Tonight may be the best slate of games since conference season started. There were 8 games that were possible Games to Watch and it took some serious consideration to knock it down to 5. Without further or do, here are your key match-ups tonight.
Monday’s Performance: @coach_fritz: Overall- 3-1 ATS- 1-2
@catteberry33: Overall- 3-1 ATS- 2-1
Overall: @coach_fritz: Overall- 11-5 ATS- 5-10
@catteberry33: Overall- 11-5 ATS- 5-10
1. #17 West Virginia (16-3, 4-2 Big 12) @ Kansas State (12-8, 5-2 Big 12) Favorite: Kansas State -1.0
West Virginia leads the nation in turnovers forced at 21.9 per game…. Yes 21.9 per game! Bob Huggins’ teams are always known for their pressure defense and this year’s team is no different. The Mountaineers are coming off of a thrilling one-point overtime win over TCU thanks to Jevon Carter hitting two free throws with one second remaining. West Virginia struggles at shooting and to keep pace in the crowded Big 12 race they will need to change that. Meanwhile, Kansas State has just 10 turnovers in each of their last two games. They are coming off of a 10-point victory over Oklahoma State and have been surging ever since conference play started. Tonight’s key matchup will be between Juwan Staten (WV) and Marcus Foster (KSU).
@coach_fritz: Kansas State will win this game and get the cover. They play well at home and Nino Williams will be the difference.
@catteberry33: I will take Kansas State to win and cover. The Wildcats have been playing better and I think Marcus Foster shines in Manhattan tonight.
2. Xavier (13-7, 4-4 Big East) @ #21 Georgetown (14-5, 6-2 Big East) Favorite: Georgetown -3.5
It has been a roller coaster for Xavier since conference play started. They’ve grabbed a major win over Seton Hall but have also dropped a game to DePaul (Yes, I know DePaul is playing well). The Musketeers love to dish the rock as they are averaging 17.0 assists per game which is good for 12th in the nation. Senior C Matt Stainbrook, who transferred in from Western Michigan after his freshman season, has been Xavier’s go-to-guy the last two years and he will look to make an impact tonight. Georgetown seems to have used the Providence loss as a wake-up call as they’ve won 4 in a row since then. They’re led by junior D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who was recruited heavily by Xavier out of high school but chose to attend Georgetown instead. Xavier won the first game between these two teams 70-53.
@coach_fritz: Josh Smith has been outstanding and will lead Georgetown to a win and a cover tonight.
@catteberry33: Give me Georgetown to win and get the cover. I know Xavier rolled in the first match-up but I think the Hoyas use that as motivation tonight and Smith-Rivera gets revenge for the Musketeer’ fans booing him in the last match-up.
3. George Washington (16-4, 6-1 A-10) @ #14 VCU (16-3, 6-0 A-10) Favorite: VCU -7.5
George Washington has used the loss to La Salle as a springboard. The Colonials have won 4 in a row and look to make it 5 in a row when they travel to the Stuart C. Siegel Center tonight. GW has had a three-headed attack this year as Patricio Garino, Kethan Savage, and Kevin Larsen are all averaging 30+ minutes per game and double-digit points. Shaka Smart’s Rams look to keep their undefeated conference record alive. They are also looking to extend their winning streak to 12 games. Treveon Graham is back and is playing as well as ever.
@coach_fritz: This is not going to be easy for me to pick against George Washington as they were one of my teams to keep an eye on at the beginning of the year but…… I think VCU will win and cover. VCU has been great against the spread in the past.
@catteberry33: I would love to pick George Washington here. However, with Graham back I think VCU will be tough tonight. I will take VCU to win but G. Washington to get the cover.
4. #20 Baylor (15-4, 3-3 Big 12) @ Oklahoma State (13-6, 3-4 Big 12) Favorite: Oklahoma State -3.5
The Baylor Bears are the 5th best rebounding team in the nation. They’re coming off a big win over Oklahoma on Saturday and are coming into Stillwater with some momentum. Rico Gathers is the man to watch as he is averaging a double-double this year. On the other side of the court, Oklahoma State has been on a skid lately. They are just 2-4 over their last 6 games. Phil Forte III and Le’Bryan Nash are both averaging over 17 ppg and need to take it to another level to get the Cowboys back on track.
@coach_fritz: The Bears crash the boards hard and the Cowboys will have problems with that. Baylor will win this Big 12 match-up.
@catteberry33: I am picking Baylor to win this game outright and here’s why: The Cowboys have nobody inside that can match-up with Rico Gathers.
5. Colorado State (18-2, 5-2 MW) @ Boise State (14-6, 4-3 MW) Favorite: Boise State -1.5
If you can stay up to catch the 10 pm tip-off, this one should be well worth watching. Colorado State started off the season 14-0, lost two in a row, and have won four in a row since then. They are coming off perhaps their biggest win of the season over San Diego State and sit just one game behind Wyoming in the Mountain West standings. Senior F J.J. Avila is their leading scorer and rebounder and looks like he is trying to make a statement in his final year as a Ram. Boise State, on the other hand, is led by Derrick Marks. Marks has the ability to have a career night anytime he steps on the floor. He is averaging nearly 20 ppg! The Broncos have been a weird team this year as they have countered a four game losing streak with a four game winning streak. I’d watch for fireworks between these two Mountain West teams at the Taco Bell Arena tonight.
@coach_fritz: Colorado State is a steal tonight as underdogs and I think they win. They are also a good money line bet since they are the underdog.
@catteberry33: Derrick Marks can single-handedly take over a game and I think he does that tonight. Broncos win and cover.
Notable SEC Games
Tennessee (12-6, 4-2 SEC) @ Arkansas (15-4, 4-2 SEC) Favorite: Arkansas -9.5
If the Vols don’t settle for jump shots and if they can handle the Razorbacks’ tempo then they will have a good shot tonight. They must slow down Bobby Portis though. Portis is a stud and is coming off a great game on Saturday. Arkansas will look to feed him early and The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball will want a Top 100 RPI win tonight.
Vanderbilt (11-8, 1-5 SEC) @ Georgia (13-5, 4-2 SEC) Favorite: Georgia -7.0
My prediction: Vanderbilt keeps this game closer than the 7 point spread. The Commodores are hard to dominate because they shoot the ball so well and before conference play started they were actually playing pretty good basketball. The player to keep an eye on tonight is Georgia’s Marcus Thornton. He’s the Bulldogs’ leader and he leads them in most statistical categories.
