MSU vs. BYU

MB — It's time for the annual Spartan Clash at The Palace of Auburn Hills. HOO-RAH! MSU has won its last two games at The Palace, routing Wichita State and Stanford the past two seasons. But don't count out our friends from Utah right away. BYU is coming off a win against San Jose State. I see MSU taking this one, though, as it grinds out the win with tough defense and timely shooting. The real question: How many "Fire Millen" chants will there be? I'll set the over/under at two.

MSU 69, BYU 57

TK — Drew Neitzel's double-double will attract the attention of Pistons scouts in the crowd, who will immediately sign him to replace 58-year-old Lindsey Hunter. Marquise Gray's second technical foul of the season will land him three months in the Rasheed Wallace School of Anger Management. And Jake Hannon's perfect inbounds pass in the game's final minute will earn him a two-week contract as Hooper.

MSU 65, BYU 52

EC — Right … like I'm about to pick against the Spartans when they're playing a school that once had Shawn Bradley on scholarship. Even without Raymar Morgan, MSU will lock the Cougars down.

MSU 65, BYU 53

AC — I watch the football team more than I do the basketball team, but I usually follow (MSU basketball) as the year goes on and it gets closer to the (NCAA) Tournament. MSU has never been a program built on high-flying and scoring. Coach (Tom) Izzo really pushes hard work and defense. Because I'm a guy that bleeds green and white, I'd have to say MSU by 15.

MSU 82, BYU 67

No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 6 Texas A&M

MB — Here we have Texas A&M, coming off a tough loss to LSU, and UCLA, who is coming off a rousing defeat of national powerhouse Cal State Fullerton. Regardless of the tomato cans these two squads have played coming into this one — the Aggies actually had Prairie View A&M on its schedule — this contest should be a good one. How can I, in good faith, pick against the No. 1 team in the land? I can't. The Bruins will send Texas A&M to another devastating defeat.

UCLA 84, Texas A&M 63

TK — If UCLA forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's name was a Wheel of Fortune puzzle, you'd have to take out a second mortgage to buy all the vowels. Throw in the fact that he's got two middle names — one that sounds like a Hanson song ("Mbah") and another that's a single letter ("a") — and you've got the sweetest name in college basketball. How can I pick against that … or the Bruins' smothering defense?

UCLA 77, Texas A&M 61

EC — UCLA will win this one easily. It won't be because of Arron Afflalo or Lew Alcindor or Bill Walton or John Wooden. It's because Lorenzo Mata is the ugliest human being I've ever seen. In fact, if you try a Google Images search for "Lorenzo Mata," it'll only return about eight results if SafeSearch in enabled. The other photos aren't fit for children.

And I'll bet he's got rancid B.O. No one will want to box him out, and that means plenty of second-chance points for the Bruins.

UCLA 72, Texas A&M 68

AC — I don't know; other schools I don't really care about. MSU, that's all I really care about.

No. 11 Wisconsin vs. No. 17 Marquette

MB — Do MSU fans like Wisconsin? Heck, no! Do MSU fans like Marquette, where former MSU assistant Tom Crean heads the program? Sure, why not? I mean, Marquette lost to North Dakota State last weekend, but Wisconsin recently lost to Missouri State and only beat Winthrop by three on Monday. You can expect two things from this game: Marquette alumnus Dwyane Wade will somehow manage to get fouled and Bo Ryan will make a face that makes him look like Satan. But will Marquette take the game? Bank on it!

Marquette 74, Wisconsin 67

TK — With two Wisconsin teams, what are the chances cheese plays a prominent role in the outcome of this game? "Alando Tucker drives for the game-winning layup … oh, he's rejected by a block of gorgonzola!" Don't think it won't happen.

Even without dairy products, Marquette should cruise here. The Eagles are at home, have the perfect lineup to match Wisconsin's flex offense and have been much more convincing than the Badgers so far.

Marquette 68, Wisconsin 63

EC — I've never been to Marquette's campus, but I have been to Madison. I'll tell you this much: The Badgers won't be playing for the affection of adoring Wisconsin coeds. Basketball groupies at Wisconsin look more like Rosie O'Donnell than Jessica Alba (blame the dairy products). So given Wisconsin's relative lack of motivation, I'll give the nod to The Artists Formerly Known As the Warriors.

Marquette 62, Wisconsin 60

AC — I couldn't tell you who is doing well. I just know (from living in Columbus) Ohio State is supposed to do pretty well.

Women: No. 20 MSU vs. Hartford

MB — The women finally get to join the men at The Palace this season and will look to take out Hartford, a team which was smoked by the other Big Ten team it played this season, Purdue. Hopefully, the Spartans won't be looking ahead to their big showdown with LSU next weekend. If they do, it will be a bad afternoon. But I can't see that happening. MSU has too much talent and learned from the beating Hofstra gave it a few weeks back.

MSU 71, Hartford 54

TK — That Hofstra loss is looking more and more like a hiccup each day. The Spartans have won four straight games since that upset, outscoring their opponents by an average of 16.8 points. Senior guard Victoria Lucas-Perry has almost 20 points and seven rebounds a game in that span, and freshman center Allyssa DeHaan has blocked four shots since you started reading his paragraph. This game will be nothing but another tune-up for next week's showdown with LSU.

MSU 63, Hartford 49

EC — I haven't been able to watch much of the women's team this year, but I know this much: DeHaan blocks a ton of shots, and the Spartans have an average rebounding margin of plus-8.4. That sounds like a recipe for a win to me.

MSU 78, Hartford 62

AC — I definitely can't help too much with women's hoops, but if they're 6-1, I'm pretty sure the Green and White can pull off the double-header. I'm not sure who they're playing, but the women will win. The women's games aren't usually as high scoring as the men's games, but they're more technical and they spread the ball around better.

MSU 69, Hartford 60