The college basketball schedule for Tuesday, December 22nd treats its fans  with presents and the license to unwrap them.

Here’s what collegebasketballeyetest.com predicts will be inside…

(6) Xavier -8 at Wake Forest
Bubble Magnifier Metric: 🔍🔍🔍🔍 (*Max 5 glasses)
Prediction: Xavier 67, Wake Forest 63
DFS Play:  J.P. Macura

Synopsis:

Xavier better be careful here.  Despite analysts firing off early about the Musketeers being Final 4-caliber, we know this nucleus is recently congealed.  Both teams are excelling with efficient guard play.  Wake Forest currently sits atop the ACC standings after wins against Indiana, UCLA and Arkansas.  The bubble watch is high here because a win against Xavier would be the knockout punch that solidifies Wake’s non-conference excellence.  They’re 8-2.  The Demon Deacons have kept every game close.  The largest margin in its 10 games was a 10 point win versus UNC Greensboro.  I am choosing J.P. Macura as my daily fantasy play.  I’m banking on a high scoring affair with fast perimeter play and Macura sneaking behind the line for a couple of threes.

(11) Iowa State at (22) Cincinatti (-4)
Bubble Magnifier Metric: 🔍
Prediction: Cincinatti 81, Iowa State 65
DFS Play: Troy Caupain

Synopsis:

Play with fire, you get burned.  Iowa State finally suffered a loss after one of its custom slow starts.  UNI beat them on a neutral floor.  And, with all due respect to Northern Iowa, the Bearcats are much more athletic and much deeper.  The UNI loss just scratched the surface on how Naz Long’s loss will affect this Iowa State team.  As flawless as Monte Morris has been at running the point, his counterpart tonight in Troy Caupain has quietly been one of the nation’s best.  I think Morris suffers from carrying a heavy burden tonight while Caupain flourishes while finding his gym rats in transition.  I think this is finally the game where Iowa State gets off to a slow start (See Illinois, Iowa, UNI) and it ends up becoming an embarrassment.  Watch closely for a ferocious battle between Octavius Ellis and Jamaal McKay down low—those are two dudes you’d want to pick first for size in a street game.  This game is very low as far as bubble watch is concerned, because each is a 2-6 seed caliber tournament team regardless of outcome.

Vanderbilt at (14) Purdue (-6)
Bubble Magnifier Metric: 🔍🔍🔍
Prediction: Purdue 71, Vanderbilt 60
DFS Play: Isaac Haas

Synopsis:

I’ll wait until I see the final score before I say “I feel sorry” for Vanderbilt going without center Luke Kornett.  Purdue has two giants in the middle.  I am not talking about Odell Beckham Junior giants, but more like Andre the Giant giants.  Hammons and Haas should be pretty angry after a loss to Xavier.  I think Vanderbilt was exposed for some offensive lack of creativity in its Dayton loss and can’t help but predict a similar out-toughness against a very strong Purdue team.  There’s a moderate bubble alert on for Vanderbilt, because, on the heels of that Dayton loss, they have some making up to do.  Aside from Kentucky and Texas A&M, the SEC won’t have many teams to topple in order to punch a ticket to March Madness.  Even LSU has proven in this non-conference that it could be a bubble team.  Vanderbilt could boost its stock greatly with a surprise win tonight.

California at (5) Virginia (-15)
Bubble Magnifier Metric: 🔍🔍🔍🔍
Prediction:  UVA 58, Cal 54
DFS Play:  Ivan Rabb

Synopsis:

This game is an interesting clash of conflicting character.  Virginia has the old-man game.  They’ll lock you down on defense with solid team principles and the fact that they’ve played together for 2, 3, 4 years collectively.  California is the McDonald’s All-American squad.  They have a kid like Ivan Rabb who nets comparisons to Kevin Garnett, but haven’t yet found a true identity on either side of the floor.  However, they have the talent to shock Virginia in this spot.  And, it would stamp their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.  We know the way national analysts salivated over Cal’s talent in the preseason, ranking them in the top 25, and the NCAA wouldn’t let that hype train circumvent mid-March.  Back to basketball.  Virginia does not have a true “rim protector,” so if freshmen Rabb and Jaylen Brown attack the way they’re capable of, this could get interesting.  Expect a low scoring game regardless.  That’s what Virginia does.  Especially at home.

