TSR 11/19/19 CBB Picks

Big Takeaways from Monday

1-Holiday tournament season, please hurry!-- Save for a couple of sneaky good mid majors paying visits to elite programs, the next two days of college basketball will be a bit of a snooze-fest. But starting Thursday at 11:30 AM, when both the Myrtle Beach Invitational and the Charleston Classic tip off, starting off quite possibly the best 11 day span of college basketball: FEAST WEEK! 2-Xavier Tillman is back on track--After a struggle against Seton Hall in which Tillman was 1-9, he had a bounce back game against Charleston Southern. The junior set a new career high with 21 points on 9-12 shooting. This was a tremendous confidence builder for Tillman as the team heads to Maui. 3-Who is Kentucky? The Wildcats played great against Michigan State, as Tyrese Maxey shot the lights out in MSG. Since then, they lost to Evansville before squeaking past Utah Valley tonight. There are some questions that need to answered in Lexington. 4-We have our first NAIA victory! The Montana Tech Orediggers of the Frontier Conference went on the road and defeated the Montana Grizzlies 74-72. Not the best day in Missoula.. Yesterday's Pick Results (Season Pick Standings can be found here) Nick 10-0 Sam 10-0 Zach 10-0 Our predictions for Tuesday's games: Game 1: Bucknell at Penn State (6:30, BTN)

Nick: Penn State--This is an underrated Nittany Lions team. Let's see if guys like Myles Dread and Myreon Jones can continue their strong play as PSU is now on the radar in the middle tier Big Ten.

Sam: Penn State

Zach: Penn State

Game 2: Vermont at Virginia (7:00, ACC)

Nick: Virginia--The Hoos are the slowest tempo team in the NCAA again this year, per nobody's surprise. Their defense is perhaps at its best level ever, and they will limit this Vermont team to offensive opportunities. The lone chance Vermont has would be a career day by Anthony Lamb, who already carried the team to an upset against St. John's.

Sam: Virginia-- Yes, Vermont is really good and did just win at St Johns. But Virginia is a whole different weight class from the Red Storm and Vermont will struggle to score on the vaunted pack line defense. Virginia will win a gross, grind it out game with a final score something like 49-38.

Zach: Virginia-- This game will be much closer than you’d think.

Game 3: Nevada at Davidson (7:00, ESPN+)

Nick: Davidson--The Wildcats are at home, and this is the perfect opportunity to get a marquee victory. After tough losses to Auburn and Charlotte, they bounced back with a victory over UNC-Wilmington on Saturday. This is the start of a tough stretch for Davidson, as they play Wake Forest on Friday before heading to Orlando for the Orlando Invitational.

Sam: Davidson-- The duo of John Axel Gundmudsson and Kellan Grady is electric in the backcourt for what could be Bob Mckillop’s best Wildcat team.

Zach: Nevada

Game 4: Alma at Western Michigan (7:00, ESPN3)

Nick: Western Michigan--Although the Scots may have the advantage on the student assistant front, as they have two stellar OK Red alumni, that appears to be their only edge in this game. A tremendous experience for the Scots to play in front of a big crowd at University Arena, but the Broncos are too much. I predict this will be a breakout game for the greatest Yooper Hooper of all time, Jason Whitens.

Sam: Western Michigan

Zach: Western Michigan— Good opportunity for the Scots to play against D1 competition early in the year as they prepare for MIAA play, where for some reason they were picked to finish sixth. Even after a 5-21 season, they bring just about everyone back

Game 5: ETSU at Kansas (8:00, ESPN+) 

Nick: Kan$a$--Prop$ to Bill $elf for $cheduling tough mid-major team$ thi$ $eason (UNCG, Monmouth) in addition to Duke, Colorado, Villanova, $tanford and a trip to Maui. Thi$ i$ a great te$t for the Jayhawk$, but they emerge victoriou$.

Sam: Kansas-- ETSU is one of the best mid-major teams in the country, but the Jayhawks will get it done thanks in large part to the crowd at Phog Allen.

Zach: Kansas-- The Jayhawks win and cover the 14 points

Game 6: Furman at Alabama (8:00, SEC)

Nick: Furman--Nate Oats is still adjusting to things down in Tuscaloosa, and that will take time. In the meanwhile, the Paladins will continue their two-year reign of marquee road wins.

Sam: Alabama-- The Tide have gotten off to a tough start but will bounce back behind a strong performance from Kira Lewis.

Zach: Furman-- The undefeated Paladins get win number 5 on the road 

Game 7: North Dakota at Milwaukee (8:00)

Nick: Milwaukee--The Panthers are off to a hot start at 3-1 this year, with their only loss coming in triple overtime against Western Michigan. This team is much improved, as Illinois transfer Te'Jon Lucas is able to spearhead an explosive offense.

Sam: North Dakota

Zach: Milwaukee 

Game 8: Southern Illinois at Murray State (8:00, ESPN+)

Nick: Murray State

Sam: Murray State

Zach: Murray State

Game 9: Detroit at Wyoming (9:00)

Nick: Detroit--In a close matchup, you have to take the team with one of America's elite scorers.

Sam: Wyoming

Zach: Detroit-- Antoine Davis scores big, per usual, and gets the Titans their first win on the young season

Game 10: Pepperdine at USC (9:00, PAC12)

Nick: USC

Sam: USC

Zach: USC

Upset Pick (not in games above): 

Nick: Norfolk State over Bradley--The Spartans are one of the best small-conference teams in the country. This is a great opportunity to get a victory against the Missouri Valley's reigning tournament champion.

Sam: UMBC over LSU-- The Tigers have struggled out of the gates, and we all know UMBC has a knack for the big upset.

Zach: Grand Canyon over Montana State- the Lopes at 1-3 have struggled this year but get a home victory over the 4-1 Bobcats