Cnotes Top 25 College Basketball Previews For Saturday 02/11/16 !

[CNOTES]

Saturday’s six-pack


— Random fact: 5,411 people renounced their American citizenship last year. Not sure why people do this, but they did.


— Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers is also a 7-handicap golfer.


— Wisconsin Badgers won their last seven overtime games.


— Duke hasn’t won the ACC regular season title since 2010.


— Oregon’s hoop team has only one kid from Oregon on its roster.


— North Carolina announced that football DC Gene Chizik quit Thursday, just before the hoop game with Duke, interesting time for a news dump.


*******************************


Saturday’s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……


13) Baseball is going to experiment with a rule in the low minor leagues where teams start extra innings with a runner on second base; this is when you know idiots are taking over at the top of the sport.


If you really need to shorten/quicken baseball games, here are some ideas that would work, without making the major leagues look like girls’ softball:


— Make a pitcher have to face at least two batters in every appearance; would result in way fewer pitching changes, each of which is 5-6 minutes in length.
— Pitching changes are subbed in, just like basketball. You call time, the guy jogs in from the bullpen and the game resumes. No conferences on the mound, which leads us to……
— No visits to the mound by any coach/manager. Ever. If a coach comes to the mound because of an injury to the pitcher, the pitcher has to leave the game.
— Get rid of the DH; then, more pitching changes would happen via pinch-hitting and you’d have less pitching changes within the half-inning.
— If you hate extra inning games so much (I love them myself), then instead of cheapening the game by having runners start the inning on base, just have tie games, like they do in Japan. If the game is tied after 10 or 11 innings, it ends.


I’m not in favor of this; extra inning games create some unique happenings that make the game great fun but better tie games than starting an inning with men on base.


— Eliminating replay reviews would be useless, because managers’ arguments with umpires took up just as much time as replay reviews and with far fewer benefits.


The thing is, MLB is harping on this issue because games are 8-10 minutes longer than they used to be; 8-10 minutes!!!! Who cares? The game is fine the way it is; people who don’t like baseball have way too much influence over the game’s decision makers.


12) Jeffrey Loria supposedly has reached an agreement to sell the Miami Marlins for $1.6B to a guy in NYC, but the guy (a real estate magnate) doesn’t have enough cash on hand- his wealth is tied up in real estate, so it is unclear if MLB would approve the sale. Baseball would be better off to get rid of Loria, though.


Kicker is, the real estate guy who wants to buy the Marlins is Ivanka Trump’s brother-in-law; how much money do these people have?


11) Tough break for the Milwaukee Bucks; Jabari Parker tore an ACL, is done for the season. Portland loses Evan Turner for 5-6 weeks with a broken hand.


10) Jordan Spieth got into a verbal spat with professional autograph collectors/sellers this week, saying that “….they should get a job” instead of selling his signature on the Interweb. Actually, selling autographs, memorabilia is a job.


I’ve seen NFL players bark at collectors too; Torry Holt for one, at the Football Hall of Fame in 2001 when I was watching the Rams practice before the Hall of Fame Game. Guys with thick binders filled with pictures are guys who collect signed stuff and sell them. Players are very cool with kids; they sign a lot and willingly. With collectors, they have way less patience.


It is the American way, I guess; make money any legal way you can.


9) Houston Astros players lost only 413 days to the disabled list last year, least in the major leagues; Oakland A’s lost the most, with 1,966 player days on the DL.


8) Just when Northwestern looked headed to their first NCAA tourney, their best player gets mono and the Wildcats lose their next two games. Their non-conference schedule was so weak, their margin for error is less than most teams.


7) Central Michigan beat Ohio U 97-87 Tuesday night; the two teams combined to take 72 3’s, 60 2-point shots and only 43 foul shots. Basketball is trending that way, for better or worse.


6) Apparently, Michael Buffer got paid $10,000 to do his shtick introducing the starting lineups at the UNLV-Nevada game in Reno Wednesday night. He did the same thing at a Kentucky game couple of weeks ago. Now thats a good gig.


5) Saint Louis Billikens lost at St Bonaventure Wednesday night; afterwards, they couldn’t find the team bus. Turns out the bus driver was drunk and she took off without any passengers- she and the bus were found 40 miles away, because coach Travis Ford’s I-Pad was on the bus and he could locate it with his IPhone. Oy.


its been a bad season for the Billikens but at least that provided some comic relief, once they got on the chartered plane back home.


4) RIP Mr Mike Ilitch, 87, who owned the Little Ceasar’s pizza chain, as well as the Red Wings and the Tigers. He won four Stanley Cups as owner of the Red Wings, who had a farm club in Glens Falls for many years


3) Louisville will be back at full strength for Saturday’s game with Miami; PG Snider is healthy again and the two late-night partiers are back in good graces after being suspended for the game at Virginia, after they missed curfews (supposedly by four hours).


2) Atlanta Falcons had a great season, right? Well, they fired their defensive coordinator and their defensive line coach, so they’ll have two new coordinators next season. Unusual to fire assistant coaches after you came so close to winning a championship.


1— It hadn’t dawned on me until I just heard it on TV: the 49ers will have their 4th different head coach in four years next season, and that doesn’t include interim coaches. That would indicate the problem may be the owner, since he is the only decision maker who has been there the whole time.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Wildcats (16-8) at Mountainers (19-5)
Date: February 11, 2017 12:00 PM EDT

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- No. 13 West Virginia regained its defensive edge during Wednesday night's 61-50 win at Oklahoma.


Preparing for Saturday's matchup against Kansas State should be a reminder what happens when the intensity dips.


Three weeks ago, the Wildcats won 79-75 in Manhattan, becoming one of only two teams to shoot 50 percent or better against West Virginia (19-5, 7-4). The loss spawned a plethora of frustrating sequences that have received plenty of film room emphasis leading up to the rematch.


"Twenty of their 28 field goals were second shots, runouts or transition points -- 20 of 28," said Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins. "That's hardly hard-nosed defense."


Though Kansas State (16-8, 5-6) has dropped four of its past five games, it remains on the good side of the NCAA tournament bubble according to bracketologists. Jerry Palm of CBS projects the Wildcats as a No. 10 seed with ESPN's Joe Lunardi forecasting a No. 9 seed.


K-State continues a stretch against the Big 12's top three teams, having won 56-54 at No. 2 Baylor and losing 74-71 at home vs. No. 3 Kansas.


"We know where our RPI is and it's good enough," said Wildcats assistant Chris Lowery. "We know where our record is, where we are in the league, and we know historically how many teams are going to get in."


While four Kansas State starters average double-figures, the lone holdout -- 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Dean Wade -- scored 20 points against Kansas and presents an inside-out mismatch problem. He's shooting 52 percent overall and a team-leading 42 percent from 3-point range.


"We probably need to get it to him a little more," said K-State head coach Bruce Weber.


Guards Kamau Stokes (12.3 points, 4.5 assists) and Barry Brown (12 points, 3.3 rebounds) each scored 15 in the first meeting. Forward DJ Johnson -- whom Huggins labeled "the most physical player in the league " -- finished with 14 points and nine rebounds against West Virginia while 6-7 Wesley Iwundu added 13 points and nine boards.


The Mountaineers, having lost twice at home to double-digit underdogs during the past month, anticipate another sold-out crowd Saturday. Their scoring leaders the past two games have been freshman reserves Lamont West (21 against Oklahoma State) and Beetle Bolden (17 at Oklahoma), spotlighting that Huggins has no qualms about changing his substitution pattern on the fly.


Among the West Virginia starters, Esa Ahmad (11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds) shot 1-of-6 in Manhattan and has only two baskets during the last two games. Point guard Jevon Carter (11.5 points, 4.4 assists) is trying to shake a three-game slump in which he's shooting 8-of-23 with eight turnovers and six assists. His 2.92 steals per game still lead the Big 12 however.


West Virginia's Daxter Miles (9.9 points, 2.0 rebounds) -- after missing the Oklahoma trip with a sprained ankle -- was spotted jogging and cutting at Friday's practice, though Huggins remained uncertain about the guard's availability for Saturday.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Aggies (13-10) at Gators (19-5)
Date: February 11, 2017 12:00 PM EDT

Florida has reeled off five consecutive double-digit victories but extending that streak to six may be a challenge.


Even if Texas A&M is below .500 in SEC play and stands in a tie for seventh in the conference race.


The No. 17 Gators aim to continue their impressive roll on Saturday when they host the Aggies, an improving squad that may be hitting their stride at a good time.


Texas A&M (13-10, 5-6 SEC) was 1-5 in conference play in mid-January before displaying improvement. Coach Billy Kennedy sees the solid stretch as proof that the Aggies can turn what was a disappointing campaign into a solid season.


"Everything is in front of us," Kennedy said. "We can win all of these games. This league this year is so strange."


Meanwhile, Florida (19-5, 9-2) has won its last five contests by an average of 28 points. The Gators have three 30-points wins during the stretch in addition to a stellar 22-point beat-down of Kentucky.


The Gators are tied for first place in the SEC with South Carolina and Kentucky so there's no room for a stumble.


In fact, Florida blew a 16-point first-half lead against Georgia on Tuesday before restoring order in the second half for a 72-60 victory.


"We handled it maturely like we're supposed to," senior forward Justin Leon said. "We didn't get crazy or get down on ourselves. We stayed poised and kept playing."


One of the key performers for the Gators during the winning streak has been junior backup point guard Chris Chiozza.


Chiozza contributed 15 points and four steals in the win against Georgia after having nine or more assists in three of the previous four victories. One of the outings was the fourth triple-double in school history when he had 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Missouri.


"He's playing with a lot of confidence, and he's making good decisions," Florida coach Mike White said. "Very, very pleased with the way he's playing, and he's going to continue to earn more and more minutes."


Chiozza, who averages 20.4 minutes per game, is contributing 5.6 points and 3.9 assists. Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen averages a team-high 13.3 points while senior backup shooting guard Canyon Barry chips in with 12.7.


Texas A&M features three players averaging more than 12 points in sophomore center Tyler Davis (13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds), sophomore guard Admon Gilder (13.7 points, team-best 46 steals) and sophomore forward DJ Hogg (12.2). But it is fourth-leading scorer Robert Williams who is fueling the recent improvement in play.


The freshman forward matched his season high of 18 points and collected a career-best 16 rebounds in Wednesday's 76-73 win over Missouri. He is averaging 11.3 points and 7.2 rebounds to go with a team-leading 57 blocked shots.


Williams has reached double digits on the boards in five of the past seven games and has 13 rejections over the last five contests.


"He's young and he's very talented, and I'm pleased with his progress," Kennedy said of Williams. "We just have to have some other guys to step up."


Texas A&M won both meetings last season, including one in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Wildcats (19-5) at Crimson Tide (14-9)
Date: February 11, 2017 1:00 PM EDT

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- No. 15 Kentucky may not be facing the best team in the Southeastern Conference, but Alabama certainly ranks as the most dramatic, fresh off a thrilling, four-overtime upset of first-place South Carolina on Tuesday night in Columbia, S.C.


The Crimson Tide face another difficult challenge when SEC co-leading Kentucky visits on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m. ET, CBS).


"Maybe people that gave up on us after our last home loss, maybe they'll come back and just see what type of character that our team has," Alabama coach Avery Johnson said.


The win over South Carolina came on the heels of an 82-77 home-court loss to arch-rival Auburn before a sold out crowd at Coleman Coliseum.


"We had a deflating loss at home, I mean deflating," Johnson said. "I challenged these guys. We changed the way we prepare for games. We started off this game pressing more than we ever have. We jumped on them a little bit and that had some momentum for us throughout the game. There was no quit in our team.


"Anybody who was discouraged about Alabama basketball after our last game," Johnson said, "hopefully this will encourage them."


It might encourage Crimson Tide fans, but it could discourage Kentucky coach John Calipari, who expects to see the same effort before another sellout crowd in Tuscaloosa.


"It's unusual for me to tell you that South Carolina got beat to all the 50-50 balls," Calipari said. "But they got beat to a lot of balls and it shows me that Alabama is going to fight. They're going to battle."


The last time the Wildcats (19-5, 9-2 SEC) went on the road, they were embarrassed 88-66 at Florida last Saturday. Seven days later, Calipari is expecting the same approach.


"They'll probably go at us like Florida did," Calipari said. "'Let's go right at them, let's punch them in the mouth, let's shoot balls and forget about missing. Just shoot 'em and we'll go rebound them. Let's move the ball a little bit and make them stay in a stance long, see what they do. Throw them into some pick-and-rolls.'


"They'll probably go off that game plan. Hopefully we're a little different team than we were from that game down there."


Alabama (14-9, 7-4) is led by freshman forward Braxton Key at 11.8 points per game. Freshman guard Dazon Ingram checks in at 10.1 points and junior swingman Riley Norris averages 9.0.


