NBA Predictions & College Basketball Picks

After a convincing win against DePaul in the first round of the Big East tournament the South Florida Bulls will now have to face the 22nd ranked Georgetown Hoyas whom they beat rather easily back in early February. Georgetown has been inconsistent at best this season, and will need to bring their “A” game if they expect to take down this red-hot Bulls squad that has won 4 straight. South Florida’s style of play is similar to the Hoyas as they slow the pace of play on offense, and play solid lock-down defense that frustrates opponents and leads to easy transition baskets. Dominique Jones leads the Bulls offensively with a 21.3 point per game average. He a stat sheet stuffer as he also contributes over 6 rebounds and almost 4 assists per game. The two headed forward combination of Augustus... 

The 12th ranked Butler Bulldogs look to win another Horizon League Title as they take on feisty Wright St. Raiders squad Tuesday night. Butler currently holds the longest winning streak in the country at 19 games with their last loss coming to Alabama-Birmingham back on December 22nd. Despite winning both games against the Raiders by 12 points during the regular season, it won’t be an easy task taking them down in the Championship game. Wright St. is much better than their record indicates. They have lost several close games, and have only lost by double-digits 3 times this season (twice to Butler, once to Mississippi St.). They play a lock-down style of defense that suffocates their opponents. At 60.5 points per game allowed defensively, they are 2nd to only Butler in the Horizon league. Vaughn... 

The San Antonio Spurs are making their move. It’s almost expected as every year they make a last season run that propels them into the playoffs with momentum. They are currently on a 4 game win streak that has seen them beat Phoenix, New Orleans (twice) and Memphis. They will need to be at their best Monday when they take on a Cleveland Cavaliers team that is fighting for home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Cleveland has a 2.5 game lead over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, and 3 more home games to play than the Lakers down the home stretch. The Cavs haven’t missed a beat with Shaquille O’Neal being out as they have won 9 out of 10. LeBron James has been a beast all season, and has legitimized himself as the best player in the league at the age of 25. There is no team... 

The Texas Longhorns and Baylor Bears will face off in the last regular season game for both teams. Baylor beat Texas in an overtime thriller back in late January. These teams seem to be heading in different directions as the Longhorns have lost 7 of their last 13 games, while Baylor has come on strong to win 6 of their last 7. Despite the recent trends, Texas has the upper hand in this match-up due to their depth. They go 7 deep on offense, which gives them the ability to increase leads when the starters are out. Damion James leads the way with a 17.7 point per game average. His 10+ rebounds are also tops on the team. They have a well balanced attack as their guards Avery Bradley and J’Covan Brown contribute 22 points per game, and their center Dexter Pittman pours in 10.5 points and 6 boards... 

While it may seem like just another Thursday night NBA game, the match-up between the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns has many implications. Both teams are currently in second place in their divisions, but only Utah has a legitimate chance of taking over the lead and securing one of the top 3 seeds. However, if the Jazz can’t reel in Denver for the Northwest division lead, then this match-up has the potential of determining who will finish 4th and have home court advantage. Currently the Jazz have a 2 game lead in the loss column over Phoenix, who as of right now are in the 5th spot and will have to go on the road for at least the first round. The Suns have been extremely inconsistent this season on offense. They do lead the league in scoring with a 109 point per game average, but have taken many...