January 26, 2021 Results:

What we got right:

College Basketball:

Oklahoma at #4 Texas - Oklahoma defeat its second straight top ten opponent in defeating the Longhorns 80-79. This game would have been an even bigger win for the Sooners if they would have made their free throws. They went just 21-34 from the free throw line, but Austin Reaves did make two down with 18 seconds left to help seal the win. Oklahoma next plays Alabama in the Big 12/SEC showdown, which should be a fantastic matchup.

Kentucky at #9 Alabama - Speaking of the Crimson Tide, they won their tenth straight game in a 70-59 win over Kentucky. While Kentucky is not good this year, Alabama proved something to us in this game. We know they can with offense, but today their defense carried the day, holding the Wildcats to 35% shooting. This team is the class of the SEC.

Mississippi St at #18 Tennessee - Tennessee still has offensive problems, but their defense saved the day in the 56-53 win over Mississippi St. It is not often you win a game shooting only 37% from the field, but when you force 18 turnovers and hold your opponent to 32% shooting you can get the win. Tennessee still needs to figure out how to score the basketball, but their defense will keep them in most games.

Dayton at #22 Saint Louis - We picked Saint Louis to win but not cover, but Dayton had other ideas. The Flyers made some key plays down the stretch and left Saint Louis with a 76-71 win. Saint Louis didn’t play like it was their first game in a month, Dayton just played better.

NBA:

Los Angeles Clippers at Atlanta - Without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers did not have enough offense keep their seven game winning streak going. Trae Young scored 38 points for the Hawks in the 108-99 win, while Reggie Jackson led the way for the Clippers with 20. Los Angeles will go as far as Leonard and George take them, which isn’t exactly news to anyone, but Atlanta still has to feel good about the win.

Washington at Houston - John Wall scored 24 points in his first game against the team that drafted him #1 overall in leading the Rockets to a 107-88 win. The Wizards were once again led by Bradley Beal, who scored 33 points but needed 28 shots to do it. Russell Westbrook added 19 for Washington, but no one else scored more than ten points. Those two also took over 50% of the shots for the Wizards.

What we got wrong:

College Basketball:

#12 Missouri at Auburn - Auburn proved us wrong when we said they shouldn’t be favored, knocking off Missouri 88-82 in the battle of the Tigers. Auburn won this game at the free throw line, where the shot 44 free throws as a team. This game had no flow, with 52 fouls being called in it. Auburn kept feeding the ball down low and Missouri could do nothing but foul. This was as ugly of a game as you will ever see with both teams scoring in the 80s.

NBA:

New York at Utah - Utah just keeps on cooking, winning their ninth game in a row, beating New York 108-94. The Jazz were actually trailing by one point coming into the fourth quarter, but held the Knicks to just 13 points in the last frame. The Knicks got 25 points off the bench from Austin Rivers, but ran out of gas in the last frame as Utah’s offense had them running all over the place.