Tuesday in Vegas at the Players Era Festival — which saw Tennessee down Houston and gave us Gonzaga and Michigan blowout wins over Maryland and Auburn, respectively — was but an appetizer to the main course set for Wednesday as we wrap the week from Sin City.
The spread on tap includes Iowa State (unbeaten on the season and 2-0 this week) taking on Syracuse (0-2 on the week) in the early window and concludes late with a 10:30 p.m. ET tip between Baylor and San Diego State. In between, we have the third-place game between Tennessee and Kansas at 7 p.m. ET and the first place game between Gonzaga and Michigan headlining action at 9:30 p.m. ET. The winner of that game earns an additional $1 million prize. There are also financial prizes to be had for runner-up, third-place and fourth-place finishers.
So clearly: There’s plenty at stake — to say nothing of the potential NCAA Tournament implications down the line — setting us up for what should be a fantastic finish. And so to celebrate the basketball bonanza I’ve convened our experts to make picks for every game from Vegas both straight up and against the spread.
Those picks are below.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook | All times ET
No. 14 St. John’s vs. No. 21 Auburn
8 p.m. on truTV: This is my upset pick of the day and underdog I’m willing to ride. I’ll admit: It feels like shaky ground to stand on given the way Michigan clobbered the Tigers, 102-72, on Tuesday. But the Tigers as a result of that will presumably be ready for this fight. Pick: Auburn +4.5 — Boone
No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 12 Gonzaga
9:30 p.m. on TNT: I don’t know what the number would have to be to pick Michigan ATS in this one but I do know this: It’d have to be (quite a bit) bigger than the current spread of 2.5 points. This Zags team looks like a wagon right now and it is bludgeoning teams with a scoring margin through seven games that is second-highest in college basketball. Coming off a 39-point beatdown of Maryland on Tuesday I’m laying the points with the better team. Pick: Gonzaga -2.5 — Boone
Baylor vs. San Diego State
10:30 p.m. on truTV: Baylor struggled defensively vs. St. John’s on Tuesday but still managed 81 points in a shootout as Cam Carr continued his big week with 27 points. I’m expecting SDSU to be a more manageable matchup for this brand-new Bears team as they figure out their pieces, and their ability to score consistently — even if the defense is a mess right now — should be enough to get them by in a close one. Pick: Baylor -2.5 — Boone
No. 8 Alabama vs. Maryland
12 a.m. on TNT: Maryland’s 39-point beatdown at the hands of Gonzaga on Tuesday surely opened the eyes of the Terps. And, surely, they will come out Wednesday before the holiday weekend with a bit more fight. They are 1-1 ATS as dogs this season, while the Tide are 1-2 ATS as favorites. Pick: Maryland +12.5 — Boone
Who will win and cover in every college basketball game? Visit SportsLine to get picks from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times and is up more than $1,200 for $100 players on its top-rated spread picks the past six years.
No. 15 Iowa State vs. Syracuse
1 p.m. on TNT: An inconsequential St. John’s basket made late Monday in Iowa State’s win and a late decision by the Cyclones in an 18-point win over Creighton on Tuesday is the difference between playing in the title game and playing in this game where there is no additional prize money on the line. That’s the perils of an event that has criteria for sorting matchups on scoring differential. The basketball gods will shine upon ISU, though, and I predict this team will be motivated to prove a point that its exclusion from the prize fight — criteria be damned — was an oversight. Pick: Iowa State -10.5 — Boone
No. 3 Houston vs. Notre Dame
3:30 p.m. on TNT: The Houston we’ve seen in Vegas this week is not the Houston I predict we will see in March when it is firing on all cylinders. And while the Houston we’ve seen from Vegas is still plenty capable of taking down Notre Dame in convincing fashion, so far this team has underperformed relative to the spread; of its seven games, it is 2-5 ATS on the year. This could be a spot for the Irish to keep it within the number, though I doubt the final outcome is ever in real doubt. Pick: Notre Dame +11.5 — Boone
No. 17 Tennessee vs. Kansas
7 p.m. on TNT: Tennessee is coming off of arguably the best win of the week — a 76-73 victory over Houston — but this is a potential letdown spot against a Kansas team that has quietly looked good even without Darryn Peterson this week. The Jayhawks are playing well defensively and smashing teams on the boards. Whether they can keep that up against Tennessee — which wins in similar fashion — is TBD. But I’m not writing off KU as a potential upset in this one. Pick: Kansas +5.5 — Boone
