TSR 12/3/19 CBB Picks

Takeaways from Monday's Action
1-Illinois came out so flat in their game against Miami, creating a nineteen point deficit. They then furiously stormed back, but they fell two points short of victory. This Illinois team may still make some noise in the Big Ten, they have been a trendy pick to finish in the top half, but no team can overcome such a large deficit against a team of any significance.

2-In the latest edition of mid-major slaughters a Non-D1 team, Liberty crushed Trinity Baptist 87-28. The Eagles, a member of the NCCAA, scored eleven first half points. They were 12/54 from the floor and 3/20 from the line.

3-There is some trouble brewing at Georgetown right now. Patrick Ewing dismissed two players from the team yesterday in James Akinjo and Josh LeBlanc. Akinjo was the Big East Freshman of the Year in 2019, and LeBlanc was a 22-game started a season ago. There also appears to have been some issues involving Myron Gardner and Galen Alexander, according to this USA Today report. A team that some had pegged for a breakout season has suddenly gone off the rails.

Yesterday's Pick Results (Season Pick Standings can be found here)
Zach 8-2 (upset pick of North Texas (+6) over UT-Arlington also won)
Sam 7-3
Nick 6-4

Game 1: Butler at Ole Miss (7:00, SECN)

Nick: Butler

Sam: Ole Miss

Zach: Butler- Kamar Baldwin is the decisive factor in the end for the Bulldogs

Game 2: Northwestern at Boston College (7:00, ESPNU)

Nick: Northwestern--I think that Pete Nance leads the charge for Northwestern, but Miller Kopp will be the X-Factor for the Wildcats in this game. This is a brutal matchup that somehow has never happened in the Challenge, despite both teams being similar in standing almost annually.

Sam: Northwestern-- Worst game of the ACC/Big Ten challenge hands down.

Zach: Boston College- Pete Nance is playing very well for the Wildcats, but he is not enough to win on the road

Game 3: Iowa at Syracuse (7:00, ESPN2)

Nick: Iowa--The Orange's offense has struggled to get going in big games this year, and Iowa's Jordan Bohannon is starting to play his best basketball coming off of his injury.

Sam: Iowa-- Luka Garza has been tremendous to start the year, and I think he’s the difference in this one.

Zach: Syracuse- Against Syracuse, it all comes down to whether you can hit shots from outside on that night or not, and Iowa’s outside shooting is just too inconsistent for me.

Game 4: Vermont at Cincinnati (7:00, CBSSN)

Nick: Cincinnati

Sam: Vermont

Zach: Cincinnati

Game 5: Michigan at Louisville (7:30, ESPN)

Nick: Michigan--Frankly, I do not think Louisville deserves to be #1. They haven't backed it up with any sort of challenging victory, their best win is at Miami Florida. Michigan is playing as hot as anyone in America, and as these guys said all of last week, they just seem to win these games. I do agree with these two that someone needs to slow down Nwora for them to win.

Sam: Louisville-- As Zach mentioned, Michigan is easily the hottest team in the country, but I still like the Cardinals. Michigan has an advantage at the point guard spot, but the Cardinals have the best player in this game in Jordan Nwora.

Zach: Louisville- Michigan is the hottest team in basketball, and I know I have said all along that they just find a way, and Louisville has really yet to play anybody, but Jordan Nwora and being at the KFC Yum! Center, I like the Cards. If Michigan wins, and beats Iowa on Friday, they no doubt move up to number one.

Game 6: Buffalo at Vanderbilt (8:00, SECN)

Nick: Buffalo--Here's another opportunity to campaign for Vanderbilt's Memorial Gym as one of the country's best arenas. It is very high on my bucket list.

Sam: Buffalo

Zach: Vanderbilt

Game 7: Bradley at Memphis (9:00, CBSSN)

Nick: Memphis

Sam: Memphis

Zach: Memphis

Game 8: Florida State at Indiana (9:00, ESPN2)

Nick: Florida State--The Seminoles have three impressive victories away from home, and this is another opportunity for Leonard Hamilton to add to that total. Indiana is untested so far this season, and the youthful team may struggle in the spotlight. The three-headed backcourt trio of Devin Vassell, Trent Forrest and MJ Walker are too much for the Hoosiers.

Sam: Florida State-- Besides an opening night loss on the road to Pitt, the Seminoles have played incredibly well to start the year. Wins over Florida, Tennessee, and Purdue all away from home have me believing in FSU.

Zach: Indiana- We will find out if this young 7-0 IU team is legit or not in this game. They are yet to play anybody at all. Assembly Hall is a tough place for any team to come in and play and it doesn’t help that #17 is walking in. Hoosiers with the upset.

Game 9: Rutgers at Pittsburgh (9:00, ESPNU)

Nick: Rutgers--I'd argue Sam's point and say this may be the worst game of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. At least these two have has history by being in the Big East together from 1995-2013. I think that Geo Baker is still one of the best scorers nobody outside of his league talks about.

Sam: Rutgers

Zach: Pittsburgh

Game 10: Duke at Michigan State (9:30, ESPN)

Nick: Duke--This is typically just a game that Michigan State does not win, a big non-conference game against one of the Tobacco Road duo (North Carolina). Michigan State has the advantage at point guard in Cassius Winston, but there are issues elsewhere that concern me. Vernon Carey, a headline recruit that opted to go to Durham over East Lansing, is a high impact player for the Blue Devils. The recent play of Xavier Tillman does not give me confidence about the team's ability to slow him down. Tre Jones is also playing some tremendous basketball, averaging 15.1 points per game. I really hope I am wrong with this pick.

Sam: Michigan State-- Cassius Stanley being out for Duke is a huge loss. Neither of these teams have been very impressive to start the season, and part of my reasoning for picking the Spartans is just because they’re the home team. Rocket Watts had somewhat of a breakout game in Maui vs UCLA, and I expect him to play well again tonight. Vernon Carey is drawing just under 9 fouls per 40 minutes, so a thin MSU frontcourt will really be tested. If Xavier tillman can avoid foul trouble, I like MSU’s chances.

Zach: Michigan State- Both of these teams are playing most likely their worst basketball of the season right now as Duke had close games against Georgetown and Winthrop, and of course, the lost to SFA. For the Spartans, they lost to Virginia Tech, and then lasted the comback effort against Georgia and didn’t play particularly well against UCLA, so no surprise, this will be an interesting game to watch. The matchup down low between Xavier Tillman and Vernon Carey will be crucial to winning the game, offensively and rebounding wise. I think Michigan State has the better PG in Cassius Winston over Tre Jones, and the fact that this is Duke’s first true road game gives the Spartans the edge.

Upsets:

Nick: San Francisco over Arizona State (+1.0)

Sam: Dartmouth over Georgia State(+6.5)

Zach: North Dakota State over Indiana State (+6.0)