TSR 12/6/19 CBB Picks

Takeaways
1-Even on a night of college basketball that appeared slow, there were still some great games. Furman and Auburn played a fantastic game that went into overtime, with the Tigers winning late. In addition, Oklahoma bounced back and defeated North Texas on the road. Every night of college basketball is a great night.

2-Howard defeated Hampton in overtime yesterday for their first win of the season. This game was a thriller, as it went into overtime and Hampton's Benjamin Stanley had 40 points and 11 rebounds in the defeat. Now just five teams remain unbeaten in college hoops (Central Connecticut State, Florida A&M, Houston Baptist, Kennesaw State and Maryland Eastern-Shore).

Big Ten Power Rankings
Eric is back joining us for the Big Ten Power Rankings. We have a new number one for the third straight week, is it Ohio State or Maryland? Check out the entire rankings here.

Yesterday's Pick Results (Season Pick Standings can be found here)
Zach 7-3
Sam 6-4
Nick 4-6


Our Picks for Friday's Action

Game 1: Iowa at Michigan (6:30, FS1)

Nick: Michigan

Sam:  Michigan-- Jon Teske wins the battle of the bigs over Iowa’s Luka Garza

Zach:Michigan- Big bounce back game from the loss at Louisville. If Michigan struggles to shoot again, this could get interesting.

Game 2: Duke at Virginia Tech (7:00, ACC)

Nick: Duke--The Hokies showed that they can shoot as well as any team in the country when they defeated Michigan State out in Maui. I'm not sure they can do it again against Duke, and the inside presence of Vernon Carey is a huge advantage.

Sam: Duke-- Virginia Tech has no one who can guard Vernon Carey Jr.

Zach: Duke- Virginia Tech beat the Blue Devils at home last season, and maybe they could do it again if they still had Kerry Blackshear Jr., but it won’t happen tonight.

Game 3: Providence at Rhode Island (7:00, ESPN2)

Nick: Rhode Island

Sam: Rhode Island

Zach: Rhode Island

Game 4: UT Martin at Central Michigan (7:00, ESPN3)

Nick: Central Michigan

Sam: Central Michigan

Zach: Central Michigan

Game 5: Stephen F Austin at Alabama (8:00, SEC)

Nick: Alabama--The Lumberjacks have had some big wins this year, while the Crimson Tide have struggled. This will be a solid non-conference opportunity for Nate Oats.

Sam: Alabama

Zach: Alabama

Game 6: Dartmouth at South Florida (8:00, ESPN3)

Nick: South Florida

Sam: South Florida

Zach: South Florida

Game 7: Pittsburgh at Louisville (9:00, ACC)

Nick: Louisville

Sam: Louisville

Zach: Louisville- The Cards play like the number one team in the country and this one’s not even close

Game 8: USC at TCU (9:00, ESPN2)

Nick: TCU--One of the biggest intrigues here will be the unveiling of the first basketball game at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. This arena just opened in October and will host the AAC Tournament for the next three seasons.

Sam: USC

Zach: TCU

Game 9: North Dakota at Montana (9:00)

Nick: North Dakota--Filip Rebraca is one of the Summit's best players. He is averaging 15.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He is also shooting an impressive 62.8% from the floor.

Sam: North Dakota

Zach: Montana

Game 10: CSUN at Portland State (10:35)

Nick: CSUN

Sam: Portland State

Zach: Portland State

Upsets:

Nick: Chicago State over Tennessee State (+19.5)

Sam: Columbia over Bryant (+2.5)

Zach: Idaho State over Pepperdine (+12.5)