January 2001 CBB Plays

January 31 Sheet

Arkansas at Mississippi (-2) - 5:00pm Pacific
In recent years the Rebels have had multiple players on their roster that hail from Arkansas and were not recruited by the Razorbacks which has made this matchup even bigger than it already was for Ole Miss. This year is no different as two Ole Miss starters and three of their top eight players overall are from Arkansas. The Rebels already beat Arkansas this year convincingly in Fayetteville and have now taken 5 of the last 6 in the series including 4 straight at home. The Rebels are a bona fide NCAA tournament quality team in my opinion. Despite playing 4 of their first 6 conference games away from home they have still managed a 3-3 conference record in the tough SEC. Today they return home to the "Tad Pad" where they are an incredible 72-8 (900) last 80 games and 9-1 this season. Arkansas should be getting more points here but they are not due to a modest three game win streak that they head into this game with. However their level of opposition has to be questioned as two of the wins came over Auburn and LSU who currently have a combined conference record of 3-10. The ugly 59-52 win over shorthanded LSU was Arkansas's first on the road all season and they are now 1-4 overall away from home. This will be their second straight road game. The Razorbacks rank last in the SEC in rebounding margin (-4.0) and only shot .315 from the field in the first meeting between these two and that was at home. Rebels are too good, have too big of a home court advantage, and this line is too low to pass up. Mississippi 2 UNITS 

Alabama (-1) at Vanderbilt - 5:00pm Pacific
The Crimson Tide come into this with a 16-3 record overall and in first place in the SEC West at 5-2. They have only gone 1-2 (both losses by double digits) on the road in the SEC, but I look for them to come out looking more seasoned and focused here tonight. Mike Gottfried knows that he cannot let any opportunity for a conference win slip away. Alabama ranks second in the SEC allowing opponents to shoot just .401 from the field while Vanderbilt ranks dead last allowing opponents to shoot .443. The Tide should be able to take advantage of that with their potent inside outside duo of Rod Grizzard (18.4ppg, 5.6rpg, 2.1apg, 88% FT) & Ervin Dudley (14.8ppg, 9.3rpg). Explosive freshman Wallace (returning to early season form in recent games) and sophomore guard Meade both also average in double figures. Vandy has lost three of four overall and two of their last three at home. The Commodores have 5 freshman in their 9 man rotation and could be without their best player tonight. Senior center Greg Lapointe (leading scorer, second leading rebounder) is suffering from a reoccurring back injury. He missed most of the last game and has not practiced since. Lapointe will be a game time decision, but at best his minutes will be limited. This is the type of game that separates the pretenders from the contenders. Georgia and Ole Miss have already posted nice wins here. I believe Alabama is also a real contender and has more than enough talent to get a win here. Crimson Tide pass the test. Alabama  1 UNIT

January 27 Sheet

Boston College at Villanova (-2) - 1:00pm Pacific
The Wildcats have picked things up in their last two games. Two games ago at St. John's they played well enough to take an early 9 point lead before their nemesis (23 turnovers) got to them. However, in their next game they got a huge win at UConn. Not many teams can both outplay and outhustle the Huskies on their home court, but that is just what Nova did in a 70-59 win. It was by far their best defensive effort of the season and they had been struggling in that category prior. Star center Michael Bradley continues to shine posting 20 points and 15 rebounds in the wain. Forward Brook Sales posted a double double (14pts, 12rebs) of his own and you're in pretty good shape down low when two players can post double doubles in the same game. Nova guards have been inconsistent of late but freshman point guard Derrick Snowden has been playing well and has taken pressure off of Jermaine Medley who prefers to bomb away from the outside rather than distribute the ball. Shooting guard Buchanan (96% FT) is 9 away from breaking NCAA record for consecutive free throws made. Sophomore forward Sullivan returned to play 12 minutes at UConn after missing 5 games with injury and junior Johnny Holley (missed UConn game/personal) will be available today as well adding depth. Villanova now stands at 13-5 overall (4-2 in conference) and is still on pace for an NCAA birth but they need to keep on winning. Some of their performances looked bad initially but all 5 of their losses (Duke, Georgia, Providence, UCLA, and St. John's) have come vs hot teams. They will not get a better opportunity to beat a ranked opponent than today. Boston College is overrated, period. The Eagles come into the game at 15-2. They are 13-0 at home (includes 7 cupcakes) but just 2-2 on the road. Their only two road wins came vs UMass when the Minutemen were struggling and by 1 point vs Miami. In Big East play, the Eagles rank last in the conference in rebounding, last in blocked shots, and second to last in 3-point defense. The Wildcats should be able to get something going both inside and out. No doubt Villanova will benefit from returning home to the Pavilion today where they are now 77-11 (.875) under Steve Lappas. They have also won 11 out of 13 vs BC overall and 13 out of 14 here at home. However, one of the two losses in the series came last year at BC in the final regular season game and most likely cost Nova a trip to the NCAA tournament so revenge will be in play here as well. Lay the small number. Villanova  2 UNITS

