While Saturday features a full slate of games from across the country, none of them are bigger and more exciting than these five. Here are your weekend college basketball Picks to Click.
No. 24 Georgetown at No. 7 Villanova: By losing to Providence on Wednesday night, the Hoyas put themselves in a must-win position here if they want to stand a legitimate shot at surprising us all and taking the conference crown. Other than a complete flop against Xavier at the beginning of conference play, the Hoyas have actually fared quite well away from home, but this will be their biggest road test yet. On the other side, Nova has won three in a row since falling at Georgetown and is eager to get a bit of revenge, as well as push further out in front of Providence and Butler in the league standings. I like the Wildcats at home this weekend, as I don’t expect them to shoot as poorly (34.1-percent) against the Hoyas this time around. Pick: Villanova
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No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 4 Duke: We should really feel spoiled for getting to see this match up again so soon after the first. The guard play here is terrific, with Jerian Grant on one side and Quinn Cook on the other. Jahlil Okafor was dominant in South Bend but Mike Brey’s constant lineup adjustments and “small ball” kept him on the bench late. The key here for me is whether or not Mike Krzyzewski allows Brey to dictate the game’s match ups again, or if at home, Duke will impose their will with their size. This could be the first game where Rasheed Sulaimon’s absence hurts Duke, but ultimately, I like them at home. Pick: Duke
No. 19 Baylor at No. 15 West Virginia: How about we match up two physical teams who are within two or three games of first place, put the game in Morgantown and see who walks away bleeding first? That’s what this one feels like to me, as the Mountaineers want to turn this game into a frenzy with full court pressure, and Baylor wants to grind you up underneath before kicking out to a pair of knock down three-point shooters in Kenny Cherry and Taurean Prince. This would be a statement win from Baylor, but can they win on the road, where they’ve only beaten TCU in conference? I’m not ready to buy the Bears away from Waco, but I do like the momentum they walk in with. Pick: West Virginia
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No. 9 Louisville at No. 3 Virginia: Thanks to the play of Terry Rozier, the Cardinals are just one game back of first place in the ACC and have won four in a row. Meanwhile, Virginia calmed any concerns about them following their home loss to Duke with a road win at North Carolina. Such is life in the ACC, and we have yet another top ten battle on our hands. If London Perrantes can slow down Rozier, and not get phased on the other end by Rozier’s defense, I think Virginia can feel pretty good about their chances here. The physicality will be crucial here, as how much the officials allow in the paint and on the perimeter will determine a lot of what Louisville is able to do. If the game is called tight, I don’t see a way UL keeps it close. Pick: Virginia
Illinois at Michigan State: Two teams battling for their shot at another NCAA Tournament birth here, and the stakes are incredibly high for this point in the season. With a loss, Illinois would fall below .500 in conference play and allow MSU to keep pace with the Jones’ in the pack behind Wisconsin. With a win, the Illini would get a much needed Top 50 RPI win and put the Spartans on, perhaps, the wrong side of the bubble. Given that the game is at MSU, and Illinois is just 1-5 on the road, I’m inclined to go with the Spartans at home, especially since they haven’t lost there since Dec. 30, 2014 against Maryland. Pick: Michigan State
