THE 1-3-1 MIDWEEK REVIEW

1 Thought From the Games Earlier this Week

North Carolina may have lost, but they are better equipped for a deep tournament run than Duke. UNC is better at penetrating the lane and getting open looks. Unlike Duke, UNC does not live and die by the three-point shot. UNC rebounds at a far better rate than Duke. Finally, and most importantly, UNC has Harrison Barnes. Rivers may have hit that buzzer-beating shot, but I’ll take Barnes with the ball in his hands when tournament time rolls around.

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3 Games to Watch this Weekend

i. San Diego State @ UNLV
Two top-fifteen mid-majors squaring off in a game that obviously has huge implications in the Mountain West conference standings. San Diego State won the first meeting by two, but winning won’t be as easy playing in Vegas.

ii. Michigan State @ Ohio State
Right now, Ohio State is firmly positioned as the third #1 seed, behind Syracuse and Kentucky. All that could change if they can’t hold court against the 2nd-best team in the Big 10. This is the Spartans first road game since that painful 42-41 loss in Champaign; it will be interesting to see how they respond.

iii. Baylor @ Missouri
The first match-up between these two teams was fun to watch; Missouri came away with 1-point victory in Waco. Missouri is undefeated at home. Baylor just got shellacked by a Kansas team that Missouri beat 5 days ago. All signs point to a Tigers victory, but the Lee Corso within me keeps saying “Not so fast, my friend!” This game should be damn good.

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1 Bold Prediction for the Weekend

Scott Machado and Michael Glover both log double-doubles as Iona downs Loyola (MD) in Baltimore to take the outright lead in the MAAC. Machado and Glover are two of the best players you’ve never heard of; I’m here to change that. Both these teams are very capable of earning a 13-seed out of the MAAC with a strong finish to the season. I believe Iona’s star power leads them to the big W.