Colorado State at New Mexico (-5.5) - 6:00pm Pacific
The Lobos are 12-4 (2-1 in conference play) heading into this. They have played four of their last five games on the road. They lost their last two at #1 Stanford and at UNLV against a fired up Rebels team but I felt they played very respectably in both. Before that they got quality wins at Gonzaga and at SDSU, both of which have not been easy places to play this year. They will certainly be glad to return home to The Pit tonight where they are 9-1 (only loss in overtime to rival NMSU) this year and 93-11 (.894) since 1995! This will be their first home game since January 13 and only their second this month. The Lobos have some super athletes that are going to give the slower Rams trouble. 1st team JC All-American Eric Chatfield has been everything advertised and is second in the conference with a 17.6ppg average. He is virtually unstoppable off the dribble. Highly regarded Arizona transfer Ruben Douglas (14.4ppg) sat out the first semester but is starting to heat up as he scored a career high 27 vs UNLV on Monday. Point guard Marlon Palmer is another good one as he averages 10.3ppg, 4.5rpg, and a conference best 6.1apg. Power forward Wayland White leads the conference in both steals and blocks. Center Brian Smith is a warrior inside who does all of the little things. We probably should have waited one more game to go against Colorado State. The Rams are notorious for struggling on the road and this will be their first conference road game of the season. They won on the road at lowly Washington State in their second game of the season but since have lost their only other two true road games by 23 points each vs Creighton and Colorado. They also lost by 14 to Valparaiso in Indiana. It is not going to get any easier for them tonight. I really have not been impressed with this team at all and I am expecting them to struggle away from home all season. The Pit appears to be a perfect place for their weaknesses to be exposed. Playing at home New Mexico should be able to establish their preferred style of play and let their athletes take over. I also like Fran Fraschilla very much as a head coach. Lobos win comfortably. New Mexico  2 UNITS

January 25 Sheet

UC Irvine (+1) at UC Santa Barbara - 5:30pm Pacific
This Anteaters team is worth a look every time they step on the court. They have now won 9 in a row and are 13-2 (5-0 in conference) coming into this game. Their only two losses this year came vs a very good San Diego team by 3 points and at UCLA by 5 points. They own non-conference wins over Washington and Cal. Even if they were in the Pac-10 they would have a 2-1 conference record. Head coach Pat Douglass did an interview on Fox Sports West this week and seems like a great guy. He previously led Cal State Bakersfield to multiple Division II national championships. UCI is 5-1 in road games this year. They play great defense, they play smart, and they are shooting over 80% from the free throw line in conference play. Just doing all of the little things it takes to win games. We mentioned 7-0 redshirt center Adam Parada in our last analysis and he is continuing to progress now leading the team in rebounding while averaging only 20 minutes per outing. Meanwhile, the teams other 7-footer Dave Korfman (concussion) has returned to practice and could see action tonight. Big West director of officials has approved a soft helmet for Korfman to wear which gives the Anteaters another space eater inside. Of course UCI is still led by star junior guard Jerry Green who is now averaging 17.5ppg while leading the team in assists and steals. UCSB comes into this game at 5-10 (2-3 in conference) and an RPI ranking of 246 (UCI is ranked 101). They lost at UCI by 24 points just 12 days ago. They were dealt two blows early in the season as arguably their two best returning players Brandon Payton (transferred) & Adama Ndiaye (redshirted with injury) became unavailable. More recently senior guard Laron Bryant (4th on team with 10.0ppg) injured a knee and is out indefinitely. The team is 1-3 since his injury with the only win coming by 3 points over a 2-13 CS-Fullerton team. I have found UCI to be as reliable as they come this year and I do not expect a letdown here. They need every win to keep pace with Utah State (also 5-0 in Big West conference). Ride the Anteaters to another victory. UC Irvine  1 UNIT

January 24 Sheet

Texas at Oklahoma (-4) - 6:00pm Pacific
The Sooners have played poorly in recent games but I believe they present good value tonight. They got a big improbable come from behind win in overtime at Kansas State on Saturday. With a favorable upcoming schedule the momentum from that win could springboard them to a nice win streak. Oklahoma is 82-16 (.837) at home under Kelvin Sampson including 9-1 this year. Their only loss here this season was vs #4 Kansas and they played that game with senior guard Nolan Johnson at less than 100% or the outcome may have been different. Junior guard J.R. Raymond moved back to the point guard spot that he played last year and had a breakthrough game on Saturday with 25 points after totaling just 7 points in his previous 5 games. First year JC transfers F/C Aaron McGhee and forward Daryan Selvy have loads of talent but have been inconsistent at times. They are at a point now that they have learned from their mistakes and should be solid performers. The Sooners are very balanced with 4 players averaging double figures and very deep with 9 players averaging at least 15 minutes a game. Texas had been a very hot team in late December but appear to have come back down to earth in recent games. They lost on the road at Nebraska and then were very fortunate to come from behind in the final minute to beat UConn. They then beat a struggling Texas A&M team before being taken to overtime by suspect Baylor at home. More disappointing is their road record where they are just 2-2 in true road games and 3-3 overall away from Austin. In their only two road wins they did not have to leave the state in beating weak Houston and Texas A&M teams. Whatever has caused Oklahoma to shoot just (.333) combined in their last three games will be worked out prior to tonight. The Sooners were dropped from the top 25 for the first time all season this week and they will be ready to prove themselves tonight. Oklahoma has won 8 of the last 9 meetings played in Norman. Make it 9 out of 10.  Oklahoma  2 UNITS

January 22 Sheet

Utah (pick) at Colorado State - 6:00pm Pacific
The Utes are continuing to play well. They had won four straight games before dropping a 1 point heartbreaker in overtime at Wyoming on Saturday. Not many teams are going to come away with wins in Laramie this year anyway. Utah is still 3-1 overall in conference play this year and are now 84-14 (.857) in conference play the past 7 years which is tops in the nation. F/C Chris Burgess has been lost for 6-8 weeks with an injury but his loss is minimal as the Utes still have 4 other players ranging between 6-8 and 6-11. It may even ease the player logjam for coach Dick Hunsaker who had been using a 10 man rotation. I have not been impressed with CSU this year. They lost star player Goodwin and head coach Ritchie McKay from last year. Home attendance has been low. They have played both of their conference games at home and are 1-1 after a 60-55 win over BYU on Saturday. The game was close throughout and I really felt that BYU was the better team and should have won. The Rams benefited from some key questionable calls and an uncharacteristic 1-for-16 3-point shooting night from the Cougars. Coming into this game Colorado State's strength of schedule is ranked 152 in the nation while Utah's ranks 10th. The Utes are the better team here and I look for their height, depth, and defense to prove to be too much for CSU.  Utah  1 UNIT 

