Kentucky and Michigan State Headline a Super Tuesday of College Basketball

The last time we talked was on Black Friday, but due to some family commitments the picks for the day are back.  Conference season has begun at least temporarily and the Tuesday slate has some Big Ten conference games and a lot of games between ranked teams.  Tuesday is going to be the best day of the week before Saturday.  Here is a preview of all of the high profile games from a loaded Tuesday.

Iowa Hawkeyes at No. 7 Michigan State Spartans- Iowa opens Big Ten conference play at Breslin

The Hawkeyes look much different this season under head coach Ben McCollum.  Iowa is committed to playing defense and have shown they can beat teams in a multitude of ways.  They are going to be able to win a high scoring game and can win a low scoring defensive battle this year.  Bennett Stirtz was an All-American at Drake last year and is playing like one of the best players in the Big Ten this season.  He is going to put a lot of pressure on the Spartans guards.

Michigan State is one of the best teams in the country. In addition to being extremely talented, Michigan State is elite in transition, is physical, and is one of the best rebounding teams in the country.  Every team has flaws and the Spartans don’t sboot the ball overly well but with Coen Carr being able to get to the rim and throw down thunder dunks on everyone the Spartans don’t need to shoot the ball well.

Oklahoma Sooners at Wake Forest Demon Deacons - ACC/SEC Challenge with two bubble teams.

This game is going to be the battle of the guards and Oklahoma needs their guards to play well in order for them to get a win. Nijel Pack and Xzavier Brown are the two players who needs to carry the load on offense and will be the two players at the head of the snake on the defensive end of the ball.  Oklahoma desperately needs to start winning some games to get themselves back into the NCAA Tournament conversation and Pack is going to have a huge night

Wake Forest is another team who is very guard oriented and Juke Harris is one of the best players in the ACC.  Harris is playing at an All-American level right now.  The Demon Deacons have been close in some huge games but have not been able to get over the hump yet, now they get a huge game at home and can get a big win to jumpstart their season.  I do think the Oklahoma guards will be to much.

No. 15 Florida Gators at No. 4 Duke Blue Devils- Defending National Champions against best freshman in basketball

The Gators are not currently playing like a top 15 team in the country and I do think they should be ranked lower until they can figure out their backcourt.  That was a sentence I never thought I would write with a Todd Golden coached team.  The backcourt has been an anchor for the Gators this year because they can’t shoot and are not scoring at the level the Gators need them to.  The frontcourt led by Thomas Haugh is elite but they can’t do it all.

Duke is elite again they can shoot, play defense, and have the best freshman in all of basketball.  Cameron Boozer is currently on pace to have the best season of any freshman in Duke history and he has had some big time games against the top competition this year.  Duke isn’t going to lose in Cameron, even if Florida is desperate for a big time win.

No. 5 UConn Huskies at No. 21 Kansas Jayhawks- UConn travels to the Phog to face rolling Kansas.

The Huskies are fantastic again, a legitimate National Championship contender, and have been rolling again this year.  UConn has one of the best frontcourt players in the country in Tarris Reed Jr., and with the depth the Huskies have at guard, they have another team built just like the former National Championship teams under head coach Dan Hurley.

Kansas has been playing much better and is starting to meet the expectations set for them by head coach Bill Self this year.  The fact is that the Jayhawks are now learning to play without their star Daryn Peterson and to win without him as well, and they are doing it by feeding the ball inside to big man Flory Bidunga, who can take over a game with the best of them. UConn is too good, though.

No. 16 North Carolina Tar Heels at No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats - Desperate Wildcats get formidable opponent at Rupp.

North Carolina has been playing well this year, and head coach Hubert Davis has built the roster perfectly around his best players.  Caleb Wilson is going to be the best player on the floor in this one and will dominate in the paint. Henri Veesaar is a transfer from Arizona who is a fantastic shooter but can also dominate in the paint.  Those two can take over a game in the paint and on the glass and have led North Carolina to some big wins this season.

Kentucky gets yet another chance to get a signature win this year and get its year back on track. The Wildcats are the more desperate team here and need a win badly. Granted, Kentucky has had a lot of injuries, but it still has one of the better rosters in the SEC.  Otega Oweh is going to be huge in this game. Something tells me Kentucky finally gets on track and picks up a win in Rupp.

Here are the picks for the rest of the games on a loaded Tuesday: