Cha-Ching! What a great start to the college basketball season! The first edition of Hoops Picks went 2-0 last night during the Champions Classic. With it being Jimmy V week, there are so many great matchups. And with that, I absolutely LOVE the board this afternoon. I have three picks that are Top 25 matchups. Let’s stay hot and see if we keep this winning streak up.

Texas (+1) Versus North Carolina

We start out the afternoon with the championship game of the Camping World Maui Invitational that’s not actually in Maui for the first time. The tournament is actually being played in Asheville, North Carolina due to Covid-19. We are getting spoiled with a AP Top 25 matchup between #17 Texas and #14 North Carolina. The only part of this game I’m not looking forward to, is having to listen to Bill Walton ramble on about anything that’s not the game. This game might look like a toss up but I love Texas in this situation. Texas showed absolute dominance over Indiana yesterday by only letting them score 44 points. I think their defensive dominance will also take over this game and that starts with the Longhorns backcourt. The experience of Andrew Jones, Matt Coleman and Courtney Ramey is going to wear down the guards of North Carolina.

I think its too early into the season for freshman Caleb Love to take over a game. Take the underdog Longhorns for the earliest of the Hoops Picks.

Hoops Pick: Texas +1

West Virginia Versus Gonzaga (-8.5)

In the first game of the Jimmy V Classic we get another AP Top 25 matchup between the top seed Gonzaga Bulldogs facing off against the #11 West Virginia Mountaineers. Gonzaga cat walked through Kansas and Auburn the first week of the season, averaging 96 points per game. I think that Mark Few’s bulldogs are going to do the same thing to West Virginia. I just don’t see any slowing down in the Zags and I don’t see anyone of West Virginia being able to guard forwards Drew Timme and Corey Kispert. Timme and Kispert combined are averaging 50.5 points through the first two games.

I think Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers have a great shot to win the Big 12 but the efforts of Derek Culver and Miles McBride wont be enough. I like the Zags BIG tonight. Lock this Hoops Pick in before the line keeps moving up.

Hoops Pick: Gonzaga -8.5

Illinois (+5) Versus Baylor

The game that everyone should be most excited for. Our first top five matchup of the year and I love the line here. We get the number two ranked Baylor Bears facing off against the fifth ranked Illinois Illini. There are four players in the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List in the game. We have Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn from Illinois and Jared Butler and MaCio Teague from Baylor. This is about to be a doozy. Illinois blew out their first two opponents by an average of 60 points. But in their last game against Ohio, they did not look great, but I look at it as it was their third game in three days. They haven’t played since Friday so they’ll have some much needed rest. Baylor looked great in their first two games, winning by an average of 32 points. This matchup is going to come down to the two duo’s I mentioned earlier. I’m going to go with the Illini in this matchup.

With Baylor playing a four guard lineup, I love Kofi Cockburn to dominate the glass and potentially lead the Illini to a victory. Take the Illini to cover and possibly get an early season upset. This is my favorite of the Hoops Picks today.

Hoops Pick: Illinois +5

The odds are via Draft Kings and are subject to change.

To see more picks and College Basketball coverage, follow me @kscott3392 on Twitter and visit Belly Up Fantasy Sports.