PICKS OF THE WEEK
by Tee Kane
January 31, 2008
There are a number of big games this week that might provide some separation for teams going into the conference tournament, but none are bigger than:
North Carolina vs. Duke (February 6):
This is undoubtedly one of the great match-ups in college basketball (even if you can’t stand one of these teams). Both teams will be able to play the up-tempo style that suits them. North Carolina should be a small two- or three-point favorite. Don’t overexpose yourself by laying too big a bet on either side. It’s likely to be a close game that could go either way. With one more ACC loss, UNC has slightly more to play for and will have the strong support of the Tar Heel faithful.
Final Prediction: UNC 90, Duke 85
Super Tuesday Projections:
The methods for choosing delegates on the Democratic and Republican sides are very different. The Republican primaries are by and large winner-take-all, whereas the Democratic primaries include proportional allocation based on percentages they get in specific congressional districts. Given that reality, look for the Republican race to narrow dramatically on Tuesday, with McCain getting a clear path to the nomination based on some big wins in delegate-rich states. The Democratic race is unlikely to end on Tuesday since it’s difficult to accumulate large delegate margins. Look for the Democratic race to last until February 12th and beyond. The race ends when one of the candidates can no longer argue convincingly that he or she is winning popular support in the primaries. If that doesn't happen, there's a real chance for a Denver delegate fight this August.