xubrew

-the biggest game of note that took place on friday was richmond's win over uab. for richmond, it is a really nice win against the best team they've been able to beat this year. they are now 4-3 on the season. for uab, it is just their second loss.



SPOTLIGHTED GAMES:

-PEPPERDINE AT BRADLEY (***at-large bid spotlight game***). one of the many spotlighted games for saturday. pepperdine is 6-2. one of their losses was a two point loss at ucla. they have impressive and convincing wins over unlv and wisconsin, but are still under the radar. bradley only has one loss. like the rest of the mvc, they have played very well this season, but this will be their toughest test. they do have a nice win over depaul. these are two teams that have done what they've needed to do so far to get an at large. however, it needs to continue. this is a huge game for both these teams.

-GEORGIA TECH AT GONZAGA (***pod system spotlight game***). another big time game here. gonzaga's youth has caused them to play inconsistent this season, but when they're on, they're on. their only loss has been to top ranked illinois, and they have some notable wins over washington. a win here would definitely put them on pace to get into the pod system and be placed in boise. georgia tech is also trying to get in. chances are they will not be placed in charlotte, but they could get into nashville. again, two very good teams with a lot at stake in what should be a very good game. expect an electric atmosphere.

-KENTUCKY AT LOUISVILLE (***pod system spotlight game***). this is one of the biggest rivalries in college basketball. it's an intense game that often comes with high stakes on and off paper. this year is no different. both teams are once again pod system contenders, and there are first/second round games in both indianapolis and nashville, and either site would be a geographic advantage. it's louisville's guards and transition game against kentucky's half court game. it's always entertaining. expect a rowdy crowd for this one. it's worth noting that kentucky hasn't beaten anybody all that good. they lost on the road to north carolina, and that's really the only team of note they've played. this would hands down be their most successful win of the year. louisville won at florida a week ago, so they're a little more battle tested. however, everything is out the window in a game like this.

-ARIZONA AT MARQUETTE (***pod system spotlight game***). marquette is unbeaten and has a big win over wisconsin. arizona is 6-2 with a loss to virginia and another close loss to wake forest. both these teams are trying to get into the pod system. unfortunately for arizona, they are a host team and cannot be placed in tuscon. the closest location for them is either boise or oklahoma city. marquette, however can try and get into cleveland. marquette has gotten good play out of their guards this year, and has been pretty good all around. it will not be easy for arizona to win this one on the road.

-TEXAS AT WAKE FOREST (***pod system spotlight game***) for wake forest, the desired pod is charlotte. for texas, it's oklahoma city. wake forest is an up and down, full court transition team. they'll have a huge advantage playing at home, but it won't be impossible for texas to win. wake has a tendency to be one deminisional, and if another team can get control of the tempo and throw wake off balance, they have a hard time getting it back. a well coached, disciplined and talented team like texas can do it, but it's easier said than done. needless to say, these are two heavyweights. when it comes down to doing the seeding, these are the games that are looked at. it should be a good one.







OTHER GAMES:

-TENNESSEE STATE AT ALABAMA. shouldn't really be close. a huge mismatch for the tide at home. a win here improves the tide to 9-1 and in pretty good position to compete for a spot in the pod system.

-PRARIE VIEW A&M AT ARKANSAS. another big mismatch. the hogs just have one loss on the season. they have played a weak schedule, but they've still taken care of business. they were a team that needed to get used to winning again anyway.

-WYOMING AT CREIGHTON. creighton's rpi is lagging right now, but their record is not. a win will improve the bluejays to 9-1 on the year. once they get into conference play, the rpi will begin to climb rather rapidly IF they are able to keep winning. still, their size (or lack thereof) can hurt them in a game like this.

-ILLINOIS CHICAGO AT DEPAUL. depaul has been one of the more inconsistent teams so far this year. they have a very impressive win at notre dame, but have losses to teams like northwestern and northern illinois. on their good days they look like a solid ncaa team, on their bad days they don't. if they have too many bad days, they won't be. this is a rather important game to many people in chicago as well.

-OREGON AT FRESNO STATE. fresno state is undefeated, but they have played very few (if any) teams that are likely to finish in the rpi top 100, so that isn't as impressive as it may sound. that changes today. oregon's only loss was to illinois up in chicago. they have all the makings of a tournament team. this is really a game fresno needs on their resume since they've played so few good teams so far. it's at home and it is a great chance for them. expect an intense atmosphere and a highly competitive game with a lot at stake.