January 21 Sheet

Syracuse at Seton Hall (-2) - 12:30pm Pacific
Pirates head into this game on a two game losing streak, their first one of the season. I am looking for them to come out with intensity and rebound with a nice win here. They are 10-2 at home this year with the only losses coming to #3 Michigan State and #11 Georgetown. However, their best performance of the season may have come at Illinois where they led by double digits most of the way before losing in overtime. That performance earned my respect and gave an indication of what this team is capable of. Freshman stars Eddie Griffin (19.5ppg, 12.8rpg, 5 blocks per game, probable with hip injury) & Andre Barrett (12.0ppg, 6.8apg) have now played 16 games and have adequate seasoning. Junior Darius Lane is still averaging 18.8ppg despite cold streak. 6-11 sophomore center Samuel Dalembert has been more active recently scoring in double figures last two outings. There is more than enough talent and athleticism on this team. The Orangemen have to be the worst 15-1 team in the country. Syracuse has gotten away with murder in their only two true road games this season. They trailed throughout at Pitt before pulling out an improbable 5 point win and then at Rutgers they escaped by one point. Seton Hall is a better team than those two and will not let this one slip away. With 6 days since last game, head coach Tommy Amaker will have the Pirates ready to effectively attack the Syracuse zone. Pirates get this much needed win.  Seton Hall 1 UNIT

January 20 Sheet

USC (-1.5) at Arizona State - 3:00pm Pacific
Senior guard Jeff Trepagnier could be the Trojans best all around player. With his 40 inch vertical leap and electrifying dunks he is also the guy that sparks runs and gets the team going. He sat out the first 12 games of the season before becoming both eligible and healthy. He suffered a sprained ankle in his first game back and has been shaking off rust but sooner or later will regain his form. Last year Trepagnier averaged 15.9ppg, 6.6rpg, 2.1apg, 3.2spg, and 1.4bpg at the 2 guard position! Those numbers give an indication of how valuable he is. Now at full strength, I am expecting the Trojans to turn things up a notch. This is a critical game for them after two tough conference losses at UCLA and at Arizona. They committed a season high 28 turnovers in a 5 point loss to the Bruins last week and on Thursday were unlucky to run into an emotional Arizona team who was welcoming back their head coach Lute Olson and dedicating their court to his late wife Bobbi, etc. The Trojans still were very competitive as they only trailed by 2 with the ball midway second half and the game was much closer than the final score indicated. This is despite Brian Scalabrine (14.6ppg), Desmon Farmer (8.9ppg), and Trepagnier combining for just 7 points on 3-for-22 shooting. All three of them will be out to make amends today. Junior power forward Sam Clancy has been dominant in last two games averaging 27 points and 10 rebounds vs Bruins & Wildcats. ASU does not have an answer for him. The Sun Devils have disappointed badly in recent weeks losing five straight games and six of seven overall. They rank 8th in the Pac-10 in FG shooting at 43%. They were beaten handily by UCLA on Thursday despite Bruins point guard Earl Watson (hip) and center Dan Gadzuric (back) only playing 23 and 21 minutes respectively due to injuries. Starter Chad Prewitt (double digit scorer, second on team in rebounding) still has not recovered from a badly sprained ankle (4 minutes, 0 points vs UCLA) and is questionable again today. Trojans are very good. Trojans are very hungry. They win this convincingly.  USC  2 UNITS

Connecticut (-2.5) at Miami, Fla - 1:00pm Pacific
An ESPN announcer noted earlier this week that after watching the Huskies play in person he did not understand how this team could lose a single game. He felt they were that good. The Huskies under Jim Calhoun are always tough after a loss and for the first time this season they are on a two game losing streak. In their last game at Texas on Monday, UConn held a 4 point lead with 1:45 remaining. Three turnovers led to their unraveling and an eventual 4 point loss. It should be noted that starting forward Johnnie Selvie (3rd on team in both scoring and rebounding) left the game after two minutes and did not return because of muscle spasms. He is expected to return to action today. It should also be noted that the Longhorns came into the game nationally ranked, winners of 6 of their last 7 games, and riding a 22 game home winning streak. Winning at Texas would have been no easy task and the Huskies came very close. Miami comes into this game 1-4 in Big East play which includes an 11 point loss to Virginia Tech. In their last game they caught Providence napping and stole a victory. The Friars played easily their worst game of the year and obviously had a letdown following their big win over UConn in prior game. The Hurricanes have had to play their last four games without JC transfer guard Joe Gordon (7.7ppg is 4th best on team, out with broken hand) which has not helped things. Miami swept the season series last year and became the first team in history to win back to back games at Gampel Pavilion. Huskies will look for revenge today. UConn flew straight to Florida following the Texas game and have been here for 4 days. They should be focused and ready for this. #15 Huskies handle young Hurricanes. Connecticut  1 UNIT

