NCAA Basketball: Picks for Day 29 of the 2023-24 season

Purdue and Iowa is the headlining matchup of today’s NCAA Basketball slate. Can the Boilermakers avoid starting out Big Ten play at 0-2?

There was not much in the way of NCAA Basketball storylines after yesterday but there is one thing that is going to stand out. Head coach Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers did something that very few power schools would ever attempt. They went on the road against a decent mid major and lost, with Appalachian State of the Sun Belt beating Auburn.  The Southern Jaguars beat Mississippi State in Starkville. Finally, Nebraska got absolutely housed by Creighton in Lincoln showing that the Huskers 7-0 record may have been questionable given the strength of schedule they played heading into the Creighton game.

Yesterday I went 22-11. That gives me a 28 day total of 937-337. There are not very many games today but there are still some quality games that should catch the attention of casual fans. Monday is going to be a reset day after a huge weekend that had a ton of games. Picks for day 29 December 4 2023 are below.

East Carolina over Maryland Eastern Shore

Purdue over Iowa

Alabama over Arkansas State

North Dakota State over San Jose State

Arkansas over Furman

Oregon State over Cal Poly

That is, it there are only six games today between Division 1 teams. Like I said earlier it is a reset to start the work week. Purdue and Iowa is the game of the night. Can Purdue bounce back after their surprising loss to Northwestern?  Can Iowa defend enough to give them a reasonable chance to beat Purdue?  These are all questions that are going to get answered later tonight. The best mid major game is North Dakota State and San Jose State. Enjoy the games and see you all tomorrow.