(#5) PITTSBURGH PANTHERS at SETON HALL PIRATES |
Monday   7:00 PM CDT   FoxSportsNet*   South Orange, NJ |
Two of the top five teams in the Big East meet up in this one Monday night. The Panthers have won four in a row after losing their only game of the season at Connecticut in mid-January. Seton Hall has won four of their last five games is only two and a half games back of Pitt. Pirate senior guard Andre Barrett is one of the Big East's top players. The Bronx native averages almost 18 points per game and shoots over 46% from the field. SHU has defended the home court well, winning nine of ten this season, while Pittsburgh has won all but one of only five games away from their home gym. It's a full week of tough games for both teams. The Pirates will visit Notre Dame Saturday, while Pitt will host UConn on Sunday.
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SouthernCollegeSports.com Writers' Predictions |
Jarrod |
Jonathan |
Timothy |
Toby |
Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
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(#13) KANSAS JAYHAWKS at (#8) OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS |
Monday   8:00 PM CDT   ESPN   Stillwater, OK |
Two of the Big XII's tri-leaders get together in Stillwater this week as part of ESPN's "Big Monday" showcase. After losing two games in a nine-day span, Bill Self's Jayhawks rebounded last week to win games against Missouri and Texas Tech in Lawrence. Since losing at Texas Tech in early January, the Cowboys have been one of the hottest teams in the nation. Coach Eddie Sutton's bunch has won seven consecutive games, three of them over teams ranked in the top 25 nationally and four of them on the road. Kansas juniors Keith Langford and Wayne Simien are among the conference's top six scorers, each averaging 16 per game. Oklahoma State is led by senior guard Tony Allen, a 16-point per game scorer himself.
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SouthernCollegeSports.com Writers' Predictions |
Jarrod |
Jonathan |
Timothy |
Toby |
Oklahoma State |
Oklahoma State |
Oklahoma State |
Oklahoma State |
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DAYTON FLYERS at (#3) ST. JOSEPH'S HAWKS |
Wednesday   6:00 PM CDT   Philadelphia, PA |
The Dayton Flyers may be the biggest hurdle still standing between the St. Joseph's Hawks and an undefeated season. The Flyers, like SJU, are unbeaten in Altantic 10 play; they have lost just three times all season. After losing three of four games in a period of about twelve days, Dayton has roared back to win nine in a row since early January. The Hawks have been led by their fabulous backcourt this season, namely guards Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, who score 20 and 19 points per game, respectively. Dayton is led by three seniors who each average between 12 and 14 points per game: Ramod Marshall, Sean Finn, and Keith Waleskowski. The Flyers have won four in a row on the road.
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SouthernCollegeSports.com Writers' Predictions |
Jarrod |
Jonathan |
Timothy |
Toby |
St. Joseph's |
St. Joseph's |
Dayton |
St. Joseph's |
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(#6) MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS at SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS |
Wednesday   6:30 PM CDT   Columbia, SC |
Two of the SEC's top four teams meet in Columbia Wednesday night. Mississippi State has lost just once this season and is 2.5 seconds away from being unbeaten and ranked in the top five nationally. South Carolina has lost just four times this year, three of them in league play. Following an mid-January loss to Kentucky, MSU has rebounded to win six straight games, three of them away from home. South Carolina is led by junior forward Carlos Powell, who chips in nearly 14 a game. The Bulldogs' leading scorer is Lawrence Roberts, one of only two SEC players averaging a double-double. USC has lost just once in fourteen tries at home this season; both teams are trying to grab win number twenty in 2003 - 2004.
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SouthernCollegeSports.com Writers' Predictions |
Jarrod |
Jonathan |
Timothy |
Toby |
South Carolina |
Mississippi State |
South Carolina |
Mississippi State |
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(#9) LOUISVILLE CARDINALS at CHARLOTTE 49ers |
Thursday   8:00 PM CDT   ESPN2   Charlotte, NC |
After being ranked as high as number three in the country, the Louisville Cardinals have battled injuries and distractions involving both coaches and players and have lost two of their last three games. Charlotte, meanwhile, has been moving in the opposite direction. Coach Bobby Lutz's team has won three in a row and is just a half-game back of CUSA's tri-leaders. The 49ers have been led by sophomore forward Curtis Withers, the league's sixth-leading scorer who accounts for nearly 17 each night out. UL has four players in double-figures, but two of them, sophomores Francisco Garcia and Taquan Dean, have been battling injuries over the past couple of weeks. Louisville is 13-1 this season in Freedom Hall.
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SouthernCollegeSports.com Writers' Predictions |
Jarrod |
Jonathan |
Timothy |
Toby |
Charlotte |
Charlotte |
Louisville |
Charlotte |
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(#4) CONNECTICUT HUSKIES at (#5) PITTSBURGH PANTHERS |
Sunday   12:30 PM CDT   ABC*   Pittsburgh, PA |
Both the Panthers and Huskies were upset earlier in the week, making Sunday's matchup that much more important for both teams. Though they are still atop the Big East standings, Providence and Seton Hall are knocking on the door. UConn has been led by the play of star center Emeka Okafor and guard Ben Gordon. Okafor scores nearly 20 and Gordon almost 18 points per game. The Panthers' star, meanwhile, has been junior guard Carl Krauser. The Bronx native tallies over 15 points a game. After winning 18 straight games to open the season, Pitt has lost two of their last six. UConn has been up and down this season but has lost three times since mid-January. One team will make a big statement Sunday.
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SouthernCollegeSports.com Writers' Predictions |
Jarrod |
Jonathan |
Timothy |
Toby |
Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
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(#1) DUKE BLUE DEVILS at NC STATE WOLFPACK |
Sunday   5:30 PM CDT   FoxSportsNet*   Raleigh, NC |
After seeing two fellow top-five members go down earlier in the week, Duke will attempt to avoid being the third member of that class to be upset. But their task Sunday will be extremely difficult. The NC State Wolfpack has won four straight games and five of their last six, vaulting Herb Sendek's club to within two games of league-leading Duke. Two of the ACC's top three scorers will take the floor in Raleigh Sunday. NCSU's Julius Hodge is number two in the league, averaging over 18 points per contest. Duke's J.J. Redick rams home nearly 17 a game. The Devils have not lost since late-November, a streak that includes seven straight wins away from home. The 'Pack is guarding a perfect 12-0 record at home this season.
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SouthernCollegeSports.com Writers' Predictions |
Jarrod |
Jonathan |
Timothy |
Toby |
Duke |
Duke |
Duke |
NC State |