College Basketball Picks Week 4

Monday, December 14th

#19 Rutgers (4-0) @ Maryland (4-1)
6 PM ET, BTN

Pick: Maryland

Marquette (4-2) @ #9 Creighton (4-1)
9 PM ET, FS1

Pick: Creighton

Tuesday, December 15th

#24 Clemson (5-0) @ Virginia Tech (4-1)
6:30 PM ET, ACC Network

Pick: Clemson

Minnesota (6-0) @ #13 Illinois (4-2)
7 PM ET, ESPN2

Pick: Illinois

Loyola Chicago (3-0) @ #12 Wisconsin (4-1)
8 PM ET, BTN

Pick: Wisconsin

Furman (5-1) @ Alabama (3-2)
9 PM ET, SEC Network

Pick: Alabama

Wednesday, December 16th

Butler (1-0, 0-0 Big East) @ #7 Villanova (5-1, 1-0 Big East)
7 PM ET, FS1

Pick: Villanova

#20 Ohio State (5-0) @ Purdue (4-2)
7 PM ET, BTN

Pick: Purdue

#21 Duke (2-2) @ Notre Dame (2-2)
9 PM ET, ESPN

Pick: Duke

TCU (5-2) @ Oklahoma State (6-0)
9 PM ET, ESPN2

Pick: Oklahoma State

Thursday, December 17th

#5 Kansas (6-1) @ #14 Texas Tech (6-1)
7 PM ET, ESPN

Chris Beard’s Texas Tech Red Raiders have a claim to be the best defense in the country, but TTU runs into a Kansas team firing on all cylinders. The Jayhawks, led by freshman Jalen Wilson, have won six straight after dropping their opener to #1 Gonzaga, including a 73-72 win over Creighton last Tuesday. KU is a big, physical team that will also get up and down the floor and will play defense among the best in the nation. Expect Texas Tech to limit Kansas’ possessions, but the pure talent of the Jayhawks will win out at the end of the day.

Pick: Kansas

#9 Creighton (4-2, 0-1 Big East) @ St. John’s (5-3, 0-2 Big East)
7 PM ET, FS1

Pick: Creighton

NC State (3-0) @ Saint Louis (4-0)
8 PM ET, ESPN+

Pick: Saint Louis

Seton Hall (4-3, 1-0 Big East) @ Marquette (5-2, 1-0 Big East)
9 PM ET, FS1

Pick: Marquette

Friday, December 18th

Richmond (5-1) vs Loyola Chicago (3-1) in Indianapolis, IN
6 PM ET, ESPN+

Pick: Richmond

Saturday, December 19th

Butler (1-1) vs Indiana (4-2) in Indianapolis, IN
11:30 AM ET, FS1

Pick: Indiana

#3 Iowa (6-0) vs #1 Gonzaga (3-0) in Sioux Falls, SD
12 PM ET, CBS

Two of the very best teams in the country will square off in Sioux Falls in what will be yet another tough non-conference test for Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have already faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation, and that’s not to mention canceled games vs Tennessee and Baylor. Gonzaga is battle-tested to a degree that Iowa just isn’t yet, and I trust the bigs of Mark Few’s team to lead them to a victory.

Pick: Gonzaga

#23 Louisville (4-0) @ #12 Wisconsin (5-1)
12 PM ET, ESPN2

Going head-to-head with Gonzaga-Iowa will be another ranked vs ranked matchup, Louisville vs Wisconsin. I’m still not sold on Greg Gard’s Badgers. Wisconsin is tall, experienced, and poised, but I worry about their propensity to commit fouls and lack of disruption on the defensive end a. Meanwhile, they take on a Louisville team led by Carlik Jones that has one of the most talented offenses in the land. I’ll take the Cards to pull a huge road upset.

Pick: Louisville

#22 North Carolina (4-2) vs Kentucky (1-4) in Cleveland, OH
2 PM ET, CBS

Pick: North Carolina

Ole Miss (4-0) @ Dayton (3-1)
2:30 PM ET, NBCSN

Pick: Dayton

#20 Ohio State (5-1) vs UCLA (5-1) in Cleveland, OH
4:15 PM ET, CBS

I am not at all sold on Ohio State right now. The Buckeyes struggled with a bad Notre Dame team and then lost to Purdue in their only two games vs power conference opponents. Meanwhile, UCLA is staking their claim as perhaps the best team in the Pac-12 and is red-hot coming off of a win over Marquette. Give me the Bruins.

Pick: UCLA

Arizona (5-0) vs Stanford (3-2) in Santa Cruz, CA
8 PM ET, Pac-12 Network

Pick: Arizona

Sunday, December 20th

#9 Creighton (5-2, 1-1 Big East) @ UConn (3-0, 0-0 Big East)
12 PM ET, FS1

This is a historically important game, as the first contest for UConn back under the Big East banner. The Huskies haven’t played in over two weeks due to a COVID pause, which really worries me, additionally, they take on a Creighton team that has some of the best shooters in the country. I expect the Bluejays to give Dan Hurley a sour welcome to the conference.

Pick: Creighton

#13 Illinois (5-2, 1-0 Big Ten) @ #19 Rutgers (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
1 PM ET, ESPN2

They may have two losses, but I am still all in on this Illinois team, even on the road against a ranked foe. Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn remain one of the best 1-2 combos in the nation, and freshman Adam Miller has shone as well. The Illini are fresh off of a 92-65 throttling of Minnesota on Tuesday, and while this one should be closer, I expect the orange and blue to come out on top yet again.

Pick: Illinois

Marquette (5-3, 1-1 Big East) @ Xavier (7-0, 0-0 Big East)
2 PM ET, FS1

Pick: Xavier

Oklahoma State (6-1, 0-1 Big 12) @ #11 Texas (6-1, 0-0 Big 12)
2 PM ET, LHN

Pick: Texas

Providence (4-2, 0-0 Big East) @ Seton Hall (5-3, 2-0 Big East)
4:30 PM ET, FS1

Pick: Seton Hall

#4 Michigan State (6-0) @ Northwestern (3-1)
7 PM ET, BTN

Pick: Michigan State

Saint Louis (6-0) @ Minnesota (6-1)
8:30 PM ET, FS1

Pick: Saint Louis