Saturday Selections – 1/16/2021

We have a great slate of college basketball games and we begin the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs today. Here are my picks for the best games today:

NCAA Basketball:

#21 Ohio State (10-3) at #14 Illinois (9-4) (-7)

Illinois is highly ranked by many of the advanced ranking sites I use for my bracketology (there’s a new one by the way). They have one of the best players in the nation in Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn is a good frontcourt player for the Fighting Illini.

Tune into Ohio State at Illinois at 12 PM ET on FOX.

San Diego State (9-3) at Utah State (10-3) (-3.5)

Neemas Queta leads the Aggies in points, rebounds, and assists. However, I think if Brian Dutcher can get his team to contain Utah State’s big, they are in good shape if Matt Mitchell can score.

Tune into San Diego State at Utah State at 1:30 PM ET on CBS.

#7 Michigan (11-0) (-5.5) at #23 Minnesota (10-4)

Name a team that’s hotter than the Wolverines right now. I’ll wait. No one expected Michigan to be one of the best teams in college basketball right now but here they are. Hunter Dickinson is one of the best players in the Big Ten going up against Minnesota who has Marcus Carr, who also is one of the best players in the Big Ten. I think Michigan can’t be beaten by anyone in the Big Ten besides Iowa.

Tune into Michigan at Minnesota at 2 PM ET on ESPN2.

Kentucky (4-7) at Auburn (7-6) (-3)

Kentucky started SEC play 3-0, which surprised me because Kentucky isn’t very good. Auburn didn’t start conference play well, but I think they win because of Sharife Cooper.

Tune into Kentucky at Auburn at 2 PM ET on ESPN.

Stanford (8-4) at Colorado (10-3) (-7.5)

I like the athleticism that Stanford has on their team, but Colorado just has the better team. McKinley Wright set a program record for assists recently and he’s one of the top players in the Pac-12.

Tune into Stanford at Colorado at 3 PM ET on Pac-12 Network.

Arkansas (10-3) at Alabama (10-3) (-2)

Alabama is one of the best teams in the SEC right now and they face a good challenge in the Razorbacks. I think they’ll split the season series, with the home team winning for each matchup.

Tune into Arkansas at Alabama at 3:30 PM ET on SEC Network.

#2 Baylor (11-0) (-4) at #15 Texas Tech (11-3)

Baylor is one of the only teams ranked top 10 in offense and defense, so it’s a no brainer they win this game. It’s only a matter of time before Baylor catches up to Gonzaga.

Tune into Baylor at Texas Tech at 4 PM ET on ESPN.

Florida (6-3) at Mississippi State (8-5) (EVEN)

Mississippi State may have 8 wins, but they are definitely not good. Florida, on the other hand, is on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.

Tune into Florida at Mississippi State at 4 PM ET on ESPN2.

#18 Virginia (8-2) (-2) at #12 Clemson (9-1)

Clemson is arguably the best team in the ACC right now. Yes, I mean college basketball. It’s very surprising. If Clemson can knock off Virginia, they may have a shot at being in the top 10.

Tune into Virginia at Clemson at 6 PM ET on ESPN.

#1 Gonzaga (13-0) (-13.5) at Saint Mary’s (9-4)

Saint Mary’s has its history of beating Gonzaga, but I think Gonzaga might be too good for any team. Even Baylor. I’ll be tuning into this game because Saint Mary’s is one of the better teams in the West Coast Conference.

Tune into Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s at 10 PM ET on ESPN.

NFL:

Rams (10-6) at Packers (13-3) (-6.5)

I think the Rams have a better defense, but when you have to face Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, you might have a rough time. Also, this is the battle of the two Cal quarterbacks, so tune into this game.

Tune into Rams at Packers at 4:35 PM ET on FOX.

Ravens (11-5) at Bills (13-3) (-2.5)

The Bills have a great offense and the Ravens defense is more effective on the run, which isn’t the Bills specialty. Expect a great back and forth game between two great AFC teams.

Tune into Ravens at Bills at 8:15 PM ET on NBC.