(2) Kansas at San Diego State (-7)
Bubble Magnifier Metric: 🔍
Prediction:  Kansas 72, San Diego State 60
DFS Play:  Jamari Traylor

Synopsis:

Kansas has revenge on its mind.  San Diego State came into Allen Fieldhouse two seasons ago and beat the Jayhawks.  Now, with some wacky things going on with the Aztecs, elder statesmen like Perry Ellis, Jamari Traylor and Frank Mason III can return the favor.  Wayne Selden Jr., who also played in that January 2014 upset, has been playing out of his mind this year.  He has become the small forward that NBA scouts expected coming to Lawrence as a high school All-American.  San Diego State’s expected offensive leaders this season, Winston Shepherd and Malik Pope, just played a combined 30 minutes in a shocking loss to Grand Canyon in the Aztecs last game.  The Bubble-barometer is at a level one for this game.  That’s because the Aztecs haven’t played like a tournament team and I doubt this will be the game that changes that.  Neophytes Carlton Bragg and Cheick Diallo have been getting P.T. in a process coach Bill Self hopes is another Final 4 run.  But expect the Jamari Traylors of the roster, the guys who can expect and benefit from the San Diego State post double-team, to run wild.

It’s an uphill battle for College Basketball Eye Test to match its win percentage of 60% last season.  Look for our picks against the spread before Saturday’s action with the hashtag #SuspectSpreadsSaturday.

We went 5-0 at last attempt to improve to 9-12 overall.  Here’s an archive of the picks, starting with the most recent.

2-3, 4-12 Overall

2-4, 2-9 Overall

0-5 ROUGH START!

https://twitter.com/CBBEyeTest/status/667963045390458881

Don’t call it a comeback.

Dayton has been here for years.

Don’t call it an upset, either.

Dayton’s one blemish on its record this season is a 29 point loss to Xavier.  Let’s not overreact about that loss and now call Dayton’s win against Vanderbilt “an upset.”

Xavier is currently the 12th ranked team by the Associated Press and Ken Pomeroy’s 11th ranked squad.  Loss forgiven.

Tonight Dayton completely muted the projected 11th overall pick in next Spring’s NBA Draft, Damian Jones.  Dayton’s guards flew down into the paint to grab defensive rebounds late to seal victory.

Dayton rallied from down 16 to beat Vandy in their house.

Forward Kendall Pollard knocked down a late possession 3 pointer, a rare shot for him, to land the knockout punch.  Pollard scored 21 points in addition to epitomizing Dayton’s grit with that shot.

Freshman center Steve McElvene also prospered with the absence of Vanderbilt big man, Luke Kornett.  He registered 10 and 9.

Devin Oliver, who played on Dayton’s 2014 Elite 8 team, enjoyed the victory while overseas.  He is now playing professionally in Israel, according to his Twitter bio.

The prognosticators are also prognosticating.  People “in the know” know that this could be a bubble-avoiding win for more Archie Madness.

A bevy of basketball’s finest teams appear on ESPN Networks tonight.  Not only are top 10 ranked squads appearing in national primetime, but also teams that will straddle that top 25 line throughout this season.  Those teams—Miami, UCONN and Michigan—may prove to be the most dangerous as their mixture of youth and newcomers congeal early Spring.

Here’s your timetable:

6 p.m. Virginia vs. West Virginia on ESPN
6 p.m. Colgate at Syracuse on ESPNU
6 p.m. Florida at Miami on ESPN2
8 p.m. UCONN at Maryland on ESPN
8 p.m.  Stony Brook at Notre Dame on ESPNU
8 p.m. Michigan at SMU on ESPN2

Vote for the best team, according to YOUR eye test:

As the Twitterverse was buzzing over LJ Scott’s second effort, so were the Michigan State basketball players.

