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| THIS WEEKEND'S THEME: WAIT 'TIL NEXT WEEKEND
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February 6, 2009
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Daniel, SCS.com Staff Writer
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Contact Daniel
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 For a second straight weekend, college basketball is pretty lame. It’s an anomaly. It has to be. But for whatever reason, these past two Saturday’s have been relatively bland. There are still some interesting storylines, critical bubble games and conference title implications, but we’re without that cant-miss game. But the Weekend Preview never quits. And any college basketball is good college basketball in my book. So even though there’s no Game of the Weekend, the show must go on.
MIGHT AS WELL BE MARCH
Games you might see in the NCAA tournament
Syracuse at Villanova
Saturday 11:00 AM ESPN
Saturday’s slate of games kicks off with this Big East match-up between two teams stuck in the middle of the conference. Syracuse finally got back on track this Wednesday by beating West Virginia, but the Orange are in a mid-season crisis. Due to a combination of an anemic offense and a porous defense, Syracuse has lost four of six games. Villanova, on the other hand, has won five in a row, the latest 94-91 victory at Providence in which the Wildcats nearly blew a huge second half lead. The tough, defensive-minded guards of Villanova will be able to slow Syracuse’s perimeter game, and the Orange aren’t an overly physical team, which has sometimes bothered Jay Wright’s team.
Prediction: Villanova 76, Syracuse 73
Minnesota at Ohio State
Saturday 7:00 PM Big Ten Network
Sometimes, you see a score and simply shake your head. This is exactly what I did when I saw how Minnesota fared at Michigan State on Wednesday. The Spartans must have been sick of losing at home, because they put a beat down on the Gophers and won 76-47. Ohio State, meanwhile, is riding a three game winning streak and just won at home against Purdue in overtime. So how will Minnesota respond on the road? I’m not sure it’ll be so pretty. Tubby Smith doesn’t have a lot of explosive offensive players, and Ohio State will limit the Gophers to one shot on offense.
Prediction: Ohio State 70, Minnesota 59
Memphis at Gonzaga
Saturday 8:00 PM ESPN
After suffering some non-conference losses, these two teams from mid-major conferences kind of fell off the map. Sure, they are both ranked in the top 25, but that’s because of how weak the C-USA and WCC are (at least compared to Gonzaga and Memphis). I want to find out if Gonzaga has gotten any better after ending non-conference play with four losses in five games. And I also want to see if the Tigers have improved after dropping games to Georgetown, Syracuse and Xavier.
Prediction: Memphis 82, Gonzaga 79
Purdue at Illinois
Saturday 12:00 PM CBS
Here’s the deal with the Illini. They can’t score. That’s all there is to it. Illinois can’t put the ball in the basket, no matter how hard it tries, and that’s the reason this team has scored more than 70 points just twice in nine conference games. Luckily, Bruce Weber has this team playing outstanding defense, but eventually Illinois is going to need some offense. Its shooters aren’t hitting from the outside and Mike Davis has not played well at all lately in the post. Purdue is going to want payback for losing to Illinois in overtime last month. JaJuan Johnson, though inconsistent, has picked up his play during the conference season. He’s giving Purdue the inside presence it desperately needs.
Prediction: Purdue 66, Illinois 55
BUBBLE BURSTERS
Features teams that need to bolster their resumes
Miami at Duke
Saturday 12:30 PM Raycom
Miami’s destruction of Wake Forest was all part of “Wacky Wednesday” which saw countless ranked teams go down. With Duke and North Carolina ahead, the Hurricanes’ top 10 win might have saved their season.
Prediction: Duke 74, Miami 66
Oklahoma State at Kansas
Saturday 2:30 ABC
Thanks to its SOS ranking—and in turn, strong RPI—Oklahoma State is still in contention for the NCAA tournament. Now, it needs some notable wins. A victory at Allen Fieldhouse would help, but I don’t see how a small OSU team will slow down Cole Aldrich.
