CBB Picks Card - Wednesday, March 1

With conference tournaments heating up and the end of the regular season looming, there's a lot on the board to be optimistic about.

A couple of big hitters:

• Northwestern -3: Penn State and the Wildcats haven't yet squared off. One thing is for certain, though; Northwestern has been in a rut, losing their last two including against a Maryland team that they caught at the wrong time. I think Northwestern will come out guns blazing, hungry to prove to the world they are worth their ranking.

• Texas +2: The Longhorns got the better of TCU last time they played, and I think they're more settled into their new life with Rodney Terry calling plays. It'll be close, but I think Texas will put it out.

• The NEC Tournament is underway! Sacred Heart -2 is calling my name - yes, they lost to Wagner already, but they also beat them by 9 in a revenge matchup. I think SHU has too much talent to let Wagner come away with a win again on their home court. More to come on FDU.

• Kansas State -6.5: K-State is so much better than OU. End of story.

Lock of the week: FDU -8 over St. Francis Brooklyn

We stan Tobin Anderson around here, and he's got the Knights cooking something special up this year. He took three of his best scorers from D2 St. Thomas Aquinas and turned them into solid role players. FDU just wiped the floor with the Terriers, 86-69, and I fully expect a similar result in Round 1 of the NEC Tournament.