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THE GOLD SHEET
★★★ KEY RELEASES ★★★
UTEP by 16 over Charlotte (Thursday, January 9)
UC IRVINE by 8 over Long Beach St. (Thursday, January 9)
Day Game
TEXAS-ARLINGTON over La.-Monroe by 9 to 12—12-DNP
Night Games
TEMPLE 73 - South Florida 62—With USF sorely missing the floor
leadership of injured PG Anthony Collins (missed last 5 games due to swelling
& tendinitis in surgically repaired knee), expect the shorthanded Bulls to drop
their 5th game in the last 6 outings vs. hungry Temple (off back-to-back road
losses), eager to be back home for the first time since Dec. 18. The Owls’
blossoming 6-2 jr. PG Will Cummings (Florida native; 17.8 ppg, 4.2 apg), who
is coming off a career-high 31-pt. explosion in narrow loss at Central Florida,
should continue to light it up at USF. 12-DNP CABLE TV—ESPNU
LOUISVILLE 84 - Memphis 66—After a lackluster, non-covering 83-76
victory at Rutgers last Saturday, expect a much more focused performance
from loaded L‘Ville in its AAC home opener vs. Memphis. Watch for a solid “Agame”
performance from the Cards’ dynamic 6-0 sr. G Russ Smith, who was
criticized by HC Rick Pitino for his selfish play vs. the Scarlet Knights, as he had
5 TOs & only one assist. Louisville’s in-your-face half-court defense & full-court
press should seriously disrupt Memphis, which had 10 shots blocked & 16 TOs
in its recent 69-53 home upset loss at the hands of Cincy. The youthful Tigers
lost 101-80 at Oklahoma State in their only highly-challenging game as visitor to
date. 12-Lvl -4 87-78 CABLE TV—ESPN
VA. COMMONWEALTH over George Mason by 12 to 15—12-DNP
BUTLER 63 - DePaul 57—Since DePaul was able to make the double-digit
spreads work in their recent covering efforts at Georgetown and Marquette, no
reason Oliver Purnell’s improved Blue Demons can’t similarly hang around at
Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Chicago bunch is doing a much better job controlling
the tempo with a basketball “QB” on the floor in 6-5 frosh PG Billy Garrett Jr. (11
ppg), who is also causing some matchup headaches for the opposition. With
the Blue Demons playing games in the 50s and 60s these days, not sure Butler
is going to be able to extend the margin, especially with some shaky FT
shooters in Brandon Miller’s lineup (Khyle Marshall only 53%; Kameron Woods
just 60%). And Butler’s long-range shooting eye (a modest 35% beyond arc)
has been a bit inconsistent. 12-DNP
Florida St. 72 - CLEMSON 66—After FSU (season-worst 30.8% FGs,
compared with 49% for the year) was awful with its “brick-shooting”
performance in its 62-50 setback vs. Virginia on Saturday, the tall & talented
Seminoles should bounce back vs. a Clemson squad coming off an
unimpressive 62-60 win at struggling Boston College on the same day.
Defense-minded FSU has a host of mid-sized players to throw at the Tigers’
primary weapon, 6-6 jr. F K.J. McDaniels (team-leading 16.7 ppg). So, look for
Leonard Hamilton’s ‘Noles to capture their fifth consecutive series win and
avoid a rare 0-2 start in the ACC. 12-Fsu +3 71-66, FSU -5 60-57, Fsu -1’ 73-
69 (CT-neut.)