January 17 Sheet

Purdue at Minnesota (pick) - 5:00pm Pacific
Opening game of a critical three game homestand for the Golden Gophers. They head into this game with an impressive 13-3 overall record. Their only losses have come vs #11 Georgetown in Hawaii, at #10 Illinois, and at Ohio State by just three points on Saturday. They are a perfect 9-0 here at home this year and 20-4 at home since Dan Monson took over the program last year. Last year Purdue's great eight team barely won here 64-59 as the Gophers shot just 7-for-22 from the free throw line. With four starters returning this years team is much better. They have exhibited great teamwork and chemistry by leading the Big 10 with 66% of their field goals assisted. Senior guard Terrance Simmons is coming off a 27 point performance vs the Buckeyes. He and forward Bickerstaff possess enough talent to compete with almost anyone. Freshman Mike Bauer and Junior Dusty Rychart give them a total of four double digit scorers. Nine players average double digits in minutes as well. While Minnesota returns four starters from a year ago, Purdue lost four for key senior starters from last years team. We have gone against them all year and will continue to do so for the time being. The Boilermakers were fortunate to have three of their first four Big 10 games at home with the only road game being at Northwestern. Their deficiencies began to be exposed by Iowa in their last game (a 10 point loss) and today they will be tested by a quality team on the road for the first time since being blown out at Virginia in late November. I really believe that Minnesota is the better of the two teams here. A better team playing at home and not having to give any points is something I always love to see. Minnesota  2 UNITS 

January 16 Sheet

Iowa at Wisconsin (-5) - 4:00pm Pacific
It is the Badgers turn for a win tonight. Almost every Big 10 team this year has to play three straight conference road games at one point in the season and Wisconsin just finished their span with three straight losses at Minnesota (by 5), at Purdue (by 6) and at #3 Michigan State (in overtime). They were competitive in each game and seemed to get better with each outing. On Saturday vs Michigan State they looked like a top 10 caliber team as they lead by 5 points with under a minute to play in regulation before falliing. They now return home where they are a perfect 6-0 this season. Wisconsin is 3rd nationally in scoring defense. They are #8 in the RPI rankings and have played the 5th toughest schedule in the nation. Meanwhile, it is Iowa's turn for a loss. The Hawkeyes have played well in three consecutive wins. Their last win was vs a still overrated Purdue team. It is now Iowa's turn to play back to back road games which is never easy. This is going to be the Hawkeyes third game in six days and toughest contest to date. Additionally, Iowa has averaged 82.3ppg in their three game win streak as teams have allowed them to play their quick attacking style. That will not be the case tonight as Wisconsin has allowed just 51.7ppg at home this season. The Badgers have enough bulk inside to slow down Iowa big man Evans and defensive star Mike Kelley will shutdown either of the Hawkeye high scoring guards. Advantage Wisconsin. In addition to snapping a three game losing streak, the Badgers will be out to avenge two straight home losses to the Hawkeyes in the previous two seasons. With that in mind it is highly unlikely that Iowa will be able to match intensity levels tonight. Badgers rarely beat teams by many points but that trend could change tonight. Wisconsin  1 UNIT

January 13 Sheet

Iowa State at Missouri (-3) - 1:00pm Pacific
The Tigers are playing very well right now. They come into this game on a 4 game winning streak after an impressive road win at Colorado on Wednesday. They did it despite leading scorer Kareem Rush at less than 100% because of the flu. Mizzou is now 11-3 on the season with all three of their losses coming vs ranked opponents away from home, including two (vs Indiana & Illinois) that went to overtime. They are a perfect 7-0 at the Hearnes Center this year and 361-63 (.850) all time here. Today's game is a sell out. Missouri seems to have a bright spot at every position. Sophomore Kareem Rush (21.4ppg, 7.3rpg) is having a breakthrough season after problems with the NCAA last year. Junior guard Clarence Gilbert (16.8ppg) is strong on both ends of the court. Senior point guard Brian Grawer is experienced and steady with a solid 2.4-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. Senior forward Tajudeen Soyoye (8.4ppg, 8.2rpg) is back to patrol the middle and is as strong as ever. However, this year he has some help inside. Freshman center Arthur Johnson (10.2ppg, 8.3rpg) is coming off an incredible 19 rebound game in only 23 minutes of action vs Colorado. Additionally, touted freshman power forward Travon Bryant just became eligible 5 games back and had a season high 12 points and 9 rebounds in just 15 minutes of action vs CU! Swingman Rickey Paulding (6.9ppg) is another very good looking freshman. Making the Colorado win even more impressive was the fact that the Tigers held the Buffaloes to a season low 31.2% shooting from the field. Coming into the game CU ranked 3rd in the nation in FG% at 51.7%. Iowa State is coming off a road loss to Oklahoma State. The game went to overtime, but the Cyclones were fortunate to be even that close and I really think Missouri is a far better team than OSU. The Cyclones also lost by 12 to Iowa in their only other true road game and their 20 point home win over Oklahoma was somewhat misleading. ISU swept this season series last year, including holding off the Tigers for a narrow 86-81 win here. A big reason for their success in last years meetings was a huge rebounding edge (80-53 in two games) but Missouri should improve dramatically in that category this year with their new frontline additions and avenge last years loss. Tigers prove they are a serious contender. Missouri  2 UNITS

