February 2, 2021 Results:

What we got right:

College Basketball:

#2 Baylor at #6 Texas - The big matchup in the Big 12 went the way of the Baylor Bears, who downed the Longhorns 83-69 in Austin. Baylor remained unbeaten and still everyone wants to see Baylor and Gonzaga square off. At this point we might as well wait until the National Championship game, because it would be quite shocking if neither team gets there.

#12 Illinois at Indiana - This battle in the Bit Ten went to overtime, but eventually it was the Illini who outlasted Indiana, 75-71. Illinois held the Hoosiers to just three points in the extra frame as they improved to 12-5. With the loss Indiana dropped to 9-8, and has some work to do if they want to make the NCAA Tournament.

NBA:

Toronto at Orlando - Fred VanVleet scored a franchise record 54 points in leading the Raptors to a 123-108 victory over the Magic. VanVleet made 11 three pointers for the Raptors, who made 20 as a team. Toronto is creeping up to that .500 mark, and they are starting to play like all the experts thought they would.

Portland at Washington - Anytime Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard matchup it is must see television. This game was no different, with Lillard going off for 32 points in the 132-121 victory. Westbrook had a triple double and Bradley Beal scored 37 points for the Wizards, but it wasn’t enough to get their second straight win.

What we got wrong:

College Basketball:

#24 Purdue at Maryland - Maryland held serve on their home court, knocking off their fourth top 25 team of the season in the 61-60 victory over Purdue. The Terrapins scored the last six points of the game, including two free throws with three seconds left to get the win. Maryland improved to 10-8 on the season and is squarely on the tournament bubble.

Michigan State at #8 Iowa - The Spartans covered the 8.5 point spread in losing 84-78 to the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Luka Garza scored 27 points to reach 2,000 points in his illustrious career and his a few games away from becoming Iowa’s all time leading scorer. Garza is still the favorite to win the Player of the Year award, and we think he will get it once the season is done.

#11 Tennessee at Ole Miss - Rick Barnes needs to get this team focused. Tennessee has dropped three out of its last five games, and the biggest struggles have come on the offensive end. Give Ole Miss credit as they held the Volunteers to just 50 points on 35% shooting and forced 16 turnovers.

#17 West Virginia at Iowa State - West Virginia had an eleven point lead at the break and we were feeling pretty good about this game. Then they let their foot off the gas and the Cyclones made this a game. West Virginia held on for the 76-72 win, but it wasn’t enough to cover the 11 point spread.

Kansas State at #23 Kansas - Kansas had its get right game at the hands of Kansas State, completely dominating the Wildcats in the 74-51 rout. This was the best Kansas has played in the last three weeks, and we see if this is a springboard for the rest of the season. Their next game is a big test, as they face off against the Mountaineers in Morgantown.

Penn State at #19 Wisconsin - Wisconsin avenged their loss from the weekend, shooting 48% from the field in the 72-56 win over Penn State. The Badgers held the Nittany Lions to 38% shooting and outrebounded them 36-28 in getting back in the win column. Wisconsin’s next game is against Illinois, and that is a big game in the Big Ten standing.

NBA:

Los Angeles Clippers at Brooklyn - The big three of the Nets did just enough to get the win over the Clippers, 124-120 in a possible finals preview. Kyrie Irving scored 39 points, Kevin Durant had 28, and James Harden had 23 for the Nets, but more impressively they “held” the Clippers to just 120 points. When you have an offense like Brooklyn’s if you just are average on defense you are going to win a lot of games.

Memphis at Indiana - Ja Morant did play in this game, but did not play particularly well, going 2-10 from the field in the 134-116 loss at the hands of the Pacers. Domantis Sabonis had a double double for Indiana, scoring 32 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, as the Pacers ended the seven game winning streak for the Grizzlies.

Boston at Golden State - The Celtics won this game despite a big game from Stephen Curry, beating Golden State 111-107. Curry had 38 points, but no one else had more than 16, as Boston was thinking “we know Curry is going to score, just stop everyone else”. Sometimes that is the strategy you need to get the win, and it worked out here.

What we pushed on:

NBA:

Detroit at Utah - The Pistons were able to play after their game the previous night cancelled due to Covid concerns, and they lost 117-105 at the hands of the Utah Jazz. Utah bounced back from having its eleven game winning streak snapped, and with the Clippers loss are now back in first place in the Western Conference.