MISSISSIPPI 79 - Auburn 73—No surprise that Ole Miss’ sr. ball-hogging
G Marshall Henderson (18.8 ppg on only 36% shooting) is still hoisting too many
ill-advised shots. So, believe the perimeter-oriented Rebels will have some
trouble pulling away from improved 8-3 Auburn, benefiting from primo backcourt
play from mettle-tested 6-2 sr. Chris Denson (19 ppg) & sweet-stroking Virginia
transfer KT Harrell (19.4 ppg; 42.6% from arc). With the Tigers’ versatile 6-6
swingman Allen Payne (16 pts., 13 rebs., 5 assists vs. Florida A&M last
Saturday) causing some pain, Ole Miss drops to 3-7 vs. the spread TY. 12-Miss
-7 63-61, MISS -12' 88-55
LOUISIANA TECH over Florida Atlantic by 14 to 17—12-DNP
RICE over Florida Intl. by 4 to 6—12-DNP
Georgia St. 75 - WESTERN KENTUCKY 69—Sun Belt sources accurately
alerted to the possible ascent by Georgia State a few weeks ago. And the
Panthers have not disappointed in their current 5-game win streak that includes
DD road victories at UTSA and South Alabama. Coach Ron Hunter has finally
coaxed son R.J. and Kentucky transfer Ryan Harrow (both 19 ppg) to co-exist
on the floor and to get some other GSU weapons involved in the offensive flow,
with former Virginia Tech transfer F Manny Atkins (17.4 ppg last seven) now
getting more touches and sr. G Devonta White joining in the fun with 14 points
in Saturday’s win at Mobile. WKU DD scoring Gs T.J. Price & Trency Jackson
are going to have to work extra hard on the stop end vs. the Panther weapons.
Regional sources expect GSU might have an edge in the first go-around vs. its
new league foes that have not had a chance to see GSU previously. 12-DNP
ARKANSAS ST. over Troy by 5 to 7—12-TROY +7' 74-67 (OT), ASU -1358-50, Asu -9 68-63 (CT-OT-neut.)
George Washington 78 - LA SALLE 69—With these two A-10 entries
heading in different directions, must support resurgent 12-2 GW (only 13-17
LY), which has already notched notable wins away from Washington D.C.,
including upsets over Manhattan, Creighton & Maryland. Contrariwise,
struggling 7-6 La Salle, which hasn’t been able to fill the big sneakers of doeverything
G Ramon Galloway (17.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.7 apg last season), won’t
nab its first quality win of the season vs. quadruple-revenge-minded Colonial
squad, smartly led by super-soph G Joe McDonald (3.22 assist-to-TO ratio) and
Indiana transfer G Maurice Creek (16 ppg). 12-Las -2 80-71, LAS -9 84-70
Southern Miss 73 - NORTH TEXAS 72—With athletic North Texas excited
to make its C-USA debut after moving over from the Sun Belt, recommend
“taking” with the Mean Green, which is 5-1 as a home underdog since 2010-11.
UNT’s physical 6-7, 240-pound sr. F Colin Voss will offer resistance in the paint
for USM’s top inside scorer 6-7 sr. F Daveon Boardingham (10.8 ppg), while the
Mean Green’s rangy Gs, 6-4 Alzee Williams (14.4 ppg) & 6-6 Jordan Williams
(10.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg), figure to be matchup headaches for the shorter Golden
Eagle backcourt. 12-DNP
Marshall over UTSA by 4 to 6—12-DNP
ARKANSAS-L.R. over South Alabama by 1 to 3—12-USA -7 77-62, Usa+3' 70-66
BYU 85 - Pepperdine 68—Revenge angle worth considering with BYU
bunch that is a much different beast at home at its cavernous Marriott Center,
which USD painfully found out in a 34-point loss vs. the revenge-minded Cougs
at Provo last Saturday. Now, BYU looks for payback vs. Pepperdine team that
saw some of its flaws exposed in a weekend loss at USF when recurring
ballhandling issues got the best of the Waves (only 6 assists vs. 15 TOs) and its
frontline had trouble compensating for foul problems encountered by PF Stacy
Davis. Rest assured the three-point numbers are going to look a lot different in
the rematch after Pep’s 6-point win at Malibu Dec. 30, when the Waves
connected on 13 triples while BYU made only 1, with dagger-thrower deluxe
Tyler Haws (22 ppg) missing on all three of his long-range attempts. Haws’
normally-productive backcourt mate Matt Carlino (14.5 ppg) was also an
uncharacteristic 1 for 7 from floor in that recent loss at Firestone Fieldhouse.
