Andre Ramirez

CBB 100 DIME SYNDICATE GOY

VCU has done well this year with a lineup that wasn’t supposed to be this good. This team can play great hoop, but have been banged up as of late. Bones Hyland has missed some time, and I don’t think this team can keep winning without him. Davidson is a well coached team that doesn’t turn the ball over. VCU turns the ball over a lot which could be trouble for them on the road today against this Wildcats team that makes opponents pay for their mistakes. This team has sneaky size and is strong all over the court. This should be a classic game of a Bob McKillop coached team taking care of the basic fundamentals while the more athletic Rams team gets overly aggressive and coughs the ball up. Take Davidson.

CBB 100 DIME GAME

IOWA ST

The Iowa State Cyclones are due for a win, and they play the team that they beat for their last win. The closest that Iowa State has come to a conference win this season was their three-point loss at TCU. The Cyclones nearly pulled off a major upset in their last game versus Baylor, and they lost by just 10 points to another Top 10 team, Oklahoma, in their previous game. TCU lost to Kansas State, who is right above Iowa State in the standings, by eight points last Saturday. This may be the Cycxlones’ best chance for a Big 12 win this season, and they will get the victory on Saturday.

CBB 100 DIME GAME

XAVIER 

This game should be much more meaningful to Xavier than Creighton. The Musketeers have a chance to really improve their NCAA Tournament hopes with an upset win on Saturday. They nearly pulled off the upset in the first meeting and their best player only scored seven points. Freemantle has become one of the best scorers in the conference over the last few weeks and should continue his hot play in this game. Xavier has been excellent at home, going 10-2 in its last 12 home games.

CBB 100 DIME GAME

141 OVER 

The Gators are playing well, but they have been shaky on the road and have split their eight road games. Their defense hasn’t been very good on the road, with the team giving up over 75 points per game. Even though the Wildcats have struggled offensively, they play well at home and have made over 40 percent of their three-pointers in their last three games, so don’t expect them to struggle against the Gators. The Wildcats have also played well on the defensive end in recent games, and have been aggressive on the boards, averaging almost 40 rebounds per game. They have also done a good job creating turnovers, with the team averaging 7.3 steals per game in their last three games. Even though the Gators have played well offensively this season, they are averaging 68.5 points per game in their last four games, and 16.7 turnovers per game in their last three games, so expect them to struggle once again on Saturday. With the Wildcats winning seven of the last 10 games between the two teams, Kentucky is the smart bet here.

Kentucky wins 75-72