Houston at Saint Louis (-3.5) - 11:00am Pacific - Game #729-730
This is a make or break season for SLU head coach Brad Soderberg. The Billikens have four returning starters and seven of their top eight scorers back from last season. Starting center Ian Vouyoukas (12.0ppg, 9.5rpg) has NBA potential. Sophomore guards Tommie Liddell (14ppg, 9.5rpg) and Kevin Lisch (16.3ppg) are coming off excellent freshman seasons. Both will benefit from added strength and experience this year. Juniors Danny Brown, Dwayne Polk, and Luke Meyer give the team plenty of options on the perimeter. SLU started the season with three impressive wins until running into a buzzsaw at Texas A&M in final game of three day tourney. They have had nearly a week to look forward to this game and it is their home opener. I expect a very good showing from them.

Houston is currently without two of the better players on their roster. Senior Lanny Smith, a do it all NBA guard prospect, is out with a toe injury and Texas transfer forward Dion Dowell will not be eligible until the second semester. Houston was able to win in OT at Rhode Island in their only real test but the Rams had a few key players playing at less than full strength that night. The Cougars like to play an uptempo game but Saint Louis is comfortable playing at a fast pace as well. The Billikens have averaged 82.6ppg in their three wins this year and have plenty of backcourt depth. Houston went just 7-8 in road games last year, with six of those wins coming vs teams with clearly less ability than SLU. Big game for the Billikens, expect them to take care of business. Give the points.

RAS Official Play: Saint Louis -3.5   1 UNIT


San Diego State (-2.5) at UCSB - 2:00pm Pacific - Game #765-766
The Aztecs are clearly a quality basketball team. Senior guard Brandon Heath is the leading returning scorer in the Mountain West conference but he is not even the best player on the team. That honor goes to 6-10 senior forward Mohamed Akubar (Florida transfer) who only played the second semester a year ago but is all systems go this season. He is averaging 16.8ppg & 6.0rpg and doing it with ease. Blossoming sophomores F Kyle Spain and G Richie Williams along with Louisville transfer Lorenzo Wade make up a formidable lineup. JC transfer center Jerome Habel returned from suspension two games ago and has averaged 14.5ppg & 8.5rpg. SDSU had a possible letdown situation in last game but still blew out UC Riverside right from the start which is a sign of a quality team.

UCSB is surprisingly 4-0 despite playing without two key starters, guard Cecil Brown (leading scorer last year), and center Glenn Turner (leading rebounder/shotblocker last year). They are coming off three straight road wins which on paper looks impressive, but after further review they beat a horrible & shorthanded Montana State team, a UNLV team by 3 playing without their starting point guard, and a Pepperdine team in double OT that is learning an entirely new system and playing without their injured point guard as well. The Gauchos are starting two freshman guards who have performed admirably but have not yet faced quality opposition. The Gauchos have also been fortunate to not face a team with a quality inside presence. San Diego State will present matchup problems with their star quality talent both in the backcourt and frountcourt. The Aztecs already own a road win at St. Mary's this year who I believe is a better team than UCSB and have improved since then with center Habel now available. Give the points.

RAS Official Play: San Diego State -2.5   1 UNIT


Nevada at Santa Clara (+7) - 7:00pm Pacific - Game #761-762
Santa Clara head coach Dick Davey is the longest tenured coach in the WCC and he thinks he has one of his best teams this year. The Broncos have one of the deepest frontcourts in the country. 6-10, 270 sophomore Jon Bryant is an load at center and an excellent passer for his size. His presence has allowed 6-11 Sean Denison to move to power forward where he has flourished this year averaging 16.0ppg. 7-footer Josh Higgins, a transfer from Western Kentucky, provides another big body off the bench. Junior Mitch Henke and senior Tristan Parham (back after missing last year with injury) are both experienced options at forward. SCU already had one of the league's best ball handlers in junior guard Brody Angley but have added Eastern Washington transfer Danny Pariseau who is a tough and heady true point guard. His emergence has moved second leading scorer guard Calvin Johnson to a reserve role. The Broncos are picked 5th-6th in the WCC but I see them finishing as high as second and no worse than fourth. They are going to be a tough out at home for anyone, including Gonzaga.

Nevada has had good success on the road in recent seasons and therefore may be overvalued in this spot. This year they do not have the luxury of quality depth that they have had in past years. Their big road win over Oregon State ten days ago was cheapened when the Beavers lost by 44 to Hawaii next time out. There is no doubt that Nevada is a quality opponent, but nothing will come easy for them tonight. Santa Clara will be well prepared for a rare home game vs ranked team. Expect a very competitive game. Take the points.

RAS Official Play: Santa Clara +7   1 UNIT


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