(1 unit) Texas A&M - 13.5 vs. Kansas State - That spread is a testament to just how much Billy Clyde’s Fightin’ Texas Aggies have been drilling people (101-27 vs. Grambling, for example). If only there were some way to search for things on the internet, I would (1) look up where the Aggies rank in terms of victory margin, and (2) name that search-mechanism something whimsical like “Smoogle” or something.
Anyhoo - I hate that spread (only because a 25 point margin can shrink to 13 pretty quickly once guys abandon the offense and start jacking it up), but I love the dynamics. The Mildcats have Bill Walker, who will continue to develop as a force during the conference season (since he wasn’t eligible until Dec. 17th). The Aggies have great defense, a potent offense, experience from taking #1 UCLA to the wire in SoCal, and a team concept.
Kansas State has none of those. In addition, K-State has a point guard that should be at the 2-spot. Just watch and you’ll understand - he’s not a point guard. My prediction is that the Aggies force at least 5 turnovers off him and score 20 points off the break.
Gig ‘Em!!!
I was rolling my eyes at first, but I ended up being impressed after (1) he switched hands, and (2) I tried to do it.
(2 units) Creighton + 1 @ Evansville - Creighton has absolutely CRUSHED my picks so far this year. But I still believe in them for the following reasons:
Nate Funk is warrior.
Tolliver is one of the best big men in the country.
Dana Altman is one of the best coaches in the country.
Creighton’s talent level is superior.
E-ville is… E-ville. Don’t get me wrong - I love the program, but there’s no way they should be favored at home against Creighton.
Although… they do have one of the best mascots in college basketball. His name is Ace Purple, and he is - I am not making this up - based on a turn-of-the-century riverboat gambler. If anybody finds a link to a picture of the living mascot, please post the link in the comments section. Either way, he looks like a pimp and has a feather in his hat:
You Guys Playin’ Cards?
(2 units) LSU - 5 vs. UConn - I’m not particularly impressed with UConn, but in my opinion LSU has a killer instinct that UConn doesn’t. This is going to be a wildly entertaining, up-and-down game, but I think LSU handles them unless Big Buh-Davis (my new nickname for Glenn “Big Baby” Davis) gets into foul trouble. Watch it if you can.
(1 unit) Washington State + 2 vs. ‘Zony - Probably a stupid pick, but there’s never a bad time to pick against ‘Zony.
(1 unit) Indy State + 6 @ Illy State - Illy State has their backs to the wall, being winless in conference with a nice amount of talent on their squad. But 6 is too much. Look for the Trees to very possibly win this one outright and stake a claim to the upper echelon of the feeding frenzy that is the Missouri Valley Conference.
(1 unit) Oklahoma State - 13.5 vs. Baylor - I don’t have many thoughts on this other than “uhhhhh… Okie State is gonna whomp ‘em”. Baylor is better than people think and will test some teams this year though.
(1 unit) Drake - 3 vs. Bradley - Part of me says that Bradley is ready to rebound from the butt-stomping they received at Wichy-Taw State earlier in the week, but the rest of me says that Drake is winless and therefore has their backs against the wall and is very aware that Jeremy Crouch is still out for Bradley. Crouch is Bradley’s best guard, and Drake and Dr. Tom Davis play a lot of full-court pressure D. Do the math. Also, circle this date on the calendar because Drake is only favored in a game once every few decades.
Happy Hunting, and check back here in future for a new RFS basketball feature.
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