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Fearless Predictions
First of all, let's give Duke its props. The Blue Devils ruined my timely prediction of an upset (so, so close), but they showed tremendous heart and desire in erasing a 10-point deficit in the final minute of regulation. Thankfully, I wasn't home to witness Maryland's meltdown (there would have been a few broken items in the Schecter household), but this game will go down as one of the great finishes in history. I sense an upset or two this week, but I don't know that I'll pick against Duke for a little while. This team just knows how to win. Boy, I want that rematch with Stanford -- now! 1. The Pitino Watch All is quiet on the western (and eastern) front. Slick Rick didn't throw himself into the news or inquire about any jobs he didn't know were open. Bravo. As they say, no news is good news. 2. Duke's Jason Williams should be the player of the year. The Blue Devils point guard wasn't a serious candidate at the beginning of the season, but no player has been better during the first half. This guy is a leader, a winner and one heck of a shooter. 3. UConn will not make the NCAA tournament. The Huskies have shown little signs of life lately, and with six losses already it doesn't look good. Unless UConn wakes up fast, it is NIT bound. 4. Tennessee will nip Florida Tuesday. The Vols lost a heartbreaker at Georgia last Saturday, but they'll win a close one over the injury-depleted Gators. 5. Kentucky will stop Georgia Wednesday. Kentucky has been a difficult team to figure out this season. When the Wildcats have their A game, they're as good as anyone in the SEC. When they don't, they're mediocre at best. The 'Cats will bring their A game to Athens. 6. Duke will top North Carolina Thursday. No, this is not a misprint. I am, in fact, picking Duke. The Blue Devils' amazing performance last Saturday night left me mesmerized and taught me a lesson. 7. USC will shock Stanford Thursday. The Cardinal are very good, but not good enough to run the table. It's time USC plays to its potential. The Trojans will be up for this one, and that will result in loss No. 1 for top-ranked Stanford. 8. Ronnie McCollum will lead Centenary past Belmont Thursday. In case you don't know, McCollum is the leading scorer in the nation. And, yes, Centenary is Robert Parish's alma mater. Hail to a new Chief: McCollum will light up Belmont. 9. Alabama will knock off LSU Saturday. The Crimson Tide are one of the biggest surprises in the SEC this season. Alabama will keep its dream season alive with a victory over the struggling Tigers. 10. Kansas will take care of Texas Saturday. Don't look now, but the Jayhawks are quietly establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the country. This club is deep and extremely strong on the perimeter. The up-and-down Longhorns are no match for Kansas. Sports Illustrated writer-reporter B.J. Schecter will weigh in with Fearless Predictions on college basketball every Monday.
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