MSU men vs. Iowa
2:30 p.m. Saturday, Breslin Center
TK — Believe it or not, the Hawkeyes actually rely more on Adam Haluska than the Spartans do on Drew Neitzel. Haluska has scored almost 30 percent of Iowa's points this season (slightly more than Neitzel), and unlike his MSU counterpart, he's had to create most of them himself off the dribble. That's a little bit easier to stop — the Hawkeyes have lost the last three games in which Haluska scored 16 or less.
MSU 65, Iowa 56
EC — In the first tilt between these two teams, Iowa prevailed by just two points, even though the Spartans were playing on the road with a hobbled roster. The Green and White will even its Big Ten record with a gritty, ugly win.
MSU 53, Iowa 46
MB — I think this one stacks up a lot like Tuesday's game against Michigan. Both of these teams are fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, and that will make for an interesting game. It probably won't be a good game, judging by the Big Ten this season, but it'll be interesting.
MSU 63, Iowa 54
KH — You know I have to go with my Spartans. They have been struggling lately, but I'm not going to go against them. They're going to pull it out to get back on track and finish strong as the season comes to an end.
MSU 70, Iowa 66
No. 19 Arizona vs. No. 5 UCLA
1 p.m. Saturday
TK — The cracks are starting to show in UCLA's armor. After starting the season 18-1, the Bruins have lost two of their last five, and their shaky depth is a prime factor. Arizona almost pulled off the upset in L.A. last month, so there's little reason to believe the 'Cats can't finish the job this time.
Arizona 84, UCLA 79
EC — Even if Chase Budinger manages to pull off a dunk from the 3-point line, Arizona is going down. The Bruins got a wake-up call last week when they fell to West Virginia, 70-65. They'll easily beat a Wildcats squad that has already lost at home to Washington State and North Carolina.
UCLA 79, Arizona 65
MB — This has been deemed my weekly coin-flip game. We'll designate Arizona as heads and UCLA as tails. Clearly, this is a very scientific process. I predict that UCLA will get the call as tails never fails. Let's see … it's heads! Holy upset, Batman!
Arizona 79, UCLA 73
KH — I think Arizona is going to pull off the upset. It's in their house, and they only lost by a little bit when they played at UCLA. They are on a winning streak right now, so hopefully they can keep that up and get the victory.
Arizona 69, UCLA 64
Syracuse vs. Connecticut
3:30 p.m. Saturday
TK — UConn is like chocolate-chip pancakes — it's got all these ingredients that are great on their own, but put them together and they make you kind of sick. How else can you explain a roster of coveted prospects that's 4-6 in the Big East and might not even make its conference tournament, let alone the Big Dance? I'll save my appetite, thanks.
Syracuse 64, UConn 61
EC — This game will be decided by the play of Syracuse's extremely talented, yet inconsistent freshman swingman Paul Harris — Will he tear apart the Huskies for a double-double? Or will he turn in one of those ugly 0-of-4, zero-point, two-rebound performances, like he did against St. John's? I vote for the former.
Syracuse 66, Connecticut 62
MB — Why are we picking this game? (Time warp back to 2005) Hakim Warrick will score 26 points with 13 rebounds to overcome Charlie Villanueva's 31 points and Josh Boone's 11 rebounds as the Orange come back from a late nine-point deficit to take out the Huskies. This will be another exciting Big East game. Will all this happen? Bank on it!
Syracuse 71, Connecticut 64
KH — I think Syracuse will protect their home court and get the victory. Connecticut has been struggling, and even though Connecticut beat them at home, I think Syracuse gets the win.
Syracuse 72, Connecticut 63
No. 24 MSU women vs. No. 4 Ohio State
1 p.m. Sunday, Value City Arena
TK — quick click through The State News archives shows that I'm a perfect 7-0 predicting the MSU women here this season. (What can I say? I'm in touch with my feminine side). With that in mind, I'm fairly confident when I say the Spartans will once again have no answer for Jessica Davenport, who averaged 21 points, almost 10 rebounds and four blocks in three meetings with MSU last season. But for their sake, I'd gladly be wrong.
Ohio State 61, MSU 57
EC — Last week's win at Purdue gave me enough confidence to pick the Spartans in a road game, but I just can't give them the nod in this one. Allyssa DeHaan has never seen anyone like Jessica Davenport. The senior will school the freshman in a Buckeyes victory, but I expect MSU to put up a good fight.
Ohio State 67, MSU 60
MB — I just don't know what to think of this team anymore. Do they suddenly have it in them to win the big road game? I think this Ohio State team can be defeated, but I'm not sure the Spartans can do it. The time is certainly right, as Buckeyes guard (and second-leading scorer) Brandie Hoskins is done for the season. We'll see what happens, but this should be a good one!
MSU 66, Ohio State 64
KH — You know I have to go with my Spartans again — they are going to get this victory. It's also good because Hoskins is hurt, and that will help them out. I know it's in Buckeye Country, but as long as the girls play together and play that D and rebound, they will win.
MSU 64, Ohio State 60
