#10 Northern Iowa at # 11 Wichita St, Saturday, 2:00 pm ET
This game will decide who wins the MVC Regular Season title. These teams faced off two weeks ago in Iowa and it was all Panthers. Gregg Marshall will have his troops ready for this one. Nobody has really been talking about the Shockers lately as most of the attention has been on Seth Tuttle and Northern Iowa. Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker will be ready to roll with this one. Wichita St takes this one and the Missouri Valley Conference title.
Wichita St 74 Northern Iowa 70
#7 Arizona at #13 Utah, Saturday, 9:00 pm ET
Utah has been dominant at home this year. In fact, the Utes have beaten everyone in the Pac-12 by at least 15 at home this year. Since losing at Arizona St, Arizona has won their last three road games by a combined 23 points. Arizona beat Utah by 18 in Tucson last month. Arizona still has an outside shot at a #1 seed while Utah is looking for a 3 or 4 seed. Sean Miller will have his troops ready for this one and I say they go in and get a huge road victory.
Arizona 59 Utah 55
#18 Arkansas at #1 Kentucky, Saturday, 4:00 pm ET
This will be Kentucky’s first game against a ranked opponent in 2015. Arkansas has been the second best team in the SEC all year and should be Kentucky’s strongest test for the rest of the year. The problem for Arkansas is Kentucky will not overlook them. If this game was in Arkansas, this writer would give the Razorbacks a chance, in fact this writer would pick them to win. That completely changes with the game being in Rupp. Kentucky rolls.
Kentucky 77 Arkansas 65
#20 West Virginia at #19 Baylor, Saturday, 4:00 pm ET
Baylor is coming off a huge victory at Iowa St. They are starting to put together quite the resume and will look to build on that in this one. A few weeks ago, Baylor went into Morgantown and absolutely dismantled the Mountaineers. West Virginia will be looking for payback in this one. West Virginia needs to win this one because after this game they visit Kansas at Phog Allen. This writer thinks West Virginia gets its payback and gets a win in Baylor
West Virginia 65 Baylor 62
#6 Villanova - Xavier, Saturday, 2:00 pm ET
This writer smells an upset here. Villanova has been very good of late and are right in contention for a #1 seed. Xavier, who has been solid all year, is firmly in the tournament but this would greatly help them in terms of seeding. Villanova can wrap up the Big East regular season title with a victory. Road games are so difficult, especially against quality opponents like Xavier. Look for Xavier to pull off the upset and damage Villanova’s hopes as a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
#15 North Carolina at Miami, Saturday 2:00 pm ET
North Carolina needs to turn their season around in a hurry. If they lose this game it will put them into a tie for the 8 seed in the ACC. They have lost 5 of 7 and cannot seem to play consistent basketball. Miami is fighting for their NCAA tournament lives. This is a very good chance for them to enhance their resume as the calendar turn towards March. They will get North Carolina’s best effort and this writer thinks the Tar Heels win a high scoring affair.
North Carolina 78 Miami 72
Syracuse at #4 Duke, Saturday 7:00 pm ET
Give Syracuse a ton of credit as they have been playing their tail off despite being ineligible for postseason play. They are coming off a monster win at Notre Dame and had beaten Louisville the week before. Duke is coming off an overtime game against Virginia Tech and quite frankly playing a little tired. Depth is an issue for the Blue Devils and they will need the crowd to provide a spark. They didn’t play well on Wednesday and they know they’re lucky to have won that game in Blacksburg. Duke will be more focused in this game. This game has turned into quite the rivalry over the past year.
Duke 78 Syracuse 64
Texas at #8 Kansas, Saturday, 5:00 pm ET
Kansas is coming off a tough loss against rival Kansas State and that does not bode well for the Longhorns. Texas is in dire need for a victory. If they lose this game they will fall to 6-10 in the Big 12 and might be on the wrong side of the bubble. Texas, who was ranked in the top 10 in the preseason polls, has been very disappointing this year. Kansas, who got some help from Baylor, is once again in the driver’s seat to win the Big 12 regular season title which would be their 12 straight. This writer does not think Kansas losses its second straight, especially at the Phog.
Kansas 75 Texas 66
Michigan St at #5 Wisconsin, Sunday 4:00 pm ET
Both of these teams are coming off losses this week. Wisconsin lost at Maryland on Tuesday and Michigan St suffered a home loss against Minnesota on Thursday. Wisconsin can clinch a share of the Big 10 title with a victory over the Spartans. Wisconsin, who is one of the most efficient offenses in the country, is almost impossible to beat in Madison. Izzo will have his troops ready but this writer does not think they have near enough fire power.
Wisconsin 72 Michigan State 59