TSR 12/5/19 CBB Picks

Takeaways
1-DePaul got a huge victory over Texas Tech at home to improve to 9-0. Jalen Coleman-Lands stepped up at the end of this game, scoring ten points in overtime to carry the Blue Demons to victory. And how about some love for Pantelis Xidias, who spearheads a phenomenal bench mob of celebrations?

2-Chicago State ended a 53-game road/neutral court losing streak with a 89-81 victory over SIU-Edwardsville. This is a huge step for a program that has faced some extremely tough years in recent memory. Coach Lance Irvin has taken tremendous strides with this program.

3-In B1G/ACC play, the Big Ten got some huge wins on Wednesday night. Purdue and Ohio State defeated Virginia and North Carolina in dominating fashion, flexing the conference's muscle. The 8-6 Challenge victory is another step in proving that the Big Ten is the best league in college basketball this season from top to bottom.

Sam Opinion
Don’t hop on the DePaul bandwagon-- Yes DePaul is 9-0, but they haven’t exactly beaten good teams to get to 9-0. They won on the road against an Iowa team who doesn’t play defense and two truly awful power 5 teams in Minnesota and Boston College. Chris Beard’s Texas Tech bunch is very inexperienced, so barely beating the Red Raiders at home in OT isn’t necessarily a big win. Is DePaul better than they have been? Absolutely. But that is saying nothing. The DePaul hype needs to simmer.


Yesterday's Pick Results (Season Pick Standings can be found here)
Zach 6-4 Sam 6-4
Nick 3-7 (upset pick of Drexel (+2.5) over Princeton also won.)
Tuori Roundtable With the slow slate of games, we are going to answer some questions that have come across our desk via Twitter, Email or within conversation amongst the three of us.

Question 1: With the ACC starting as early as game number one, and the Big Ten starting on Friday, how do you feel about early season conference games?

Nick: I think that the way that the Big Ten had done it the past few years was perfect. For one weekend in December, you played two league games, one at home and one on the road. This year, the schedule is too stretched out in my opinion, but I do like a little tease of conference play.

Sam: I’m in between. I like that in football once you are in conference play, you don’t play non league games. I don’t like how in basketball the Big Ten has structured it so teams can just have 5 "buy games" in between the end of the first two Big Ten games and the start of the rest.

Zach: Unlike football, I like it. For all the teams that have bad non-conference schedules, it makes them have games against good competition. Of course I am glad that none of these early conference games are big matchups though.

Question 2: Which team has been most surprising through the first month of the season?

Nick: Butler-- The Bulldogs were pegged eighth in the Big East preseason poll, and they are now in the Top 25. They have defeated solid teams in Wofford, Minnesota, Missouri, Stanford and Ole Miss on their 8-0 start. Kamar Baldwin has had a phenomenal start to this year. They still have three huge non-conference games left in Florida, Baylor and Purdue before Big East play begins.

Sam: Dayton-- I wish I could have a better answer so as not to copy Zach, but I one hundred percent agree with him.

Zach: Dayton- A team that kind of came out of nowhere, got super hot in Maui, and just keeps riding the wave they found. Look to see if they can stay on it

Question 3: Which team has been the most disappointing through the first month of the season?

Nick: I'll also say Michigan State, as they have looked lackluster through their first month of play. But let's not leave Virginia off of the hook, solely in terms of their offensive efficiency. While their defense is elite, their offense has been horrendous this year. While they did lose huge parts of last year's team, they just have not been able to put the biscuit in the basket this season. That is a red flag for Tony Bennett's team. I do believe in both of these coaches to turn it around this season, but these have been less than ideal starts.

Sam: Michigan State and Wisconsin-- Michigan State for all of the obvious reasons Zach stated below, but the Badgers have absolutely sputtered out of the gates. Quite simply, they cannot score. And they already have 4 losses, and just one of those is against a Power 5 opponent(NC State)

Zach: Michigan State- Now they haven’t lost any bad games (I think VT is a tournament team in the end, even though they still should’ve won) but the preseason number one team, is not even playing like a top 25 team right now.

Question 4: With Big Ten play set to begin on Friday, who is your prediction to win it all? Also, who is your prediction for B1G Player of the Year?

