Kentucky Sports Radio

We come to what will likely be the final edition of the picks for the season, seeing as it is the end of the season and all. Bubble teams are the main focus this week as teams try to doll themselves up in hopes of getting asked to the dance. Of course, even more importantly, the competition around KSR is at a fever pitch. Patrick Barker jumped back to the top of the heap with an 8-2 mark last week, leaving Intern, Beisner and BTI one game behind and your humble author two games back.

Just so we’re clear, the prizes on the line include an all-expenses paid trip for one to the McCracken County Fair, a 90-day supply of non-pointy Q-tips and a brand new Radio Flyer which Lentz will use to taxi the winner around the KSR compound.

The stakes have never been higher and there’s no time like now to read the picks. So do it.

Saturday

#1 Syracuse at Louisville, 2 p.m., ESPN

Ah, the end of an era. The last game at Freedom Hall is tomorrow and it couldn’t be more rife with underlying themes. The Cards need the win to feel comfortable about dancing, having just been waxed by Marquette, and the Orange are fighting for the overall #1 seed. Add to that the 9th year seniors that Louisville is sending on their way and we should have what those of us in the business call ‘a very competitive game.’ The emotion will carry the Cards, but it can only carry them so far. I refuse to believe they can sweep the Cuse, and therefore they won’t. My apologies to the Hall.

#8 West Virginia at #9 Villanova, 12 p.m., CBS

One of the few contests between really good teams this weekend, Nova won the first game with the ‘Neers 82-75 in Morgantown. Scottie Reynolds scored 19 of his 21 in the second half in that one, and the Wildcats shot 57% from the field to get the win. Villanova has slipped recently in losing three out of their last four and West Virginia typically gives Reynolds trouble, but on his senior day there’s no way I’m betting against the little guy. Nova takes it to lock up second place in the Big East and keep their outside hopes of a 1-seed alive.

#13 Tennessee at Mississippi State, 6 p.m. ESPN

It’s the last hurrah for Jarvis Varnado, and I couldn’t, under any circumstances, care less. The NCAA’s all-time leader in blocks has bigger fish to fry anyway, as his Bulldogs, having fallen just short of the SEC title Jerry Tipton predicted for them, are playing for their NCAA tournament life. Amazingly, in this down year for basketball, a team with three sub-100 RPI losses and its best win over Old Dominion could get an at-large bid, but it’s true nonetheless. If State can beat Tennessee, they still must make noise in the SEC tournament to garner consideration for the Dance. And that’s only if they can beat Tennessee, which they can’t.

#25 Texas at #22 Baylor, 4 p.m., ESPN

The Longhorns are a far cry from the team we thought we knew in December, and lost to the Bears the first time around this year. Baylor is not spectacular, but hasn’t experienced the significant ebb and flow that has troubled Texas and sports the second-highest seed for a Big 12 team in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology (whatever that’s worth). The Horns have looked like a mess lately and fixing their problems on senior night on the road against a good team won’t be easy, so I’ll take the Bears. Besides, how could I go wrong with a team whose top three scorers are named LaceDarius, Tweety and Ekpe?

Notre Dame at Marquette, 2 p.m.

Almost without anyone realizing it, Notre Dame has transformed into a tournament team, and all it took was losing the school’s second all-time leading scorer to do it. The Irish have won three straight over quality opponents, will finish no worse than .500 in the Big East and might actually get Harangody back for the conference tournament. Still, they need a win against the Golden Eagles to secure a bye at the Garden and to further their résumé for the Dance. That won’t be easy, as Marquette has won nine of their last ten, lost to only Villanova and Pitt at home in conference this season and blasted Louisville back to reality just days ago. The Irish are a great story, but this will be a bad chapter. The Eagles get this one.

Ole Miss at Arkansas, 4 p.m.

It may be Senior Day in Fayetteville for John Pelphrey, as his Hogs have fallen apart after there was a glimmer of hope earlier in the conference season and his seat may be warming up again. Meanwhile, Ole Miss has gone from a top-25 team to extra juicy bubblicious as they’re only 4-5 in their last nine games. Essentially, their tournament hat is hanging on a win over Kansas State and a bunch of losses to good teams that make their RPI look borderline decent. Neither of these teams is worth a flip, but since I have to pick one, I’ll take the lesser of two evils and go with Ole Miss.

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech, 4 p.m.

Arguably the two top Techs in college basketball battle for a win they are both in serious need of. The Hokies seemed to be danceworthy for certain until losing three of their last four and missing out on a signature win over either Duke or Maryland in the process. Georgia Tech sits behind the Hokies in the ACC standings, but has played the more difficult schedule and has actually beaten some good teams (mainly Duke). This is a toss-up, but I like Virginia Tech to finally break through and get the win they were denied when Greivis Vasquez put on a 41-point show for the KSR crew last week.

Sunday

Clemson at Wake Forest, 6 p.m., FSN

Wake Forest has a touch of the Ole Miss virus, having seemed a mortal lock for the tournament at 8-3 in the ACC just two weeks ago. Now, they’ve lost their last four and need a win just for self-esteem purposes, not to mention the postseason implications. Clemson seems to have staved off its customary second-half collapse under Oliver Purnell this year, and sits comfortably in third place in the ACC, basically assured of an NCAA bid. Wake will probably still go but needs this win to make sure of it, and I think they pull it together and get the W on their senior night.

#17 Wisconsin at Illinois, 2 p.m., ESPN

The Illini have work yet to do to get to the tournament but already beat Wisconsin on the road, which is a rare feat for any team. Still, they almost must win this one to keep their hopes alive, having lost four of their last five, three of those by double figures. I still think they’ll make the tournament, as it’s tough to see the Big Ten only sending four teams and Illinois has the best résumé of any of the rest, but a sweep of the Badgers would go a long way to locking things up, and that’s exactly what I think happens this weekend.

Iowa at Minnesota, 6 p.m.

Tubby’s troops’ tournament hopes are on life support after being blown out by lowly Michigan in their last game. If there’s any hope of making the field of 65, the Gophers can’t afford to fall to even lowlier Iowa. The narrow losses Minny suffered to Michigan State and Purdue, by three total points, are coming back to haunt them as their season is void of a true signature win. Lucky for them, Iowa has been handing out regular wins at an alarming rate, so the Gophers should take this one and keep their tournament heads above water.

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Writer picks and results after the jump. So jump.