With only one game remaining in the NFL season, Sean Green is looking forward to providing his Super Bowl pick next week after hitting both the Bengals and the Rams in this space one week ago. So, SGPN’s Colby Dant steps in to provide selections and analysis for Saturday’s Philly area college basketball contests, including the Villanova – UConn rivalry game. (Point spreads are estimated as of Thursday and dates and times are as published at Thursday’s deadline.)
Fordham @ Saint Joseph’s (Saint Joes -6) – Saturday, 1 PM ET
Fordham is coming off a gigantic win over Rhode Island at home and doesn’t look now but Fordham is 10-10 and .500 in February in head coach Kyle Neptune’s first year. Saint Joes is 9-11 and head coach Billy Lange is running out of time. Give me Fordham with the points and sprinkle some on the Moneyline.
George Mason @ LaSalle (GMU -5) – Saturday, 2 PM ET
George Mason is coming off a double-overtime home loss to Saint Louis but despite all of that, Kim English is doing a great job in his first year in Fairfax. The Patriots are led by big man Josh Oduro and Colorado transfer D’Shawn Schwartz. The Explorers of LaSalle have been a complete mess this season at 6-13. If they have any chance at winning this game it will rest on Clifton Moore and getting Oduro into foul trouble. I’ll ride with the Patriots of George Mason minus the points.
Penn State @ Wisconsin (Wisconsin -9) – Saturday, 6 PM ET
Wisconsin is coming off a tough road loss at Illinois and has now slid back to 3rd in the Big Ten. Penn State is coming off a double-overtime home win against Iowa. The Badgers’ Johnny Davis is one of the best players in America and someone I expect to give Penn State fits. Mix that with a terrific home-court advantage and I’ll lay the points with the Badgers.
UConn @ Villanova (Villanova -7) – Saturday, 12 PM ET
UConn has lost 4 of the last 5 against Villanova. This game will feature elite college basketball guard play between the Huskies R.J. Cole and Tyrese Martin against Villanova’s Justin Moore and Collin Gillespie. The team that wins the game will probably feature the better guard play and I will ride with Villanova’s experience to guide them. Villanova is also coming off a tough road loss where they got blown out by Marquette. I’ll take Nova minus the points to get back on the right side of things.
Michigan State @ Rutgers (MSU -5.5) – Saturday, 4 PM ET
This is a game of: Which Rutgers team are we going to see? Over the past 2 years, Rutgers has been a mess on the road and good at home and, well, this game is at home in Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights have already scored home wins against Iowa, Purdue, and Michigan. Tom Izzo and Michigan State have been quite the surprise this year and they seem to be a team that has a legit shot at winning the Big Ten. Still, give me Rutgers and the points.
Tulsa @ Temple (Temple -4.5) – Saturday, 2 PM ET
Don’t look now but former Philadelphia 76ers G/F Aaron McKie is having his best year ever at Temple. The Owls are currently in 3rd place in the AAC and have won 7 of the last 10 games. Meanwhile, Tulsa is 2-8 in their last 10 and has yet to win a road game this year. Keep an eye on Temple guard Damian Dunn, who’s hit a number of clutch shots this year for the Owls. He could be the difference in this matchup. I’ll ride with the Owls minus the points.
(Colby Dant is SGPN’s [Sports Gambling Podcast Network] college basketball expert. He picks every Division 1 game against the spread at www.SportsGamblingPodcast.com and provides in-depth analysis on The College Basketball Experience podcast multiple times per week. All SGPN content is free here.)
Photo: Collby Dant is all smiles during the college basketball season. (SGPN photo)