TSR 12/21/19 CBB Picks

Game 1: Kansas at Villanova (12:00, FOX)

Nick: Kansas--The Wildcats are going to be a factor in the Big East race, perhaps even the front-runner, but they will struggle in this game. Kansas is a great basketball team, and they snap the curse for #1 teams.

Sam: Kansas

Zach: Villanova- Another top ranked team will go down. Nova has had some close ones recently and they put it together for the win

Game 2: Presbyterian at Michigan (12:00, BTN)

Nick: Michigan- Big blowout for Juwan's boys

Sam: Michigan

Zach: Michigan- Shouldn’t be a tough one for the Wolverines

Game 3: Cincinnati vs Iowa (9:00, BTN)

Nick: Iowa- Luka Garza is a force to be reckoned with for Iowa, perhaps the most overlooked player in this year's Big Ten preseason accolades. He is a true B1G POTY contender, to which UC has no answer.

Sam: Cincinnati

Zach: Iowa- Cincinnati’s guards vs Iowa’s bigs. Luka Garza dominates 

Game 4: Indiana vs Notre Dame (12:00, ESPN)

Nick: Indiana

Sam: Indiana

Zach: Indiana

Game 5: VCU at Wichita St (12:00, ESPN2)

Nick: Wichita State--The Shockers add to their resume with another impressive win. The AAC is on pace to have a record number of NCAA Tournament bids this year.

Sam: VCU

Zach: Wichita State

Game 6: Illinois vs Missouri (1:00, SEC)

Nick: Illinois- As Zach alludes to below, this is the Mark Smith reunion game? Remember when Michigan State fans were disappointed that he didn't come to play for us...looks like we dodged a bullet there.

Sam: Illinois

Zach: Illinois- Unfortunately not a fun reunion game for Mark Smith against his former team. Illinois wins handily

Game 7: UCLA vs North Carolina (3:00, CBS)

Nick: North Carolina--The Tar Heels were clearly better two weeks ago, but now it is closer. Still, UCLA doesn't have the talent to match UNC.

Sam: North Carolina

Zach: North Carolina- A few weeks ago I would say UNC blows out UCLA, now, not the same story

Game 8: Ohio State vs Kentucky (5:15, CBS)

Nick: Ohio State--I still feel that the Buckeyes are playing better than any team in the country at this point. The Wildcats have no answer for Wesson.

Sam: Ohio State

Zach: Ohio State- Kaleb Wesson dominates the Wildcats and proves why they are a top team in the nation with this big win

Game 9: Purdue vs Butler (2:30, BTN)

Nick: Butler-- This will be the Kamar Baldwin show, and the matchup against the Big Ten's best defender in Nojel Eastern will make all of the difference. When Purdue has the ball, they need to capitalize on their size advantage, otherwise they will rely solely on Jahaad Proctor.

Sam: Butler

Zach: Purdue- Kamar Baldwin is an absolute stud or Butler, but Purdue finds a way to get it done in the Crossroads Classic

Game 10: Eastern Michigan at Michigan State (7:00, BTN)

Nick: Michigan State--The Eagles are off to an incredible start, and they will be much more of a challenge than what was expected back in the fall. I do think that this will be the game that Xavier Tillman gets going, as he should have the advantage inside.

Sam: Michigan State

Zach: Michigan State- Shouldn’t be much of a game for the Spartans, but they have yet to not play down to their somewhat legitimate opponents, but coming off the Big Ten games, they flip the switch and blow out the Eagles.

Upsets:

Nick: Detroit Mercy over SIU-Edwardsville (+7)

Sam: Cleveland St over ETSU (+20.5)

Zach: Eastern Illinois over Grand Canyon (+3.0)- The Lopes are hardcore struggling this year