College Basketball Picks - December 30 (Major conference play begins)

Took Sunday and Monday off to rear up for today.  Actually I'm just lazy, but we'll go with that.

Northwestern +2.5 @ Rutgers.  I'm gonna take a team getting points against Rutgers in B1G play while I still can.
1-0.

Iowa +8.5 @ Ohio State.  Hawkeyes won at UNC and UNC handled Ohio State.  Transitive property aside, I'm not sure we have any real evidence that Ohio State's *that* good yet.
2-0.

West Virginia -16.5 v. Virginia Tech.  You only get a few power conference teams per year that would finish in the bottom rungs of mid and low major leagues.  Virginia Tech is one of them.
3-0.

Michigan 1.5 v. Illinois.  Suspiciously low but makes me even more confident the Wolverines are winning this.  4 of Illini's first 5 in conference play are on the road, which is awful and pretty much assures they're fighting for their spot in March at best.
4-0.  I'd be more excited about these if I hadn't accidentally started with the night games because I already know how those are gonna go.

NC State -4 v. Cincinnati.  Still not sure on the Wolfpack but Mick Cronin's out indefinitely and Cincy can't score.
Just an awful performance from the Wolfpack.  They let Cincy get to 50 in 25 minutes.  4-1.

Maryland +6.5 @ Michigan State.  That's just insulting.
This GAME was insulting....but my Terps found a way to win.  That's what good teams do.  5-1.

Davidson +16.5 @ Virginia.  Just a gut prediction but I feel like they really give the Hoos a fight.
Mostly right prediction.  6-1.

Charleston +14.5 @ Miami (FL).  Reminder in case you forgot over Christmas - Miami lost by 28 at home to Eastern Kentucky.
6-2.

Georgia State -15.5 v. UL Monroe.  A final gift to close out 2014?  You shouldn't have!
7-2.  Seriously, it may not seem like it now but it's gonna get REAL bad soon.

La Salle -12.5 v. Pennsylvania.  Does anybody besides the Quakers play their Big 5 home games at the Palestra anymore?
8-2.

Akron -11.5 v. Marshall.  Part of me feels like Marshall never left the MAC.
8-3.

Florida -5.5 @ Florida State.  If you like the Gators to have a second half resurgence - and a lot of people, myself included, do - they should take care of this one easily.  Not sure people realize how bad FSU is yet.
Did you hear?  The guy knocked the ball in to his own hoop at the end.  8-4.

Delaware +9.5 v. St. Bonaventure.  The Hens have been knocking on the door, it's time to kick it down.
THEY DID IT!  THEY DID IT!  9-4.

Long Beach State +19 @ Louisville.  This is disrespectful to the Beach.
I've been talking up the Cards as a contender for a top seed in the bubble watch but they're looking like they might be a step behind Duke and Virginia.  Think the step up from the American is gonna be tougher than people realize, especially in the midsection of the league.  10-4.

North Carolina -18 v. William & Mary.  They're in a groove.
I guess it's kind of nice I tabulated the later games first so I have no false hopes about having a great day or anything.  11-4.

Georgia Tech -4.5 v. Charlotte.  Stupidly, I'm buying Tech for now.
Still a good win, if only by a point.  11-5.

UNC Wilmington +7.5 @ Ohio.  That's a big number.
Okay, HERE comes the decline.  11-6.

Kansas -16 v. Kent State.  Not a vintage Kent State.
The Push Before The Storm.  11-6-1.

Dayton -6 v. Mississippi.  Maybe the most intriguing game of the evening.  Ole Miss is a weird team so I'll opt with the reliability of Dayton's home court advantage.
Flyers were covering this most of the way but the Rebs made a late push.  11-7.

Arkansas State -2.5 @ South Alabama.  Pounding Mississippi State has to be worth something, right?
OT cover by a half point!  12-7.

Georgia Southern +4 @ UT Arlington.  They're being underrated!
Nah.  12-8.

Texas State +2.5 @ Troy.  Really like this, for some strange reason.  Texas State can defend.  Troy can't do anything, right?
12-9.

Arkansas Little Rock -1 v. UL Lafayette.  This just *seems* like a big Sun Belt game, right?  Well, to finish best behind Georgia State anyway.
Rajun Cajuns won in OT.  12-10.

Oklahoma State -9 @ Missouri.  Messing with me so much that Mizzou and aTm are SEC in basketball now.  How is this not a conference game?  So weird.
Tigers hit a buzzer beating 3 to force OT before losing by a deuce.  12-11.

UC Santa Barbara -1 @ Oregon State.  Alan Williams Project is 5-6.  That's a 5-6 Big West team favored by a point at a Pac-12 school.
The disappointing season continues.  A 12 point loss here?  Really?  Yuck.  12-12.

George Washington -21 v. VMI.  Colonials sure to be flush with confidence now and scoring will be easy against VMI.  Keydets are bad.
That kind of night.  Point miss.  12-13.

Detroit -5 v. Oral Roberts.  Love when teams I can't pick correctly play.
Of course ORU wins.  12-14.

Iona +3.5 @ Massachusetts.  This can't quite be termed a gift but that's a strange line.
LOL.  12-15.

IPFW -1 v. Cal Poly.  West flying to Midwest.
Good lord.  12-16.

Mercer +13 @ Texas A&M.  Seems like it's time for someone in a low major to push an SEC team again.
Missed by 2, 12-17.

Vermont +5.5 @ USC.  hahahahahahahahaha.
Mercifully it's over.  12-18.