Tonight's Picks

We be ballin! Syracuse really proved they're worthy of the acclaim as they remain undefeated (against D-1 teams). Miami-OH made it close late against Cincy and MSU embarrassed Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies are off to an awful start. Here is Friday's lackluster trio:

• Middle Tennessee St. (+22) over #9 Tennessee: Bruce Pearl's high powered offense will not have a 20+ point victory against MTSU, their inferior in-state rival. I'll take the Blue Raiders (with the spread) for three reasons: (1) the Volunteers beat ETSU by only a dozen just a week ago; (2) they played Tennessee tight last year on the road; and (3) now they're at home. 
• Iowa State (-13) over Iowa: The once promising Cyclone team have stumbled recently, dropping three consecutive games in a row, but they arent bad enough to give the Hawkeyes a chance tonight. Two of their losses came down to a 3 pointer or less - so let's hope they come out focused and on point in this rivalry game. Sophomore Hawkeye Anthony Tucker may drop some points, but Iowa State's balanced attack will pull through in the clutch.
• Vanderbilt (-10) over W. Kentucky: Both of these teams are well matched and distribute scoring opportunities well, but look for Vandy's A.J. Ogilvy to be the difference maker. This junior from Australia rebounds on both ends of the court, blocks lots of shots and has a great touch around the rim. The Hilltoppers have been erratic this season, so center Cliff Dixon will have to neutralize the Commodores star.

Yesterday: 3-0
Overall: 15-8