Another Weekend, Another Round of Picks

With March Madness quickly approaching there are only a few more weeks of the regular season remaining in college basketball. This brings a tear to my eye! I wish that college basketball was a year round sport. On any given night I should be able to turn the tv on and catch a game. I guess that is a little unrealistic but I can dream, can’t I?

The race for first place in many conferences i.e. the Big Ten, ACC, Ivy League, SEC, etc. is still up in the air, which should make for an interesting finish. Unfortunately, I think the Badgers gave up any shot at a conference title with last night’s lackluster performance at Minnesota. Granted, the Gophers have had the Badgers number the last couple years and they are a lot more talented then their record indicates; but, it was obvious to even the casual observer that the Badgers did not have their A game. I hate to critique them too harshly after just one game, as I bleed Badger red and have a really hard time saying negative things about Bo Ryan’s squad, but last night was a huge disappointment for me and Badger fans alike. Watching from afar, the Badgers looked a step slow and did not appear ready for the intensity and effort that Minnesota brought to Williams Arena. It is hard to imagine that with a Conference Title still within reach that Wisconsin would play so poorly. A Badger apologist may chalk it up to a lack of continuity due to the return of Jon Leuer or poor officiating. I, on the other hand, am going to say that the Badgers played bad and did not deserve to win, plain and simple. While the hopes of a Big Ten title are meager, the Badgers will have a shot at redemption on Sunday against Northwestern. This should be a good opportunity to gain some confidence and right the ship.

Enough Badger talk for now, lets get on with the picks:

Baylor at Oklahoma State. It seems that Baylor is always teetering on the proverbial NCAA bubble. Side note: Does anyone else hate how often the word bubble is used during late February/early March? Can the powers that be not come up with another term that would have the same affect as bubble? I mean seriously there has got to be something else right? Hmm, I just looked up synonyms for bubble and found these options: fizz, effervescence, boil, simmer, gurgle. Err, I do not see any of these working; I guess we are stuck with bubble. Anyways, a road win here would help to strengthen the Bear’s case for the Dance. Baylor has talented guards and an ex-Wolverine at power forward that are playing great basketball. I expect Baylor to fly back to Waco with smiles on their faces. Baylor 78 vs. Ok. St. 72

Illinois at Purdue: If Illinois wants to keep its title hopes alive, a road victory is a must. I’ll be blunt; I do not see this happening. Purdue is one of the hottest teams in the country and holds a significant home court advantage. The game might be close if Tisdale and McCamey come out on fire but I expect the Boilermakers to pull away and win easily. Boiler up. Purdue 75 vs. Illinois 61.

Kentucky at Vanderbilt: Another game with huge title implications, as Vanderbilt is playing for a share of first place in the SEC East. If they are able to contain John Wall and keep DeMarcus Cousins off the glass, the Commodores will have an excellent chance of knocking off the number two team in the country. The fact that Kentucky has been shaky on the road should further Vandy’s home court advantage. With that being said, Vanderbilt will need to play a near perfect game to defeat John Calipari’s Wildcats. Vandy 74 vs. Kentucky 69

Ohio State at Michigan State: Sorry for sounding like a broken record, but this is another game that will go a long way in determining a conference champion. Ohio State can remain in the race if they defeat Sparty. However, a loss will leave them with 5 conference defeats and they can join the Badgers in the club that wonders what could have been. Michigan State will need a victory to keep pace with Purdue. I expect the fighting Izzo’s to take care of business on their home court, which will set up a first place showdown at Mackey Arena. MSU 74 vs. OSU 65

Quick Hits:

Wisconsin over Northwestern
Duke over Virginia Tech
Marquette over Cincinatti
Pittsburgh over Villanova
Texas over Texas Tech
West Virginia over Seton Hall

Over/Under:

Times the Bean Spiller falls while snowboarding Saturday-34
Times Kris jumps of fear during Shutter Island-4
Times the Bean Spiller wishes she could eat Bri’s candy-104
Number of chocolate peanut butter ice cream dishes the Bean Spiller eats Sunday-1


Until next time,

The Bean Spiller