College Basketball: Weekend Picks

Without an abundance of major top 25 matchups this weekend (aside from the big one of course), I did my best to pick some good matchups, and perhaps some interesting upsets...

Tennessee (No. 2) vs. Memphis (No. 1)

Saturday's meeting between Memphis and Tennessee will be the first matchup between the top two teams in the country since last season's tilt between Ohio State (No. 2) and Wisconsin (No. 1). 

I predict the underdog to prevail.

Memphis has looked extremely vulnerable in past weeks, squeaking past unranked UTEP, rallying to come back against Houston, and stealing one against UAB.  Tennessee, on the other hand has quietly slipped into the No. 2 contender for the crown as Duke, Kansas, and UNC have suffered minor setbacks.  

The re-emergence of Chris Lofton's shooting stroke, which was absent for much of the start of the season, mixed with their consistently tenacious defence should prove fatal for the Tigers.  Look for JaJuan Smith to have a big game; I feel he has a tendency for big shots in the clutch.

Prediction: Tennessee 82, Memphis 75

Drake (No. 18) vs. Butler (No. 8)

This is an interesting matchup between two teams that have played well all season, but probably don’t deserve being ranked as high as they are.  I don’t think any Butler fans can realistically believe their team is actually the eigth best in the country. 

They have a great team, with a dynamite backcourt that plays a smooth and efficient game, but I don’t see them getting past the Sweet 16 past March.  This will be a tough test for the  Drake Bulldogs, who desperately need to recover from two losses to unranked teams in order to keep their spot in the Top 25 and their storybook season alive.

This being one of the marquee matchups of the weekend, I predict it will be a slugfest between two fundamentally solid mid-majors that has a lot to prove on a national stage, with Butler coming out on top.

Prediction: Drake 58, Butler 70

Louisville (No. 23) vs. Pittsburgh

How good is the Big East?  These are two of the most dangerous teams in the nation and neither can be placed as the favorite in the conference. 

This is a matchup that I am really looking forward to.  Two teams that are recovering from almost lethal injuries are getting back to playing good basketball.

Along with Connecticut, I believe that Louisville is one of the two teams to beat in the Big East.  How much would you like to see a rematch of that game?  Big East final, perhaps? 

The Cardinals are playing with a confidence level that may not be matched by anyone else, which will a tough obstacle for the recovering Panthers to overcome.

Pitt is just now getting Levance Fields back, who disposed of Duke one game before injuring himself against Dayton, which can only bring optimism to the Panther faithful.  Even without Fields at full strength, Jamie Dixon will unquestionably have his team ready to play, and get after it on the defensive end like usual. 

Even though I believe that Louisville will win this one, I know that if I had to face Pittsburgh in the remaining weeks of the season, I would be nervous.

Prediction: Louisville 64, Pittsburgh 56