Villanova (+7.5) at UCLA - 1:00pm Pacific
Very fortunate to get the Wildcats with some value in this spot. They are on a bit of a down turn having played lethargically in their last three games but are still a very talented basketball team. Head coach Steve Lappas is sure to have his teams full attention for this nationally televised non-conference game following an embarrassing home loss to Providence on Tuesday. The Wildcats committed 24 turnovers and only managed 67 points in the loss to the Friars who always seem to give Nova trouble. The 'Cats are led by 6-10 center Michael Bradley and his 22.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He is outstanding. Power forward is manned by junior Brooks Sales (10.8ppg, 5.3rpg) who also stands at 6-10. Small forwards Ricky Wright (7.2ppg, 3.7rpg) & Aaron Matthews (6.4ppg, 3.5rpg) are strong and provide solid production considering they both only play about half the game. Sophomore guard Gary Buchanan (13.2ppg, 34 3-pointers) can score slashing or spotting up. Senior point guard Medley (10.5ppg, 4.2apg, 31 3-pointers) has tremendous range. Freshman guards Snowden and Bryant are big time talents that are getting better every game. The 'Cats have struggled at times vs teams who press and are expecting a lot of it from the Bruins today. At times they have looked brilliant handling the pressure (i.e., a few stretches at Duke) and I have to think that with 5 days to prepare for this that they will be ready for it. Nova is road tested having played five road games this year and winning three. UCLA is amidst a 4 game winning streak but I would not want to be jumping on the Bruins bandwagon just yet. They are coming off a game that they just had to win vs cross town rival USC on Thursday. The Trojans shot themselves in the foot with 27 turnovers, many of which were unforced, including blowing a potentially game tying 2-on-1 fast break in the final 90 seconds. UCLA escaped with a 5 point win and was able to take a big sigh of relief after that game but now must prepare for a very tough non-conference opponent with just one day in-between games. I think they could be in for a rude awakening here. The distractions of people calling for Lavin's job on a daily basis and Rick Pitino's name flying around all week certainly do not help matters. Expect Wildcats to make some noise here. Villanova  2 UNITS

LSU at Auburn (-4.5) - 11:00am Pacific
Have to hand it to Auburn. They lost leading rebounder and scorer Mack McGadney for the season 8 games in, but are still proving to be a very solid ball club. They reeled off 6 straight wins before losing two overtime heartbreakers vs #4 Tennessee (very questionable call cost them the game) and most recently on the road at Georgia. Still two very solid performances to say the least. With their 0-2 start to SEC play, they are left with what is almost a must-win situation here. I recently reviewed some of their game tape and was very impressed with a trio of sophomores who almost have come from nowhere. Jamison Brewer is is a do it all point guard with size who is averaging 9.5ppg, 7.3rpg, and 5.7apg. Marquis Daniels is an explosive forward who averages 17.9ppg & 6.2rpg while shooting 59% from the field and leads the SEC with 2.6 steals per game. NC State transfer shooting guard Adam Harrington rounds out the trio. He has good size, can shoot from anywhere, and moves well without the ball to get himself open. Harrington averages 15.4ppg in his new role coming off the bench but he is always in the game when it counts. Calling these three guys good is the understatement of the year. Senior Scott Pohlman (14.9ppg) is back again to provide experience and outside scoring punch. Three another newcomers have taken on major roles as well, 6-9 freshman Abdou Diame (7.9ppg, 3.7rpg) and 6-10 freshman Kyle Davis (5.5rpg, 2bpg in only 18 minutes per game) are progressing quickly. JC transfer guard Lincoln Glass has been solid as well. I have not been too high on LSU this season and they were dealt another huge blow two games back when senior guard Lamont Roland was lost for the season with a knee injury. The Tigers are now down to just 5 scholarship players. Roland was a double digit scorer and the teams best perimeter defender as well as only one of two seniors on the roster. Roland was hurt near halftime vs Alabama and the Tide came from two down at halftime to win by 9. In their next game without Roland LSU lost at home to Vanderbilt. Additionally, this will be LSU's first conference road game of the season and last year they ruined Auburn's senior night with an emotional 55-53 win and in doing so swept the season series. It is unlikely that Auburn has forgetten and they are traditionally very tough at home. Expect Auburn to win and cover.  Auburn  1 UNIT

January 11 Sheet

Oregon (+7) at California - 7:30pm Pacific
The Ducks come into this game at 10-1 with their only loss coming in overtime to Auburn in a game that both the team and I feel they should have won. It should also be noted that Auburn won 6 straight games before losing in overtime to #4 Tennessee. The Ducks possess the Pac-10's leading scorer in Bryan Bracey who will likely matchup head to head with Cal leading scorer Sean Lampley. Bracey has a good chance of winning that battle, but even if he does not his supporting cast is far superior. Freddy Jones (15.4ppg) and Anthony Norwood (14.4) are both legitimate go to players while Cal has only one other double digit scorer in point guard Shantay Legans who is primarily an outside threat. Oregon should have an advantage on the boards as they average a +5.3 rebounding margin vs the Bears -2.9. Cal is coming off a good looking road trip in which they played Arizona close and beat Arizona State by 15. However, the Sun Devils are battling injury woes and were also beaten recently by the likes of San Diego State and Ohio U. The Wildcats have also struggled and just about every game they have played recently has been close. Oregon meanwhile only played one game last week and blew out Oregon State 84-66 in Eugene. They will be fresh and well prepared for this game. Ducks are getting too many points here. Oregon  1 UNIT

