Martin Luther King Day brought us basketball all day long, and even though there were only two power conference games, the games were very intriguing and were extremely close. Four one-point games, a double overtime game, and an overtime game support that argument. The Big East saw Georgetown beat Villanova in Philly on a buzzer-beater. That win gives the Hoyas some life, and the loss moves Villanova further down the bubble.
The Big Ten has been a competitive league this season and might be deeper than it ever has been before with the addition of the four west coast schools. Penn State beat Rutgers in State College but it wasn’t easy. The Nittany Lions had to survive a 30-point game by superstar Ace Bailey. Penn State hung on late thanks to Ace Bailey and Yanic Konan Niederhauser. The Nittany Lions snapped a 4 game losing streak in the conference.
The Ivy League had fantastic basketball yesterday. Brown upset Cornell, Penn upset Harvard, Yale beat Dartmouth, and Princeton beat Columbia. Columbia had such a promising start and now falls to 0-3 in the Ivy League. It is going to be tough for the Lions to finish in the top 4 of the league unless they start winning games quickly. The good thing for Columbia is that they started the year with the top three teams in the Ivy and they should be able to rack up some wins in the coming weeks.
It is going to be another fantastic Tuesday of games. There are 12 ranked teams who play today including one game between two ranked teams. There is a good possibility that a couple of these ranked teams will lose, which means that there will be some upsets. Teams in the Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 should all be on upset watch. There are two undefeated MAC teams in action and there are good Atlantic 10 games today. Picks for day 75, January 21, 2025, are below.
Winner | Loser |
|---|---|
Ohio | Eastern Michigan |
Alabama | Vanderbilt |
Tennessee | Mississippi State |
UConn | Butler |
Texas Tech | Cincinnati |
Virginia | Boston College |
Rhode Island | VCU |
St. Bonaventure | George Mason |
Duquesne | Dayton |
Saint Joseph's | Davidson |
Western Michigan | Northern Illinois |
Toledo | Kent State |
Miami Ohio | Bowling Green |
Central Michigan | Ball State |
Akron | Buffalo |
Purdue | Ohio State |
UAB | UTSA |
Bradley | Belmont |
Iowa State | UCF |
Marquette | Seton Hall |
East Carolina | Tulsa |
Northern Iowa | Missouri State |
Illinois State | Indiana State |
Tennessee State | UT Martin |
Texas | Missouri |
West Virginia | Arizona State |
Louisville | SMU |
Arizona | Oklahoma State |
Wake Forest | North Carolina |
Iowa | Minnesota |
Creighton | DePaul |
Wisconsin | UCLA |
Oregon | Washington |
BYU | Colorado |
UNLV | Wyoming |
There are two games that stand out above the rest. Tennessee hosts Mississippi State, and the Volunteers are going to have their hands full. Tennessee uses its brand of half-court basketball and defense to minimize possessions for its opponent and shorten the game. The Bulldogs are the complete opposite. They play fast, get up and down the floor, and get to the rim. Mississippi State has a lot of depth, and a different person does it for them every night. Each team is very good at what they do but Tennessee is the better overall team with a fantastic defense. That is one game to watch.
The second game takes place in the late-night window when Wisconsin travels to UCLA. The Badgers bring their long winning streak to Westwood against a UCLA team that is desperate for wins after dropping 5 out of their last 7 games. UCLA has already beaten Arizona, Oregon, and Gonzaga. They can beat Wisconsin, but the Badgers offense has been clicking during their winning streak. The Badgers do everything on offense well and rarely turn the ball over. Turnovers are what the UCLA defense thrives on. It will be an interesting game in Westwood tonight. Enjoy the Hoops!