"They play," Calipari said. "They do a lot of isolation post-ups because they're big. Their guards are 6-7 and 6-8 and their point guard is big. They're a big team."


Kentucky is led by freshman guard Malik Monk, who averages 21.9 points. Freshman De'Aaron Fox is next at 16.0 points followed by sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe at 14.0 and freshman forward Bam Adebayo at 12.8.


The Wildcats arrive in town after having beaten LSU 92-85. Kentucky led by 25 points before blowing all but seven points of that lead over the final eight minutes. It led Calipari to conduct a three-hour practice the next day.


"The best thing that happened to us is LSU," Calipari said. "We were on track, we were going to beat them by 30 and then they make that run the last eight minutes. If we had won by 30, we possibly would have looked at it and said, 'OK, now we're right. We've got this right.' By them coming back on us it showed me this ain't ... No. This is not going to work this way."

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Tigers (13-10) at Blue Devils (19-5)
Date: February 11, 2017 1:00 PM EDT

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke has shown that its sudden improvement was enough to take down its chief rival.


Now the No. 18 Blue Devils have to refocus in a hurry for Saturday afternoon's game against visiting Clemson at Cameron Indoor Stadium.


Duke is coming off Thursday night's 86-78 victory against No. 8 North Carolina, knocking the Tar Heels off their perch alone atop the Atlantic Coast Conference.


"We'll show the maturity of our team by how we respond (with) the quick turnaround," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We have to see if we can handle that. ... Clemson will come in here very hungry."


Duke (19-5, 7-4 ACC) has won four games in a row, so once again the Blue Devils are raising expectations. They began as the top-ranked team in the country in the preseason.


It was comforting to Krzyzewski to see how the Blue Devils rose to the occasion down the stretch against North Carolina, but it can take a toll.


"Just the fact that we played well against a very, very good team," Krzyzewski said. "Both these teams played so well. It takes a lot out of you."


Junior guard Grayson Allen matched his career high for 3-point baskets with seven in the North Carolina game. He finished with 25 points before fouling out.


"That's why our team is so great," freshman forward Jayson Tatum said. "When guys are in foul trouble or out, we have other guys that can step up."


Duke is averaging 82.7 points per game, led by sophomore guard Luke Kennard's 19.8 points (for the third-best mark in the ACC). Clemson has allowed at least 82 points in its last four losses.


Yet there's still hope for Clemson (13-10, 3-8), which will play only one other current nationally ranked team during the regular season after facing Duke.


"I think we're a pretty good team and we're struggling a little bit right now," Tigers coach Brad Brownell said.


Clemson has won two of six ACC road outings, but the ledger also includes a 32-point loss at Louisville and a 48-point setback at Florida State within the past month.


The game against Florida State came last weekend and added to concerns about the Tigers' road approach.


"We didn't show up once we got hit in the mouth," Brownell said. "I just don't think we've been a team that has handled that very well."


Clemson is just a few of plays away from being on the border of the upper part of the ACC standings. The Tigers suffered an overtime setback to North Carolina and a pair of 82-81 defeats, including Tuesday night's tough-to-swallow, buzzer-beating loss to Syracuse.


"There has been some adversity and there hasn't been a collective mental toughness," Brownell said.


Brownell said the Tigers have a tendency to break off from the game plan, particularly on offense, when things start to go awry.


That might be reflected in the Tigers ranking second-to-last in the ACC in field-goal percentage (45.3) and 3-point percentage (35.7) despite having forward Jaron Blossomgame as the eighth-leading scorer in the conference at 17.8 per game. Blossomgame is shooting 52.2 percent from the field.


Clemson won last season's lone meeting with the Blue Devils, but the Tigers haven't won at Duke since 1995.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Jayhawks (21-3) at Red Raiders (16-8)
Date: February 11, 2017 2:00 PM EDT

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Questions regarding the defensive abilities Kansas brings to the basketball court have been raised throughout the season.


Lack of depth is another factor, especially since fatigue can be an element all teams deal with as part of the February grind.


The No. 3 Jayhawks (21-3, 9-2 Big 12) faced that problem in their last defeat, a homecourt loss in which they surrendered a 14-point halftime lead to Iowa State. Yet two days later, at Kansas State, the Jayhawks looked refreshed in a 74-71 victory, which enabled them to remain first in the Big 12 entering another road test Saturday at Texas Tech (16-8, 4-7).


