Friday's Pick

"When I'm President, Michigan and Minnesota will NEVER play on TV! YES WE CAN!"

Because the best way to feign actual knowledge on a subject is an accurate prediction, I introduce The Picks. Every weekday, Monday-Thursday (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'll also be occasionally picking against one of my roommates, Craig, so we can have a rational method of settling all disputes involving rent, household matters, etc.

Last night: It looked like Notre Dame's 34-game home win streak was going to end last night when they were down 11 with 14 minutes to go. The Panthers then decided to not make anymore shots and allowed the Irish (-4.5) to finish the game on a 42-19 run, keeping the streak in tact and somehow earning me a secure cover. Harangody v. Blair was an entertaining battle as planned but it was 5-11 guard Tory Jackson who notched 13 rebounds, without the help of a buzz cut. URI and UMass both reached 90 point as I had expected, but as the trend goes in the A-10, once a team looks to have an inside track on an at-large bid, their souls are crushed at home. I picked the Rams (-6), who couldn't get a stop down the stretch, lost by eight and are the latest victim of the self-devouring A-10 schedule. And I'm sure Michigan vs. Minnesota was one of the worst public displays of basketball ever recorded. I would've rather just assumed it never happened, but I had to check the score (I picked Michigan) to see if Minnesota covered 8.5. They did and I immediately drank a bottle of paint thinner in hopes of extended memory loss.

Davidson (-3.5) at Winthrop- Courtesy of the BracketBusters opening night, we get our second look at spelling bee champion Stephen Curry and Davidson this week. In the past few years this would be a very huge match-up (and it should still be wildly entertaining mid-major basketball, if you're into that sort of thing... which I am, ladies...), but with both teams not quite as sharp this season, at least in the non-conference, it appears only an auto bid will punch a dance ticket. I suppose if Davidson wins this and its last three conference games, but loses in the SoCon final they would have a serious at-large case, so there is a little something on the line. But basically this a showcase of two (potentially) dangerous 12-13 seeds. Michael Jenkins is Winthrop's best player and a great defender and will be matched up on Curry, but ask NBA'er DJ Strawberry how that went last year. That's the problem for Winthrop; Its strength has always been its great pressure defense and ability to force unfamiliar teams into turnovers, but unfortunately for them, Davidson has one of the more surehanded backcourts in the country with Curry and Jason Richards. Winthrop can stay in the game with its grind-it-out, quick-cutting offense and accurate bombing from Jenkins and Chris Gaynor, but you still don't want to get into a long-range shooting contest with Stephen Curry, who will shoot 25 threes if even slightly tempted.
The Pick: Davidson

Last night's record: 1-2
JTom's overall record: 39-33-4

ACC: 5-8
Big 12: 5-7-2
Big East: 12-5-1
Big Ten: 6-5
SEC: 4-3
Missouri Valley: 1-0
West Coast: 4-1
Big West: 0-1
CAA: 0-1
Horizon: 0-0-1
A-10: 1-2
SoCon: 1-0

Craig's record: 15-17-2