Nick: Ohio State-- The Big Ten is going to be appointment television each night this winter, with seven teams that are capable of making deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. I will go with the Buckeyes, who are trending up after a dominant performance in Chapel Hill on Wednesday. Kaleb Wesson is a sleeper pick for National Player of the Year, and they have shooters galore. This is the best team in Columbus since Greg Oden led them to the finals. B1G Player of the Year-- Cassius Winston, Michigan State. The Spartans are going to be in the thick of the league title race, and that solely is the result of Cassius Winston. He is the best player in college basketball, so this award is still his to lose.

Sam: Ohio State-- Man am I high on the Buckeyes. What is there not to like about them? Chris Holtmann is an elite coach, OSU has a couple of great shooters, a stud freshman in DJ Carton and a dominant low post player in Kaleb Wesson. Add in tough as nails guys like Luther Muhamad and Andre Wesson, and I love the Buckeyes’ prospects to win the conference

B1G Player of the Year-- Jalen Smith, Maryland

Zach: Maryland-- The Terps are, if not one of the best teams in the country, led by senior Anthony Cowan Jr.. Maryland can consistently score inside and outside, they play great defense, and have a tremendous coach Mark Turgeon. That is a recipe for success if you ask me. I do think Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State keep it interesting all season, but the Terrapins win the race in the end. 

B1G Player of the Year-- Cassius Winston, Michigan State-- The Spartans revolve around the reigning award winner and if they want to reach their goals, he needs to have another award winning season. He is still a front runner for NPOY, and so there is no reason why he cannot win this award either.

Question 5: Without a Zion-type player, there is no clear winner for National Freshman of the Year. Who is your early favorite to win the award?

Nick: Vernon Carey is a man amongst boys, evident by his dominant play in East Lansing on Tuesday, but for the sake of variety, I will go with Anthony Edwards. He is averaging 20.6 points per game, and he has played the Bulldogs into some games they had no business being in. I think that he has the ability to take this team to the NCAA Tournament by himself, and that could win him this award.

Sam: I would agree that Carey could certainly be in the running, but I also think Cole Anthony is just going to have so many shots available for him to take at UNC.

Zach: My early favorite was James Wiseman, but since he is out 12 games, that decimates his chances. After watching Michigan State-Duke, I think if Vernon Carey Jr. plays like that all season, it’s his award to lose.

Our Picks for Thursday's Action This is a light slate on Thursday, with only ten Division 1 games. We picked all of those, as well as some women's basketball upset picks.

Game 1: St Francis BKN at Hartford (7:00, ESPN+) 

Nick: Hartford

Sam: St Francis BKN

Zach: St. Francis BKN

Game 2: Howard at Hampton (7:00, ESPN+)

Nick: Hampton

Sam: Hampton

Zach: Hampton

Game 3: Elon at High Point (7:00, ESPN+)

Nick: High Point

Sam: High Point

Zach: High Point

Game 4: Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State (8:00, SEC)

Nick: Mississippi State

Sam: Mississippi State

Zach: Mississippi State

Game 5: Central Arkansas at Wichita State (8:00, ESPN3)

Nick: Wichita State

Sam: Wichita State

Zach: Wichita State

Game 6: Oklahoma at North Texas (8:00)

Nick: Oklahoma--Once again, props to a Power 5 team for taking the trip to a small-conference arena for a non-conference game. Every major school should be required to take one trip each year.

Sam: Oklahoma

Zach: Oklahoma

Game 7: SE Missouri State at Abilene Christian (8:30, ESPN+)

Nick: SE Missouri State

Sam: Abilene Christian

Zach: Abilene Christian

Game 8: Furman at Auburn (9:00, SEC)

Nick: Auburn--This is the game of the night. #14 Auburn will be tested by a strong Paladins team that took Alabama to the brink back on November 19.

Sam: Auburn

Zach: Auburn

Game 9: South Dakota State at Montana State (10:00)

Nick: South Dakota St

Sam: South Dakota St

Zach: Montana State

Game 10: Northern Illinois at Saint Mary’s (10:00)

Nick: Saint Mary's

Sam: Saint Mary’s

Zach: Saint Mary’s

Upsets:

Nick: Syracuse over #24 Michigan--B1G/ACC Challenge Women’s Basketball

Zach: #19 Michigan State over #8 Florida State- B1G/ACC Challenge Women’s Basketball