After a heart-racing end to an otherwise boring MSU vs. Ohio State game last weekend — Tomahawk and The Boss are back to predicting.
Tomahawk is still edging The Boss out with his winning prognoses, 5-2 to 2-5. As the conference seasons unravel, the progsters — with The Boss as Matt Trannon and Tomahawk as Maurice Joseph — look at some of the big games happening around the country.
No. 11 MSU vs. No. 23 Iowa
The Boss — Well, I sorta jumped off the bandwagon last week, predicting an MSU loss to Ohio State, and, to be honest, neither team deserved to win.
But now, after a week off, the Spartans are focused on the task at hand, the ever-dangerous Iowa Hawkeyes.
So, how exactly do I see this game going? Well, let's put it this way: Iowa lost at Northern Iowa.
MSU is going to come out and hit 17 straight 3-pointers, 16 of them coming from Anthony Hamo, the other from Idong Ibok.
This sends Iowa's Greg Brunner and Adam Haluksa to the bench, where they cry until they are run over by former Spartan Tim Bograkos, who was diving for the loose ball after someone missed a shot in the 3-point shootout during a TV timeout. This forces Brunner and Haluska to find safer refuge … behind Steve Alford in the unemployment line. Will all this come true? Bank on it!
MSU 84, Iowa 66
Tomahawk — The Spartans proved in Columbus, Ohio that they're still capable of winning a grind-it-out game, which is perfect timing with one of the Big Ten's stingiest defenses coming to town this weekend.
The Spartans will face a defensive challenge that they haven't yet met in the Big Ten, as Iowa starts two big men — Brunner, who's 6-foot-7 but plays like he's 6-foot-11, and Erek Hansen, who's 6-foot-11 but plays like he's Calista Flockhart.
But the emergence of Matt Trannon should help keep Brunner under control.
Keep in mind that the Hawkeyes have had major trouble on the road — they're 10-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but 3-4 everywhere else. Don't expect the Spartans — and another rowdy Izzone — to roll out the red carpet.
MSU 68, Iowa 60
No. 18 UCLA vs. No. 12 West Virginia
The Boss — Despite the fact that West Virginia has been on a roll lately, I like the Bruins here.
Good home teams are tough to topple, especially while having to deal with a long plane ride and a huge time change. So that's why I see UCLA winning this game, but it sure as heck won't be easy, I'll tell you that much right now.
West Virginia will have the lead at halftime, but the Bruins will come back and pick up the victory.
UCLA 74, West Virginia 66
Tomahawk — I love Arron Afflalo and Jordan Farmar, but even they aren't enough to hide the Bruins' glaring lack of a presence down low. The only remotely big man UCLA is getting any production out of is some guy named Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, which even Idong Ibok has a hard time pronouncing.
So the Bruins can't be looking forward to West Virginia, which is anchored by the 6-foot-11, 20-points-a-game, my-last-name-sounds-like-a-Dr.-Seuss-character Kevin Pittsnogle. And even though Pittsnogle makes his living around the perimeter, he should have a field day against UCLA's pint-sized lineup.
West Virginia 77, UCLA 69
No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 20 Syracuse
The Boss — Yeah, can someone please clue me in on how Syracuse is ranked? I mean, this is a team that only beat Cornell by five points and holds "impressive" wins against the likes of Bethune-Cookman, Colgate and Manhattan. Talk about a killer nonconference schedule.
But now the Kansas State of college basketball is in the middle of its required games — the conference schedule — and this game is the second of a brutal three-game stretch where the Orange play three top-10 teams back to back to back.
And, well, Villanova is no Siena, I'll tell you that much right now.
This one will be ugly. I'm talking Adam Morrison's mustache ugly.
Villanova 89, Syracuse 62
Tomahawk — Gerry McNamara is still in school? Really? Don't I remember him playing when Shawn Respert was at MSU? The way he's played this season, he might as well start collecting his pension. He's shooting 34 percent from the field, turning the ball over more than three times a game and has more missed 3-pointers than assists. He's a big reason why the Orange don't have a single marquee win yet.
Throw in the fact that Villanova's at home and that Randy Foye scores 20 a game and that Jim Boeheim is a dork, and Syracuse has about as much of a chance in this one as the Washington Generals.
Villanova 82, Syracuse 68
No. 17 Louisville vs. No. 3 Connecticut
The Boss — UConn is coming off a "big" win against Syracuse and has been rolling ever since being demolished by Marquette.
I'll make this one short and sweet: Louisville gets rudely welcomed into the Big East again. This isn't Conference USA anymore!
UConn 84, Louisville 72
Tomahawk — Louisville: Three games against ranked teams. Three losses.
UConn: Three games against then-ranked teams. Three wins.
Louisville: Beat Tennessee-Martin, Arkansas State, Richmond, Middle Tennessee State, College of Charleston and Detroit by a combined 68 points.
UConn: Beat Morehead State. By 68 points.
I rest my case, your honor.
UConn 86, Louisville 72
