There were not a ton of games last night but in the games between the power schools, the ranked teams made statements on the road. Duke beat Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Houston beat Texas in Austin. That game went into overtime but one takeaway from that contest is that when Houston wants to shut you down and not let you score the opponents will not score. The Cougars play elite-level defense. McNeese did get the win keeping their undefeated season in the Southland alive. There was not much else significant that happened yesterday as every other game took place in one-bid leagues.
Yesterday I went 11-6 in my picks which brings my 83-day total to 2,372-938 overall. The schedule picks up in a big way today with power conference games all over the place. There are a ton of bubble games and a lot of teams playing for seeding. Can the bubble teams win key games to keep themselves above the cut line? We will find out tonight. Picks for day 84 January 30, 2024, are below.
Tennessee over South Carolina
North Carolina over Georgia Tech
Villanova over Marquette
Illinois over Ohio State
TCU over Texas Tech
Dayton over George Washington
Boston College over Syracuse
Indiana over Iowa
St Bonaventure over VCU
Central Michigan over Northern Illinois
Ohio over Buffalo
Ball State over Bowling Green
Akron over Eastern Michigan
Kent State over Miami Ohio
Toledo over Western Michigan
Kansas State over Oklahoma
Murray State over Illinois State
Loyola Chicago over Saint Louis
Ole Miss over Mississippi State
Lindenwood over Southeast Missouri State
Kansas over Oklahoma State
Utah State over San Jose State
Clemson over Louisville
NC State over Miami
Michigan State over Michigan
Seton Hall over DePaul
Colorado State over San Diego State
Air Force over Wyoming
UNLV over Fresno State
Gonzaga over LMU
A lot is going on today and some very crucial games for bubble teams. Villanova desperately needs a win against a big-time team and they can get that today against Marquette. That game is in Philly which is good for the Wildcats. Ohio State desperately needs a win over a good team as well and they get Illinois in Columbus. I don’t think the Buckeyes are all that good and I took Illinois in that one.
Kansas State has a win over Villanova and Baylor already but needs another good win and Oklahoma coming to Manhattan poses a giant opportunity for the Wildcats to break their two-game losing streak. There are some rivalry games today as well with Michigan State and Michigan and Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Those games can go either way, but I expect the home teams to win each of them comfortably.