We won't know for a few weeks whether Pittsburgh's comeback win at UConn was an aberration or a turnaround moment. (Or whether it simply revealed UConn ain't all that.) A win over the 'Cuse would certainly be another step forward, but I have a feeling it's not going to happen. It will be harder for Chevon Troutman (29 points, 12 rebounds vs. UConn) to go wild against the veteran Orange and their 2-3 zone. (Pitt only made six 3-pointers against UConn.) Meanwhile, Syracuse staged its own comeback on the road Monday, winning at Rutgers after trailing by 18 at halftime. With Billy Edelin providing an increasing lift off the bench at point guard, the Orange is a very good team still getting better.
Seth's Pick: Syracuse 77, Pittsburgh 72
Reader's Pick: Syracuse 75, Pittsburgh 70

Will anyone in the SEC beat Kentucky this season? Arkansas might, especially while playing at home with Chuck Hayes suffering a broken nose in Tuesday's win at Tennessee, but I still say they won't. Both of these teams love to get after opponents defensively (Arkansas and Kentucky are ranked 1-2, respectively, in the SEC in steals and turnover margin), but the difference will be on the boards. Kentucky's rebounding margin is plus-8.2, while Arkansas' is minus-5.2.
Seth's Pick: Kentucky 71, Arkansas 62
Reader's Pick: Arkansas 72, Kentucky 70

This should be a bruising but entertaining battle between two of the best frontcourts in the SEC. MSU's Lawrence Roberts is leading the league in scoring (18.8) and rebounding (11.3), but in conference games LSU freshman Glen "Big Baby" Davis is the one leading the SEC in rebounding (12.2) and is fifth in scoring (17.8). Davis' frontcourtmate, sophomore Brandon Bass, is sixth and fourth, respectively, in scoring and rebounding. Mississippi State is not the same defensive team without 6-4 senior Winsome Frazier, who won't be back for another three weeks because of a broken bone in his foot. LSU has been so bad at taking care of the basketball that it shouldn't matter. In their six SEC games, LSU has committed 21 more turnovers than its opponents, and the Tigers' starting backcourt of Tack Minor and Darrel Mitchell has combined for 36 turnovers to just 32 assists.
Seth's Pick: Mississippi State 68, LSU 60
Reader's Pick: Mississippi State 80, LSU 68

There are more subplots going on here than in an episode of Desperate Housewives. Yes, some of us media bloviators have pegged Steve Alford as the next Indiana coach, but Alford has his own problems right now. His Hawkeyes lost in OT at Northwestern on Wednesday night to drop to 2-4 in the Big Ten with the next two games coming against Michigan State and at Wisconsin. Playing at home and facing a must-win against an inferior opponent, I'll go with the Hawkeyes. I imagine big Greg Brunner will be able to take advantage of the Hoosiers' lack of quality size.
Seth's Pick: Iowa 79, Indiana 67
Reader's Pick: Indiana 71, Iowa 70

You might think Villanova would be ripe for a letdown, going on the road after emotional home wins over Kansas and Notre Dame. But I don't. Nova has been through far too much this season, including injuries to two starters, four losses by a total of 10 points and an emergency airplane landing two weeks ago that had everyone on board believing they were going to die. As much attention as Curtis Sumpter got for hanging 25 on Kansas in just his second game back from a knee injury, junior guard Allan Ray has actually been the Wildcats' best player, going for 27 and 23 in their last two wins. Rutgers, meanwhile, has lost six of its last seven, and the Scarlet Knights' defensive deficiencies were glaring during the second half of that Syracuse loss.
Seth's Pick: Villanova 82, Rutgers 69
Reader's Pick: Villanova 70, Rutgers 65

Ben Howland is a craggy sort even in the best of times, so I can't imagine what it was like in practice this week in the wake of UCLA's home losses to Stanford and Cal by a combined 24 points. It's hard to say what irked Howland more, the horrid shooting (8-for-39 from three) or the porous defense (Stanford made 45 percent of its shots, Cal 51 percent). But the biggest concern has to be the poor play of Dijon Thompson, who scored six points in each loss. USC, meanwhile, had won two consecutive league games before losing to Stanford on Saturday and is starting to get some promising play from freshman guard Gabriel Pruitt. Still, the Bruins are a better team, the Sports Arena isn't much of a homecourt advantage, and whatever went on in practice at UCLA last week, I'm guessing those players don't want to see another day of it.
Seth's Pick: UCLA 79, USC 61
Reader's Pick: UCLA 70, USC 63

Jim Calhoun is starting to get a little desperate. He yanked slumping swingman Rashad Anderson from the starting lineup (Anderson had a team-high 22 points in Tuesday's win at West Virginia), and he's considering suspending his two-fouls-and-you-sit rule for freshman Rudy Gay, who has been limited to just one made field goal the last two games because of foul trouble. Even though the Huskies got the win in Morgantown, they let West Virginia stay in the game despite shooting 29 percent. Notre Dame is also too reliant on the way its guards shoot -- which is scary considering Chris Thomas has made just 31 percent in league games -- but if the Irish can slow the tempo and keep things respectable on the boards, they should be able to use their advantage on the perimeter. They're also playing at home, have lost two straight and have a road date with Syracuse up next. A must win, I'd say.
Seth's Pick: Notre Dame 72, Connecticut 70
Reader's Pick: Connecticut 70, Notre Dame 60

You'd think that a team coming off a huge conference win would be a primed for a letdown, but what do you do when both teams are coming off huge wins? (Maryland over Duke, Georgia Tech over Wake Forest in OT.) You could pick the team with the worse record because they need a win more -- except both these teams are 3-3 in the ACC and 12-5 overall. In this case, I'll take the home team, not just because they're at home but because I sense that the Terps' win at Duke was a real breakthrough for them. Nik Caner-Medley is finally playing with consistent aggressiveness on offense, and while I'm still concerned about Maryland's lack of a post presence on offense and defense, I think this game will be played at a fast-enough pace that that won't be as much of an issue.
Seth's Pick: Maryland 88, Georgia Tech 85
Reader's Pick: Maryland 74, Georgia Tech 68

Thursday's Washington-Arizona game was as entertaining a battle as you'll see this season. The question is, can the Huskies regenerate that same level of energy for the Sun Devils? I say they can't. Arizona State, meanwhile, is showing signs of finally coming to life. We all know about Ike Diogu, but he was not ASU's leading scorer in either of its two straight wins. Rather, it was Serge Angounou, a 6-8 sophomore forward, who put up 20 and 18 points against Oregon and Washington State, respectively. Washington is a talented squad, but its one weakness is lack of size, and Arizona State -- needing a statement win at home -- is well-positioned to take advantage.
Seth's Pick: Arizona State 72, Washington 69
Reader's Pick: Washington 82, Arizona State 75