TSR 2/18/20 CBB Picks

Yesterday's Results (Link)
Sam 9-1 (Season: 658-285, 0.698)
Zach 9-1 (Season: 685-258, 0.726)
Nick 8-2 (Season: 639-304, 0.678)

BEST VIDEO WE SAW YESTERDAY
In a SWAC Showcase game on ESPNU last night, things got a bit chippy between Prairie View A&M and Jackson State, as a handshake line dispute after a hard foul in the waning seconds got ugly.

TODAY'S GAMES

1. Penn State vs Illinois (6:30, FS1)

Nick: Penn State- I never thought I would see the day that the Nittany Lions were the #9 team in the country in basketball, but here we are. And the craziest thing? They can climb even higher. This team is truly elite, and a contender for a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Sam: Penn State-- Illinois has all of a sudden lost 4 games in a row. And the worst part about that streak? It’s definitely not ending tonight in State College. Much like Nick said, Penn State can climb even higher. There is no ceiling for this team.

Zach: Penn State- The Nittany Lions are in the hunt for a regular season B1G title and this is a game they need to win at home to keep at pace with Maryland

2. Tennessee vs Vanderbilt (6:30, SECN)

Nick: Tennessee- The Vols aren’t very good, but neither are the Commodores. This is a must-win if Tennessee has any hopes of being an at-large team this season. 

Sam: Tennessee

Zach: Tennessee

3. West Virginia vs Oklahoma State (7:00, ESPN2)

Nick: West Virginia- The Big 12 is such a top heavy league. Remember when John Belien was here, and they had the stars like Kevin Pittsnogle? The old MEGA Big East was EPIC.

Sam: West Virginia-- WVU is struggling a bit of late. This is certainly one they cannot afford to lose.

Zach: West Virginia- The Number 17 team is looking, and they will, get back on track after a tough stretch of games. 

4. Wisconsin vs Purdue (7:00, ESPN)

Nick: Wisconsin- This is one of those classic Big Ten battles, where two bubble teams are battling it out amidst inconsistent play. I’ll take the home team, as Buzzcut Brad is coming off a career high 30 point night.

Sam: Wisconsin-- Purdue is just so bad on the road.

Zach: Purdue- Williams and Haarms can slow down Reuvers, and if you can do that, you can beat the Badgers

5. Maryland vs Northwestern (8:00, BTN)

Nick: Maryland- First place team in the Big Ten. Last place team in the Big Ten. First place is at home. Last place is the worst Power 5 team in the country? Blowout.

Sam: Maryland-- Sure it ripped my heart out temporarily, but man, that finish on Saturday by Maryland was so impressive. They keep it rolling easily at home.

Zach: Maryland- No contest in a matchup between the top team in the Big Ten hosting the last place team

6. Marquette vs Creighton (8:30, FS1)

Nick: Creighton- The Bluejays have been playing great lately, winning their last three games of the season. This team has the chance to win the Big East if they can play strong this week, and that starts with a win. Unless Markus Howard channels his 53-point affair again.

Sam: Creighton-- I love this game. Two very good surprises in the Big East this year, they both will easily make the tournament. I think the Jays get it done in a close, entertaining game.

Zach: Marquette- It was a 17 point loss at Creighton earlier in the year, but at Fiserv Forum, Markus Howard has yet another spectacular performance and wills his team to a needed win

7. VCU vs Dayton (8:30, CBSSN)

Nick: Dayton- This is a huge game for VCU, as they are hoping to bolster their at-large case. This will be a tough game however, as the Flyers are lethal offensively behind Obi Toppin and Jalen Crutcher.

Sam: Dayton-- Yeah, VCU is struggling big time and if they want any shot at an at-large bid, they need to win tonight. I’m so glad Nick brought up Crutcher. For all the (deserved) Obi Toppin love, Crutcher goes a bit unnoticed. There aren’t 10 point guards in the country better than him.

Zach: Dayton- The Flyers are 12-0 in conference, and they may slip up, maybe even in this one, but I won’t pick against it.

8. Oklahoma vs Baylor (9:00, ESPN2)

Nick: Baylor- The Sooners could really use this win, but they won’t get it. Baylor is a legit national title contender, and they will take this victory on their journey to win their first conference title since they were in the SWC in 1950.

Sam: Baylor-- This is a huge trap game for the Bears, with College Gameday and the Kansas Jayhawks looming in Waco on Saturday. But they have been just so good all year, so I really can’t see them overlooking this one.

Zach: Baylor- Agree with Sam that this is a huge trap game, but they may be looking past the Sooners. I could see this being a close game throughout and the Bears pulling away late.

9. LSU vs Kentucky (9:00, ESPN)

Nick: Kentucky- Do you remember the goaltending incident last year? This year, the Wildcats will win the game without an officiating controversy, as they are playing hot as of late.

Sam: Kentucky-- The SEC sucks.

Zach: Kentucky

10. Florida State vs Pittsburgh (8:00, ACCN)

Nick: Florida State- The Panthers are building under Jeff Capel, but they have a long way to go. I’ll take Leonard Hamilton’s bunch to win this game.

Sam: Florida State-- The Seminoles lost on the first night of the season at Pitt. That doesn’t happen again.

Zach: Florida State