January 10 Sheet

Wisconsin (+5) at Purdue - 5:00pm Pacific
I have been waiting for a good spot to play the Badgers since they got back their two suspended players and this appears to be it. The team definitely took a step forward with the return of guard Travon Davis and in particular senior forward Maurice Linton four games ago. In two Big 10 games, Linton has averaged a team leading 13.5ppg & 9.5rpg. The team now brings more athleticism to the table and depth is no longer an issue with 9 players averaging double digits in minutes. The Badgers had won 10 straight games before a narrow road loss at Minnesota on Saturday. Surprisingly, the Gophers are now 13-2 so there is not a lot of shame in losing there. I expect the Badgers to come out with higher intensity coming off the loss and this looks to be a good spot for them to make a quick rebound. Their only other loss this year was at #4 Tennessee and they already own quality wins over the likes of Maryland, Xavier, Temple, and Indiana. Wisconsin has lost 26 straight times at Purdue, which will serve as an extra incentive today. More importantly is the fact that they did beat Purdue in three straight meetings last year, including a win in the final four. Wisconsin returns 8 of their top 10 players from that same team while Purdue lost four key senior starters, their top 4 rebounders, and 4 of top 5 scorers from a year ago. Boilermakers have been outrebounded 8 of their 13 games this year which is just not going to get it done vs a team like Wisconsin. I really believe that the Badgers are the better team in this matchup and that Purdue will struggle all year vs upper echelon Big 10 teams. I am looking for an outright victory here but I will gladly take the points. Wisconsin  2 UNITS

St. Joseph's at George Washington (-1.5) - 4:30pm Pacific
We have lost two straight using the Colonials but this is a good spot to make amends. GW has lost four out of five games since taking a 17 day hiatus in December. All 5 games were away from home and the team just has not been able to find their rhythm. The four losses all came against quality opposition as well. They first lost to #4 Tennessee in Hawaii, a game that they led in the second half. They then lost to Detroit in the consolation round. Returning to the mainland they played at Charlotte (tie game at half) and most recently at UMass (led by 12 at half) who just came back to win at Xavier in their next game. For the first time since December 11, the Colonials finally will play a home game tonight. It will be the home debut of highly touted Pitt transfer forward Atila Cosby (10.8ppg, team leading 8.4rpg through 5 games) and could be his coming out party. He provides a much needed inside presence on a team that already possesses a deadly scoring trio in guard Sir Valiant Brown (18.7ppg), G/F Chris Monroe (19.5ppg), and guard Mike King (11.2ppg). There is just too much talent here and Tommy Penders is too good of a coach for this team to not start winning. St. Joe's is coming off a misleading easy win at Rhode Island on Saturday. URI is bad as it is, but were playing without leading scorer Tavoris Bell and starting guard Woodward which better explains the blowout. This is a tough spot for the Hawks as it is their second straight road game and they start a freshman point guard. I do not think they will be able to match GW's intensity level tonight. Colonials get a much needed win in their A-10 home opener. George Washington  1 UNIT

January 9 Sheet

Syracuse at Rutgers (+3) - 4:30pm Pacific
Big game for the Scarlet Knights here. They are coming off two close road losses by 4 at Villanova and by 7 at Notre Dame. They also played Florida tough on the road earlier in the year. This is their Big East home opener and they are always ultra tough to beat here at The RAC. They are 7-1 at home this year and have beaten Syracuse the last two times the Orangemen have visited, 74-71 in 1999, and 62-57 in 1998. Syracuse is coming off an extremely fortunate win at Pittsburgh that surely still has Panther players, bettors, and coaches shaking their heads alike. Pitt led the game throughout and by double digits most of the second half before collapsing. Pitt outrebounded Syracuse 37-28 but turned the ball over 25 times enabling the comeback. Syracuse simply was not impressive and will be playing again without starting center Billy Celuck due to academic suspension. Rutgers is led by point guard Todd Billett (16.4ppg, 4.2apg) who is as steady as they come so do not expect turnovers to bail out the Cuse tonight. Rutgers ranks 2nd in the Big East with just 14 turnovers per game, despite a tough schedule. Along with Billet (33 3-pointers), senior forward Jeff Greer (22 3-pointers) gives Rutgers two excellent zone busters, which is what the Orangemen always prefer playing. Junior Rashod Kent carries the load inside and is averaging a double double 10.0ppg and 10.5rpg. It is going to take a monster performance from Syracuse to win back to back road games here vs a tough Rutgers team on their home floor. I just do not see it happening. Take the points. Rutgers  1 UNIT

UMass (+13) at Xavier - 4:30pm Pacific
We've been burned by the Minutemen once already this year but it looks as if they are finally ready to start playing to their potential. On paper UMass has as much talent as the upper echelon A-10 teams, they simply have not played like it. They entered conference play with a 2-9 overall record, but the nine teams that have beaten them are 88-25 (.779) combined. Overall their strength of schedule is ranked 2nd in the nation out of 325 division 1 schools by RPI. After a busy December that saw the team play 6 times away from the Mullins center, UMass returned home for a much needed full week of practice to prepare for their A-10 opener last Saturday vs GW. They responded with their best performance of the season, a 76-60 win over the Colonials. In recent games they have shown improvement in both their rebounding and turnovers. They were outrebounded in all of their first 6 games but since have outrebounded their opponents in 5 of last 6. They also turned the ball over 18.2 times per game in first five but have just turned it over 13.7 times in last 5, including a season low 8 vs GW. I am not a big fan of Bruiser Flint but he has an impressive 20-12 road record in A-10 conference games and is 4-0 in A-10 road openers. Senior center Rymer has picked up his play with 10.3ppg, 8.5rpg, and 2.5bpg in last 6. It took a while for everyone to get accustomed to their roles on this team but we are finally starting to see it happen. Xavier still has a ways to go to get their shooting percentages up to par. As a team they are still only 29.2% from 3-point range. They do not play anyone taller than 6-8 which could give them problems vs UMass frontline that features 6-11 Brand and 6-10 Rymer. Expect Minutemen to be very competitive here and stay within this big number. UMass  1 UNIT