Of course, head basketball coach Tom Izzo was in the house:

Freshman Deyonta Davis was quick to tweet after the Spartans’ Big 10 Championship:

https://twitter.com/DeyontaDavis_/status/673363531388076032

Junior Guard Alvin Ellis also went with the go-to Dave Chappelle GIF to illustrate his thoughts to non-Sparty fans:

Ellis retweeted that, plus a dip from Sparty himself:

This year, Dunn is primed to be a repeat of Dwayne Wade’s Big East emergence for the Marquette Golden Eagles.  That year, Wade led his 3-seeded Marquette group to the Final 4 with a win over #1 Kentucky.

Dunn is labeled a point guard by fans who watch college basketball through the lens of predicting what a guy will resemble in the NBA.  Those who actually watch the games know that Dunn is no point guard.  He rebounds, attacks the rim, dribbles with a giddy-up that can freeze a defender, shoots that fall-away, wears the number 3, and rips the ball from unsuspecting dribblers from a help defender position.  At Marquette, Wade was listed at 6-5.  Dunn is 6-4.

Dwayne Wade was the 5th overall pick for the Miami Heat in the 2003 NBA Draft.  ESPN’s Chad Ford has Kris Dunn projected as the number 8 pick next Spring.

Chris Paul followed advice to go and see Kris Dunn in person during the DirecTV Wooden Legacy Championship game.  During the ESPN telecast, Paul remarked on Dunn’s aggressive nature for scoring.  Basketball fans who follow @CBBEyeTest on Twitter say Kris Dunn is the frontrunner for Player of the Year.

There are many sons of NBA players currently in college basketball.  Gary Payton Jr., Sam Cassell Jr., and Jalen Bruson are some of the better-known second generation basketball players.  However, it’s not only point guards who inherit the talent.  Domantas Sabonis is the son of Arvydas Sabonis, but could navigate a much different pro path—playing NBA ball in his prime (Arvydas played overseas for a decade before joining the Blazers).

Elgin Cook’s father, Alvin Robertson, played in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs.  Cook is now one of the leaders of a nationally ranked Oregon Ducks team.  See a list of more second generation NCAA players below.

Here is a list of NCAA basketball players whose dads played in the NBA:

CLICK HERE FOR SONS OF NBA PLAYERS 2014-15 NCAA SEASON 

If the Thanksgiving turkey made you tired, we want to be sure you don’t sleep on these developments.  The holiday weekend was full of quality college basketball.

A&M is For Real

If there was any doubt in your mind the Aggies have game, this battle in Atlantis is Exhibit A for their excellence.  The Aggiees illustrated depth, a transition game, and an ability to stretch the floor.

Tony Trocha-Morelos made Przemek Karnowski  look silly at times on defense.  Trocha-Morelos hit 4-4 from 3 point territory while guarded by the big man.

https://twitter.com/ESPNCBB/status/669969122839683074

A quintessential cliche of the picture-perfect team is one in which the name on the back of the jersey is secondary.  With their slick black-on-black tops, you literally couldn’t see the name of each player darting into passing lanes and diving down to double-team Gonzaga’s three-headed-monster.  Led by Daniel House, Texas A&M excelled past Gonzaga, but was defeated by Syracuse in Battle 4 Atlantis Championship.  Syracuse is banned from postseason play.  The Orange showed it can play the role of spoiler.

Gonzaga Guardplay 

Josh Perkins is sick of hearing you say Gonzaga “lost a lot” at point.

Of course, Gonzaga did lose a tandem of two of the best guards in its program history—Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell, Jr.

If you watched the A&M game, you now know that the siren-sounding about the loss of talent is overblown.  Josh Perkins is a player.  Perkins doesn’t have the deadly range that Kevin Pangos did, but there are things from Perkins game that you didn’t see from Pangos (especially while he was nursing injury as an upperclassmen).  Perkins scored 15 points in the second half.  He led a transition break himself and made an athletic move to stop on a dime and hit a mid-range bucket.  He skied for a rebound in the late minutes to regain possession in a pivotal spot.  Perkins was also efficient from 3 point territory.

