NCAA Basketball: Arizona State’s rise, flawed San Diego State and other key questions

5. Who wins the marquee matchups this week?

1. LSU at Florida – (Wed, Feb 26)

Kinander

LSU by two. The Tigers are due for a big win, and I think they pick one up behind a huge game from Skylar Mays.

Foley

Florida. Among high-major teams, only SMU has played worse defense than LSU since the start of February. Turnovers have been a problem for the Gators of late, but if the Tigers can’t force ‘em (they rank 279th in takeaways), Florida should survive at home.

Larson

LSU. I just really like this LSU team, despite going 2-6 in their last 8 games. In my opinion, they have one of the most talented starting 5 in college.

Chessler

When these two teams met earlier in the season, LSU barely edged out Florida in Baton Rouge. I think these two teams match up pretty evenly, but I also think home-court advantage will be a big factor in the outcome. I predict Florida beats LSU at home.

2. Arizona State at UCLA – (Thurs, Feb 27)

Kinander

UCLA by five. Two hot teams, but Mick Cronin’s group is off of a nice comeback win in Colorado, so I’ll take the Bruins here.

Foley

Arizona State. The Sun Devils have been strong away from Tempe this year, and though the Bruins’ defense has improved as they have stopped fouling everyone in sight, UCLA does not really have anyone to guard Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge Jr.

Larson

ASU. I think the Sun Devils – with their great defense – match up well with UCLA’s newfound scrappiness under Mick Cronin.

Chessler

With two of the hottest teams in the Pac-12 meeting in Los Angeles, I predict a close game with Arizona State beating UCLA on the road. Arizona State beat UCLA earlier this month by 18 points. Now that the Sun Devils control their own destiny in the Pac-12 standings, I think they are motivated enough to pull off the season sweep of UCLA.

3. Penn State at Iowa – (Sat, Feb 29)

Kinander

Iowa by a lot. The Hawkeyes are unbeatable at home, and the Nittany Lions are cold. I’ll take 30 and 13 from Luka Garza.

Foley

Iowa. As a team, the Nittany Lions have hit 32.5 percent of their three-pointers this year. When they are above that mark in Big Ten play, they are 8-1, but just 2-5 when they don’t. Iowa is holding opponents to just 28 percent shooting from deep at home. Let’s take the Hawkeyes.

Larson

Iowa. Never go against a Big-10 team on their home floor.

Chessler

With so many Big 10 teams finding it difficult to win on the road, I predict Iowa beats Penn State at home. Penn State has dropped its last two games, where as Iowa has gained confidence after beating a ranked Ohio State team and completing a comeback road win against Minnesota.

4. Duke at Virginia – (Sat, Feb 29)

Kinander

Virginia in an upset. The Cavs haven’t had their characteristic win this season, and I think they get it against a Duke team that is a mere shell of themselves on the road.

Foley

Duke. UVA has perked up with wins in seven of their last eight, though only one W came against a tournament-bound team. Duke’s youngsters could certainly struggle against Virginia’s defense, but the Cavs would still need to find some offense against the Blue Devils’ own stingy unit.

Larson

Duke. I just don’t see Virginia having the firepower to keep up with the Blue Devils.

Chessler

Duke will use this week as a chance to make a statement despite last week’s embarrassing loss that caused them to drop a spot in the rankings. I don’t foresee Duke losing a game to an unranked opponent in two consecutive weeks at this point in the season. Although ranked teams have been unpredictable lately, I predict Duke wins at Virginia.

5.Seton Hall at Marquette – (Sat, Feb 29)

Kinander

Seton Hall by eight. Marquette is a team that I am nowhere close to being sold on. Maybe they’ll keep it close behind some three-point shooting, but I think Myles Powell and Myles Cale blow this up towards the end of the game.

Foley

Seton Hall. After playing three non-competitive games in a row, the wheels are falling off the Golden Eagles’ bandwagon. The Milwaukee faithful will be fired up on Saturday for Markus Howard’s Senior Day, but even as Powell works through some kinks, Marquette has not shown enough offensive precision or defensive fortitude to be trusted against a quality team.

Larson

Seton Hall. Marquette really needs this win, but I’m going to go with the hot hand and say that Seton Hall evens up the season series.

Chessler

Marquette has struggled in their past three games and Seton Hall will be able to capitalize if Marquette continues to struggle establishing an offensive rhythm at the beginning of the game. I predict Seton Hall beats Marquette on the road.