Going 5-9 in picks yesterday wasn’t great, but I think that shows how unpredictable college basketball can be. I know there will be upsets throughout the entire season, so I pick some upset winners (Stanford beating UCLA, which ended up being correct; #23 UConn upsetting #11 Creighton, which was wrong) every week. However, some of the games that I felt confident picking a team to win went the other way, and there’s nothing I can do about that. I wanted to do NBA picks, but the college basketball schedule was so big, I couldn’t fit all of them in before the 12 PM deadline. By the way, Coach K should’ve taken it easier on the student reporter at Duke. It was a completely fine question to ask, but I understand Krzyzewski is frustrated about the Blue Devils falling to 5-5. So today’s selections will include NBA, a Big Ten college basketball game, and the AFC and NFC Championship games. Here are my picks:
NCAA Basketball:
Rutgers (7-6) at Indiana (9-6) (-3.5)
Rutgers has never won in Bloomington and is currently on a five-game losing streak. I want Rutgers to win this game, but the way Rutgers has been trending and how they’ve never won at Indiana, I can’t take the Scarlet Knights.
Tune into Rutgers at Indiana at 12 PM ET on Big Ten Network.
NBA:
Raptors (6-9) at Pacers (9-6) (-1.5)
Both teams are coming off of big wins. The Pacers have just been scoring better recently with the help of Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, and Jeremy Lamb coming back from his injury.
Tune into Raptors at Pacers at 1 PM ET on NBA TV (Local TV: Fox Sports Indiana, Sportsnet).
Thunder (6-8) at Clippers (12-4) (-12.5)
The Clippers are one of the best teams in the NBA currently but day games haven’t been great to them. Remember, the Clippers lost by 51 against the Dallas Mavericks during a Sunday afternoon game last month. Paul George did say that they did need to be ready, and I think they shake off what happened against the Mavs last month.
Tune into Thunder at Clippers at 4 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: Fox Sports Prime Ticket, Fox Sports Oklahoma).
Cavaliers (8-7) at Celtics (8-6) (-6.5)
The Celtics lost two straight to the 76ers and the Cavaliers are hot right now with Colin Sexton leading them to two straight victories over the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics were able to stay in the game against the first-place Sixers without Jayson Tatum, so I think they shouldn’t have as much trouble against Cleveland, even without Tatum.
Tune into Cavaliers at Celtics at 7 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: NBC Sports Boston, Fox Sports Ohio).
Hornets (6-9) at Magic (7-9) (-1)
I loved seeing Cole Anthony hit the big shot the other night, but I think the Hornets will have more of a desire to win. The Hornets have been a great fit for newly-acquired players Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball. I see Hayward leading in points and helping Charlotte earn their seventh win of the season.
Tune into Hornets at Magic at 7 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: Fox Sports Florida, Fox Sports Southeast-Charlotte).
Wizards (3-8) at Spurs (8-8) (-6)
The Spurs have played more games and I think that will help them tonight. The Wizards haven’t played in two weeks and will have rust to dust off. The Spurs have won 3 of the last 4 against Washington.
Tune into Wizards at Spurs at 8 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: Fox Sports Southwest-San Antonio, NBC Sports Washington).
Hawks (8-7) at Bucks (9-6) (-7)
The Hawks have won three straight but they face the reigning back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks have won four straight against Atlanta and I say make it five.
Tune into Hawks at Bucks at 8 PM ET on NBA TV (Local TV: Fox Sports Wisconsin, Fox Sports Southeast-Atlanta).
Knicks (8-9) at Trail Blazers (8-6) (-4)
The Knicks have recently had big wins over the Celtics and the Warriors, but then they fell to the Sacramento Kings. The Trail Blazers are fresh off a break and looking to earn themselves a deserved win after injuries have been a problem for them.
Tune into Knicks at Trail Blazers at 10 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: NBC Sports Northwest, MSG Network).
NFL:
NFC Championship: Buccaneers (11-5) at Packers (13-3) (-3.5)
I will never EVER bet against Tom Brady in the playoffs. I just won’t. His playoff success is like no other player in NFL history. Today, he faces MVP front runner Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers for the first time in his playoff career. It will be a tough one, but I think when you have to face Tom Brady in the playoffs, it won’t end well for you.
Tune into Buccaneers at Packers in the NFC Championship at 3:05 PM ET on FOX.
AFC Championship: Bills (13-3) at Chiefs (14-2) (-3)
I know a lot of you will disagree with this pick. But I’m taking the Chiefs. After seeing that Patrick Mahomes was cleared to play, I think Kansas City will be looking to go back-to-back in Tampa. Arrowhead Stadium will be LOUD even without full capacity.
Tune into Bills at Chiefs in the AFC Championship at 6:40 PM ET on CBS.
Calhoun's Corner 