Sportandfashion-news's Championship Week Guide

In beautiful Sportandfashion-news fashion, I get my predictions, player to watch, team to watch for the conference tournaments a little late, but let's be honest, most of the games today do not matter. Thursday and Friday are so sneaky great. 

Big East
TV: FOX Sports 1  

Player to watch: Doug McDermott - This is sort of a mailed in answer here, but I am curious how Dougie McBuckets handles New York City and the bright lights of the Big East Tournament even if it is not what it was in years past. McDermott also made the cover of Sports Illustrated emulating Larry Bird's SI cover and McDermott getting compared to Larry Bird is perfect. FOX would love for McDermott to go off until Saturday night.    

Team to watch: Winner of Providence and St. John's - This is probably the best game of the tournament in the early goings. Both teams are squarely on the bubble, and it is a 'Loser Go Home' matchup for these teams. Whomever will win this game gets Villanova meaning they get a legitimate shot at fully sealing their chances for the tournament.  

Winner: Villanova - I think I have taken Nova lightly for the entire year. This team has three losses, and for some reason, I do not think they will run into their kryptonite in Creighton whose beat them twice this season meaning they will probably get a walk into the conference championship which includes a one seed in the NCAA Tournament.*

*** Yes I would love to wax poetically about Marquette finding some mojo in New York City, but I really do not see much from the squad right now. They lost two straight, play an Xavier team they have beat, but then take on Creighton if Golden Eagles were to win. It would be classic Marquette if they got to the final only to lose then just to tease me.

B1G 
TV: CBS, ESPN Networks, Big Ten Network

Player to watch: Keith Appling - We have seen glimmers of Appling returning to form in the last couple games, but since his injury, he really has not been the same player. Michigan State is under a great deal of criticism, and if this team wants to make a March run like everyone expected in November, Appling needs to be a factor on both ends of the court.  

Team to watch: Indiana Hoosiers - This might be a ridiculous prediction, but here me out for Indiana. They play Illinois whose playing better of late but can easily beat them in the first round. Then Hoosiers get a 1-8 matchup with Michigan, a team they beat and only lost to four last Saturday plus they could get Nebraska in the semifinal.  With Michigan State and Wisconsin in the lower bracket, I think it is easier to make a run in the top half.

Winner: Wisconsin Badgers - They always seem to play well in Indianapolis for the tournament. I do not think they will see both Michigan and Michigan State plus their first game against Minnesota or Penn State will be less taxing than Sparty facing probably Iowa. Badgers seem like the most logical answer.

Big 12 
TV: ESPN Networks

Player to watch: Andrew Wiggins - I am curious to see whether Wiggins' 41 performance on Saturday will carry over to the Big 12 Tournament especially with Joel Embiid being out with a back injury. Wiggins could be blasting Aloe Blacc through his headphones and become the man of this team.      

Team to watch: Baylor Bears - Something I think people have not been paying attention to is Baylor found a way to rite the ship in the past month. The lower half of the bracket is far less daunting than the top with Baylor getting Oklahoma in the second round, a team that swept them yet it is still winnable. If Baylor gets past them, it is either Texas or West Virginia in the semifinals which once again the Bears could win.

Winner: Iowa State Cyclones - I like the makeup of this team probably more than I should. We are heading for a NCAA Tournament where I take Iowa State until the Elite Eight and get burned. Kansas State is a tough draw to start, but getting Kansas after Oklahoma State or if the Cowboys knock them off could definitely help the Cyclones. It should be a fun as hell tournament here.

ACC 
TV: ESPN Networks

Player to watch: T.J. Warren - If there is one player that could single-handily carry his team through the ACC Tournament, it is Warren. He won ACC Player of the Year and has been on a complete tear in the last month. Warren is lethal enough to beat a team like Syracuse in the quarterfinals, but climbing from the five and under will be difficult in this conference tournament.

Team to watch: Virginia Cavaliers - Unlike a lot of these paragraphs, I am interested to see how the Cavaliers handle themselves against the top ACC teams. Out of the top seven ACC teams, Virginia played all of them only once this season meaning there is a lot of uncertainty that this team could run the table against their ACC opponents.

