February 27, 2021 Results:

What we got right:

College Basketball

#3 Michigan at Indiana - With the way Michigan has playing right now, they are on par with Baylor and Gonzaga. We didn’t think any team would be even with those two this year, but Michigan is forcing their way into the conversation. After the 73-57 win over Indiana, Michigan improved to 18-1 this season.

#25 Tennessee at Auburn - Auburn has now won six games in a row against Tennessee. We picked Auburn to cover the spread, and they did by beating the Volunteers 77-72. Tennessee has the most talent in the SEC, but they haven’t been able to put it together on the court. They need to figure it out quick.

#5 Illinois at #23 Wisconsin - We were right in saying that the wrong team was favored here. Illinois earned the season sweep over Wisconsin by virture of their 74-69 win in Madison. The Illini are fighting for a #1 seed in March and have two huge games next week. If they earn a split against Michigan and Ohio State, we believe the fourth #1 seed will be theirs.

LSU at #20 Arkansas - This game had us worried for a bit, before the Razorbacks durned on the jets. Arkansas was down by five at halftime, but 51 second half points earned them the 83-75 win. Alabama and Arkansas are clearly the two best teams in the SEC. That is a sentence we never thought we would write.

Wake Forest at #16 Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech has now won six in a row against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacon’s offense was once again an issue, as they were only able to scored 46 points in this one. That is now 75 points combined in the last two games for Wake Forest. Virginia Tech made us look good in this one.

Boise State at San Diego State - We finally got a San Diego State game right. They were a six point favorite and only won by four. In the 62-58 win, the Aztecs held the Broncos to 35% shooting and forced 15 turnovers. San Diego State is on a roll, and are playing their best basketball heading into March. That is right where you want to be.

So Illinois at #19 Loyola Chicago - Once again we picked Southern Illinois to cover and once again they didn’t let us down. They actually took Loyola Chicago to overtime in this game, before falling 65-58. That is two straight wins for the Ramblers over the Salukis, but they didn’t cover the 19 point spread each time.

Loyola Marymount at #1 Gonzaga - We knew this was going to be a tough contest for Gonzaga. The Lions are one of the tallest teams in the country, and they put that on display in the first half. The Bulldogs eventually wore them down, winning 86-69 and finishing the regular season undefeated. They are the first team to do that since Kentucky in 2015.

NBA:

Minnesota at Washington - We were correct in saying that Minnesota will lose its seventh game in a row, but we didn’t expect such an offensive explosion from the Wizards. Bradley Beal had 34 points and Russell Westbrook had his NBA-leading 10th triple double in the 128-112 win for Washington. Minnesota is a disaster right now. We don’t see that changing anytime soon.

New Orleans at San Antonio - The Pelicans played their third game in four days, and it looked like it in the 117-114 loss to the Spurs. New Orleans didn’t want to push the ball, as evidenced by the six fast break points they scored the entire game. San Antonio got 32 points from DeMar DeRozan in the win, and they were comfortably in front the entire game.

Indiana at New York - The Knicks train just keeps on rolling. Julius Randle had 28 points and 10 rebounds for New York, as the climbed back to .500 on the season at 17-17. In their previous game the Knicks won with offense, but in this one they were back to their defensive ways, holding the Pacers to six points below their season average.

Utah at Orlando - Utah got back in the win column in a big way, rebounding from a rare defeat to beat the Magic 124-109 in Orlando. Donovan Mitchell had 31 points in the win for the Jaz, who won this game despite starting point guard Mike Conley missing the contest due to injury. Utah improved to an NBA best 27-7 with the win.

What we got wrong:

College Basketball:

#14 Texas at #18 Texas Tech - Texas Tech ended a three game losing streak by beating the Longhorns 68-59 in Lubbock. This was not the prettiest basketball game, but it was very competitive. The Red Raiders swept the season series with the Longhorns, which will help them immensely come March.

Oklahoma State at #7 Oklahoma - As ugly as the Texas vs Tech Texas game was offensively, this one was the exact opposite. Neither defense could get a stop, but eventually it was the Cowboys who came out on top in overtime against the Sooners. Cade Cunningham dropped 40 for Oklahoma State in the 94-90 win. These two teams matchup again on Monday.

Kansas State at #10 West Virginia - We thought Kansas State was playing well enough to cover the 15 points spread and we were wrong. The Wildcats shot just 29% from the field in the 65-43 loss. West Virginia’s defensive intensity was on full display today. Let’s see if they can bring it in their next game when Baylor comes to town.

#11 Florida State at North Carolina - North Carolina earned a huge win yesterday, beating Florida State 78-70. The Tar Heels were down by as much as 16 points in the first half, but rallied to get the win. Coach Roy Williams earned his 900th career win in this game.

#13 Creighton at Xavier - Xavier needed this win badly as they were squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. With the 77-69 win over Creighton they earned themselves a little breathing room. The Musketeers shot 54% from the field and had the Blue Jays on their heels the entire game. Huge win for Xavier.

#6 Alabama at Mississippi St. - Alabama beat Mississippi St. 64-59 to earn their first SEC championship since 2002. The Crimson Tide won this game despite shooting just 32% from the field. They usually win games with offense, but today it was their defense that carried them to victory. Congratulations to Alabama on the conference title, but they have much loftier expectations in mind.

#2 Baylor at #17 Kansas - It is safe to say that the three week layoff has hurt the Baylor Bears. After needing a big comeback to beat Iowa State in their first game after their hiatus, Baylor couldn’t replicate that magic against the Jayhawks. Kansas beat Baylor 71-58, handing the Bears their first loss of the season.

#19 USC at Utah - What a terrible trip through the mountains for the Trojans. Two days after losing to Colorado, USC lost again to Utah. The win snapped a four game losing streak for the Utes, and severely damaged USC’s hopes for a conference championship. The last game of the season, between USC and UCLA will now determine who wins the Pac-12.

NBA:

Cleveland at Philadelphia - Cleveland just seems to have Philadelphia’s number. They are 2-0 against them this season after the 112-109 overtime win on Saturday. Collin Sexton scored 28 points to lead the way for the Cavaliers. Joel Embiid scored 42 points and Ben Simmons scored 24 for the 76ers, but no one else on the team had more than eleven. They need more balance if they are going to keep pace with the Nets in the east.

Denver at Oklahoma City - Denver is now 3-0 against Oklahoma City this season, and this was the biggest margin of victory for the Nuggets in those three games. Denver won 126-96 behind Nikola Jokic’s eight triple double of the season. The Nuggets led 38-20 after the end of the first quarter and never looked back.

Dallas at Brooklyn - Brooklyn lost for the first time in nine games, as Luka Doncic scored 27 points in the 115-98 win for the Mavericks. The Nets were missing both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in this game, and James Harden couldn’t carry the load in this game by himself. He certainly tried, as he scored 29 points, but it was not enough.