Prediction: Kansas 83, Oklahoma State 77
Providence at West Virginia
Saturday 3:00 PM
Keno Davis inherited a team full of scorers, but Providence still doesn’t defend to well. That won’t fly on the road. Win or lose, the Friars will be firmly on the bubble.
Prediction: West Virginia 76, Providence 72
Kansas State at Texas A&M
Saturday 3:00 PM Big 12 Network
After falling to 0-4, Kansas State has saved its season by winning four straight games. At 3-5 in the Big 12, Texas A&M can’t afford to drop this game at home, but the Wildcats are also pretty desperate here as well. I could have put this under “Desperation Games,” but figured it was a bubble game too. Both teams are at least in the tourney conversation.
Prediction: Texas A&M 67, Kansas State 60
Michigan at Connecticut
Saturday 5:00 PM ESPN
Michigan has already beaten two top five teams out of conference, so why can’t John Beilein do it again? The Wolverines need it, that’s for sure, though they did get an important win over Penn State last night.
Prediction: Connecticut 77, Michigan 62
Florida State at Clemson
Saturday 6:00 PM
After blasting Duke, Clemson will be flying high. It better be ready for Florida State, a team that looks like an at-large team right now. The Seminoles are still looking for that defining win though.
Prediction: Clemson 83, Florida State 69
Wisconsin at Penn State
Sunday 2:00 PM Big Ten Network
Bo Ryan is too established of a coach and this Wisconsin team is too good to be written off. Penn State has two great wins against Purdue and Michigan State, so the Nittany Lions will be in contention for a tournament bid.
Prediction: Penn State 67, Wisconsin 66
Boston College at Wake Forest
Sunday 3:00 PM
I thought Wake Forest was the best team in the nation about a week ago. That changed quickly. I still think the Demon Deacons will be a force in March. The layout of their team, with so many big men and a star in Jeff Teague, is the reason I’m not giving up on them.
Prediction: Wake Forest 80, Boston College 60
MID-MAJOR GLORY
Please, no hate mail about the term “mid-majors,” just be happy I’m writing about your team
Texas A&M Corpus Christi at Nicholls State
Saturday 3:00 PM
How fun has the Southland been this year? This could be a preview of the conference tournament championship game.
Prediction: Nicholls State 70, Texas A&M CC 60
Charleston at Davidson
Saturday 5:00 PM ESPN2
The last time these two met, Davidson squeaked by on the road. It should be close again.
Prediction: Davidson 82, Charleston 76
Butler at Wright State
Saturday 6:00 PM
Wright State is one of those teams that always causes Butler trouble. I know that history doesn’t always predict the future, and Butler probably won’t lose another Horizon game, but you never know.
Prediction: Butler 66, Wright State 55
UNLV at New Mexico
Saturday 7:00 PM
If you want to see an awesome college basketball arena, go see The Pit on New Mexico’s campus. It’s an incredibly difficult venue to play in because it’s basically underground. UNLV needs this one to stay in the race for the MWC title.
Prediction: UNLV 73, New Mexico 66
Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Wisconsin-Green Bay
Saturday 7:00
It’s been several months now and I still don’t know what to call these teams. Is the Wisconsin still supposed to be in front? Who knows. All I know is this game is between the two best teams in the Horizon not named Butler.
Prediction: Wisconsin Green-Bay 69, Wisconsin Milwaukee 64
Creighton at Northern Iowa
Sunday 1:05 PM
After a tough start, Creighton has battled back to second place in the Missouri Valley. Unfortunately, that’s a full three games behind Northern Iowa.
Prediction: Northern Iowa 77, Creighton 63
DESPERATION GAMES
Someone who really needs a win
Baylor at Texas Tech
Saturday 7:00 ESPNU
Baylor has been playing desperation games for a few weeks now. This time, the Bears season might actually be over if they lose at Texas Tech.
Prediction: Baylor 85, Texas Tech 83
Last week’s prediction record: 14-11
Overall prediction record: 164-94
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