CBB Stock Market - March 1st-2nd

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 

Arizona Wildcats - College basketball along with other sports lead to jumping on and off the bandwagon of teams. Arizona... I was on for most of the year and then fell off with Brandon Ashley breaking his foot and now I am back on the wagon!! Nick Johnson is playing at a high level with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson doing some big things inside as well. They are running at a high motor right now and it is very impressive to say the least. In the last three games, Arizona is averaging 84 points a game with wins against Colorado, California and Stanford. They finish tricky with two road games to Oregon where a loss might be possible. If they win these ones, they are a clear one seed in my mind.

Wichita State Shockers - This team is receiving a ton of criticism right now, but they deserve credit. Winning 31 straight games is damn impressive. Who cares they have a weak strength of schedule right now. Can't we just have Wichita State's regular season separated from what they do in the postseason. If they win a couple games in the postseason, I think it is a good season. I realize people think they should not be a one seed and a post is probably coming up about this during the week, but short and sweet, they 100 percent deserve a one seed. Strength of Schedule is important, but it is not the only important stat out there. If the conference tournaments go chalk, we might need a little more of a discussion.

Big 12 = Best Conference - I know people around here want to say the Big Ten, and while I think the conference is very unpredictable, I still think the Big 12 holds the crown. They are like a sandwich with great meat and a good top meat with a soggy bottom. TCU is a godawful basketball program, but other than that, this conference is loaded with talent. Yes Kansas won their 10th straight title, but this conference is nine deep with talent. It will be a hell of a conference tournament with many of them vying for a better position or a spot in the Big Dance.

HOLD HOLD HOLD

Saint Louis Billikens - I would not make a big deal about Saint Louis dropping two games this week. They won 19 straight games, fell into a trap against Duquense and lost at one of the toughest gyms in the nation with VCU. They do not have an easy finish to the season as the Billikens take on Dayton at home then a road trip to UMass. Both of those teams need wins when it comes to the tournament. Saint Louis should be able to rite this ship.

SELL SELL SELL 

Michigan State Spartans - Remember what I said about bandwagons? Yeah I am completely off Michigan State's. They do not lose to Illinois at home and expect to be a Final Four team. It feels like this team does not have the chemistry you would expect them to have with seniors like Adrein Payne and Keith Appling. But with all the injuries Michigan State had this year, the Spartans have not put it all together. Would I get back on the wagon if Sparty made a run in the Big Ten Tournament? You bet your ass. Right now, this team is a bit questionable.

Kentucky Wildcats - Another team I am completely off. I went from thinking this is a team that could either lose in the first round or the Elite Eight to being a team that is completely lost right now. John Calipari gets kicked out of the game when his team may have needed him the most trailing South Carolina in a game no NCAA Tournament team should lose on any given Saturday. Kentucky is lost right now, and I do not know what it will take for them to fix things. It does seem like the correct narrative is 'If the Harrison Twins are on, this is a good team.'  But the other narrative is they do not have one strong defender on that roster which is definitely true too.

Ohio State Buckeyes - I am totally out here. This team should be so much better than what they are right now. Ohio State is loaded full of strong talent yet they cannot figure it on the offensive end. Buckeyes dropped road games to Penn State and Indiana this week. In the last five games, Ohio State has averaged 64 points a game. They have two scorers and that's it. If the Buckeyes do not get a third scorer whether it is Aaron Craft, Sam Thompson or Shannon Scott, they will continue to lose basketball games.

Ted Valentine... In General - Can he retire please?  

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK 

Tuesday: 13. Creighton at Georgetown 6:00 pm FOX Sports 1, 16. Iowa State at Baylor 6:00 pm ESPN2

               

Wednesday: 11. Louisville at SMU 6:00 pm CBS Sports Network 

                     Dayton at 17. Saint Louis 8:00 pm CBS Sports Network, 

                     3. Arizona at Oregon State 10:00 pm FOX Sports 1

Thursday: 6. Villanova at Xavier 6:00 pm FOX Sports 1, 20. Memphis at 15. Cincinnati 6:00 pm ESPN

                22. Iowa at 24. Michigan State 8:00 pm ESPN 

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.

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