Rock Bottom: Wednesday's Picks

Because the best way to feign actual knowledge on a subject is an accurate prediction, I introduce the Picks. Every weekday (hopefully) I will pick the televised games of the night, against the spread of course, and follow the results to see if I actually know something about basketball. The results should be both entertaining (for readers) and soul-crushing (for me). And if I'm wrong, I'll just do what all the TV "experts" do: never bring it up again and avoid all accountability. And since I won't be betting actual money (that often), I win every time!

I did decent enough last night, although I had a good chance at all four games. Michigan State came out as I suspected, determined and hardpressed to eclipse the lofty 36-point mark so Izzo wouldn't take away their Vitamin Water or something. They were up 32-11 in the first half, then sucked for awhile, and suddenly were up just three midway through the second half. They still had a good chance at covering but missed foul shots down the stretch (they were 8-17 for the game) and won by six instead of eight. Shit. Mississippi State did the exact same thing (17-32 from the FT line) and blew an 11-point lead with eight minutes left to almost lose. If I had bet actual money on either game, there would be a murder investigation in the Philadelphia area right now. it's hard to imagine but foul shots are probably responsible for 35 percent of the alcoholism in the United States. But thanks to a surprisingly impressive Creighton team (gotta be the Valley favorites with Drake) winning at Northern Iowa and Notre Dame dropping 64 in the second half to keep Cincinnati from making the Big East look completely illegitimate, I managed an indifferent 2-2 record.

Duke (-6) at Florida State- Three road favorites on the Worldwide Leader tonight, I promise to only pick two. The Devils always seem to struggle with Florida State, four of the last five meetings have been decided by five or less. But as I've said before, this isn't your standard Duke team. Will Florida State fans still voice their unspeakable sexual intentions for the Duke players' sisters? Yes, it's a tradition. But Duke has blown everyone out this year besides Pitt, Davidson and Marquette and the Noles do not resemble any of those teams. Dukies will handle their first real road test and Mike Patrick will sleep comfortably (and by sleep, I mean sit in his bed bouncing up and down, clapping about how Coach K complimented his tie as Mrs. Patrick heads for the couch).
The Pick: Duke

North Carolina (-11) at Georgia Tech- The Jackets are 4-3 against UNC in the last seven meetings but that was before the Heels decided to harness the power of God and smite teams like they have this year. The 32-2 run they went on against North Carolina State was like watching the naked wrestling scene in Borat. Completely horrifying, incredibly funny and impossible to look away (I have the same thoughts on watching Patrick talk about it during timeouts). Carolina is also 12-2 against the spread this season. This game might be somewhat close for 30 minutes but I think UNC makes the surge to cover late in the game as G Tech wears down.
The Pick: UNC

Texas A & M (-4) at Texas Tech- I promised I'd take a home dog so let me talk myself into Texas Tech. Um, the Raiders have won the last two meetings and they are uh... 10-4-1 against the spread in the last 15 meetings and (gulp) covered in all but one home game this year. Hmm, still not sold. Well the real reason to bet against the Aggies is this is their second true road game, the other being an 11-point loss at Arizona. I still have no idea how Bob Knight's minuscule bunch is going to defend A & M's big men, but judging by my early win/loss record, it really doesn't matter who I pick.
The Pick: Texas Tech

Yesterday's Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 3-4