February 13, 2021 Picks:
College Basketball:
Indiana at #4 Ohio State (-6.5) - Ohio State has won five games in a row and now has the inside track on a #1 seed. They face an Indiana team coming off two straight wins and is playing for their NCAA Tournament lives. This is an important game for both teams, and we think it will come down to the wire. Ohio State will win, but will not cover. Pick: Ohio State 76 Indiana 73
Wake Forest at #17 Florida State (-13.5) - Florida State hasn’t played a game in two weeks, so the rust vs rest question will be about the Seminoles today. Wake Forest is 0-4 against ranked teams this year, but all four games were under 14 points. We think that will formula will hold true today. Pick: Florida State 78 Wake Forest 71
#22 Loyola Chicago (-3.5) at Drake - A week ago Drake was the ranked team, then they lost to Valparaiso and dropped from the rankings. Now they are a 3.5 underdog to Loyola Chicago, even though they have the better record. These are the two best teams in their conference, so this game will go a long way in figuring out who wins the Missouri Valley. Give us Drake to get the win. Pick: Drake 74 Loyola Chicago 69
Kansas State at #23 Oklahoma State (-13) - Kansas State has lost 11 games in a row and is still winless in the Big 12. Now they face an Oklahoma State team coming off a 12 point loss to Kansas. The Wildcats last game was a three point to loss to Texas, so they are playing better. Oklahoma State plays a lot of close games. That won’t change today. Pick: Oklahoma State 77 Kansas State 70
#12 Oklahoma at #14 West Virginia (-3) - The game of the day in College Basketball sends us to Morgantown, where the Mountaineers and Sooners are set to square off. This is a game between the top two teams in the conference, behind Baylor. They have already squared off once this season, with the Sooners getting a four point win in Norman. We think that West Virginia will avenge that loss today. Pick: West Virginia 75 Oklahoma 68
TCU at #13 Texas (-12) - Texas has not been playing good basketball lately. The have lost three out of their last four games, and their one win in that stretch was a three point victory over winless Kansas State. Now they face a TCU team that has won two in a row and is trying to fight their way into a NCAA Tournament bid. Give us the Horned Frogs to pull off the upset. Pick: TCU 72 Texas 67
#16 Tennessee (-3) at LSU - Tennessee has bounced back nicely from their loss to Ole Miss last week, winning two straight games. Now they face an LSU team that has dropped two out of their last three. LSU is one of the highest scoring teams in the conference, while Tennessee is one of the best defensively. Who will be able to impose their will in this game? We say the Tigers. Pick: LSU 79 Tennessee 75
#15 Iowa (-4.5) at Michigan State - Michigan State is in real danger of missing the tournament for the first time this millennium. They need to win games like this to have a chance. When these teams squared off earlier this month, the Spartans had no answer for Luka Garza. We think that will be the case today as well. Pick: Iowa 85 Michigan State 76
Georgia at #11 Alabama (-13) - This is only the second ranked opponent that Georgia has played all season. Their first one was an eight point loss to Tennessee earlier this week. Alabama’s last two games have us a little bit worried about the Crimson Tide. We think they will get the win here, but it won’t be by 13 points. Pick: Alabama 81 Georgia 73
Arkansas at #10 Missouri (-3) - Arkansas has won four of their last five games, but none of their opponents have been as good as Missouri is. The Tigers have scuffled in their last game and a half, almost giving up a huge lead to Alabama and then getting run out of the gym by Ole Miss. We think that trend will continue and the Razorbacks will pull off the upset. Pick: Arkansas 79 Missouri 74
#5 Villanova (-2.5) at #19 Creighton - This will give us an answer as to how good Creighton really is. We know they can score the basketball, but do they have enough stops in them to take down the Wildcats? We say they don’t. This will be a good game, but in the end Villanova will get the win and stay atop the Big East. Pick: Villanova 77 Creighton 72
Northwestern at #25 Rutgers (-8) - Northwestern has dropped ten games in a row and the only reason why they aren’t the last place team in the Big Ten is because Nebraska is terrible. These two teams played a couple weeks ago and Rutgers got an eight point win in Evansville. We expect them to win by more than that today. Pick: Rutgers 74 Northwestern 62
#1 Gonzaga (-16.5) at San Francisco - The number one team in the land does battle against a team that has given them fits the last few years, when Gonzaga and San Francisco square off today. Gonzaga won the first matchup of these two teams in Spokane by 23 points. We expect more of the same today. Pick: Gonzaga 89 San Francisco 68
North Carolina at #9 Virginia (-6) - This game will go a long way in determining North Carolina’s NCAA Tournament chances. If they can pull off the upset they will be on the right side of the bubble. North Carolina is coming off a big win against Duke, but hasn’t played in a week because players were out partying without masks on after the win. We feel like the Basketball Gods will punish the Tar Heels, and the Cavaliers will win by double digits. Pick: Virginia 73 North Carolina 59
#20 USC (-8) at Washington St. - Confession to make. The writer of this article is a Washington St. alumnus. I am so happy to write about my alma mater for the first time this season. I am not happy about what I am going to do next. I know the Cougars are coming off a big win against UCLA, but USC is on another level compared to every other team in the conference. This hurts. Pick: USC 82 Washington St. 70
NBA:
Philadelphia (-1) at Phoenix - Phoenix comes into this game having won four in a row, including a one point win over Milwaukee in their last game. Now Philadelphia comes to town in what should be an offensive showcase. We don’t think the Suns have the firepower to keep up with the 76ers. Pick: Philadelphia 124 Phoenix 119
Indiana (-1.5) at Atlanta - This is the first matchup this season between these two Eastern Conference foes, and both teams have been scuffling as of late. Both teams have dropped four out of their last five games. One of these teams has to win, and we say it is going to be Trae Young and the Hawks. Pick: Atlanta 114 Indiana 110
Houston (Even) at New York - With how bad the Rockets have been playing, it is surprising to us that their is no line for this game. We think the Knicks should be favored by three points. Houston has really been struggling since losing Christian Wood, and we think that will continue today. Pick: New York 116 Houston 107
Brooklyn (-4) at Golden State - The return of Kevin Durant to Golden State and from the Covid list should be a couple good storylines in this game. Both of these teams know how to score the basketball. The question is going to be who can get more stops. We say it will be the Nets. Pick: Brooklyn 123 Golden State 116
Miami at Utah (-6) - Utah has won six in a row and 17 of their last 18 games and now face off against a Miami team that has won four games in row themselves. One of those streaks has to end. We think it will be the Heat. Utah is just playing too well right now for us to pick against them. Pick: Utah 121 Miami 111
Happy picking everyone!