Conference tournament time is here, and our college basketball picks are as important as ever before! Check out the teams that we think are going to be dancing with our NCAA basketball picks for the conference tourney finals and the rest of the big time games on the Friday night docket!
College Basketball Matchup: Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Syracuse Orange
Date: Friday, March 9th, 7:00 ET
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
College Basketball Odds: Syracuse -7
College Basketball TV Schedule: ESPN, ESPN3.com
The Cuse are well on their way to a top seed in the dance, but the way that these Bearcats have played over the course of the last few days, we have reason to believe that they can pull off the upset. UC is coming off of that double OT victory, but there were a few extra hours to rest, and just as we saw last year with UConn, teams can get going on energy alone and find a way to do some remarkable things. Take the points for sure.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Cincinnati +7
College Basketball Matchup: Maryland Terrapins vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Date: Friday, March 9th, 12:00 ET
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, GA
College Basketball Odds: North Carolina -15
College Basketball TV Schedule: ESPN2, ESPN3.com
The Tar Heels are clearly the better of these two teams here, and we see no reason why they aren’t going to come out with sound and fury in this one and just blow Maryland out of the water. There is a clear class difference here, and unless Terrell Stoglin plans on going absolutely crazy, the Terps have no chance.
NCAA Basketball Pick: North Carolina -15
College Basketball Matchup: Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Duke Blue Devils
Date: Friday, March 9th, 7:00 ET
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, GA
College Basketball Odds: No Line
College Basketball TV Schedule: ESPN2, ESPN3.com
These two teams played a pretty close encounter last time they met, and that was a game that was played in Cameron. That being said, we just aren’t all that sure that the Hokies are going to have the goods to stick around again. They just aren’t deep enough to get through a tournament like this one, and Duke definitely has its eyes set on a No. 1 seed. It will take a step in the right direction on Friday night for sure and end VT’s season.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Duke Blue Devils
College Basketball Matchup: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Michigan State Spartans
Date: Friday, March 9th, 12:00 ET
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
College Basketball Odds: Michigan State -11.5
College Basketball TV Schedule: ESPN, ESPN3.com
Iowa has been in good form of late, and we wouldn’t be all that shocked to see the Hawkeyes make this a tremendous game. Michigan State does have a lot to play for, as it will want to be on the top line for the NCAA Tournament, but we just aren’t so sure that that is going to be the case. Sparty could get snuck up on in this one.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Iowa +11.5
College Basketball Matchup: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Wisconsin Badgers
Date: Friday, March 9th, 2:00 ET
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
College Basketball Odds: Indiana -2
College Basketball TV Schedule: ESPN, ESPN3.com
The Hoosiers are really set to make a big time run here in Indianapolis, and there is no reason to think that Wisconsin is going to be able to slow them down. The offense just isn’t there for the Badgers, and they are going to pay the price in this one as long as IU finds a way to at least keep the tempo and pace of this game remotely reasonable.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Indiana -2
College Basketball Matchup: Miami Hurricanes vs. Florida State Seminoles
Date: Friday, March 9th, 9:00 ET
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, GA
College Basketball Odds: No Line
College Basketball TV Schedule: ESPN2, ESPN3.com
Miami was able to beat the snot out of Florida State a week ago, but that won’t be the case this time around. The Seminoles are going to be playing on a neutral floor, and they didn’t have to play a very physical game as the Canes did yesterday. FSU is clearly the better side, and though Miami is the team that needs this one a heck of a lot more, the garnet and gold will make no mistakes and cast the Canes to the bubble.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Florida State Seminoles