12-BYU -18 76-51, Byu -11 63-61
UCLA 79 - Arizona 74—Arizona continues to set the pace a top the national
polls, but the unbeaten Wildcats have been cutting it very close some nights and
now face a surging UCLA squad that matched up very well a year ago when
sweeping all three from UA. The Bruins (now finding their groove in new HC
Steve Alford’s offense) could be ready to ambush No. 1 after their sizzling 107-
73 rout of crosstown USC on Sunday, hitting 57% vs. their hated rivals. UCLA’s
big backcourt caused fundamental problems for the Cats a year ago, and the
Bruins’ 6-9 Kyle Anderson (15.1 ppg; 23 points vs. USC) and 6-5 Jordan Adams
(18.7 ppg) can once again wreak havoc with Sean Miller’s defense. As long as
the Wear twins hold their own vs. UA frosh star Aaron Gordon (12.4 ppg) on the
blocks, UCLA should prevail. 12-Ucla +8' 84-73, UCLA +1 74-69, Ucla +3' 66-
64 (CT-neut.) CABLE TV—ESPN
TULSA over Tulane by 8 to 11—12-TUL -8 75-72, TLS -1' 78-66
★★★ UTEP 76 - Charlotte 60—Veteran UTEP has won and covered its last
three C-USA lidlifters at the rowdy Don Haskins Center. Expect that winning
trend to continue for the defensively-stout Miners (37.5% FG), who’ll be fullyenergized
following an extended 11-day layoff. Fundamentally, Charlotte
clearly lacks the experienced “bigs” to impede UTEP’s productive frontline trio
of 6-10 sr. C Josh Bohanan (10 ppg, 8.1 rpg), 6-8 jr. Julian Washburn (11. 2
ppg), and 6-7 blue-chip frosh F Vince Hunter (10.5 ppg). The 49ers have lost
some traction since the Puerto Rico Tourney victory and were recently
lambasted (106-62) at Florida State in their last road game. 12-DNP
XAVIER 78 - Marquette 66—Big East sources raving about the way the
deeper X-men are playing on both ends of the floor now. So, strongly suggest
laying single digits with the streaking Muskeeters, shooting for their eight
consecutive win, as Marquette is still suffering offense lapses sans departed G
Vander Blue (14.8 ppg). Xavier’s super-smooth 6-3 soph G Semaj Christon
should control the tempo, while slimmer & more agile Western Michigan
transfer 6-10 jr. C Matt Stainbrook (dropped nearly 50 pounds; 11.4 ppg, 8.5
rpg) outmanuevers Marquette’s lumbering 6-11, 275-pound C Chris Otule. 12-
DNP
IOWA 83 - Northwestern 54—Even though this Big Ten tilt is “sandwiched”
between Wisconsin & Ohio State for Iowa, still not dissuaded from laying the
lumber vs. offensively-challenged NW, still bruised after being hammered in its
first two conference games (home vs. Wisconsin, at Michigan). High-powered,
balanced, deep & tough-boarding Iowa (88.7 ppg; 11 Hawkeyes playing 10+
mpg; +10.5 rpg) should destroy the overmatched Wildcats, lacking any real
“back door” capabilities and hitting a combined 9 of 39 from downtown vs. the
Badgers & Wolverines. 12-Iowa +1 70-50, IOWA -8 71-57, Iowa -9' 73-59 (CTneut.)
