UC Irvine at San Francisco (-6) - 1:00pm Pacific - Game #643-644
The Dons are finally coming into their own and playing solid basketball. They have won four of their last five games with only loss coming at first place Santa Clara. They have been sparked by the return four games back of leading scorer Antonio Kellogg who sat out three games to focus on academics. Starting guard Armando Surratt (knee) has missed last two games and is doubtful to play today but insiders report that team chemistry and tempo has been better without him in the lineup. Senior F/C Alan Wiggins has averaged 18.8ppg in last five games and senior forward Johnny Dukes is coming off a career high 21 point, 8 rebound game. The Dons have had success in recent games using a 1-2-2 zone press defense that figures to give the inexperienced and turnover prone UC Irvine guards fits. The Dons are a solid 7-4 in the WCC which is clearly a notch above the Big West where UCI has managed just a 5-6 mark.

UC Irvine has wilted after some disappointing losses and is 1-5 ATS in their last six games. Last time out they were very lethargic and had to get lucky to get by a horrible UC Riverside team that was playing without one of their top scorers (Chris Johnson, 12.1ppg in conference play, sat out with back spasms). The game was tied with less than a minute to play. With a true freshman as the only true point guard on the roster, UC Irvine has struggled all season against quick teams who apply pressure. This is particularly evident on the road where they are just 1-5 ATS in last six. This will be UC Irvine's fourth straight road game and they played a game Wednesday night. USF has been off since Monday and will be playing their third straight at home. USF will be honoring their late long time equipment manager at half-time and a good sized turnout is expected. Give the points.

RAS Official Play: San Francisco -6 1 UNIT

Cleveland State at Cal State Northridge (-7) - 7:00pm Pacific - Game #701-702
The Matadors were in position to make some noise in the Big West standings three weeks ago and then promptly lost four straight conference games. During the stretch of poor play, key players were in and out of the coaches dog house and point guard play was an issue. The team is much better than recent form indicates but still is 7-3-1 ATS in conference play. CSUN has shown life in last three games winning two by double digits and losing by only two to second place Fullerton. The Matadors dominated first place Long Beach State here about one month ago. Senior center Thomas Shewmake has emerged in last two games to average 24.5ppg and 12.5rpg, far above his season averages. CSUN is 9-4 at home and tends to pose problems for non-conference teams not familiar with their pressure defense and trademark 1-3-1 zone press.

The Horizon league is way down this year, particularly after the top two teams, yet Cleveland State ranks dead last with a 2-12 record. This team appears to have thrown in the towel after losing five straight games including three straight at home and a 42 point loss to Butler. Senior point guard Carlos English and key reserve forward Kevin Francis unexpectedly were lost to academics 9 games back. In Horizon play CSU has shot just .373, averaged just 57.1ppg, and have been outrebounded by -7.1 per game, all ranking last in the conference. The Vikings are just 2-10 on the road this year. This will be CSUN's fourth straight home game. They have not had to travel further than 90 minutes from campus in almost a month. CSUN will get plenty of offense in this game off turnovers and second chance opportunities. Any type of normal efficiency from their regular offense will make them a double digit winner. Give the points.

RAS Official Play: Cal St Northridge -7 1 UNIT


Return to Record Page