Saturday Selections – 1/30/21

I know that my picks haven’t done necessarily well in past weeks, but I did well on Sunday for the AFC and NFC Championships, so maybe that was the start of me winning. Here are my picks for today:

NCAA Basketball:

#9 Alabama (14-3) at #24 Oklahoma (10-4) (EVEN)

Alabama is having their best season I’ve seen from their basketball team in my entire life. However, Oklahoma has been on the right side of the history between these two teams. Both teams have been streaking and I would take the team that just beat Texas. Alabama won the last matchup, but I think, with the competition in the Big 12 compared to the SEC, the Sooners win this one.

Tune into Alabama at Oklahoma at 12 PM ET on ESPN.

Clemson (10-4) at Duke (6-5) (-5)

Clemson has looked like a better team in the ACC and Duke has struggled. However, when facing the teams that were considered good basketball teams in past years, such as Florida State or Virginia, Clemson hasn’t done too well. Clemson can win if they can play good defense. Duke can get its hundredth win all-time against the Tigers (according to Sports Reference).

Tune into Clemson at Duke at 12 PM ET on ESPN2.

#10 Texas Tech (11-5) (-3.5) at LSU (11-4)

The Red Raiders will have to rely on stopping LSU on offense to win this game. On KenPom, LSU has the 6th ranked offensive in the nation. Texas Tech has a better defense than LSU, so I don’t see this necessarily becoming a high scoring game. Texas Tech has lost 3 of the last 4 matchups against the Tigers, but I think with the right game plan and good coaching by Chris Beard, the Red Raiders get their first win at LSU since 1959.

Tune into Texas Tech at LSU at 2 PM ET on ESPN2.

Florida (9-4) at #11 West Virginia (11-4) (-4.5)

Florida has won the past three matchups against West Virginia, but Florida lost the past two games where they played the Mountaineers on the road. I think West Virginia wins this one with defense and second-chance points on offense since they’re one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the country.

Tune into Florida at West Virginia at 2 PM ET on ESPN.

#14 Wisconsin (13-4) (-4.5) at Penn State (5-7)

The last time that Wisconsin lost to Penn State was back in 2011 during the Big Ten Tournament. Since then, the Badgers have won 13 straight against Penn State. Wisconsin’s offense doesn’t include many turnovers, but they’ll make Penn State turn the ball over. I think Wisconsin wins big here.

Tune into Wisconsin at Penn State at 3 PM ET on Big Ten Network.

#3 Villanova (10-1) (-5) at Seton Hall (9-7)

The Wildcats got more time to practice after their game against UConn was postponed once again, due to one of the officials from the UConn-Butler game testing positive for COVID-19. Villanova is considered to be one of the most efficient teams on offense. However, I’m not impressed by Collin Gillepsie, who was supposed to be the best player on the best team in the Big East. Seton Hall has struggled in past years against one of the best programs in college basketball currently, so I think Villanova wins.

Tune into Villanova at Seton Hall at 3:30 PM ET on FOX.

#16 Florida State (10-2) (-4) at Georgia Tech (7-5)

Florida State has won five straight against the Yellow Jackets, including an earlier matchup this season. Florida State is the better team on both sides of the court, so I’ll take the Seminoles without hesitation.

Tune into Florida State at Georgia Tech at 4 PM ET on ACC Network.

Arkansas (13-4) at Oklahoma State (10-4) (-2)

Oklahoma State lost the last matchup between the two schools, but that was their first loss against the Razorbacks ever. Oklahoma State is led by one of the top freshmen in the country in Cade Cunningham. Oklahoma State is a sneaky team in the Big 12 and they should improve their out-of-conference schedule with a win over Arkansas.

Tune into Arkansas at Oklahoma State at 4 PM ET on ESPN2.

Xavier (10-2) (-1) at Butler (5-8)

Xavier has lost three straight against Butler, but with how unathletic the Bulldogs are and how tough Xavier can be, I see that losing streak against Butler ending today in Indianapolis.

Tune into Xavier at Butler at 5:30 PM ET on Fox Sports 1.

