Tuesday's Picks

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: 4-0. I am the smartest man alive. Well maybe not, last night's games were pretty easy to pick and all went exactly how I expected. Georgetown (-5) struggled for awhile (and were even down six in the second half) before Providence's innate suckiness kicked in and the Hoyas rolled, Texas A & M is an obscenely overrated team and are atrocious on the road so they made good on that persona and were destroyed by Texas (-4) and San Diego slowed the game down and was able to hang with Gonzaga (-8), thanks in large part to its likely stoned fans throwing shit on the floor (as we saw at UAB the other night, it's not easy to blow out lesser opponents when blunt objects are being chucked at you). As for that Syracuse game, it could not have been any weirder. I said the Orange would get dominated on the boards and worn down by Louisville's pressure on one day rest. I was so sure, I even broke my rule of never picking against my favorite team. Well, all of those exact things happened and yet Syracuse was still down just two with a minute and a half left. In a blur the Cardinals (-10.5) scored nine straight to close out the game and cover. Despite winning the pick I was furious that the Orange lost another chance to get a marquee win because of poor shooting but was immediately calmed when I realized the blind fury of whoever bet actual money on Syracuse and had the game end that way.

Purdue at Indiana (-4.5)- It's hilarious that the Hoosiers have these big important home games right now. There is absolutely nothing funnier than watching a group of insanely rabid fans try to go crazy for their conference title-contending team and yet still maintain they HATE said team's coach and insist on upholding the program's integrity. It's all high comedy and will be on display in full force tonight with the Big Ten lead on the line. Apparently DJ White, who has been a bit banged up, is going to play and if he is anywhere near full strength should be a big problem for Purdue. As great as this young team is -- and I would pick them on a neutral court (they are 11-1 ATS in their last 12) -- they do have a problem defending the interior. Now, they make up for it with great ball pressure and given Indiana's decision to just not have a point guard (a risky choice but Kelvin Sampson is nothing but courageous... and an asshole), the Boilermakers can stay in this game by forcing turnovers. It's a tough one to pick because no one knows how healthy White really is but with Purdue's youth, in a hostile environment they haven't wont at in nine years, I can't see the magic continuing. (I'm doomed.)
The Pick: Indiana

UNC Greensboro at Davidson (-13.5)- Kudos to ESPN for beefing up its mid-major slate this year. Sure there have been some bad match-ups but it's nice to get a look at some these teams. Now the WWL just has to work on not scheduling these teams the same time as Purdue-Indiana. Like when Butler played on ESPN a couple weeks ago, this is a Point of Reference Game. You should expect to see Davidson in the NCAAs and this is your chance to see what it's all about (they also play Winthrop on ESPN Friday night in the BracketBusters). The Wildcats, who were this year's preseason mid-major darling before struggling with an ambitious non-conference slate, are pretty similar to last year's team that almost beat Maryland in the first round; sharp-shooting 8th grader Stephen Curry is still there and he's averaging 25.6 points per game, which is a considerable amount for someone who has never shaved. Jason Richards, the nation's leader in assists is Curry's backcourt mate so its no wonder they have only had two conference games decided by five points or less (they are 17-0 in the SoCon). ALL that being said, one of those games was a week ago against these same Spartans from Greensboro (isn't "Spartans" a bit dramatic for a town that revolves around a Wal-Mart?), a game where league POY and all-around meast Kyle Hines had 27 and 12, UNCG shot the lights out and Davidson came back from down 20 to win (apparently it was quite the game). The road team has fared well in this series of late and even though Davidson probably needs to win out in the regular season for an at-large (with its fans well aware of this), I think Hines and Co. will at least cover.
The Pick: UNC-Greensboro

Georgia at Kentucky (-5.5)- I will not pretend to know anything about the Bulldogs except that they suck and have lost six of seven, one of which a five-point loss to Kentucky. And that they have some fella named Sundiata Gaines who leads them in basically every statistic. The Wildcats only have three relevant players in their own right so perhaps the teams will agree to simply eliminate two players each -- preferably by shooting them out of a cannon, for entertainment purposes -- and maybe treat spectators to a game of watchable basketball. Due to Billy Gillespie's well-publicized anti-circus stance, this won't happen so DO NOT WATCH THIS GAME. If you do choose to torture yourself in such a manner, you will probably see a close game with Kentucky winning but failing to cover. This will not excite you.
The Pick: Georgia

Last night's record: 4-0
JTom's overall record: 35-28-4

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

Craig's record: 15-17-2