"Our energy was a lot better," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "Our first-shot defense was really good. We didn't rebound the ball as well as we'd like to, but I actually thought we competed hard defensively.


"Even though it may seem like a minor thing, our hands (created) some steals that led to four, six or eight points, which are points you don't have to earn when you're playing against a pretty solid defensive team."


One steal, by Frank Mason III, did not result in a basket because the senior point guard committed a turnover racing to the other end of the court.


Still, it ranks as the Jayhawks' most memorable hustle plays to date. Mason dove into press row at Kansas State, regrouped, jumped on top of a table to return to the court, then flew to the ball and stole a pass from the unsuspecting Wildcats.


"Dribbling it off his leg out of bounds kind of negated the hustle," Self cracked. "But if he'd have finished that play, that would go down as the best hustle play in college basketball this year."


It definitely reinforced that Kansas can be motivated to play tough defense.


The Jayhawks are just as apt, however, to pose problems with their offensive might.


They lead the Big 12 at making field goals (49.5 percent) and 3-pointers (41.7), and also pace the conference with a 39.8 rebounding average. Mason tops the league in scoring with a 20.4-point average. Another senior, forward Landen Lucas, is averaging a league-best 11.5 rebounds in Big 12 play.


Kansas is not exactly running away from the rest of the league. It leads Baylor by one game and seven of the Jayhawks' 11 conference matchups have been decided by single digits.


"We talk about it every day right before the game. You know it's going to be a good game because we get everybody's best shot, and everybody wants to see us lose," said junior guard Devonte' Graham.


That mindset for opponents is intensified by the Jayhawks' run of consecutive league titles. Another crown this season would be their 13th in a row and tie a Division I record set by UCLA from 1967-79.


The next challenger, Texas Tech, expects its first sellout of the season in 15,098-seat United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders, who have lost four of their last six, have a balanced scoring attack led by junior guard Keenan Evans (14.4) and junior forward Zach Smith (13.0).


In each of its last three defeats, Texas Tech was locked in a one-possession game inside the final minute.


"It's frustrating as a coach because I love our team, I love our guys, I love Texas Tech," said Chris Beard, who is in his first season as the Raiders' head coach after previously assisting Bob and Pat Knight. "I would do anything possible to get these guys over the hump of these one-possession games."


Kansas has won 15 straight in the series, including an 85-68 home win over Texas Tech on Jan. 7.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Bluejays (20-4) at Blue Demons (8-16)
Date: February 11, 2017 2:00 PM EDT

Three conference losses in five games have made a Big East regular season championship a harder reach for No. 23 Creighton.


The Bluejays (20-4, 7-4) still have seven league games to play starting with Saturday's contest against DePaul at Allstate Arena, but they stand 2 1/2 games behind first-place Villanova, one behind second-place Xavier and one-half game in back of Butler (8-4).


But barring a late-season collapse, Creighton's credentials appear to be in good order for an NCAA tournament bid.


The Bluejays look for a second win this season over the Blue Demons. They were 83-66 winners in a Jan. 28 meeting in Omaha.


"We got off to a great start and we took them out of what they wanted to do early in the game," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said.


Creighton is coming off a 82-80 home loss to Xavier last Saturday.


"Obviously the way we lost was disappointing," McDermott said. "But we've won a couple of games like that this year, so I guess they all even out. Sunday-Monday was about getting off your feet and getting some rest -- we haven't been able to give them two days off since Christmas -- so I think they needed that. The last couple of days we've been working on ourselves."


Creighton's Marcus Foster, a transfer from Kansas State who has been named among 30 finalists for national player of the year, is averaging 18.0 points per game - the highest average for a first-year Bluejay since 1969-70. He's fourth in Big East scoring.


Creighton, one of four Big East teams ranked in this week's Associated Top 25 poll, leads the conference in scoring average (84.7 points) and in field goal percentage (.521).


DePaul is ninth in scoring average (70.4 points), eighth in points allowed (73.6) and is the only Big East team with a negative average scoring margin (-3.1 points)


The Blue Demons (8-16, 1-10) are last in the Big East and have lost seven in a row. Saturday's contest is their second in three days and part of a run of four straight games against ranked teams.


DePaul has yet to beat a ranked team this season, started the run last Wednesday with a 72-61 loss at No. 24 Xavier and host No. 2 Villanova on Monday.