January 7 Sheet

Florida at South Carolina (+4.5) - 1:00pm Pacific
We discussed the Gamecocks at length last week when they visited Providence. In that game they got off to a horrible start and were down double digits in the first half. They rallied all the way back to tie the game but in the end lost by 5 points. Prior to that they had won 5 straight and now have had 8 days off to prepare for this huge SEC home opener. The Gamecocks are going to be tough at home all season. After losing two NBA first round picks off of last years team, the Gators have shown some signs of weakness this year. They trailed DePaul by 1 with under 3:00 left, led Rutgers by only 2 with 8:30 left, and were beaten soundly by Michigan State in their only road game vs a quality opponent this year. Additionally, they will be playing without two key members of their 10 man rotation today. Starting forward Brent Wright (15.9ppg, 7.1rpg, 2nd on team in both categories, 26.8 minutes per game leads team) and reserve forward Major Parker (19.0 minutes per game) will miss this game. In last years game here, South Carolina fought down to the wire and lost by just four points 86-82. I believe they have taken the necessary steps forward since then to win outright this time. Gamecocks will be emotionally sky high for this game. Take the points. South Carolina  1 UNIT

January 6 Sheet

St. John's at Connecticut (-6) - 10:00am Pacific
I am expecting UConn to bounce back strong here from their double digit loss at Boston College on Wednesday. The Huskies will be playing at Gampel Pavilion for the first time in almost a month today. They are 68-11 (86%) lifetime and beat Arizona in their last game here. Since freshman sensation Caron Butler (17.3ppg, 8.1rpg, 4.5apg, 2.7spg) and senior center Souleymane Wane became eligible four games into the season the Huskies had won 9 straight games before the BC loss. It is hard not to love head coach Jim Calhoun and he is sure to have his team fired up for this game after he felt they were outhustled by BC. Last year St. John's swept the season series 3-0 including a win in the Big East tournament championship game so this will be a revenge situation for the Huskies as well. The Red Storm are showing signs of improvement but have only been outside of New York twice this year and both times they were beaten (Ohio State and GW) by double digits. Huskies win this convincingly. UConn  1 UNIT

Syracuse at Pittsburgh (+3.5) - 4:30pm Pacific
The Panthers have overcome some of their recent problems and clearly played their best game of the season on Wednesday vs Miami, Fla. They continue to play outstanding defense as opponents are shooting just .389 for the season now. In this game they showed that Isaac Hawkins (5 blocks) can handle the middle adequately on his own against most teams. They also demonstrated the ability to have other players pick up the scoring slack when leading scorer Ricardo Greer (8 points) has an off game. Point guard Brandon Knight (Brevin's brother) is back in the starting lineup after recent minor injuries and disciplinary issues. He had a season high 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists and played by far the best that I have ever seen him. The remaining cast of players all did their part as 6 players scored 7 or more points and the Panthers were in control from start to finish. Syracuse is clearly overrated right now. This will be the Orangemen's very first true road game of the season, which is significant since they are playing with 4 new starters. Additionally, it was announced Friday night that starting center Billy Celuck (20 minutes per game) will miss at least the next two games because of academics. This not only will effect them on the court but could play havoc on their mental outlook of this already tough road game. I am looking for the Panthers to win this outright. Pittsburgh  1 UNIT

UC Irvine (+6.5) at Pacific - 7:30pm Pacific
The Anteaters are a very interesting team. Head coach Pat Douglas is now in his fourth year here and his team has improved every year. Douglass formerly was at Cal State Bakersfield where he had 10 consecutive 20-win seasons and a Division II national championship so the guy can flat out coach. This year he has two proven all-conference candidate players in guard Jerry Green (14.9ppg, 4.6rpg, 3.3apg) and G/F Sean Jackson (formerly from Cal). 7-0 redshirt freshman Adam Parada (7.7ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.2bpg in just 18 minutes per game) is an emerging star and is already being touted as an NBA prospect. Nine players in all contribute and average double digits in minutes. UCI has won 8 of 10 games that includes quality wins vs Cal and at Washington with the only losses coming by 3 points to a good San Diego team and by 5 at UCLA. They rank 1st in the Big West in both points allowed (58.2) and FG defense (.369). Expect a low scoring game with points being a premium. Head coach was quoted in the paper as saying he felt his team could compete with anyone in the country and so far they have. Certainly they should be able to cover the number here vs a Pacific team that is not much. Take the points. UC Irvine  1 UNIT

January 3rd Sheet

Xavier at Fordham (+3) - 4:00pm Pacific
Former NBA head coach Bob Hill is doing a solid job of rebuilding this Fordham program. His biggest job from the outset was simply upgrading the talent level and he has done just that with a good recruiting class. Freshman big man Jeff McMillian had to sit out the seasons first two games due to a rules violation but has started every game since with 9.0ppg & 6.3rpg. Fellow freshman big man Liberto Tetimadingar has had his progress slowed by nagging injuries but is starting to get more minutes. Meanwhile, Hill has raved all season about freshman swingman Michael Haynes who just became eligible two games ago. He has averaged 16.5 minutes and 4.5 points in his first two outings and will be making his home debut tonight. All three players have great promise. It is always tough to beat all senior backcourts at home and the Rams have a good one with Bevon Robin (16.0ppg, 3.9rpg, 5.2apg, 21 3-pt FG's) and Jason Harris (14.4ppg, 2.4rpg, 2.4apg, 38 3-pt FG's). Fellow returnees Duke Freeman-Mckamey (12.5ppg, 9.1rpg), Teremun Johnson (9.2ppg), and Arseni Kuchinsky (8.0ppg) are all posting career best numbers. Their are definitely higher expectations this year for the Rams and they come into this game at a respectable 7-4, but really should be 9-2. They own quality wins vs St. John's and South Florida both of which were played at MSG. Tonight they will be at on-campus Rose Hill Gym where they are always tough. Xavier is historically not very good on the road and this year they are 2-2 in true road games with both wins coming by just 2 points. They needed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to win at Toledo. In their 4 road games they have shot an average of just 33.5% from the field and 22% from behind the arc. For the season they are shooting just 28% from behind the arc which is last in the A-10. Last years leading scorer McAfee is really struggling at just 9-for-48 from 3-point range for the season. Critical home game for the Rams and they find a way to win this. Fordham  2 UNITS

