Record: 9-6 (13-7)
Definites
Kansas St. over Purdue - As expected, Marcus Foster was the best player on the court.
Villanova over VCU - I was right about the win, not about it being close.
SDSU over BYU - It took two over times and I was very wrong about it being low scoring.
Harvard over Houston - I still hate Sampson
Oklahoma over UCLA - Even if I am low on the Sooners, this was a gimme.
Maybes
Arizona over Kansas St. - The Wildcats kept up with the Wildcats to the very end.
SDSU over Pittsburgh - And that Aztec defense was tough.
Villanova over Michigan - Villanova sure is looking good.
Arizona over SDSU - I was hoping the Aztecs would finish it out. but I figured they couldn't.
(Didn't Happen) Wisconsin over Florida
Battle 4 Atlantis: North Carolina v. Florida (Friday)
As disappointing as that Butler loss was, I'm even less enthused about Florida's outlook. Look for the loss to the Bulldogs to motivate the Tar Heels.
Winner:North Carolina
NIT Season Tip-Off: St. John's v. Gonzaga (Friday)
Gonzaga has looked excellent so far this season. The Johnnies looked impressive against Minnesota but Gonzaga's depth should be the difference maker here.
Winner: Gonzaga
Providence at Kentucky (Sunday)
LaDontae Denton and the Friars are looking better than I expected so far. Then again, their 6-0 start hasn't been against the best competition. Kentucky on the other hand has been incredibly impressive so far.
Winner: Kentucky
Texas at Connecticut (Sunday)
With the Longhorns' starting point guard Isaiah Taylor currently injured it's really going to be a matter of front court versus back court. I don't care. I'm incredibly high on Texas this season and Connecticut on ever tries during tournaments.
Winner: Texas
Ohio St. at Louisville (Tuesday)
Looks who joined the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. D'Angelo Russell has looked as good as any Freshman in the country. Louisville is legit though. With the home court advantage, it's hard to see them losing.
Winner: Louisville
Syracuse at Michigan (Tuesday)
Two teams who I think were very overrated in the preseason. The last time the two teams faced each other Trey Burke, Glenn Robinson, and Mitch McGary were all there to break the zone. Well, they're all gone, and even though Syracuse is depleted too, they at least have the right players to play the zone effectively.
Winner: Syracuse
Duke at Wisconsin (Wednesday)
The big one. People could talk up the Champions Classic all they wanted, but this has been the biggest non-conference game of the season since day one. Both teams look more than worthy of their rankings. Wisconsin showed some signs of weakness against Georgetown. They are the home team though. I figure Kaminsky will embarrass Okafor repeatedly but Duke's talent shines though.
Winner: Duke
Iowa at North Carolina (Wednesday)
This should be UNC in a rout. The Butler game has me questioning them though. Home court should be the deciding factor in making sure that Marcus Paige gets some help against a balanced Iowa lineup.
Winner: UNC
Wichita St. at Utah (Wednesday)
Utah's only loss so far has been at San Diego St. It's hard to fault them for that. I'm apparently going to keep picking against Wichita until they lose, so here I go again. How long can the excellent Shockers back court carry them? Well, Utah has some pretty good guards and a well balanced lineup to boot.
Winner: Utah
Arkansas at Iowa St. (Thursday)
The loss to Maryland is a peculiar one for the Cyclones. I would've picked them in a rout over the Razorbacks if not for that. I like Georges Niang than much. I'm not sure that Iowa St. has an answer for Bobby Portis though. I sure hope I'm not an SEC homer.
Winner: Arkansas
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