WHEN IN DOUBT, THINK UFC

O.K, so things aren’t looking all that terrific with my Mountain West Conference basketball picks again. I went it alone for a week and realized that an unwise strategy.

Time to bring back a celebrity guest to offer some motivation.

Or, after my 0-4 showing for Saturday’s games, perhaps a pick or two you can actually trust.

Adam Hill is the Ultimate Fighting Championship beat writer for the R-J and knows more about stand up and clinching than most who enter an Octagon. Adam is a freakin’ MMA expert, and really skilled at teaching first and second-graders solid basketball post moves.

So while UFC’s popularity continues to explode across the nation, we thought it a good idea to give credit to some of its fighters when picking the weekday games.
       
We begin with tonight’s battle in Las Vegas:
 
TEXAS CHRISTIAN (plus-13) at UNLV: Adam's take — TCU is the Houston Alexander of the MWC. Once thought a contender, but now a proven pretender. UNLV is more like Keith Jardine, having beaten elite competition but also having lost to inferior opponents. Example: Louisville is Chuck Liddell. Colorado State is an aging Wanderlei Silva.

My pick: TCU
Adam’s pick: TCU