CABLE TV—ESPNU
Michigan 70 - NEBRASKA 69—Though Michigan has managed to survive
in victories at Minnesota and lowly Northwestern sans preseason A-A 6-10 C
Mitch McGary (out due to back surgery), still interested in taking 4+ hoops with
capable NU, thrilled to be playing its Big Ten home opener after a rough threegame
road trip (at Cincy, Iowa & Ohio State). Anticipate a difference-making
performance from the Huskers’ talented 6-6 soph G Shavon Shields (11.9 ppg,
5.1), who had only 4 pts. before fouling out of 84-53 blowout loss at Ohio State
last Saturday. Note, NU is a solid 8-3 as home underdog the L1+Ys, including
five consecutive covers vs. Big Ten foes down the stretch LY. 12-MICH -21' 62-
47 CABLE TV—ESPN
CS NORTHRIDGE over UC Davis by 4 to 6—12-Ucd +6 74-71, UCD -2' 73-61
CS FULLERTON over UC Riverside by 7 to 10—12-CSF -14' 71-69, Csf -4' 79-67
Stanford over OREGON ST. by 3 to 5—12-STAN -9' 81-73, Stan -1' 82-72
Arizona St. 83 - SOUTHERN CAL 76—Though USC’s new HC Andy
Endfield publicly called out his Gs after they were seriously outplayed by
UCLA’s backcourt in the Trojans’ 107-73 blasting at Westwood Sunday, no
guarantee the USC backcourt bounces back vs. ASU’s ball-swishing tandem of
5-10 soph Jahii Carson (18.7 ppg; 51% from arc) & Jermaine Marshall (15.4
ppg; 45% from 3-point land). Up front, the Sun Devils’ more-agile 7-2, 256-
pound sr. C Jordan Bachynski (12.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg) should take advantage of the
Trojans’ 7-2, 270-pound counterpart Omar Oraby, who could be hampered by a
lingering ankle injury. ASU was a sterling 8-1 as a visiting dog LY. 12-ASU -4
98-93 (OT), USC -2' 57-56
CAL POLY SLO over Hawaii by 1 to 3—12-SLO -6' 88-59, Slo +3' 64-61
SAINT MARY’S 72 - Santa Clara 66—This matchup of ancient Bay Area
rivals has not worked the past few years for Santa Clara, which has not been
able to cope with the raw physicality of recent SMC editions. But the Gaels are
more finesse-oriented this season. And WCC sources suggest that Randy
Bennett’s squad now misses the leadership that graduated PG Matthew
Dellavedova (with the NBA Cavs) provided in recent years, as SMC has
dropped 4 of its last 6 SU and vs. the line. Some recent Santa Clara efforts
(including very competitive game at Gonzaga) suggest the Broncos might be on
the upswing, with emergence of jr. G Brandon Clark (17.1 ppg) and frosh G
Jared Brownridge (15.9 ppg) now providing HC Kerry Keating with multiple goto
scoring options. 12-Stm -2 84-63, STM -10' 80-67
Loyola-Marymount over SAN DIEGO by 1 to 3—12-USD -6' 78-70, Usd+1 69-68 (OT)
PACIFIC over San Francisco by 5 to 7—12-PAC -3' 67-59
OREGON 81 - California 77—Sure, U of O is in a chippy mood after
suffering its first loss of the campaign in its come-from-ahead 100-91 setback
at Colorado on Sunday. But still attracted to dangerous underdog Cal, which
has maintained a voodoo spell over the Ducks, with its amazing 10-game series
win skein! The careful Bears (only 10.4 TOs pg)—guided by unflappable sr. PG
Justin Cobbs (14.4 ppg, 5.9 apg)—prevents many transition hoops off
mistakes, while relentless 6-10 sr. F Richard Soloman (11.5 ppg, 10.5) holds his
own on the glass with the U of O “bigs.” 12-CAL -1' 58-54, Cal +6 48-46
Gonzaga over PORTLAND by 11 to 14—12-Gon -15' 71-49, GON -26 81-52 CABLE TV—ESPNU
★★★ UC Irvine 75 - LONG BEACH ST. 67—Long Beach has been making
some noise since 6-5 UCLA transfer Tyler Lamb (20.8 ppg) became eligible in
mid-December, winning three of its last four SU after losing its previous nine.
But Big West sources are not jumping on the 49er bandwagon just yet, citing
ongoing shooting woes (even with the volume-shooting Lamb in the lineup),
reflected in sub-40% accuracy and its woeful 27.6% beyond the arc. Unless the
Beach can hit from the perimeter, don’t see the 49ers scoring a lot of points
close to the bucket against bigger a UCI squad that now owns a deluxe rim
protector in 7-6 frosh Mamadou Ndiaye, who is making quite an impact despite
being on the floor for not quite half of the game (10 ppg, 6 rpg, and almost 4
blocks pg, while averaging just 19 minutes of action). The well-balanced
Anteaters are also getting lots of use from frosh G Luke Nelson (12 ppg). 12-
LBS -4' 81-59, UCI -3 72-69, Uci +1 67-60 (CT-neut.)
