Wednesday's Picks: Kansas vs. Iowa State, Georgia Tech vs. Duke, West Virginia vs. DePaul

Bruce Pearl, miming how he usually greets Erin Andrews.

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: First, I had another 3-0 night, which runs my streak to seven straight, which puts me 13 over .500 this year, which is weird. Seeing as how I've bet money on very few games this year, this accomplishes nothing besides setting a personal standard the gods of odds will surely make me pay for. I suppose for those of you looking for a quick way to not lose your family/domicile, following my picks may be a decent idea, though. (Note: I cannot guarantee the preservation of your belongings/self-worth).

Anyway, the games last night were pretty entertaining, especially that Vandy-Tennessee madness. I knew the Dores could shoot well enough at home to make Tennessee's helter skelter style pay, I just didn't think one person, Shan Foster, would single-handedly carry them. Not only did he outshoot Chris Lofton on a good night, he took equally as audacious long-range hoists as the quick-triggered Lofton; not an easy feat. I was really impressed with Vandy's response to blowing that early lead against a team as smothering as Tennessee. With the exception of a two and a half week stretch in January where the Dores went 1-4, they are undefeated and probably won't be sneaking up on anyone in March as in years past. The Vols (-2) had another atrocious shooting night which makes me wonder if they are better than Memphis or just a clone of Memphis that had a better Saturday night. The latter (which I still don't think is true) would be concerning for their tourney hopes. It's not at all a bad loss for Tennessee but it proves what we all probably knew already; they aren't the best team in the country. Now it's highly possible there is no best team in the country, just a "least bad one," but whatever. Oh and Indiana (-8) beat Ohio State (but didn't cover) in front of a crowd that didn't seem to care about basketball so much. And Southern Illinois got a win at Bradley (-1.5), earning them a legitimate spot on that prestigious Bubble.*
*Bubble not, in fact, prestigious

Kansas (-11.5) at Iowa State- The Jayhawks are beginning to worry me a bit so this game suddenly conjures up a smidgen of interest, just to make sure they mercilessly embarrass the Cyclones as they should. I expected a bit more from Iowa State, which has lost seven of its last nine, this season due mostly to that great frontcourt of Jiri Hubalek, Wesley Johnson and Craig Brackins. But besides pushing Texas to overtime a couple weeks ago, the Cyclones have had a completely uneventful season. That's not to say that frontcourt doesn't have a bright future but that they just have absolutely atrocious perimeter play. Unfortunately for their chances tonight, the Jayhawks have an incredibly fearsome backcourt that will apply pants-pooping pressure for 40 minutes. Plus, they just traveled to almost equally as incompetent Oklahoma State Saturday and lost, so they might have a minor interest in reasserting their road dominance over the Big 12 underbelly and not letting Texas get that No. 1 seed without a fight. Final score: Kansas 176, Iowa State 21
The Pick: Kansas

Georgia Tech at Duke (-15.5)- Duke is in a similar position to Kansas, having recently turned in some lackluster performances against inferior road opponents. But the Blue Devils get to exact their revenge on their league's also-rans at home, which is why Vegas anticipates an even more savage beat down. The Jackets have lost five of six overall and in this series and no longer appear to be the potential giant-killer they nearly were against North Carolina earlier this season. This game won't be close but it should be a frantic track meet with a lot of great athletes so it could be entertaining. The problem for Georgia Tech is that with all those possessions, its opponent gets ample opportunities to attack the Jackets stat-padding defense which is a magical elixir that makes even the most devastating shooting slumps disappear. And for a Duke team shooting just 43 percent in its last five and a student section likely in an unrelated type of slump, lots of points will be welcome.
The Pick: Duke

West Virginia (-4.5) at DePaul- Once a Big East upstart running with the likes of The Dragonslayer That Is Cincinnati, DePaul has fallen on hard times lately, losing seven of its last eight. West Virginia, thanks to two one-point heartbreakers to Pitt and Georgetown, is in desperate need of a half-decent win, which hasn't gotten one in about six weeks when it beat Syracuse. Given the utter mediocrity of this year's Bubble I don't think the Mountaineers are in danger, but losing to DePaul would be a great way to endanger themselves. Both teams have good athletes but West Virginia uses them a whole lot better, especially on defense. Opponents are shooting 50 percent against the Blue Demons in the last five games and have averaged better than a point per possession in the last six (Note: That is bad.). It wouldn't shock me if DePaul pulled the upset, but then again it wouldn't shock me if West Virginia scored 39 points... you know, because that actually happened.
/Strip club joke
The Pick: West Virginia

Last night's record: 3-0
JTom's overall record: 46-33-4

ACC: 5-8
Big 12: 6-7-2
Big East: 13-5-1
Big Ten: 7-5
SEC: 5-3
Missouri Valley: 2-0
West Coast: 5-1
Big West: 0-1
CAA: 0-1
Horizon: 0-0-1
A-10: 1-2
SoCon: 1-0
Non-Conf: 1-0

Craig's record: 15-17-2