There was not much going on in college basketball yesterday, but two notable things happened. I underestimated Penn State. They blew out Purdue at the Bryce Jordan Center and forced Purdue into 25 turnovers. The defense for the Nittany Lions is real and they will be tough to play in State College. Purdue is still my favorite to finish at the top of the Big Ten, and Penn State will finish in the middle of the pack. Nothing changes that. TCU finally got some good news after they beat Xavier at home. The Horned Frogs desperately needed a good win to build some confidence.
Yesterday I went 15-8 in my picks. That brings my 32 day total to 1,024-362 overall. There is another day of mid major games with a few big time games mixed in. The Big Ten has a conference game. The MAAC resumes their conference play and dominates the schedule today. Outside of that there is not much but it is a good respite for a huge day of games tomorrow. Picks for day 33 December 6, 2024, are below.
Delaware over Duquesne
Bryant over Brown
Niagara over Siena
Saint Peter’s over Manhattan
Kent State over Portland
Davidson over Charleston Southern
Indiana over Miami Ohio
West Virginia over Georgetown
Sacred Heart over Iona
Marist over Mount St. Mary’s
Rider over Quinnipiac
Merrimack over Canisius
Georgia State over Kennesaw State
UAB over Prairie View
High Point over North Texas
Illinois over Northwestern
As you can see, many MAAC games are on the schedule today. Two games that bring up the schedule are the West Virginia and Georgetown. Each team has improved vastly this year, and West Virginia just recently beat Gonzaga, which now looks like a tournament team. Georgetown has taken care of its business and has a star freshman big man who is a walking double-double. Then you get to the Big Ten with Illinois over Northwestern. I don’t think Northwestern is good, but Illinois is. So, I don’t think that game should be close, but it is a rivalry game that usually has closer than expected games. Enjoy the hoops.