DePaul's Billy Garrett Jr. leads all active Big East players with 824 career points in league games. He has a career 1,526 points and needs just nine to crack the Top 10 on the school's all-time scoring list.


The Blue Demons hold a 16-15 series edge but last beat Creighton 70-60 on Jan. 7, 2015 in Omaha. The Blue Jays have since won five straight.


"DePaul's record is not that great but they've been extremely competitive," McDermott said.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Hurricanes (16-7) at Cardinals (19-5)
Date: February 11, 2017 2:00 PM EDT

No. 4 Louisville will have three additional players for its game Saturday at 2 p.m. vs. Miami.


A hobbled and short-staffed Cardinals (19-5, 7-4) team got beat by 16 points Monday night at No. 12 Virginia. But Louisville will have a drastically different lineup Saturday vs. the Hurricanes (16-7, 6-5).


Louisville regained the service of starting wing Deng Adel and backup center Mangok Mathiang. Both were suspended last game for skipping curfew last Saturday night after Louisville's win at Boston College.


"We want to apologize for the selfish and stupid mistake," Mangok Mathiang said Friday with Deng Adel by his side. "Right now, we are happy we are back on the team. We have been practicing and getting ready for Miami. We just want to try to make a run the rest of the season and try to make a run in the NCAA Tournament."


The Cardinals will also regain starting point guard Quentin Snider, who has been sidelined for five weeks with a strained hip flexor. Louisville coach Rick Pitino said he is unsure how much Snider will be available to play.


"He will play tomorrow, but he probably won't start," Pitino said. "He could start, I'm not sure about that, but I want to see how he looks today in practice. ... This will be the third day he has practice. ... He's a few pounds overweight from not being able to work out, but just a couple."


Prior to losing Snider, the Cardinals were 15-3. They lost to both ranked teams they played in his absence -- a 73-68 loss at Florida State and a 71-55 loss at Virginia.


"When we are at full strength, we're a pretty good basketball team," Pitino said.


In Miami, the Cardinals have a team coming in hot. The Hurricanes have won four of their last five games. They also beat Louisville the last time they played Louisville, a 73-65 loss at Miami last Feb. 27.


"I think are you are watching the dog days of February right now you can see there are a lot of teams vying for position in the ACC and a lot of teams vying for an NCAA berth," Pitino said. "There are a lot of teams playing great basketball right now. Miami is certainly playing great basketball."


Pitino said Miami's transition game and three-point shooting worry him.


"NC State had the lead and all of a sudden the lead changed drastically because of how Miami shoots," Pitino said. "That is what the three-point shot does. ... and they will take them. ... They have four guys who can shoot it, so we have to be ready for it."


Miami is currently hitting 37.5 percent from long-range, which is among the Top 50 teams in the nation.


The Cardinals have been one of the better defensive teams in the country against the three. So far this season, the Cardinals are limiting opponents to 28.5 percent from long-range, third best in the country.


"We have been one of the best three-point defensive teams in the country the last three years," Pitino said. "We place great importance on stopping the three."


In 2015, Louisville was 17th in the nation in three-point defense. Foes hit just 30.3 percent of three-point shots that season. Last season, Louisville was 48th, allowing 32.1 percent shooting.


Miami is one of the most-efficient offensive teams in the country, ranking 11th according to Ken Pomeroy's computer ratings.


Senior wing Davon Reed is averaging 15.9 points per game. Junior guard Ja'Quan Newton is at 15.0 and freshman wing Bruce Brown is scoring 11.7. Reed is the primary three-point threat, hitting 61 threes at a 41.8 percent clip.


The Hurricanes also one of the slowest-paced teams in the nation, currently ranked 306th in adjusted tempo.


"We don't do well against teams who make us take our time," Pitino said.


The Cardinals are led by sophomore guard Donovan Mitchell's 15.0 points per game. Snider, a senior guard, was averaging 12.1 points per game before his injury. Adel, a sophomore wing, is averaging 11.1 points per game.


Miami coach Jim Larranaga said his team's recent winning ways are actually more about defense than good offense.


"That was the difference in the ball game," Larranaga said after his team beat Virginia Tech. "It was tied and then all of a sudden, we had the lead. It was all due to getting stops."

