February 2, 2021 Picks:
College Basketball:
#24 Purdue at Maryland (-2.5) - Purdue finds itself in the rankings and their first game is a road tilt against a Maryland team that has already knocked off three ranked teams. Purdue has won four out of its last five games, and we really like the way they are playing right now. Give us the Boilermakers to stay hot and get the win. Pick: Purdue 76 Maryland 69
#2 Baylor (-5.5) at #6 Texas - The game of the day in College Basketball sends to Austin, Texas. Texas is vying for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, while Baylor has one pretty much locked up. We have gone against Baylor covering pretty much every game this season, but in this one we are going to pick the Bears to win by more than six. Pick: Baylor 84 Texas 75
Michigan State at #8 Iowa (-9.5) - The Spartans have won five straight games against the Hawkeyes, but that will change after today. It isn’t that Iowa is playing great right now, it is that Michigan State is playing that poorly. We love Tom Izzo and hate to see this, but give us the Hawkeyes to win by double digits in this one. Pick: Iowa 81 Michigan State 68
#11 Tennessee (-3.5) at Ole Miss - Tennessee has to be flying high after that dominating performance against Kansas, and now they are giving only 3.5 points to an Ole Miss team that is 3-6 in conference play. This seems like Vegas knows something we don’t, because the line shouldn’t be this low. Pick: Tennessee 72 Ole Miss 64
#17 West Virginia (-11.5) at Iowa State -Iowa State has lost five games in a row, and is juts 2-9 on the season, and now faces a Mountaineers team that will be angry they let their last game against Florida slip away. Iowa State has trouble scoring, which is usually a recipe for disaster against a Bob Huggins coached team. Pick: West Virginia 79 Iowa State 63
Kansas State at #23 Kansas (-18) - We don’t care who Kansas is playing, they should not be 18 point favorites over anyone right now. Kansas is coming into this game having lost four of their last five games, while Kansas State has dropped eight games in a row. Kansas will win by double digits, but not by 18. Pick: Kansas 73 Kansas State 60
Penn State at #19 Wisconsin (-8.5) - These two teams played three days ago, with Penn State pulling off the upset win. We think that Wisconsin will turn it around and win, but not by enough to cover the spread. Pick: Wisconsin 70 Penn State 65
#12 Illinois (-2) at Indiana - Illinois is coming off a big 80-75 win over Iowa that moved them into second place in the Big Ten. Indiana is coming off a head scratching loss to Rutgers. We think Illinois has a problem playing to its competition, but in this one we like the Fighting Illini to cover the two points. Pick: Illinois 80 Indiana 73
NBA:
Toronto (-6) at Orlando -These two teams played two nights ago and it was a 13 point win for the Raptors. Orlando’s offense has struggled mightily since losing Markelle Fultz, and we are going to ride with the Raptors in this one. Pick: Toronto 113 Orlando 101
Los Angeles Clippers (-1.5) at Brooklyn - We can’t in good conscious pick the Nets against a good team until they at least become average defensively. They just allowed 147 points to the Wizards, and now face a Clippers team that has to be licking their chops. Pick: Los Angeles Clippers 129 Brooklyn 123
Memphis at Indiana (-5) - We are guessing the line is this way because the Grizzlies are going to be careful with Ja Morant coming back from injury. That is the only thing we can think of for why the team that has won seven games in a row is five point underdog. We are still going to go with Memphis, even with the uncertainty of Morant. Pick: Memphis 111 Indiana 107
Portland at Washington (-2.5) - Portland is playing the second night of back to back games and is still awfully banged up, and now they face a Wizards team that is a favorite for one of the few times this season. We expect Bradley Beal to get his usual 35 points, but give us the Trail Blazers to bounce back from their loss against Milwaukee and get the win. Pick: Portland 119 Washington 114
Detroit at Utah (-12) - The Pistons had a game cancelled yesterday due to Covid concerns, so we will be surprised if this game is even played. At the time of writing it is still scheduled to go, so give us the Jazz to get back in the win column in a big way here. Pick: Utah 123 Denver 107
Boston (-2.5) at Golden State - The Celtics will be without Marcus Smart in this game, and that will be a big loss in trying to stop Stephen Curry. Because Smart won’t be there, we are going to pick the Warriors to defend their home court and get the win. Pick: Golden State 109 Boston 105
Happy picking everyone!