We're approaching the end of the season, meaning most games played on Saturday will be the second between the teams involved. That means one of three things is going to happen.
Sweet Revenge!
Solid wins that even the score.
Battle to the Death
Close games are decided at the end.
Utter Humiliation
Alas, one team will walk away 0-2.
Here is a summary of how I see these games going. I'm not touching on all the games, that would take freaking forever. The games below are ones I think will be interesting between teams I follow, at least a little bit.
Sweet Revenge!
Indiana at Purdue
Game 1: IU 79-74
When these teams first met Purdue was riding high as the #1 team in the country. Since then, they've stumbled; if anything, they are undervalued. This is a fierce rivalry game between two teams with massive home/road splits.
Game 2 Prediction: Purdue by 8
St. Mary's at Gonzaga
Game 1: St. Mary's 78-71
In another hotly contested rivalry the Zags will look to even the score with the Gales. This is great offense vs great defense. In game 1 the Gales were able to slow Gonzaga down enough to clinch the win. They won't find that so easy to do in Spokane where Gonzaga scores in bunches.
Game 2 Prediction: Gonzaga by 11.
San Diego State at New Mexico
Game 1: New Mexico 76-67
In case you thought every team exacting revenge would be playing on their home floor, here's one that's not. New Mexico isn't great on their home floor, they've struggled recently, and SDSU is a solid all-around team.
Game 2 Prediction: SDSU by 5
Michigan State at Iowa
Game 1: Michigan State 63-61
Game 2 Prediction: Iowa by 9
Clemson at NC State
Game 1: Clemson 78-64
Game 2 Prediction: NC State by 12
Texas at Baylor
Game 1: Texas 76-71
Game 2 Prediction: Baylor by 8
Rhode Island at Fordham
Game 1: Rhode Island 82-79
Game 2 Prediction: Fordham by 10
New Hampshire at UMass Lowell
Game 1: New Hampshire 69-65
Game 2 Prediction: UMass-Lowell by 12
Battle to the Death
We move on to games I expect to be so close that I don't have a prediction on who will win.
Creighton at Villanova
Game 1: Creighton 66-61
Villanova got a very nice win in their last game at Xavier. Justin Moore looks like he might be rounding into form, which makes Villanova dangerous. Creighton dropped an ugly game at home to Marquette. A game they were expected to win. They certainly come into this one looking to avoid dropping another game in the standings. I think Creighton is the better team, but Villanova can't be overlooked.
Kansas State at Oklahoma State
Game 1: Kansas State 65-57
San Francisco at BYU
Game 1: San Francisco 82-74
Utter Humiliation
In the final section, let's look at the losers who will walk away with their heads down.
Oklahoma at Iowa State
Game 1: Iowa State 63-60
Oklahoma just isn't good enough to compete with the big boys in the Big 12. Yes, they've had a couple good ones, but looking at the season overall they just don't belong on that top tier. Iowa State is nasty at home, especially on defense. They also need wins after dropping a couple close ones recently. I don't expect them to stumble at home.
Game 2 Prediction: Iowa State by 9
Auburn at Kentucky
Game 1: Kentucky 70-68
Game 2 Prediction: Kentucky by 4
UNC-Ashville at Longwood
Game 1: UNC-Ashville 54-46
Game 2 Prediction: UNC-Ashville by 4
Comentarios