I could begin this week’s watchlist by talking about how thrilling the week prior was, how the seeding is going to change so much, or why Michigan State still is not a #1 seed. But before I begin, I must address the elephant in the room, a serious problem in the sport that I am sure you are already aware of. Last Friday, Yahoo Sports released an article that accused over 20 college basketball teams–including some of the blue bloods–of being associated with giving their athlete’s some form of financial compensation which is, of course, against NCAA regulations. The accusations ranged from taking a player out to eat and picking up the tab, or paying players thousands of dollars to attend their school. The NCAA’s amateurism rule states that players cannot receive benefits from an agent, or receive a salary for playing.

Yahoo’s article accused players and coaching staffs of being associated with former NBA agent Andy Miller and Christian Dawkins along with his agency, ASM Sports. Perhaps the biggest bombshell of the weekend was the scandal that surrounded the Arizona Wildcats. According to wiretaps obtained by the FBI, Player of the Year candidate DeAndre Ayton received an offer of $100,000 dollars by head coach Sean Miller to attend the university. One of the major reasons why this was such a huge deal is because sources such as 247Sports indicated that he would have likely gone to Kansas instead on his decision day. Now we know why he chose the Wildcats. The saddest reality of all this is that it is likely the tip of the iceberg. In the coming weeks, this scandal will only grow. All we can do is sit back and watch it unfold. As much as I have supported the notion that college athletes should get paid, the rules are the rules. Maybe someday the NCAA will allow players to receive some kind of salary, but we aren’t there yet. As of now, the teams that infringed on these rules should be punished, and if they aren’t, the president of the NCAA is not doing his job.

Despite this huge dark cloud hovering over college basketball, there is still a season to finish up. This week the Big Ten Tournament begins, while conferences such as the Big East and the Pac-12 are still very much up for grabs. It is important to monitor the controversy surrounding the sport, but for now let’s forget about it and focus on the game we all love.

Big Ten Tournament Preview:

The Big Ten was probably the most unpredictable conference all year. Just by viewing the bracket and seeing that Ohio State and Nebraska have first and second round byes is interesting in its own right. Michigan State, now winners of their past 12 conference games, takes the #1 seed and is the easy favorite to win the entire thing. However, if I am not mistaken Thursday is the start of what month? That’s right, March? And what does that mean? Upsets. There are two teams you should keep an eye on: Wisconsin and Penn State.

The Wisconsin Badgers have nothing to lose. On top of that you can make a case for them being one of the most chippy, aggressive teams in the conference. Ethan Happ is still a threat and Brad Davison is the toughest player in all of college basketball. An upset over Michigan State in the quarterfinals is certainly a possibility.

Penn State has a legitimate shot of making it to the semi-finals and beyond. They play Northwestern, a team that has struggled as of late, then with a win take on Ohio State. The Nittany Lions swept the Buckeyes this year, including a blowout win at home. Tony Carr is one of the most underrated players in the conference and 6’8” sophomore Lamar Stevens can do it all. Penn State to the Big Ten title game is not an outlandish possibility.

With that being said, Michigan State is still the best, most consistent team in the conference. Despite being surrounded with so much controversy all year they have plowed through the Big Ten and are the #2 team in the nation for a reason. Their most recent win over Wisconsin proved they have depth when Bridges went cold. If they win the conference, then they should certainly be on the #1 line come March 11. We will definitely see some upsets in this tournament, but the outcome will not be surprising. The Spartans will win the Big Ten tournament.

Winner: Michigan State

Tuesday:

Oklahoma at Baylor:

With March Madness inching increasingly closer, bubble games are becoming extremely important. Tuesday night Oklahoma takes on Baylor. Despite their recent struggles, they will still make the tournament, but will be a 9 or 10 seed if they can’t close out the season and fail to do well in the Big 12 tournament. As for Baylor, they are still very much on the bubble and a loss to Oklahoma would be devastating to their chances. While other teams were beginning to figure out how to guard him, Trae Young showed no mercy on the Bears the last time they played, scoring 44 points. There is a simple formula to figure out the Sooners. When Trae Young is playing well, they win, when he’s not, they lose. Especially after allowing 82 points last weekend to TCU, nothing indicates to me that Baylor will keep Oklahoma under 80 points. Their leading scorer, Manu Lecomte, has only scored a combined 17 points in his last two games, which is another warning sign. I like the Sooners to come out of Waco with a ticket-punching victory.  

