Well, it’s not March but it feels like it.
The Big East is surpassing early expectations. North Carolina is now listed as questionable for national title contention after a surprising loss to Butler. Kentucky and Duke still seem invincible. Arizona and Wisconsin finally look vulnerable.
The chaos is back, which will make these weekly picks more challenging and interesting.
Last week’s predictions were, um, somewhat off.
UConn topped Dayton and Miami crushed Akron by a million points. Oh, and Creighton didn’t have any trouble with North Carolina Central.
But I’m confident entering this weekend. You can take these to the bank. Assuming that bank is fully insured by the FDIC.
Last Week: 3-2
Overall: 8-2
Oklahoma vs. No. 2 Wisconsin (Battle 4 Atlantis at Nassau, Bahamas), 4:30 p.m. ET, Friday, ESPN/WatchESPN: The Badgers faced their greatest test of the year against Georgetown on Thanksgiving, having to overcome a nine-point deficit after halftime and a bad night for Frank Kaminsky to beat a Hoyas squad coming off an upset of Florida. That’s what national contenders do. They find a way. Oklahoma will be a better team in the long run with TaShawn Thomas in the mix, but Kaminsky won’t have two consecutive bad nights. And Wisconsin’s fluid frontcourt is just a bad matchup for the Sooners. The Badgers will win the Battle 4 Atlantis crown.
Prediction: Wisconsin 67, Oklahoma 62
Butler vs. Georgetown (Battle 4 Atlantis at Nassau, Bahamas), 2 p.m. ET, Friday, ESPN/WatchESPN: Butler beat North Carolina and Georgetown topped Florida earlier this week but neither could maintain the magic to reach the finale. Prior to their semifinal loss to Oklahoma, however, the Bulldogs held North Carolina to just 0.87 points per possession. Yet their offense was lukewarm that night and stale again versus the Sooners. Georgetown is shaping itself into a top-25, Big East sleeper with D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera emerging as a top player of the year candidate in that league. The Hoyas will win.
Prediction: Georgetown 74, Butler 65
St. John’s vs. No. 10 Gonzaga (NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden in New York City), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN: By mid-December, Gonzaga will have either justified or tempered the Final Four buzz that’s swirling around Spokane, as a matchup at UCLA on Dec. 13 follows a Dec. 6 meeting with Arizona in Tucson. But St. John’s will be the first team with a top-50 defense (16th in efficiency) that Gonzaga has faced. Chris Obekpa will challenge Domantas Sabonis and Przemek Karnowski at the rim. Steve Lavin’s crew is an athletic bunch that can hang with Gonzaga ... for about 30 minutes.
Prediction: Gonzaga 78, St. John’s 68
Providence at No. 1 Kentucky, 2 p.m. ET, Sunday, ESPN2/WatchESPN: LaDontae Hinton is a mad man right now. He dropped 38 points in 40 minutes of action in his team’s win over Notre Dame on Sunday. He has registered at least 21 points in four of his team’s first five games. And he's surrounded by big bodies (Tyler Harris, Carson Desrosiers, Ben Bentil) and a strong, albeit turnover-prone, point guard in Kris Dunn. This is the kind of team that will eventually beat Kentucky at some point this season because the Wildcats won’t win them all. But Providence, along with the rest of country, still can’t answer this question: How do you battle that depth and talent for two halves?
Prediction: Kentucky 79, Providence 67
No. 7 Texas at No. 24 Connecticut, 12 p.m. ET, Sunday, ESPN2/WatchESPN: Texas is succeeding with a suffocating defense (fourth in adjusted efficiency). Myles Turner added more size to Rick Barnes' hefty frontcourt. But Connecticut’s versatility creates mismatches for Texas because the Huskies have multiple guys who can attack off the dribble and hit shots from outside. Daniel Hamilton will be the most important player on the floor. Even with Amida Brimah inside, UConn doesn’t have the bodies to keep Jonathan Holmes & Co. from the rim. I still expect UConn to get the win, though -- barely.
Prediction: UConn 74, Texas 71