MSU men vs. No. 5 Ohio State

TK — You want me to give you hope, don't you? You want me to tell you that MSU has a chance against Goliath, that the Spartans can break Greg Oden's good wrist or find another way to limit an Ohio State offense that's topped 70 points in every game but two?

Sorry, there's only so much one sportswriter can do.

Ohio State 75, MSU 64

EC — There's no sense in sugar-coating it: MSU will have to play a perfect game to beat Ohio State. The Buckeyes just have too much talent, and it extends beyond Greg Oden. Mike Conley Jr. is a lightning bolt of a point guard (with a great last name), and Daequan Cook brings instant offense off the bench. And that's just the freshmen.

The Spartans will have a better chance when the series swings back to Breslin Center on Feb. 3, but they'll be in over their heads Saturday.

Ohio State 81, MSU 65

MB — I'm not too certain what to say about this game. On one hand, it's good for all of us if MSU does well. On the other hand, Ohio State is pretty good. Say all you want about them (allegedly) paying their players, or how old Greg Oden really is, but this is a good team.

It'll be interesting to see how MSU reacts to such a big game. ESPN will be there, College GameDay will be there, and with the 9 p.m. start, a rowdy Value City Arena crowd should be there, too. So, we'll see what happens. MSU won in double overtime in Columbus last season. Will the Spartans be able to replicate that? Probably not.

Ohio State 77, MSU 63

SS — The MSU-OSU game is definitely a big game for MSU, going down to Columbus. The odds are against them with Greg Oden and the rest of that team they have, but the thing about Tom Izzo is when things are against him it brings out the best coaching job. I predict MSU to go down to Ohio State and win.

MSU 62, Ohio State 58

No. 17 Arizona vs. No. 4 North Carolina

TK — The Tar Heels start four McDonald's All-Americans — is their season recap video going to be called "Supersize Me"? That depth (10 players are averaging at least 10 minutes a game) enables North Carolina to ground its opponents into the dirt (the Heels are outscoring their opponents by more than 11 points in the second half).

Now, look at the Wildcats. Their starters all average at least 11.6 points per game, but they're all playing more than 31 minutes a game. Nobody else on the team is playing more than 10. If Carolina can push the tempo a little bit, how is Arizona going to have enough man power to keep up?

North Carolina 89, Arizona 78

EC — Lace up the spikes — this one is going to be a track meet. The Tar Heels have the second-best scoring offense in the nation (87.5 points per game), while the Wildcats aren't far behind, averaging 84.1 points per contest.

Winning in Tucson might be a tall task for opposing teams, but North Carolina will prevail because the two best players on the floor — Tyler Hansbrough and freshman phenom Brandan Wright — will be wearing powder blue.

North Carolina 95, Arizona 87

MB — Well, this is an interesting nonconference game smack dab in the middle of conference play.

Despite this being a home game, Arizona is in the middle of a major slide right now, and North Carolina is a pretty good team. With these two factors coming in (and the fact I picked the Wildcats last weekend and they lost), I have decided to pick North Carolina.

North Carolina 73, Arizona 59

SS — This is a really good game. I think it'll be tough for North Carolina to win in Arizona because of their tradition and how (Arizona's) record is at home, but North Carolina will be too much for Arizona inside, and I predict them to win.

North Carolina 75, Arizona 66

No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 20 Washington State

TK — Four of Washington State's wins have come by six points or fewer, including head-scratching nail-biters against Idaho State and Boise State. (Potato allergy, perhaps?) That karma's got to catch up with the Cougars eventually.

Oregon is 3-0 against ranked teams this season and should make it 4-0 before its rematch with UCLA next week.

Oregon 73, Washington State 64

EC — The Pac-10 is known for its high-scoring action, but Washington State goes against the grain. The Cougars have the best scoring defense in the conference, allowing just 58.1 points per game. Washington State's commitment to defense and a home-court advantage will spell doom for Oregon in a nail-biter.

Washington State 67, Oregon 66

MB — Are both these teams really ranked? Granted, I haven't followed the men's side of things as much lately, but these teams are good? East Coast media bias represent!

This game starts a brutal schedule stretch for Oregon, facing top Pac-10 competition each time.

I honestly have no clue who to pick in this game, so I will flip my trusty coin to determine the winner.

Oregon 51, Washington State 49

SS — I know a lot about Oregon. This year, they beat good teams in UCLA and Georgetown, and they have a good player from my neighborhood, Tajuan Porter (from Detroit Renaissance High School) — we call him Little Mook — and he's playing good as a freshman. Oregon will go into Washington State and win pretty big.

Oregon 62, Washington State 41

No. 23 MSU women vs. Rutgers

TK — Rutgers forward Kia Vaughn is a 6-foot-4 bruiser who can find ways to neutralize Allyssa DeHaan's shotblocking — exactly the kind of player that's given MSU problems this season (see Fowles, Sylvia).

Remember, MSU was beaten handily in its only true road contest this season (by 40 to Maryland), while Rutgers' only home loss came to No. 1 Duke, which looks like it could beat a lot of men's teams at this point. In an even matchup, I'll take the home court.

Rutgers 65, MSU 62

EC —The Scarlet Knights lost a heartbreaker last year in East Lansing. Essence Carson had a chance to send the game to overtime as the final buzzer sounded, but her foul-line jumper was off the mark, and MSU escaped, 73-71. I expect Carson — now a year older and a little wiser — to seek some revenge against the Spartans.

Rutgers 71, MSU 70

MB — Rutgers, once near the top of the women's basketball food chain, is now down in the lowly "receiving votes" section of the polls.

MSU beat the Scarlet Knights last season at Breslin Center and now make the return trip to New Jersey.

This will be a telling game for MSU. Will the Spartans be able to overcome the usual road adversity? Bank on it!

MSU 61, Rutgers 56

SS — The MSU women's team in the past used to struggle playing in road games and in big games, but with Coach P, she always has her team ready. They'll go into Rutgers and, because of Coach P and that team playing together, they'll win.

MSU 56, Rutgers 49