Games To Watch:

Auburn at Arkansas

Oklahoma at Baylor

Miami at North Carolina

Picks:

Arkansas beats Auburn

Oklahoma beats Baylor

North Carolina beats Miami

Wednesday:

Providence at Xavier:

There is still some unfinished business in the Big East. A conference in which many thought would be Villanova’s to lose is now led by the Xavier Musketeers with one week left. Xavier takes on Providence Wednesday night, then takes on DePaul this weekend. If they win both, they will have sole possession of the conference title. If they lose a game however, they can still at least get a share, but won’t have the #1 seed in the Big East Tournament. Going back to early January, Providence upset the Muskies at home. They shut down both Trevon Bluiett and J.P Macura, while Kareem Kanter’s 24 points was not enough to avoid the upset. Rodney Bullock, Alpha Diallo, and Kyron Cartwright have been phenomenal for the Friars this season. The major problem that Providence faces is their lack of depth. It is rare to see anyone other than their three superstars lead them to a victory. This game should be close, especially with the fact that Xavier hasn’t played a game in a week, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Xavier does not lose close games.

Villanova at Seton Hall:

Yes, Villanova did lose last week in Omaha and may surrender the Big East title. However, trouble is the last thing they are in. Jalen Brunson is now looking more and more like the Player of the Year. Unlike Trae Young of Oklahoma, Brunson has been consistently good all year even in the games that Nova loses. Donte Divincenzo, Mikal Bridges, Eric Paschall, and even Omari Spellman make up one of the best starting fives in college basketball and as of now are no match for the Seton Hall Pirates. The Wildcats are going to need to get some help from either Providence or DePaul if they want to at least earn a share of the conference, but in my book– regardless of what happens this week–they are the best team in the conference and have a legitimate shot at winning the national title a month from now.

Games to Watch:

Providence at Xavier

Villanova at Seton Hall

Florida State at Clemson

Butler at St. John’s

Picks:

Xavier beats Providence

Villanova beats Seton Hall

Clemson beats Florida State

Butler beats St. John’s

Thursday:

Virginia at Louisville:

This is the biggest game of the season for the Louisville Cardinals. As of now they lie firmly on the bubble. A win would mean that they are almost certainly in, and a loss would make their shot at making the NCAA tournament a stretch. The Cardinals have played well against all of their opponents, except for the ranked ones. They were destroyed by Duke, North Carolina, and Virginia earlier in the year and got their only ranked win against Florida State. As for the Cavaliers, the only thing they have to lose is potentially falling of the #1 line on the bracket. They have already locked up the ACC and have proven to everybody that they are the team to beat in college hoops. They are coming off a win in which they only allowed seven points in the first half, which speaks volumes about their defense. In order for the Cardinals to have a chance, they cannot let Virginia run away with the game at any point. The key for them is to keep the game close and give either Deng Adel, Quentin Snider, or any other player a chance to win the game. The Cavaliers don’t play many close games, thei most recent being a home loss to Virginia Tech. Louisville’s adrenaline level coming into this game will be high and it will catch their opponent off guard.  This should be a very tight game, but in the end I am siding with the Cardinals. They will do everything they can to get this win and increase their chances of making March Madness.

