACtion which is quite the dilemma on who to pick. I think the answer is Ball State as they held it close against bowl teams plus I do not really like a team who lost two games inside the Sun Beast. BSU 40-21

Charlie.