College Basketball Conference Championship Picks
Sports Interaction's Al Dannity gives his College Basketball Conference Championship picks for Gambling911.com readers.
The Big Ten will be the most volatile conference this weekend with little to choose between the top contenders. Illinois are fighting for their post-season lives and need at least two wins to go dancing. While there could be upsets a plenty in the early going the title will probably go to at least one of the three teams that shared the regular season crown. The odd team out in the final will be Purdue as the Boilermakers have gone off the rails since Robbie Hummel went down for the season. I expect the Ohio State Buckeyes to make the final before falling to an energized Michigan State side.
There's no tension but plenty of excitement to be found in the Big 12 this weekend. All of the serious contenders are secured of a spot in March Madness, so the focus for the next few days will be solely on supremacy within the conference. There are plenty of hot teams in the Big 12, the Baylor Bears mauled most of their recent opponents and enter as the strongest challenger to favorites Kansas. Don't rule out a slumping Texas team which will be looking to restore some pride heading into the Big Dance. For all the good teams in the conference, there is only one great team. The Kansas Jayhawks have been the class of the conference all year and when they show up with their A-game, there's nobody in the Big 12 that can stop them. Back the Jayhawks to win big this weekend with Sports Interaction.
Over in the Big East it's far more complicated. Some schools are locks for the Big Dance, others are relying on a big run in the conference tournament to make it to March Madness. There could be some upsets but don't look outside the league's elite for a champion. Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Villanova, and West Virginia are the best placed to make a run at the tournament title but of these the Panthers look primed for an upset. Of the remaining three Syracuse will be the hungriest. The Orange should squeeze past Villanova in the semi-finals and still have enough juice left in the tank to take the title and get a shot at being the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Finally we look at the ACC and I'm predicting a big upset early. Having secured a share of the regular season title, Maryland has its eyes on the dance and Georgia Tech is going to shock the Terrapins in the quarter finals. While upsets may happen elsewhere in the tournament all eyes will be on title favorites Duke who should avoid some tough early tests to make it to the final. It won't matter who they face once they get their, with a potential #1 seed in the tournament on the line, the Blue Devils will win big with Sports Interaction and take the conference crown.
