Saturday Means College Basketball

Saturday is my favorite day of the week this time of year, football's over, baseball has yet to start. That means the big time attraction on television is college basketball, and Saturday is it's biggest day. Memphis goes against one of the tougher C-USA opponents in their attempt to get to 25-0, Indiana tries to ignore the controversy as they host #9 Michigan State, and 19 of the top 25 teams play today. Without further adieu, lets get to today's picks.

#17 Connecticut (19-5, 8-3 Big East) at South Florida (11-14, 2-10 Big East); 12pm EST: The Huskies picked up a big win vs. fellow Big East ranked team Notre Dame on Thursday, and South Florida pulled of an upset of Syracuse on the same night. South Florida can keep it very close, but I believe Jeff Adrien will come out with a big game to help the Huskies win their 9th straight.

My Prediction: Connecticut 59-56

#8 Georgetown (20-3, 10-2 Big East) at Syracuse (16-9, 6-6 Big East); 12pm EST (ESPN): Georgetown hopes to keep its hold on the top spot in the Big East as they face a struggling Syracuse squad. The Orange have lost 2 straight, a close one to UConn and then an embarrassment at South Florida.

My Prediction: Georgetown 68-58

Virginia Tech (14-10, 5-5 ACC) at #5 North Carolina (23-2, 8-2 ACC); 1pm EST (CBS): The Tar Heels have struggled as of late, but should have no trouble against a Hokies team that's having problems of their own.

My Prediction: North Carolina 92-73

Colorado (10-13, 2-7 Big XII) at #3 Kansas (23-2, 8-2 Big XII); 1:45pm EST: Kansas should roll as they try to rebound from a tough road loss to Texas.

My Prediction: Kansas 92-59

Minnesota (15-8, 5-6 Big 10) at #14 Wisconsin (20-4, 10-2 Big 10); 2pm EST: Tubby Smith has done a good job turning around the Golden Gophers program, but this is a team that has no marquee win to get themselves on the bubble. Wisconsin took them by 16 in Minneapolis earlier this season, and they shouldn't have too much trouble today.

My Prediction: Wisconsin 73-52

Cleveland State (17-10, 10-5 HOR) at #10 Butler (23-2, 12-2 HOR); 2pm EST: Cleveland State shocked Butler in the first meeting, but has gone just 3-5 since that game. Butler on the other hand has gone 7-0 since the loss, and are undefeated at home on the season.

My Prediction: Butler 74-57

#15 Drake (22-2, 13-1 MVC) at Northern Iowa (15-10, 7-7 MVC); 2:05pm EST: Drake clinches a share of the MVC title with a win, and they won't drop their second in a row.

My Prediction: Drake 67-60

#4 Tennessee (22-2, 9-1 SEC) at Georgia (12-10, 3-6 SEC); 3pm EST: Upset of the weekend right here. Sundiata Gaines will shine for the Bulldogs.

My Prediction: Georgia 66-65

Florida (19-6, 6-4 SEC) at #19 Vanderbilt (21-4, 6-4 SEC); 3pm EST: Vanderbilt's coming off a dismantling of Kentucky, but Florida will play them much tougher. This will be one of the more exciting games today.

My Prediction: Florida 101-98 (OT)

#7 Stanford (20-4, 9-3 Pac-10) at Arizona (16-8, 6-5 Pac-10); 3:30pm EST (ABC): Stanford looks to avoid a second consecutive loss and goes for the season sweep of the Wildcats. This could be the first time Stanford swept the season series since 2003-2004.

My Prediction: Stanford 71-60

Oklahoma State (12-12, 3-7 Big XII) at #16 Texas A&M (20-4, 6-3 Big XII); 3:30pm EST (ABC): Texas A&M goes for its 6th straight win against a weak Cowboys team. A&M took them down earlier this season by 3 points. Look for freshman DeAndre Jordan to come up big.

My Prediction: Texas A&M 73-62

#23 Purdue (20-5, 11-1 Big 10) at Northwestern (7-15, 0-11 Big 10); 4pm EST: Purdue should see a big climb in the rankings as long as they avoid an upset at the hands of Northwestern. They are coming off a big win over Michigan State to avenge their only Big 10 loss from earlier this season.

My Prediction: Purdue 60-49

#11 Texas (20-4, 7-2 Big XII) at Baylor (17-6, 5-4 Big XII); 6pm EST (ESPN): Baylor looks for a big win to help their resume in this matchup. Texas is set up for a letdown coming off a big win against Kansas and now heading on the road. Curtis Jerrills is one of the best players in the Big XII.

My Prediction: Baylor 93-84

Missouri (14-11, 4-6 Big XII) at #22 Kansas State (17-6, 7-2 Big XII); 6pm EST: Missouri upset K-State earlier this season despite not having their leading scorer. They won't have him again as he was let go from the team for legal problems and missing classes. I don't think they can pull it off on the road this time.

My Prediction: Kansas State 73-64

#1 Memphis (24-0, 10-0 C-USA) at UAB (17-7, 7-2 C-USA); 8pm EST: Expected to be one of the tougher games left on the schedule for Memphis as UAB is no pushover. I think Memphis stays focused and picks up the win.

My Prediction: Memphis 69-48

#9 Michigan State (20-4, 8-3 Big 10) at #12 Indiana (20-4, 9-2 Big 10); 9pm EST (ESPN): Indiana steps out of the controversy and picks up a huge win, Eric Gordon shines.

My Prediction: Indiana 80-64

#20 Washington State (19-5, 7-5 Pac-10) at Oregon (15-9, 6-6 Pac-10); 9pm EST (FSN): Oregon comes close but can't pick up a much needed win over a ranked team.

My Prediction: Washington State 75-71

#21 St. Mary's (21-3, 8-1 WCC) at Loyola Marymount (5-20, 2-7 WCC); 11pm EST

My Prediction: St. Mary's 74-41

Last Night: 1-1
Season: 17-8