★★★ KEY RELEASES ★★★
UTEP by 16 over Charlotte (Thursday, January 9)
UC IRVINE by 8 over Long Beach St. (Thursday, January 9)
Day Game
TEXAS-ARLINGTON over La.-Monroe by 9 to 12—12-DNP
Night Games
TEMPLE 73 - South Florida 62—With USF sorely missing the floor
leadership of injured PG Anthony Collins (missed last 5 games due to swelling
& tendinitis in surgically repaired knee), expect the shorthanded Bulls to drop
their 5th game in the last 6 outings vs. hungry Temple (off back-to-back road
losses), eager to be back home for the first time since Dec. 18. The Owls’
blossoming 6-2 jr. PG Will Cummings (Florida native; 17.8 ppg, 4.2 apg), who
is coming off a career-high 31-pt. explosion in narrow loss at Central Florida,
should continue to light it up at USF. 12-DNP CABLE TV—ESPNU
LOUISVILLE 84 - Memphis 66—After a lackluster, non-covering 83-76
victory at Rutgers last Saturday, expect a much more focused performance
from loaded L‘Ville in its AAC home opener vs. Memphis. Watch for a solid “Agame”
performance from the Cards’ dynamic 6-0 sr. G Russ Smith, who was
criticized by HC Rick Pitino for his selfish play vs. the Scarlet Knights, as he had
5 TOs & only one assist. Louisville’s in-your-face half-court defense & full-court
press should seriously disrupt Memphis, which had 10 shots blocked & 16 TOs
in its recent 69-53 home upset loss at the hands of Cincy. The youthful Tigers
lost 101-80 at Oklahoma State in their only highly-challenging game as visitor to
date. 12-Lvl -4 87-78 CABLE TV—ESPN
VA. COMMONWEALTH over George Mason by 12 to 15—12-DNP
BUTLER 63 - DePaul 57—Since DePaul was able to make the double-digit
spreads work in their recent covering efforts at Georgetown and Marquette, no
reason Oliver Purnell’s improved Blue Demons can’t similarly hang around at
Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Chicago bunch is doing a much better job controlling
the tempo with a basketball “QB” on the floor in 6-5 frosh PG Billy Garrett Jr. (11
ppg), who is also causing some matchup headaches for the opposition. With
the Blue Demons playing games in the 50s and 60s these days, not sure Butler
is going to be able to extend the margin, especially with some shaky FT
shooters in Brandon Miller’s lineup (Khyle Marshall only 53%; Kameron Woods
just 60%). And Butler’s long-range shooting eye (a modest 35% beyond arc)
has been a bit inconsistent. 12-DNP
Florida St. 72 - CLEMSON 66—After FSU (season-worst 30.8% FGs,
compared with 49% for the year) was awful with its “brick-shooting”
performance in its 62-50 setback vs. Virginia on Saturday, the tall & talented
Seminoles should bounce back vs. a Clemson squad coming off an
unimpressive 62-60 win at struggling Boston College on the same day.
Defense-minded FSU has a host of mid-sized players to throw at the Tigers’
primary weapon, 6-6 jr. F K.J. McDaniels (team-leading 16.7 ppg). So, look for
Leonard Hamilton’s ‘Noles to capture their fifth consecutive series win and
avoid a rare 0-2 start in the ACC. 12-Fsu +3 71-66, FSU -5 60-57, Fsu -1’ 73-
69 (CT-neut.)
