Holiday College Hoops Hangover Impacting Tonight's Games

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m still feeling the effects of the holiday weekend. There are the few extra disgusting pounds that I’m carrying from Thursday’s gluttony, the lingering slow-mindedness from a Friday full of binge drinking and gambling, and the sore muscles from Saturday’s annual football tournament (a five-team, four-man round robin street football tournament known as Bocci Bowl). Add all that up and one thing is for certain: it is Tuesday and I am still a mess.

I think that similar lingering effects could impact tonight’s college basketball action. Whether it is the drain of playing in a high-octane tournament, the awkwardness of tough travel through one of the busiest weekends of the year or the emotional letdown of a key non-conference clash or rivalry game, I am questioning the focus and mind frame of several teams that tip off tonight.

Here are a few teams in precarious situations that I am keeping my eyes on tonight, as well as some of the factors I considered while making my college basketball predictions.

Michigan Wolverines

I couldn’t find out definitively what Michigan’s travel itinerary was after they played on back-to-back nights in Atlantic City over the weekend in the Legends Classic. But it was one of two things.

Either after their Saturday night loss they may have traveled back to Ann Arbor on Sunday. But that would have led to them having to hop back on a plane on Monday to head to South Carolina. Or they stayed over in Jersey and then went to Clemson and have been staying there the last two days.

Either way, it is a somewhat trying and very unnatural schedule for a very young Wolverines team. This is also three games in five nights. After a weekend playing in a tournament (and losing both games), I wonder if the Wolverines are ready for the hostile environment that Littlejohn Coliseum produces.

Florida State Seminoles

On Sunday the Noles were upset on their home turf by in-state rival Florida in a game that I think probably meant more to them than tonight’s game against No. 2 Ohio State.

Sure, FSU isn’t going to roll over for the Buckeyes. But it would have been nice to have the momentum of a big win over the Gators behind the Seminoles heading into tonight’s marquee clash.

Is this team suffering a crisis of confidence? Are they just not very good? We can’t really tell.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Jackets are in a similar spot as Michigan since they both played in Atlantic City over the weekend. Tech played two games, beating UTEP before coughing up a second half lead against Syracuse in the tournament title game on Saturday.

They now have to turn around quickly and head to Chicago. There a very rested and ready Northwestern team awaits. What makes Georgia Tech’s situation even more precarious is that they have a big rivalry game with Georgia up next.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Irish are suiting up less than 48 hours after winning the three-games-in-three-nights Old Spice Classic in Orlando. Their last time out they scored a comeback win over Wisconsin in the title game and now the Irish return home as conquering heroes and as a newly minted top 25 team.

But what is the motivation for them here?

This is their fourth game in five days and their fifth in nine days. The Irish only play six guys, really, and only seven guys average over 12 minutes per game. That’s a lot of wear and tear.

Here are some others that maybe aren’t in as severe of a situation but are still worth keeping tabs on.

Tennessee 

The Vols were playing in New York City at Madison Square Garden last Wednesday and Friday. The last time they took the court was for an upset win over Villanova in the preseason NIT championship. Now they are home playing Middle Tennessee State the week before a big trip to Pittsburgh to face the Panthers. That makes this a very tough motivational spot.

UTEP 

The Miners were in Atlantic City with Michigan, Syracuse and Georgia Tech over the weekend. And now they are in Las Cruces, New Mexico to face a New Mexico State team in a rivalry game. UTEP hammered the Aggies just last week in Round 1 and now the hosts will be looking for revenge. It will be interesting to see how much the Miners— listed as road favorites—have left in the tank.

Here are the matchups and college basketball odds for these teams:

Michigan (+8) at Clemson (9 p.m.)

Ohio State at Florida State (+4) (7:30 p.m.)

Georgia Tech (+5.5) at Northwestern (7 p.m.)

Indiana State at Notre Dame (-16.5) (7:30 p.m.)

MTSU at Tennessee (-16.5) (7:30 p.m.)

UTEP (-4.5) at New Mexico State (9 p.m.)