St Bonnie at St Louis (-3) - 5:00pm Pacific
I am still a believer in the Billikens. They are too good of a team, particularly at home, to be laying only three points here. St. Louis took 4th place in last weeks Rainbow classic, losing to host Hawaii and then to #22 Iowa in the 3rd place game. Head coach Lorenzo Romar was emphatic in saying that his teams offense is better than what they have shown in recent games. What a better time to get things going than tonight as they return home to play their final non-conference game before conference play kicks in. At 7-6, they really need a win here to stay above .500 and build some confidence and momentum. They have solid talent, play great defense, and are improving as a team in every game. St. Bonnie, like Xavier, is a team that is known for its road struggles. Early in the season they were able to beat Fresno State on the road before the Bulldogs were right and then held off Charlotte in overtime at home. Because of those wins they are overrated, but since have not done much to impress. They lost on the road at Kent, struggled to a 4 point road win at Niagara, and most recently came off a 17 day hiatus to lose at home convincingly to Canisus. Additionally, tonight marks the first game of a three game, nine day road trip for the Bonnies. The latter two games mark the start of A-10 conference play so it is unlikely they will be all out here, and they are not a team with much quality depth. Look for things to go the Billikens way tonight. St. Louis  1 UNIT

Long Beach State at Utah (-14) - 6:00pm Pacific
The Utes are playing very well right now. They won three straight games and then performed much better than looked in a loss at Texas on Saturday. They led for a good portion of the game and trailed by just one point with under 5 minutes to play. The game was much closer than the final 11 point margin indicates. Additionally, it should be noted that Texas has their full team available now and is a very hot team in their own right. Playing the Longhorns tough on the road was no easy task. Like St. Louis, the Utes also need a win here to stay above .500 and build momentum before conference play begins for them next Monday. As we discussed previously, with even more newcomers than usual it took Utah some extra time to come together this year, but they truly have no less than 10 quality players in their rotation. They always play great defense, rebound well, and pose significant matchup problems with their size and girth. Meanwhile, I still have LB State pegged as a go against team. The 49ers are coming off a 22 point loss to USC which they never had a chance in. Their coach has never been able to get his players to play to their talent level and this year they have less talent than in years past. We previously mentioned the loss of forward James Williams for the season 6 games back. He was one of their better all around players and his departure certainly did not help things. LB State was blown out by Pepperdine in Long Beach by 19 points, and Utah beat that same Pepperdine team by double digits on the road. I do not anticipate the 49ers putting up much of a fight here. Playing at home, the Utes should be able to name the score. Utah  1 UNIT

January 2 Sheet

Creighton at Nebraska (+1) - 5:00pm Pacific
Still finding good value here with the Cornhuskers. As discussed previously, point guard Kevin Augustine (transfer from USC) finally was healthy enough to play 7 games back and has now started the last 6 and another talented guard John Robinson (transfer from New Mexico) became eligible 3 games back. The team had struggled in the early parts of the season without them and they are now clearly a much better team with them available. Nebraska put together four quality wins in a row away from home vs the likes of Miami Fla, and then Iona, Kent, and SMU in the San Juan Shootout which they took 1st place in. After returning to the mainland they went on the road yet again and lost a heartbreaker at Minnesota in overtime. The Huskers led the game almost the entire way but the Gophers got a very fortunate tip in off of a missed free throw with 5 seconds left to send the game into overtime. That very easily could have been 5 straight quality wins away from home. Finally returning home last Saturday, they had every excuse for a letdown as they hosted Murray State and indeed they played poorly from start to finish in an embarrassing loss to the Racers. The team held a players only meeting after the game and all signs indicate that they are ready to rebound and give a peak performance tonight. Creighton is an instate rival and this is always a big game for both players and fans alike. Last year the Blue Jays beat the Huskers by 17 points in Omaha, so revenge will be a factor as well. Creighton is 0-12 all time when visiting the Devaney Sports Center. The Blue Jays are 9-1 heading into this game but quality wins are hard to find on their schedule. They won at Providence early in the season but that was when the Friars were playing without starting center Shabazz and starting point guard Linehan. They also beat Tulsa by 10, but from watching them play I know they are not as good as that score indicates, and from reading the game notes it appeared that Tulsa had them poorly scouted. No chance of that happening tonight. We keep hearing good things about first year head coach Barry Collier and this is clearly a critical game for him. They already have lost two embarrassing games at home this year and cannot afford another. Cornhuskers have a distinct size and strength advantage inside and are a much better rebounding team (+5.7 rebounding margin against tougher schedule vs Creighton's +0.6 margin against weaker schedule). Center Ffriend and power forward Bradford shoot 73% & 64% from the field respectively which makes it no wonder why Nebraska ranks 3rd in the country in FG% shooting. Expect Huskers to take this challenge head on and win this game convincingly. Nebraska  2 UNITS