Happy Friday everyone! We got a HUGE weekend of college
basketball. So lets get to my predictions.
The Marquee Matchup
No. 21 Michigan at No. 3 Michigan State, Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN:
No matter how well these teams are playing, this game always
seems to provide drama. And this edition should be no different. The Spartans limp into Saturday night’s matchup with injuries to starters Adreian Payne and
Brandon Dawson. The former might play against the Wolverines but Dawson is out
four to five weeks with a broken hand. That’s not good for Michigan State
because Michigan might be the hottest team in basketball. The Wolverines have
won eight straight since losing to No. 1 Arizona by two points. Nik Stauskas is
the favorite to win the Big Ten Player of the Year, averaging a conference best
18.5 points a game. The key to this game will be the Spartan guards. Keith
Appling and Gary Harris are two of the best in the country, but they will have
to carry the offensive load heavily in this one, especially if Payne can’t
play. This one is tough to call. The Spartans have the home court advantage,
but I’m going to go with the upset here. The Wolverines are playing too good of
basketball. They take control of the Big Ten. Michigan 81 Michigan State 75.
Second Tier
No. 22 Kansas State @ No. 16 Iowa State, Saturday, 12:45 p.m., ESPN 3:
Iowa State needs this win. It started 14-0 before dropping
the last three games of conference play, including a disappointing defeat at
Texas. Kansas State seemed to be rolling through Big 12 games until it ran into
the same problem the Cyclones did at Texas. This is an intriguing matchup of
two completely different squads chasing Kansas for conference supremacy. Iowa
State hangs its hat on 3-point shooting, but has been terrible from behind the arc during its losing streak. The Wildcats like to pound the ball inside to their
big man, Thomas Gibson. Kansas State has the better conference record, but I
like Iowa State to get back in the win column at home. Iowa State 85 Kansas
State 75.
Might Get Interesting
No. 10 Iowa at Northwestern, 11 a.m., Saturday, Big Ten Network:
The Hawkeyes are coming off a tough road loss at Michigan earlier this week. They host No. 3 Michigan State on Tuesday. They kicked the crap out of Northwestern earlier this year. So this game might be a little bit
of a trap for Iowa. But watch out for the Wildcats. They’ve won three of their last four, becoming probably the biggest surprise in the Big Ten thus far. It’s
never easy to win on the road either, especially against the conference’s
second best defense. I still like the Hawkeyes in this one though, but I think it’s
going to be a lot closer than the first time these squads played. Iowa 60
Northwestern 56.
Things I Missed
-Nebraska missed an opportunity last night at Penn State.
-USA basketball rosters have been posted.
-Same with the NBA All-Star game starters.
-The Pro Bowl draft seemed to be a success with Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice picking the squads.
-Terrorist threats and poor facilities haunt the Winter
Olympics. Vladmir Putin wants to prove his country’s athletic prowess.
-Cool feature on Vince Lombardi's impact on his hometown community.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend everyone!
Reach me at: award6344@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @_andrewward
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