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Horned Frogs (17-7) at Bears (21-3)
Date: February 11, 2017 2:00 PM EDT

WACO, Texas -- Baylor coach Scott Drew began his Friday press conference by acknowledging that his Bears' schedule takes them "from one hot team to the next hot team" this week.


Sixth-ranked Baylor held off a charge against Oklahoma State on Wednesday, handing the Cowboys their first conference loss in five games.


On Saturday, TCU brings its three-game Big 12 winning streak into Baylor's Ferrell Center for a 1 p.m. CT tip.


The Horned Frogs (17-7, 6-5 Big 12) appear poised to land their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1998 as they're tied for fourth in a conference tha has been projected to send as many as seven teams to March Madness.


The one thing missing from TCU's resume to this point is a win over a Top 25 opponent. The Horned Frogs have only played three games versus ranked foes, all in the first half of Big 12 action, and lost all three.


Baylor (21-3, 8-3) thumped TCU 62-53 in January, handing the Horned Frogs their worst home loss so far this season.


Even so, it doesn't seem far-fetched that this TCU vs. Baylor game could add to the Big 12's already lengthy list of one-possession games. The conferences has seen 29 of 55 games so far this season that were within three points in the final minute.


That, more than anything, has been the Big 12's narrative.


"You go into it just thinking about the game plan and you execute it," Baylor guard King McClure said. "You hope it doesn't come down to one possession, you hope it can be greater than that. But it's just the reality that you just grind it out. It's a tough league to play in, so every game you have to bring forth your best effort or, like we did against West Virginia, you're going to get beat by (21)."


After Baylor's victory at TCU in January, Drew remarked when he came into the postgame press conference that he hoped the fans enjoyed the game, because it was such hard work for the players and coaches involved.


Perhaps the reason it was taxing for Drew is his team struggled to deal with TCU forward Vladimir Brodziansky, who had 19 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks that night.


"(Brodziansky has) had monster games and a lot of NBA scouts are looking at him for a reason," Drew said.


Baylor has a great counter to Brodziansky, though, as Bears forward Johnathan Motley averages 16.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He's on the short list for Big 12 Player of the Year as well as several national awards.


One factor that has to concern Baylor fans, however, is that guard Al Freeman likely won't play against TCU. Freeman was suspended for Wednesday's game at Oklahoma State for violating team policy. Drew said the issue is being evaluated day to day.


Baylor got along all right at Oklahoma State without Freeman, who is averaging 9.5 points and is second on the team in 3-pointers made. McClure got the start, went 2 of 4 from beyond the arc and scored 10 points.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Wildcats (23-2) at Musketeers (18-6)
Date: February 11, 2017 2:30 PM EDT

CINCINNATI -- After his team was beaten by 25 points at Villanova in January, Xavier head coach Chris Mack dubbed it "the annual Villanova (butt) kicking." The Musketeers also lost by 31 points at the Pavilion last season.


The all-time series has been dominated by Villanova, but at a raucous Cintas Center last February, Xavier turned the tables, knocking off the eventual national champions for its first victory over the Wildcats since 1961.


No. 2 Villanova (23-2, 10-2 Big East) returns to Cintas Center on Saturday afternoon when it'll face the No. 24 Musketeers (18-6, 8-3) before what's expected to be a standing-room only crowd.


"It's always a great game at Xavier," said Villanova coach Jay Wright. "Cintas Center is one of the great atmospheres in college basketball."


Without dynamic point guard Edmond Sumner and a thin bench, the Musketeers may need more than a little Cintas Center magic to upset the Wildcats this time around.


"We have to be better prepared mentally than we were the first time we played (in January)," said Mack. "We've got to be much better with the ball to give ourselves a chance against the best team in the league."


Sumner is out for the season with a torn ACL and senior guard Myles Davis was dismissed from the team. Both factored prominently in last season's 90-83 upset of Villanova with Sumner notching 19 points and nine assists and Davis adding 16 points and four 3-pointers.


Since taking over point guard duties after Sumner's injury, freshman Quentin Goodin has averaged 9.3 points, 6.7 assists, and 2.3 steals in three games.


"Every game he continues to grow up," Mack said. "The first challenge was for him to play the (additional) minutes and take on the responsibility. We all recognized when Edmond went down, we weren't going to replace him with one player. We all had to do a little more."


Among the other Musketeers who have stepped up in Sumner's absence is Kaiser Gates. The sophomore big man had a career-high 10 rebounds in a win over DePaul on Wednesday. Xavier leads the Big East Conference in rebounding margin.