-TOWSON AT GEORGE WASHINGTON. gw is clearly an ncaa caliber team. they have some big wins over maryland and michigan state. they are certainly undermatched in this one, but there are very few teams left on their schedule that appear to be as good as they are. george washington may be competing for the pod system and trying to get into worcester. it won't be easy because they are up against maryland, syracuse and uconn, but they've already beaten maryland. expect them to role in this one.

-WESTERN CAROLINA AT IOWA. not much to say here other than it is a huge mismatch. iowa will role. a win does little (if anything) for their ncaa resume. a loss puts a great big black mark on it.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT KANSAS. south carolina's only loss was an overtime loss to their arch rivals clemson. the only thing is that they don't have any impressive wins. they did win handily over temple, but that wouldn't indicate that they'd be likely to go into kansas and beat the jayhawks. this is kansas's seventh home game in a row, but other than the possibility of pacific, this is probably the best team they've played.

-STETSON AT MIAMI, FL. miami, fl is looking for their fifth straight win if you can believe it. they blew out umass in their last game, who was coming off a win against uconn. they also have an upset win over florida. the hurricanes may be for real this year.

-DELAWARE STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE. big mismatch here. michigan state can win by simply going through the motions.

-TENNESSEE AT NEW MEXICO. very interesting game here. new mexico is 9-1. they don't have any real good wins, but you can't ask for a much better start than that, especially for a team that has struggled. tennessee really needs this win in the worst way. that will improve them to 5-3, be a nice rpi boost for them, and get them on pace to make the tournament. if they fail to do that this year, buzz peterson may be out of a job.

-DUKE VS OKLAHOMA. this is a true test for oklahoma. other than minnesota, all their wins have come against teams most people have never heard of, but they have still been playing very good basketball. they are good enough to play with duke and possibly beat them. they are very balanced and very fundamentally sound. duke, once again, is duke. despite losing several players to graduation and/or the nba, they are once again one of the best teams in the country. they are trying to remain unbeaten on the year.

-SAN FRANCICSO AT PACIFIC. pretty good game here. pacific has little to no margin for error if they want to make the ncaa tournament as an at large team. they do have a game against fresno state coming up that could potentially turn out to be a quality win. san francisco probably won't be, but they will still be no walk in the park.

-COPPIN STATE AT PITTSBURGH. pitt keeps the parade of ooc cupcakes at home coming. they should win without any problem and improve to 8-0 on the year.

-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. the salukis have dropped to games already this season and can ill afford to drop too many more. the strength of the mvc should help them out though. an at large is still attainable IF they avoid slipups in games like this.

-DREXEL AT SYRACUSE. drexel has been a little dissapointing out of conference. i thought they'd be the best team in the caa, but now i'm not so sure. if they can pull off what would be an incredible upset here i'll rethink that, but that isn't likely. they are way overmatched by a very good syracuse team.

-WICHITA STATE AT TULSA. wichita state is one of the many mvc teams that is having an unbelievable year. a win here improves them to 6-0 on the season. they have been playing outstanding basketball and have won on the road at some tough places like providence.

-MICHIGAN AT UCLA. michigan is 6-4 and is not playing like the ncaa tourney team i'd thought they'd be. ucla won a big game against pepperdine last week to improve to 5-1, but that is their only good win right now. when you schedule weak, you can't lose many, and that is the case for ucla. it will get much tougher for them when pac ten play starts. still, their freshman have looked pretty good this year.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT UNLV. the cowboys are unbeaten and are coming off two notable wins against syracuse and uab. unlv is just 3-3 on the year and have not been competitive with anyone near the level of oklahoma state. they are at home and it is a tremendous opportunity for them to pick up a high quality win for their ncaa resume, but it's not likely. the cowboys are just better in nearly every area of the game.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT XAVIER. xavier is 2-3, but has lost their last two games by two points or less. however, with the a-10 being weak this year, their margin for error isn't that big. a win would be huge for them, a loss would drop them to 2-4 and put them out of the picture entirely for now. mississippi state has a lot to play for as well, because they want to make the pod system. their best bet will probably be nashville, but it's a tight race, so they need all the wins they can get. it would be a nice road win for the bulldogs and improve them to 9-2 on the year.

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IT'S MILLER TIME!!!