MISSISSIPPI 79 - Auburn 73—No surprise that Ole Miss’ sr. ball-hogging
G Marshall Henderson (18.8 ppg on only 36% shooting) is still hoisting too many
ill-advised shots. So, believe the perimeter-oriented Rebels will have some
trouble pulling away from improved 8-3 Auburn, benefiting from primo backcourt
play from mettle-tested 6-2 sr. Chris Denson (19 ppg) & sweet-stroking Virginia
transfer KT Harrell (19.4 ppg; 42.6% from arc). With the Tigers’ versatile 6-6
swingman Allen Payne (16 pts., 13 rebs., 5 assists vs. Florida A&M last
Saturday) causing some pain, Ole Miss drops to 3-7 vs. the spread TY. 12-Miss
-7 63-61, MISS -12' 88-55
LOUISIANA TECH over Florida Atlantic by 14 to 17—12-DNP
RICE over Florida Intl. by 4 to 6—12-DNP
Georgia St. 75 - WESTERN KENTUCKY 69—Sun Belt sources accurately
alerted to the possible ascent by Georgia State a few weeks ago. And the
Panthers have not disappointed in their current 5-game win streak that includes
DD road victories at UTSA and South Alabama. Coach Ron Hunter has finally
coaxed son R.J. and Kentucky transfer Ryan Harrow (both 19 ppg) to co-exist
on the floor and to get some other GSU weapons involved in the offensive flow,
with former Virginia Tech transfer F Manny Atkins (17.4 ppg last seven) now
getting more touches and sr. G Devonta White joining in the fun with 14 points
in Saturday’s win at Mobile. WKU DD scoring Gs T.J. Price & Trency Jackson
are going to have to work extra hard on the stop end vs. the Panther weapons.
Regional sources expect GSU might have an edge in the first go-around vs. its
new league foes that have not had a chance to see GSU previously. 12-DNP
ARKANSAS ST. over Troy by 5 to 7—12-TROY +7' 74-67 (OT), ASU -1358-50, Asu -9 68-63 (CT-OT-neut.)
George Washington 78 - LA SALLE 69—With these two A-10 entries
heading in different directions, must support resurgent 12-2 GW (only 13-17
LY), which has already notched notable wins away from Washington D.C.,
including upsets over Manhattan, Creighton & Maryland. Contrariwise,
struggling 7-6 La Salle, which hasn’t been able to fill the big sneakers of doeverything
G Ramon Galloway (17.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.7 apg last season), won’t
nab its first quality win of the season vs. quadruple-revenge-minded Colonial
squad, smartly led by super-soph G Joe McDonald (3.22 assist-to-TO ratio) and
Indiana transfer G Maurice Creek (16 ppg). 12-Las -2 80-71, LAS -9 84-70
Southern Miss 73 - NORTH TEXAS 72—With athletic North Texas excited
to make its C-USA debut after moving over from the Sun Belt, recommend
“taking” with the Mean Green, which is 5-1 as a home underdog since 2010-11.
UNT’s physical 6-7, 240-pound sr. F Colin Voss will offer resistance in the paint
for USM’s top inside scorer 6-7 sr. F Daveon Boardingham (10.8 ppg), while the
Mean Green’s rangy Gs, 6-4 Alzee Williams (14.4 ppg) & 6-6 Jordan Williams
(10.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg), figure to be matchup headaches for the shorter Golden
Eagle backcourt. 12-DNP
Marshall over UTSA by 4 to 6—12-DNP
ARKANSAS-L.R. over South Alabama by 1 to 3—12-USA -7 77-62, Usa+3' 70-66
BYU 85 - Pepperdine 68—Revenge angle worth considering with BYU
bunch that is a much different beast at home at its cavernous Marriott Center,
which USD painfully found out in a 34-point loss vs. the revenge-minded Cougs
at Provo last Saturday. Now, BYU looks for payback vs. Pepperdine team that
saw some of its flaws exposed in a weekend loss at USF when recurring
ballhandling issues got the best of the Waves (only 6 assists vs. 15 TOs) and its
frontline had trouble compensating for foul problems encountered by PF Stacy
Davis. Rest assured the three-point numbers are going to look a lot different in
the rematch after Pep’s 6-point win at Malibu Dec. 30, when the Waves
connected on 13 triples while BYU made only 1, with dagger-thrower deluxe
Tyler Haws (22 ppg) missing on all three of his long-range attempts. Haws’
normally-productive backcourt mate Matt Carlino (14.5 ppg) was also an
uncharacteristic 1 for 7 from floor in that recent loss at Firestone Fieldhouse.
