Weekend Preview

Although the top few this year have separated themselves from the pack and a few league leaders look like favorites in their respective leagues, parity around the rest of the country is in abundance. One night, a team looks outstanding and a lock for the NCAA Tournament (more often than not, the game was at home), and the next it looks like a borderline NIT team (more than likely, this game was on the road). As a result, it makes nearly every game between potential contenders in conference play a key game. This weekend features several of those types of games, as well as other contests between teams in need of wins — it’s never too early to start thinking about the bubble. In other words, this weekend is huge in college basketball — and I guess it’s kind of big in the NFL too. So, basically, you never have to leave your couch.

Note: I’m driving up to Massachusetts today for the Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield – definitely one of the best high school events of the year. Therefore, the Weekend Preview is a little light on actual analysis this week, unless I get time to update it in the next day or so.

• Dayton at Xavier (Saturday, 11:00 AM, ESPN2): Prediction: Xavier 71, Dayton 65
  
• Louisville at No. 16 Pittsburgh (Saturday, 12:00 PM, Regional TV/ESPN FullCourt): Prediction: Pittsburgh 73, Louisville 64
  
• No. 5 Syracuse at No. 10 West Virginia (Saturday, 12:00 PM, ESPN): Prediction: West Virginia 82, Syracuse 75
  
• Missouri at Oklahoma (Saturday, 1:00 PM, ESPN2): Prediction: Missouri 76, Oklahoma 71
  
• No. 21 Mississippi at No. 9 Tennessee (Saturday, 1:30 PM, Regional TV/ESPN FullCourt): Prediction: Tennessee 85, Mississippi 79
  
• Texas Tech at No. 3 Kansas (Saturday, 1:30 PM, Regional TV/ESPN FullCourt): Prediction: Kansas 91, Texas Tech 74
  
• No. 20 Georgia Tech at No. 12 North Carolina (Saturday, 2:00 PM, ESPN): Prediction: North Carolina 83, Georgia Tech 73
  
• California at Washington (Saturday, 2:30 PM, FSN): Prediction: Washington 79, California 73
  
• Illinois at No. 7 Michigan State (Saturday, 3:30 PM, CBS): Prediction: Michigan State 64, Illinois 57
  
• Notre Dame at Cincinnati (Saturday, 4:00 PM, ESPNU): Prediction: Cincinnati 74, Notre Dame 66
  
• Siena at Fairfield (Saturday, 4:00 PM): Prediction: Siena 86, Fairfield 76
  
• Oklahoma State at No. 22 Baylor (Saturday, 4:00 PM, Regional TV/ESPN FullCourt): Prediction: Baylor 83, Oklahoma State 76
  
• No. 6 Purdue at Northwestern (Saturday, 5:30 PM, Big Ten Network): Prediction: Purdue 64, Northwestern 61
  
• Colorado State at No. 18 BYU (Saturday, 6:00 PM, Regional TV): Prediction: BYU 79, Colorado State 61
  
• Virginia Tech at No. 25 Florida State (Saturday, 6:00 PM, Regional TV): Prediction: Florida State 74, Virginia Tech 69
  
• Texas A&M at No. 1 Texas (Saturday, 6:00 PM, ESPNU): Prediction: Texas 82, Texas A&M 70
  
• Vanderbilt at South Carolina (Saturday, 6:00 PM, Regional TV/ESPN FullCourt): Prediction: Vanderbilt 79, South Carolina 74
  
• No. 13 Wisconsin at Ohio State (Saturday, 8:00 PM, Big Ten Network): Prediction: Ohio State 70, Wisconsin 59
  
• No. 23 Miami (Fl.) at Virginia (Saturday, 8:00 PM, ESPNU): Prediction: Miami (Fl.) 68, Virginia 65
  
• Iowa State at Nebraska (Saturday, 8:00 PM, Regional TV/ESPN FullCourt): Prediction: Nebraska 69, Iowa State 61
  
• Portland at Saint Mary’s (Saturday, 10:00 PM, Regional TV): Prediction: Saint Mary’s 83, Portland 73
  
• No. 11 Georgetown at No. 4 Villanova (Sunday, 12:00 PM, Regional TV/ESPN FullCourt): Prediction: Villanova 75, Georgetown 65
  
• No. 15 Connecticut at Michigan (Sunday, 1:30 PM, CBS): Prediction: Connecticut 73, Michigan 66
  
• Wake Forest at No. 8 Duke (Sunday, 8:00 PM, FSN): Prediction: Duke 79, Wake Forest 67