Games to Watch:

Virginia at Louisville

Stanford at Arizona

Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee (mid major watch)

Friday:

Rhode Island at Davidson:

At ten losses and a 12-4 conference record, Davidson has a lot to do to have a chance at making the tournament. A step in the right direction would be defeating Rhode Island. Following their only conference loss to St. Bonaventure, the Rams nearly coughed one up to LaSalle in overtime, but then went on to demolish Dayton at home. Jared Terrell is a name that is frequently brought up when discussing this program, however it has been Jeff Dowtin who has had 20+ point nights in the previous two games. As for Davidson, Peyton Aldridge is one of the best players you probably haven’t heard of. He is averaging over 20 points a night and is a key part of why they still have a chance at making the tournament. The Wildcats will play with a lot of emotion and adrenaline that will catch the Rams off guard. I like Davidson to pull the upset and get back into the bracket conversation.

Games to Watch:

Iowa State at Oklahoma

Rhode Island at Davidson

Buffalo at Bowling Green

Picks:

Oklahoma beats Iowa State

Davidson beats Rhode Island

Buffalo beats Bowling Green

Saturday:

North Carolina at Duke (Blockbuster of the Week):

There is no better way to end the season than Duke and North Carolina. The most historic rivalry in college basketball features both teams ranked within the top ten and fighting for a #1 seed. Duke, who lost earlier this week to Virginia Tech, has some work to do. The winner of this game will also need to win the ACC tournament in order to have a chance at being on the #1 line. North Carolina hasn’t lost since the month of January, with key wins over Notre Dame, Louisville, Syracuse and Clemson. Part of the reason why the Tar Heels are now in the top ten again is because of Joel Berry getting out of his slump. Another key reason is because of 6’ 6” senior Theo Pinson. He dropped 23 against Syracuse last week and packed his stat line against Notre Dame. Luke Maye hasn’t gone anywhere either, yet his production levels could be limited when he goes up against Marvin Bagley III in the paint. As I mentioned earlier, Duke is coming off a tough loss to digest. Grayson Allen had a phenomenal night, but got little help from his supporting cast, eventually leading to a loss. Allen has now been part of this rivalry for four years. You can only assume he will outperform his team in his final game at Cameron Indoor. I cannot stress enough how important the Luke Maye and Marvin Bagley III matchup will be. It will undoubtedly be the deciding factor in the contest. Both players are extremely talented, but who will dominate the glass, stay out of foul trouble, and outscore the other in the paint? I would put my money on Bagley III. Duke will win a thriller in their final game of the season.

Games to Watch:

California at Arizona

West Virginia at Texas

Clemson at Syracuse

Creighton at Marquette

Notre Dame at Virginia

Kansas at Oklahoma State

North Carolina at Duke (Blockbuster of the Week)

Picks:

West Virginia beats Texas

Syracuse beats Clemson

Virginia beats Notre Dame

Oklahoma State beats Kansas

Duke beats North Carolina

Sunday:

Cincinnati at Wichita State:

There have been two top 25 teams that I have criticized all season: Cincinnati and Auburn. My opinion on Auburn is starting to change a little bit after wins over Kentucky and Alabama, but as for the Bearcats, not so much. Cincinnati only has four losses all year, but don’t let that fool you. They have lost to Xavier, Florida, Houston and Wichita State. Their best win: UCLA. They have zero wins against ranked opponents and have coasted through a very light AAC conference. They play their conference finale Sunday against the Wichita State Shockers. Cincinnati has already clinched a share of the AAC title, but would lose the #1 spot with a loss to the Shockers Sunday afternoon. Landry Shamet and Shaquille Morris have been consistent all season, but the problem both of these teams have in common is their lack of depth. I’m nervous for both programs in March, but more so for the Bearcats. I like the Shockers to sweep the season series, leaving Cincinnati with no ranked wins all season. This game will decide the American Athletic Conference and is worth shining the spotlight on.

Games to Watch:

Cincinnati at Wichita State

Uconn at Houston

SMU at Southern Florida

Picks:

Wichita State beats Cincinnati

Houston beats Uconn

SMU beats Southern Florida

It is important to pay attention to the controversy that currently surrounds college basketball, but we still have a season to finish up. We are officially in tournament season with the Big Ten leading us off this week. The season may be coming to an end, but the action is just heating up.

Last Weeks Record:

(13-5)

Overall Record:

(141-76)