College Basketball Predictions: 5 Burning Questions Week 14
by Mike Rose
To the casual college basketball fan, this week is just another of many in the season. To the avid fan though, this is a chance to see some of the smallest giants of the NCAA basketball world pitted against each other in rare matchups.
This event is known as "Bracket Busters," and BetUS.com poses five burning questions about this week’s college basketball action that should help sports fans make their March Madness picks next month.
1: How many mid-majors can steal bids to the dance this weekend?
If none of them win their conference tournament, the answer to that question could be as many as five or six. The Siena Saints, Northeastern Huskies, Murray State Racers, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Old Dominion Monarchs, and Wichita State Shockers all have legitimate gripes to take at-large bids to the dance if they don't win their respective conference tourneys. Keep a very close eye on these teams this week, as even if they do grab their conference auto-bids, they're going to bust your brackets if you're not careful with your March Madness picks.
2: Will the Big East continue to be a big mess?
In a span of two days, how do Syracuse, Georgetown, and Villanova lose to Louisville, Rutgers, and Connecticut respectively? There are legitimately 11 teams in the Big East that think that they can go to the NCAA Tournament right now, and save the Orange, Hoyas, Wildcats, Panthers, and Mountaineers, none are guaranteed much of anything. One thing is for certain, though. The rest of the bubble teams across the country sure don't like what they're seeing right now out of the Big East.
3: This is a big week in the Big Ten. Can either Purdue or Ohio State hop up to the #1 line this week?
The answer to that is probably not, but the winner of their game on Wednesday night could certainly go a long way towards doing so if it also wins the Big Ten Tournament or if there is enough carnage to go around in the Big East. These are two of the hottest teams in the country right now, and the Boilers and Buckeyes should put on a great show in Columbus that college basketball bettors won't want to miss.
4: Saturday is littered with Top-25 teams visiting bubble dwellers? Who's on upset alert?
We're looking squarely at you, Tennessee. The Vols enter this week having lost back-to-back games, and they have to travel to Columbia this weekend. That's the site of the only loss of the season for #2 Kentucky, and the Gamecocks have proven, at 11-2 SU, that they can play with anyone in the country on their home court. Baylor could be in a lot of trouble going to Stillwater to tango with the Cowboys as well.
5: Is the SEC going to help itself this week and start to put some teams back in the field?
Right now, the SEC probably only has three teams in the NCAA Tournament (Kentucky, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt), and we'll still contend that the Volunteers aren't a sure thing yet, especially if they lose to either UGA and/or South Carolina this week. It just doesn't look very good right now for this conference, and unless Mississippi State can knock off Kentucky or Ole Miss beats Vanderbilt, it doesn't seem very likely that anyone else in the SEC can help its own cause this week.
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