12-BYU -18 76-51, Byu -11 63-61
UCLA 79 - Arizona 74—Arizona continues to set the pace a top the national
polls, but the unbeaten Wildcats have been cutting it very close some nights and
now face a surging UCLA squad that matched up very well a year ago when
sweeping all three from UA. The Bruins (now finding their groove in new HC
Steve Alford’s offense) could be ready to ambush No. 1 after their sizzling 107-
73 rout of crosstown USC on Sunday, hitting 57% vs. their hated rivals. UCLA’s
big backcourt caused fundamental problems for the Cats a year ago, and the
Bruins’ 6-9 Kyle Anderson (15.1 ppg; 23 points vs. USC) and 6-5 Jordan Adams
(18.7 ppg) can once again wreak havoc with Sean Miller’s defense. As long as
the Wear twins hold their own vs. UA frosh star Aaron Gordon (12.4 ppg) on the
blocks, UCLA should prevail. 12-Ucla +8' 84-73, UCLA +1 74-69, Ucla +3' 66-
64 (CT-neut.) CABLE TV—ESPN
TULSA over Tulane by 8 to 11—12-TUL -8 75-72, TLS -1' 78-66
★★★ UTEP 76 - Charlotte 60—Veteran UTEP has won and covered its last
three C-USA lidlifters at the rowdy Don Haskins Center. Expect that winning
trend to continue for the defensively-stout Miners (37.5% FG), who’ll be fullyenergized
following an extended 11-day layoff. Fundamentally, Charlotte
clearly lacks the experienced “bigs” to impede UTEP’s productive frontline trio
of 6-10 sr. C Josh Bohanan (10 ppg, 8.1 rpg), 6-8 jr. Julian Washburn (11. 2
ppg), and 6-7 blue-chip frosh F Vince Hunter (10.5 ppg). The 49ers have lost
some traction since the Puerto Rico Tourney victory and were recently
lambasted (106-62) at Florida State in their last road game. 12-DNP
XAVIER 78 - Marquette 66—Big East sources raving about the way the
deeper X-men are playing on both ends of the floor now. So, strongly suggest
laying single digits with the streaking Muskeeters, shooting for their eight
consecutive win, as Marquette is still suffering offense lapses sans departed G
Vander Blue (14.8 ppg). Xavier’s super-smooth 6-3 soph G Semaj Christon
should control the tempo, while slimmer & more agile Western Michigan
transfer 6-10 jr. C Matt Stainbrook (dropped nearly 50 pounds; 11.4 ppg, 8.5
rpg) outmanuevers Marquette’s lumbering 6-11, 275-pound C Chris Otule. 12-
DNP
IOWA 83 - Northwestern 54—Even though this Big Ten tilt is “sandwiched”
between Wisconsin & Ohio State for Iowa, still not dissuaded from laying the
lumber vs. offensively-challenged NW, still bruised after being hammered in its
first two conference games (home vs. Wisconsin, at Michigan). High-powered,
balanced, deep & tough-boarding Iowa (88.7 ppg; 11 Hawkeyes playing 10+
mpg; +10.5 rpg) should destroy the overmatched Wildcats, lacking any real
“back door” capabilities and hitting a combined 9 of 39 from downtown vs. the
Badgers & Wolverines. 12-Iowa +1 70-50, IOWA -8 71-57, Iowa -9' 73-59 (CTneut.)