#8 Virginia (11-2) (-5) at #20 Virginia Tech (12-3)

Virginia has won four straight against the Hokies and I say make it five straight. Virginia moves the ball better on offense than we’ve seen in past years, but my friend says the defense isn’t as good as it has been in past years.

Tune into Virginia at Virginia Tech at 6 PM ET on ACC Network.

#15 Kansas (11-5) at #18 Tennessee (11-3) (-3)

I’ve been saying this all season: I’m not sold on Kansas. They’re not very good compared to the teams that I’ve seen this season. I don’t care that Kansas has won the past three matchups, this team isn’t great on offense and Tennessee will make the offense look worse today.

Tune into Kansas at Tennessee at 6 PM ET on ESPN.

#21 Minnesota (11-5) at Purdue (11-6) (-2)

Both teams are coming off losses and I think Purdue is hungry for a win. 7 losses in an unprecedented season don’t look good right now for a bubble team. I think Minnesota is a good team, but Purdue has had the better history of playing the Golden Gophers and they’ve upset a lot of Big Ten teams.

Tune into Minnesota at Purdue at 7:30 PM ET on Big Ten Network.

NBA:

Trail Blazers (9-8) at Bulls (7-10) (-2.5)

I don’t know why the Bulls are favored. Zach LaVine is very talented, I agree, but when you have to face Damian Lillard, you’re gonna have a tough time.

Tune into Trail Blazers at Bulls at 8 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: NBC Sports Chicago, NBC Sports Northwest).

Bucks (11-7) (-7.5) at Hornets (8-11)

The Bucks are fresh off a loss to the Pelicans after rallying late. Milwaukee is still considered one of the best teams in the NBA and should get a bounce-back win over Charlotte.

Tune into Bucks at Hornets at 8 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: Fox Sports Southeast-Charlotte, Fox Sports Wisconsin).

Rockets (8-9) (-1) at Pelicans (7-10)

The Pelicans picked up a huge win over the Milwaukee Bucks and I think they’ll have a three-game winning streak after tonight. Zion Williamson was terrific last night, but I think tonight is Brandon Ingram’s night.

Tune into Rockets at Pelicans at 8 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: Fox Sports New Orleans, AT&T Sportsnet Southwest).

Kings (8-10) at Heat (6-12) (-5.5)

I didn’t expect the Heat to have this bad of a record 18 games in, but here we are. The Kings don’t have the depth that I think the Heat do, and that will cost them the game.

Tune into Kings at Heat at 8 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: Fox Sports Sun, NBC Sports California).

Lakers (14-6) (-2) at Celtics (10-7)

Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis are day-to-day, but it would not surprise me if they were active tonight. I think the Lakers’ frontcourt is pretty strong, but I think the scoring depth of the Celtics will get Boston the win. Jaylen Brown looks like an All-Star this season, hope he’s not snubbed again.

Tune into Lakers at Celtics at 8:30 PM ET on ABC.

Grizzlies (7-6) at Spurs (11-8) (-3.5)

The Spurs have been pretty solid this season. When I watched the ending of the Celtics-Spurs game, I saw how good they could be in crunch time. That steal on Kemba Walker was the game. Without Ja Morant on the Grizzlies, give me San Antonio in this game.

Tune into Grizzlies at Spurs at 8:30 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: Fox Sports Southwest-San Antonio, Fox Sports Southeast-Memphis).

Suns (9-8) at Mavericks (8-11) (-2)

At full strength, I would take the Suns, but without Devin Booker, I’ll take Luka Doncic, who’s averaging almost a triple-double a game, and the Dallas Mavericks.

Tune into Suns at Mavericks at 9 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: Fox Sports Southwest-Dallas, Fox Sports Arizona).

Pistons (5-14) at Warriors (10-9) (-5)

I will admit the Jerami Grant has been pretty good this season regardless of the Pistons’ record. However, Stephen Curry will be all over this struggling Pistons team.

Tune into Pistons at Warriors at 10 PM ET on NBA League Pass (Local TV: NBC Sports Bay Area, Fox Sports Detroit+).