Morehead State vs Ohio State
The Ohio State Buckeyes are in for what may be their toughest college basketball contest to date, against Morehead State on Wednesday.
Tomorrow. 5PM. BTN. See you soon 😈#Team122 #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/9x494Ol0AG
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 1, 2020
The Buckeyes currently sit at 2-0 after cruising to a 94-67 win over Illinois State in their opener on November 25. On Sunday, the side trailed UMass Lowell by 5 points in the second half, but came back to finish with an upset win, 74-64.
Ohio State are trying to iron out those wrinkles against Morehead tomorrow, after struggling with the River Hawks’ zone defence, which caused them to miss their first 11 shots outside the arc.
Meanwhile Morehead State continue to put along… after opening with a horror loss, 81-45 against Kentucky. The side got reamed again two days later 82-64 by Richmond on Kentucky’s home floor. But, the Eagles finally came into fruition on Sunday, defeating Arkansas State 69-91.
The Ohio State Buckeyes may struggle against the Morehead State Eagles, who are planning to run more zone defences tomorrow. Ohio State will have to have to stand strong offensively and hit their 3-pointers to take home the win.
College basketball pick – Ohio State by 6.
West Virginia vs Gonzaga
This is what college basketball is all about – West Virginia and Gonzaga facing off at the Jimmy V Classic. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 1 in the country, but will they take a loss tomorrow?
🚨 NEW AP POLL 🚨
1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Iowa
4. Wisconsin
5. Illinois
6. Duke
7. Kansas
8. Michigan State
9. Creighton
10. Houston— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) November 30, 2020
The Bulldogs have currently played up to their ranking, coming off their most recent win over Auburn, 90-67. Drew Timmie and Corey Kispert teamed up to create 53 of the Bulldogs 90 points, shooting 66% from the field.
West Virginia are coming off a tournament win in South Daktota, after defeating Western Kentucky 70-64. The side did wonders on the offensive glass, rebounding 42.8% of their misses.
For West Virginia to take home the title, they’ll have to look to big man Oscar Tshiebwe (7.7ppg, .87rpg) and Miles McBride (16.3ppg). These star guards must have a big game to pull off the win, and the Mountaineers team as a whole must shoot better from the outside the arc.
On paper, the sides come into the game as a Top 15 clash. Gonzaga’s offensive system has been remarkable this year, whereas West Virginia has overwhelmed opponents on the glass. But, Gonzaga just have too much offensive firepower to lose.
College basketball pick – Gonzaga by 8.
Missouri vs Oregon
College basketball teams have had to be extraordinarily flexible when it comes to finding an opponent that is both COVID-free and available.
Without anyone on Missouri’s schedule confirmed until Sunday, the side have scrambled to find a matchup against the Oregon Ducks.
The Ducks have not yet played a game, after their season opener was postponed. But, this is no matter for the Oregon side, with their team still rated 18th Nationally.
This clash should pose a significant threat to the Tigers, who are desperately grappling to build momentum after a few rough seasons. They’ve always had one-up over the Ducks, though, holding a 5-0 series lead out of the five times the sides have met previously. However, a lot has changed since their last meeting, which was over a decade ago.
College basketball pick – Oregon by 3.
Richmond vs Charleston
The Richmond Spiders have added themselves to the long list of men’s college basketball programs which have been temporarily paused due to COVID-19 test results. Due to this, the game between the Spiders and the Cougars has been cancelled.
College basketball pick – Game cancelled.
North Florida vs Florida State
It’s been around nine months since the Florida State Seminoles won their first regular-season ACC Championship – with the postseason cruelly ripped away due to COVID-19.
Now, after a ridiculously long wait, a line-up with some familiar faces, along with some fresh ones, will take to court on Wednesday night.
The team are ready to begin a season unlike any other in the history of college basketball – with no exhibition games and just 24 contests. It’s difficult to know what this side will look like coming onto court in 2020 – but the strength of the Seminoles should stand tall against North Florida in their season opener tomorrow.
Out of the 4 newcomers on the Seminoles side, 7-foot-2 transfer Tanor Ngam is seemingly the most dangerous. Although it may take some time to adjust to the college basketball game.
However, North Florida has had quite the contradicting season to Florida State – in an opening weekend jam-packed with matches. But this hasn’t helped the side, who are coming off a losing streak, falling to Raleigh 86-51, and also to Miami 77-59. Despite having no prior matchups this season – Florida State look a shoo-in to take home their first game of the season.
College basketball pick – Florida State by 2.
Illinois vs Baylor
Wednesday night will feature a centre-stage clash between two top-five college basketball sides, Illinois and Baylor. The non-conference battle matches-up two sides with no losses on the board this season.
They’ll compete in the Jimmy V Classic doubleheader – following up from West Virginia and Gonzaga. This will mark the fourth meeting of Illinois and Baylor, with the Fighting Illini leading the series 3-0.
𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗨𝗣. #Illini | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/VdhFaUWibd
— Illinois Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 30, 2020
After posting blowout victories in their first two matches against North Carolina A&T and Chicago State, Illinois almost fell victim to an upset against the Ohio Bobcats on Friday.
However, Illinois junior star point guard, Ayo Dosunmu dribbled the length of the court to draw a shooting foul under the basket with 2.3 seconds left. Dosunmu made both free throw shots to take home the victory 77-75.
The Bears took home the win 112-82 against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, and held up defensively with an 86-52 victory against the Washington.
The matchup will be a very close one and could possibly come down to free throws, where Baylor exceeds the Bears, who are shooing 12-for-24 through two games.
College basketball pick – Baylor by 2.
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