After another huge weekend of games that saw a ton of bubble teams bolster their resume and saw a lot of bubble teams hurt their resume. It is time for a reset. Yesterday was not as big of a day as Saturday was but there were still some big games and a huge upset. Michigan State beat Maryland in College Park. Tulane upset Memphis. Illinois beat Rutgers in Champaign. Florida Atlantic scored 112 points and needed overtime to dispatch UTSA in San Antonio. Finally, Utah beat Oregon. All those games are going to have an impact for conference tournament seeding and more importantly NCAA tournament seeding for the teams that are currently in that conversation. The season is getting closer to February and every game matters the rest of the way, especially for Bubble Teams.
Yesterday I went 15-2 in my picks. That gives me a 75 day total of 2,133-835 overall. There are two big games tonight on the Big Monday event on ESPN but other than that it is a lot of mid and low major schools from one bid leagues. Tonight, is a chance for a winless team to get on the board and feel good about themselves after getting a win. Picks for day 76 January 22, 2024, are below.
North Carolina over Wake Forest
Colgate over Lehigh
Southeastern Louisiana over Northwestern State
McNeese over Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Nicholls over Incarnate Word
Lamar over Texas A&M Commerce
Houston Christian over New Orleans
Mississippi Valley State over Florida A&M
Alcorn State over Prairie View
Pine Bluff over Bethune
Kansas over Cincinnati
Stony Brook over Hofstra
Jackson State over Texas Southern
Montana over Weber State
Montana State over Idaho State
The two major conference games are both big ones. Wake Forest is trying to get into the NCAA tournament and is looking for their signature win. If they can win at the Dean Dome it would be one of the best wins in the country. The other power game is between Kansas and Cincinnati. The Bearcats are another bubble team that could also use a signature win and what better place to get it than the Phog. Kansas is coming off a loss to West Virginia and is going to be motivated to show everyone that was a fluke. Those games are both on ESPN.
Mississippi Valley State should get their first win of the season tonight against Florida A&M at home. The Delta Devils don’t have many opportunities for victories so they have to take advantage of the ones they do get. McNeese is on upset watch tonight as well. There are not many teams in the Southland who can beat them, but Corpus Christi has the talent and the ability to beat them, especially at home.