NCAA Basketball: Picks for Day 84 of the 2023-24 season

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.