It’s a fun day in college hoops with the SEC/Big XII Challenge offering up some fun mid-season intercom matchups.  Texas Tech at LSU, Alabama at Oklahoma, and Kansas at Tennessee are the highlights, making up for the bummer cancellation of Texas at Kentucky.  Well, maybe just a bummer for Longhorn fans, as the debacle in Lexington likely took the shine off this one anyhow…

But it’s not just intercom providing today’s highlights.  Virginia and Virginia Tech square off in a fierce rivalry that has unusually high ACC standings meaning, Villanova takes on Seton Hall, Florida State heads to pleasantly surprising Georgia Tech, and Minnesota and Purdue tussle in yet another middle of the big Ten battle.

Who needs football this weekend??!?  College hoops has us covered!

TODAY’S FREE PICKS:

Texas Tech Red Raiders -3 at LSU Tigers

Sure, Texas Tech has dropped two straight, but before we get TOO worked up, the losses were both close and to Baylor and West Virginia – no shame in either.  They also own wins over Texas and on the road at Oklahoma.  All the games were tense, but no one is getting an easy game against Tech.

Meanwhile, LSU enters unranked despite their 11-4 record and second-place status in the SEC.  I might have to agree with the pollsters here.  The Tigers best wins are Arkansas and… a bunch of sub-.500 conference foes. They’ve dropped two in a row, by a total of 43 points, to Alabama and, gulp, Kentucky.  They also have a non-con loss to St. Louis.

The simple truth is, LSU isn’t a great team.  Could they win tonight at home?  Sure.  But if I can get the better team, a WAY better defensive team, and only have to lay a few points in a year where ‘home court’ means far less than usual?  Sign me up.

LSU is just 6-9 ATS and has allowed 80 or more points in a game five times in their last seven outings.  Meanwhile, Texas Tech has put up 79+ in six of their last seven games, with the exception being the slugfest with Baylor.

Give me the Red Raiders laying just the scant three points.

MY PICK:  TEXAS TECH -3

Virginia Cavaliers -5 at Virginia Tech Hokies

I got clipped backing UVA last week, as they won but failed to cover at Georgia Tech.  Do I dare go back to the well one more time, in a road game against a fierce rival who wants nothing more than to punch their big bro in the mouth?!?

Virginia is still on of the five or six best teams in the nation and getting better by the week.  They’ve run the table in the ACC, winning all seven, and the only one within 8 points was the one I missed on.  They bounced back the following game by HAMMERING Syracuse 81-58.

Meanwhile, VA Tech has been one of the most pleasant surprises in the league, but the results have been there since Day One.  They own a VERY impressive win over Villanova, which validates a lot of the future success in my eyes.  They took the bad L to Syracuse (78-60) but own wins over Duke and Clemson, and their only other conference loss was a two-pointer at the YUM Center.  VA Tech is 9-6 ATS, largely because of lines like today’s – home court, great resume and profile, yet, it continually lightly regarded.

I’ll take Tech and the points and won’t be at all surprised if the Hokies unbeaten conference run ends today.  They are STILL legit Final Four contenders, but today is a really, really tough spot.

MY PICK:  VIRGINIA TECH +5