Picks for 3/22/25
Rotation # 815
McNeese +6.5 over Purdue (loss)
McNeese got an ideal start against Clemson and almost allowed a historic comeback in the second half, which is a little concerning. The Cowboys dominated the Southland conference and have an outstanding coach, Will Wade. The Cowboys play excellent defense and actively turn teams over to create more possessions, a significant stat when possessions are at a premium at a slower tempo. The Cowboy bench was impressive the other night and can make up for a starter having a bad game. Purdue is obviously from a better conference but is on the younger side, with little depth from their bench and issues blocking shots and securing rebounds. Both teams play at a slower pace, so I don’t see this game getting out of hand one way or the other. Look for a tight game. Take McNeese.
Rotation # 826
Texas Tech -7.5 over Drake (win)
Drake’s head coach, 43-year-old Ben McCollum, is coaching in his first year at the D1 level. The Bulldogs are a team of all transfers, and over half of their top players played Division 2 basketball one year ago today. The Bulldogs play at a turtle pace and run set plays out of the half-court. The Bulldogs are the best statistical defensive team in basketball. I doubt they would be if they played in a big conference. Texas Tech likes playing slower and doesn’t turn the ball over much. The Red Raiders have an outstanding defense themselves. Drake beat up a Missouri team that has trouble defending and rebounding. That shouldn’t be the case today with Texas Tech. We most likely will see another boring basketball game, but at some point, Drake won’t be the team dictating how the game is played and have zero shot at staging any comeback with their inability to create fast-break offense. The Red Raiders should pull away even without Chance McMillion in the lineup. Take Texas Tech.
7:10 PM EST
Rotation # 820
Auburn -9.5 over Creighton (win)
Creighton has all the physical tools to make a big tournament run. They are a big-body team that contests shots and plays excellent defense. The problem with the Blue Jays is they can get streaky and take a half off. Against weaker teams, there is room for error, but not against top teams like Auburn. The Bluejays can get lazy on the offensive boards and fail to turn teams over. Auburn hot dogged their first game the other day but escaped injury-free. The Tigers protect the basketball and are good at protecting the rim. The difference in this game could be bench play. Creighton doesn’t have a good bench. Auburn has an outstanding bench. John Broome has the size and strength to go right at Creighton, while the Tigers’ guards will be too fast for the Bluejays players to chase around for 40 minutes. The Tigers should slowly pull away by double-digits. Take Auburn.
Rotation # 823
Gonzaga +5.5 over Houston (win)
Gonzaga retained every player from their team except for Anton Watson. Graham Ike has done a tremendous job stepping up and filling his shoes. Khalif Battle was a tremendous offseason addition for the Bulldogs. Mark Few is an outstanding coach, as this is a true dark horse team to cut down the nets. Houston is well-coached by Kelvin Sampson, and they, too, are a veteran team. I question the status of J’wan Roberts, who didn’t play as much the other day against a weaker SIU Edwardsville team. We will see how he feels after the quick turnaround. Both teams are outstanding in the style they play at. We lean the way of the Bulldogs because they are deep, experienced, can operate much faster, are better on the fast break, and are the best passing team in the nation. Houston can go through stretches where it looks like they have never shot a basketball. Take Gonzaga.