Winner: North Carolina Tar Heels - I love how they played in the last month. Despite a loss to Duke, North Carolina should be able to make some noise here with getting either Pittsburgh or Florida State then move on to a revenge game against Virginia possibly.  I cannot see Duke and Syracuse winning as both teams will beat each other up in the semifinals.

American  
TV: ESPN Networks

Player to watch: Russ Smith - There are so many great individual players in this tournament especially with the likes of Smith, Shabazz Napier, Shaq Goodwin, Nic Moore and others. Smith though, is the type of player that could absolutely electrify this conference tournament.  He might be one of the more underrated players in college basketball which is unbelievable to think about truthfully.  

Team to watch: Memphis Tigers - They get a homecourt advantage. While that has not played to Memphis' strengths throughout the season, it has helped in the past during the Conference USA days. They have a tough road seeing UConn, Cincinnati and SMU/Louisville yet having a rabid fan base plus sleeping in your own bed only helps things.

Winner: SMU Mustangs - This is like everyone's sleeper that is going to become too popular, but they have a solid team that plays both strong offense and defense. SMU filled with scorers like Moore, and they have beaten all the top teams this season. Like the Ponies to make a run.    

Pac-12
TV: ESPN Networks, Pac-12 Network

Player to watch: Aaron Gordon - For most of the year, Gordon really never reached Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins level. We have seen players take their games to something we have not seen when mid-March rolls on. Derrick Williams was a nobody before he took the Cats on a run to the Elite Eight. Gordon could make his presence known which means we all in big trouble.    

Team to watch: UCLA Bruins - Yes they are the two seed, but did anyone notice Washington State beat the doors off them last Saturday night?  Maybe it is just a blip on the radar, but I do not know how good this UCLA team is meaning the seed could be a little high for them.

Winner: Oregon Ducks - QUACK IS BACK JACK.  They are red-hot right now and somehow the seventh seed in this tournament. Oregon beat Arizona, UCLA sans their two best players and Arizona State in the last month, they are the top three seeds of this tournament. I do not want to see Oregon right now, and I think the Ducks find a way to do it to Arizona again.  

A-10   
TV: CBS, NBC Sports Network

Player to watch: Jordair Jett - While this might be an obvious answer, I am a little concerned about the health of Jett moving forward this week. Saint Louis could play up to three games in three days wearing out the knee of Jett's so do I think we should keep an eye on him.

Team to watch: St. Joesph's or Dayton - Both of these teams are squarely on the bubble. Let's say Dayton runs through whomever wins the 12/13 matchup meaning these two teams play each other in a 'Loser Goes Home' in the quarterfinals then getting Saint Louis in the semifinals. Don't be surprised if one of these teams end up in the final.

Winner: VCU Rams - Here's the thing about the Havoc defense, it could be completely exhausting when you have already played a couple games versus seeing it after a week off.   While they have struggled with Saint Louis in the past outside of Richmond, I think they could have a good tournament.

Mountain West  
TV: CBS Networks

Player to watch:  Deonte Burton - Not the one from Marquette, but the big dunker from Nevada whom can put anyone on a poster. Wolfpack lurk in the third position, and Burton's high energy could make some noise for this tournament.

Team to watch: UNLV Runnin' Rebels - If there was one team besides San Diego State or New Mexico to do damage, it could be UNLV.  While they are coming in losing the last two of the season, they have the talent to beat anyone in the Mountain West.

Winner: San Diego State Aztecs - At the end of the day, let's not kid ourselves with a pretender making waves here. San Diego State or New Mexico is likely winning this thing. I will take the Aztecs only because Xavier Thames' ability to take over basketball games could be major in the third game of this rivalry.    

 

SEC 
TV: ABC, ESPN Networks

Player to watch: Pick a Kentucky freshman - Wildcats are one of the most interesting teams to watch, and this might be a cop out with my answer yet all of the players fascinate me. They could probably see LSU in the quarterfinal, a team that gives them all sorts of trouble.  

Team to watch: Arkansas or Tennessee winner - Let's say Arkansas wins its first game meaning they take on Tennessee in a 'Loser Go Home' matchup with both teams lying on the bubble. They could then get Florida in the semifinals in a desperation game. To be honest, I am more interested in Arkansas than Tennessee but that's just me.

Winner: Florida Gators - They are the best team in basketball, and while they might not care about this tournament, they are head and shoulders above everyone else in the SEC.

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.