It's Friday night, and you're wondering what to do, might I suggest watching more college basketball? Because this weekend determines who goes into the final four in New Orleans, LA, and is perhaps even better than the first weekend of the tournament due to the higher stakes and the tension. Now, in tonight's games, these will feature the biggest names, with Indiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina all playing tonight. Now, on to the picks!
South Region
No. 10 Xavier vs. No. 3 Baylor, 7:15, CBS
Xavier is a team of experience, as they have been here before, most notably in the 2010 season. Baylor, the same, as they got to the elite 8 last season. Xavier is lucky to be here, as a few weeks ago, before the Atlantic 10 tournament, they had lost 11 of 21 after a hot 8-0 start. Perhaps that 8-0 start is a sign that this team is going for the elite 8? Xavier, despite being a mid-major school, has three fantastic players, the most notable of which is senior guard Tu Holloway, who leads the team with 17.4 points per game. This team has yet to make it to a final four yet though, and in order to do that, they first have to go past the brighter than the sun uniforms and team of Baylor. Baylor has played a very consistent game this season, only losing to tournament teams within the Big 12, and the great thing for the Bears is that only one of those teams still remains in Kansas. Otherwise, Baylor has played team centered basketball, with only one superstar, Perry Jones III. Jones was not the star of their round of 32 win against Colorado though, that would be Brady Heslip who was raining threes all night, and that could label him a "shooter" when he is more of a passer. This game should be pretty good between a team which is very consistent and one which is hungry for more.
Pick: Baylor 74, Xavier 70
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 1 Kentucky, Half hour after the conclusion of XAV/BAY, CBS
This game can be epic like last time when Christian Watford hit the game winning three to put Indiana back on the map of college basketball to propel the previously unranked Hoosiers into the top 25 over the then number one Wildcats. Or, it can be a complete blowout, as ESPN has relentlessly showed the final five seconds of that game over and over to promote its Watch ESPN service. My guess is that since that game, Kentucky has gone 26-1 since that loss, and that only loss came in the title game of the SEC tournament, which means absolutely zilch. The entire fan base desperately wants another national championship, and their first in 14 seasons. Go with Kentucky.
Pick: UK 79, IU 62
Midwest Region
No. 13 Ohio vs. No. 1 North Carolina, 7:47, TBS
Ohio is this year's "cinderella" team, having beat a pretty good Michigan team, as well as fighting past a good South Florida squad. Ohio, take it all in while you can, as you'll probably hang in there for about 30 minutes before North Carolina, even without their star guard Kendall Marshall most likely takes over. North Carolina has way too much depth and there is a reason they were a number one seed.
Pick: North Carolina 70, Ohio 53
No. 11 N.C. State vs. No. 2 Kansas, Half hour the conclusion of OH/UNC, TBS
To quote the official NCAA preview, Kansas better not overlook the seeding this time of year, as the 2,3,4 and 5 seeds were all gone, and that left them with No. 11 VCU, and we all know what happened last season. Then, two seasons ago, Ali Faroukmanesh and Northern Iowa buried the Jayhawks in their run in 2010.
North Carolina State should be a formidable opponent as well, with them getting hot just at the right time, narrowly passing San Diego State as well as a team many considered to be a contender for a final four run in Gerogetown. While the Wolfpack were probably one of the final six teams into the tournament thanks to them losing down the stretch in the ACC, but this could put them as the new cinderella team. The game is a bit too close to call, but go with the Jayhawks to overcome their previous runs and move on to their first elite 8 since 2008.
Pick: Kansas 63, N.C. State 58
Enjoy the games tonight!
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