Providence Prodigy

We have to sneak this note in before the next paragraph appears to be a slight on the Providence Friars.  Coach Ed Cooley has been knocking on the door of greatness, as in a Sweet Sixteen berth greatness, for a few years now.  His Providence teams have been gritty.  They have also had Kris Dunn.  This year, Dunn is primed to be a repeat of Dwayne Wade’s Big East emergence for the Marquette Golden Eagles.  That year, Wade led his 3-seeded Marquette group to the Final 4 with a win over #1 Kentucky.  Dunn is labeled a point guard by fans who watch college basketball through the lens of predicting what a guy will resemble in the NBA.  Those who actually watch the games know that Dunn is no point guard.  He rebounds, attacks the rim, dribbles with a giddy-up that can freeze a defender, shoots that fall-away, wears the number 3, and rips the ball from unsuspecting dribblers from a help defender position.  At Marquette, Wade was listed at 6-5.  Dunn is 6-4.  Chris Paul followed advice to go and see Kris Dunn in person during the DirecTV Wooden Legacy Championship game.  During the ESPN telecast, Paul remarked on Dunn’s aggressive nature for scoring.  Basketball fans who follow @CBBEyeTest on Twitter say Kris Dunn is the frontrunner for Player of the Year.

Arizona Arrogance 

It’s difficult to understand how Arizona is automatically slotted in the top 15 among AP voters.  When you watch this team, you know it is not a top 25 squad.  The Wildcats went to overtime to defeat a winless Santa Clara team.  The following night Kris Dunn ran circles around Arizona, scoring the final ten points in a win.

Doesn’t it feel like this happens every year?  A cushy spot in the low teens is slotted for the Pac 12.  The same is happening right now for California and Cuonzo Martin’s squad.  Cal is ranked in the teens as is Arizona.  However, both teams suffered losses to unranked teams on neutral floors this holiday.  Let’s stop ranking Pac 12 teams on what potential their rosters have and instead on the productivity on the floor.

The 6-0 Squads Squared Off 

Neither Cincinatti and George Washington are in the Big East, but in Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center, their matchup looked like an old Big East Championship.

Patricio Garino led the way, again, for the Colonials.  He scored off of steals and from behind-the-arc.  In the end the Bearcats defense guarded Garino tight and dared someone else to beat them.  GW Center Kevin Larson finished the game with just one point and the Colonials lost a game that they had led throughout.

For the Bearcats, sophomore point guard Troy Caupain pressed the gas pedal late.  He led Cincy in minutes played as looks to be the routine.  Their are plenty of mouths to feed in that Cincinatti offense.  The Bearcats took a bite out of their first RPI top 50 win by defeating George Washington.  We really get to see how good the Bearcats are now.  They’ll play Xavier, Butler, Iowa State, VCU and Temple before 2016.

Dunk City Sequel? 

I can’t make the argument that USC 2015 will become Florida Gulf Coast 2013.  Watching the Trojans today tells me that Andy Enfield has a young team that can run the floor and share the rock.  They held Wichita State to 2-17 shooting in the opening session.  Watching this happen, it looked the dizzying tempo Wichita State had to guard affected its offensive output.  Props for the Wichita State win, but I’m not getting super excited seeing that Van Vleet and company were missing in action.  I can say that USC could be a serious handful in 2016.

King James of the Plains 

You’ll laugh reading this, seeing that Wichita State lost three straight.  But Ron Baker is the college basketball version of LeBron James.  His football background allows him to get anywhere he wants on the floor.  Baker is a terrific defender.  He can guard the post and the point.  Baker passes first, but can run the floor and/or put his head down and go get a basket.  And, unlike Ben Simmons (who you could also make the LeBron argument about), Ron Baker is deadly when left open from behind the arc.  It was a pleasure watching Baker lead his undermanned Shocker squad against an upstart USC team.  He almost won the game single-handedly.  Wichita State currently has a carousel of power forwards jockeying for playing time.  Baker seemed to set each up with a pocket pass after drawing a double team around the elbow.  In the end, USC got the best of him.  However, it looked more like LeBron surrounded by Boobie Gibson and Donyell Marshall than it did LeBron surrounded by Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.  We can’t say Wichita State has a lack of depth.  However, after watching, we can absolutely say that Wichita State has a lack of scoring punch off of the bench.  Freshman Markis McDuffie showed that he can score in the Alabama game.  Despite his contribution, the Shockers are reeling from the absence of Fred Van Vleet and Connor Frankamp.  Help is on the way, King James of the Plains.