Weekly Basketball Picks: 12/27-1/2

Not a great week for me, but a telling one for basketball. Kentucky and Virginia showed us how great their defenses are. Arizona finally didn't pull out a close one. UNC and VCU got redeeming victories.

Record: 6-4 (Overall: 50-15)
Kentucky over UCLA - I thought Kentucky would be them, not embarrass them.
Villanova over Syracuse - I'm surprised this had to go to overtime.
Ohio St. over UNC - It looks like the Tar Heels finally woke up.
Utah over UNLV - The Rebels whiffed on their first chance to make some noise.
Oklahoma over Washington - Am I just being stubborn to say that I still don't think Washington is legit?
Indiana over Butler - As I thought, the Hoosiers matched up well with the Bulldogs.
VCU over Cincinnati - The Rams ate the Bearcats up.
Virginia over Harvard - They even outdid Kentucky on Saturday, which is saying something.
Oklahoma St. over Maryland - I guess it's time for me to start believing in Maryland.
Arizona over UNLV - Give me this. I called that this was a week for paying attention to UNLV.



Kentucky at Louisville (Saturday)
Such a big game. I'll be rooting for Kentucky and frankly, they are the rightful favorite. I'm not bold enough to pick Louisville to win, even as the home team.
Winner: Kentucky

Gonzaga at BYU (Saturday)
Some people have Gonzaga losing in a tough environment. They are my pick as the fourth #1 seed (the others: Kentucky, Duke, and Wisconsin). Doing that pretty much means running the field from here. And, guess what? They're much better than BYU.
Winner: Gonzaga

Georgetown v. Indiana (Saturday)
I have to pick my Hoosiers. As long as they have an answer for Joshua Smith, I believe they really can win.
Winner: Indiana

Georgia St. at Green Bay (Saturday)
The rare non-conference rematch. I like the fearsome Georgia St. back court of Ryan Harrow, R.J. Hunter, and Kevin Ware to win again, in a much closer game
Winner: Georgia St.

FGCU at Xavier (Sunday)
Remember FGCU? The 15 seed that got to the Sweet 16 a couple of years ago. Well, they still have a lot of those same players and some pretty good new ones. I'm betting on Trevon Blueitt and the Musketeers though.
Winner: Xavier 

Maryland at Michigan St. (Tuesday)
Oh, Big Ten. Such a disappointment. Maryland has been surprisingly good so far this season but Michigan St. is going to get better as the season continues, like all Tom Izzo teams. Are the Spartans ready to step up yet? Sure, why not? They're at home.
Winner: Michigan St. 



Iowa at Ohio St. (Tuesday)
Another Big Ten opener. Iowa is only intimidating at home from what I can see.
Winner: Ohio St. 

Butler at Villanova (Wednesday)
I want this to be a big season for Butler, but Villanova is so good and balanced.
Winner: Villanova 

UNLV at Wyoming (Wednesday)
The Runnin' Rebels are coming off a big high after the Arizona win. Wyoming is a tough place to play though and UNLV is too up and down.
Winner: Wyoming 

Washington at California (Friday)
Cal's been solid this season and this is as good a time as ever to pick against Washington.
Winner: California