CABLE TV—ESPNU
Michigan 70 - NEBRASKA 69—Though Michigan has managed to survive
in victories at Minnesota and lowly Northwestern sans preseason A-A 6-10 C
Mitch McGary (out due to back surgery), still interested in taking 4+ hoops with
capable NU, thrilled to be playing its Big Ten home opener after a rough threegame
road trip (at Cincy, Iowa & Ohio State). Anticipate a difference-making
performance from the Huskers’ talented 6-6 soph G Shavon Shields (11.9 ppg,
5.1), who had only 4 pts. before fouling out of 84-53 blowout loss at Ohio State
last Saturday. Note, NU is a solid 8-3 as home underdog the L1+Ys, including
five consecutive covers vs. Big Ten foes down the stretch LY. 12-MICH -21' 62-
47 CABLE TV—ESPN
CS NORTHRIDGE over UC Davis by 4 to 6—12-Ucd +6 74-71, UCD -2' 73-61
CS FULLERTON over UC Riverside by 7 to 10—12-CSF -14' 71-69, Csf -4' 79-67
Stanford over OREGON ST. by 3 to 5—12-STAN -9' 81-73, Stan -1' 82-72
Arizona St. 83 - SOUTHERN CAL 76—Though USC’s new HC Andy
Endfield publicly called out his Gs after they were seriously outplayed by
UCLA’s backcourt in the Trojans’ 107-73 blasting at Westwood Sunday, no
guarantee the USC backcourt bounces back vs. ASU’s ball-swishing tandem of
5-10 soph Jahii Carson (18.7 ppg; 51% from arc) & Jermaine Marshall (15.4
ppg; 45% from 3-point land). Up front, the Sun Devils’ more-agile 7-2, 256-
pound sr. C Jordan Bachynski (12.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg) should take advantage of the
Trojans’ 7-2, 270-pound counterpart Omar Oraby, who could be hampered by a
lingering ankle injury. ASU was a sterling 8-1 as a visiting dog LY. 12-ASU -4
98-93 (OT), USC -2' 57-56
CAL POLY SLO over Hawaii by 1 to 3—12-SLO -6' 88-59, Slo +3' 64-61
SAINT MARY’S 72 - Santa Clara 66—This matchup of ancient Bay Area
rivals has not worked the past few years for Santa Clara, which has not been
able to cope with the raw physicality of recent SMC editions. But the Gaels are
more finesse-oriented this season. And WCC sources suggest that Randy
Bennett’s squad now misses the leadership that graduated PG Matthew
Dellavedova (with the NBA Cavs) provided in recent years, as SMC has
dropped 4 of its last 6 SU and vs. the line. Some recent Santa Clara efforts
(including very competitive game at Gonzaga) suggest the Broncos might be on
the upswing, with emergence of jr. G Brandon Clark (17.1 ppg) and frosh G
Jared Brownridge (15.9 ppg) now providing HC Kerry Keating with multiple goto
scoring options. 12-Stm -2 84-63, STM -10' 80-67
Loyola-Marymount over SAN DIEGO by 1 to 3—12-USD -6' 78-70, Usd+1 69-68 (OT)
PACIFIC over San Francisco by 5 to 7—12-PAC -3' 67-59
OREGON 81 - California 77—Sure, U of O is in a chippy mood after
suffering its first loss of the campaign in its come-from-ahead 100-91 setback
at Colorado on Sunday. But still attracted to dangerous underdog Cal, which
has maintained a voodoo spell over the Ducks, with its amazing 10-game series
win skein! The careful Bears (only 10.4 TOs pg)—guided by unflappable sr. PG
Justin Cobbs (14.4 ppg, 5.9 apg)—prevents many transition hoops off
mistakes, while relentless 6-10 sr. F Richard Soloman (11.5 ppg, 10.5) holds his
own on the glass with the U of O “bigs.” 12-CAL -1' 58-54, Cal +6 48-46
Gonzaga over PORTLAND by 11 to 14—12-Gon -15' 71-49, GON -26 81-52 CABLE TV—ESPNU
★★★ UC Irvine 75 - LONG BEACH ST. 67—Long Beach has been making
some noise since 6-5 UCLA transfer Tyler Lamb (20.8 ppg) became eligible in
mid-December, winning three of its last four SU after losing its previous nine.
But Big West sources are not jumping on the 49er bandwagon just yet, citing
ongoing shooting woes (even with the volume-shooting Lamb in the lineup),
reflected in sub-40% accuracy and its woeful 27.6% beyond the arc. Unless the
Beach can hit from the perimeter, don’t see the 49ers scoring a lot of points
close to the bucket against bigger a UCI squad that now owns a deluxe rim
protector in 7-6 frosh Mamadou Ndiaye, who is making quite an impact despite
being on the floor for not quite half of the game (10 ppg, 6 rpg, and almost 4
blocks pg, while averaging just 19 minutes of action). The well-balanced
Anteaters are also getting lots of use from frosh G Luke Nelson (12 ppg). 12-
LBS -4' 81-59, UCI -3 72-69, Uci +1 67-60 (CT-neut.)
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