Villanova has seen substantial growth from sophomore guard Jalen Brunson, who spent much of last season in the shadow of Ryan Arcidiacono. Brunson averages 14.1 points and 4.2 assists.


"He never lacked in confidence," Wright said. "He was just in a secondary role (behind Arcidiacono). You now see him as a leader, that's who he is."


Josh Hart leads the Wildcats with 19.2 points per game, one of four players averaging in double figures.


Defensively, Mack wants his players to stay disciplined on Villanova's vaunted shot-fake, especially from sharp-shooting Kris Jenkins.


"We tell them 7,300 times about staying down on the shot-fake, then the first time they don't," Mack said.


Villanova leads the all-time series 23-5, including wins in seven of the past eight meetings.


Xavier hasn't faced a No. 2-ranked team since 1978 when it hosted defending national champion Marquette.


Wright wants his team to be leery of the Sumner-less Musketeers, who still have plenty of firepower. Trevon Bluiett, a two-time Big East player of the week award recipient, has scored 20 or more points in 13 games this season.


"Chris (Mack) has done a great job since losing Sumner," said Wright. "They're maybe a little more explosive without him, with so many shooters on the floor."

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Bulldogs (19-5) at Friars (14-11)
Date: February 11, 2017 4:00 PM EDT

Butler coach Chris Holtmann made a rather bold move in Milwaukee on Tuesday night.


Make that two bold moves.


Holtmann, with his No. 22 Bulldogs facing the possibility of losing three games in a row and falling out of the Top 25, benched his Nos. 1 and 3 scorers for the game. Leading scorer Kelan Martin played just 10 minutes while freshman Kamar Baldwin played 30 minutes off the bench.


With his seniors leading the way, the Bulldogs defeated a Marquette team that owns a win over then-No. 1 Villanova.


"Our seniors absolutely carried us," said Holtmann who brings his team (19-5, 8-4 Big East) to Rhode Island to face Providence for another conference game Saturday


Holtmann didn't elaborate on why the players sat at the start of the game, but Martin, who sat the first half and scored one point while playing just 10 minutes, faced a disciplinary issue, according to the Indianapolis Star.


"It's an internal decision that I made," Holtmann said. "I really don't want to elaborate a whole lot on that at this time."


Baldwin contributed eight points, six rebounds, four blocked shots and two assists in another quality win.


The Star noted the Bulldogs, who got big games from seniors Andrew Chrabascz, Avery Woodson and Tyler Lewis, are No, 7 in the RPI (with seven wins over teams in the Top 25), have a "nation-leading 15 wins over the RPI top 100," are 8-3 away from home and have beaten five conference leaders.


An impressive resume.


Providence, meanwhile, is trying to survive the season after losing Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil to the NBA, and has a resume that is disintegrating by the day.


The Friars (14-11, 4-8) have lost four of their last five games, dropping a 72-70 overtime decision to Seton Hall in Newark, N.J., on Tuesday night.


The only win Providence owns in those five games was, coincidentally enough, at Marquette.


"Another Big East battle," PC coach Ed Cooley said after his team lost a heartbreaker to a team dressing only nine scholarship players. "I think Seton Hall was gritty, they made the right play last. I thought we had opportunities in regulation and in overtime. This is the fourth game that we've lost in our league basically with a minute to play. Our youth shows, our inexperience in the moment shows. We've got to try to complete plays."


But Cooley has talent on his roster.


"I know we're scary for a lot of teams, I can tell you that," he said this week. "You're not gonna play Providence and have it be a cakewalk."


Last season, the Friars beat the Bulldogs three times, including a win at Madison Square Garden in the Big East tournament. But that was with Dunn and Bentil, who averaged 37.5 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and 3.2 steals per game between them.


Back on New Year's Day, the Bulldogs rebounded from a conference-opening loss at St. John's with a 78-61 home victory over the Friars.


Martin led the way for Butler in that game with 15 points and eight rebounds. Holtmann was able to rely on his seniors to get the big win in Milwaukee.


"Certainly, when you deal with adversity," Holtmann said. "Those guys demonstrated good stuff in practice. We had some good, hard, physical, demanding practices."

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Buckeyes (15-10) at Terrapins (20-4)
Date: February 11, 2017 4:00 PM EDT

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- - This is uncharted territory for No. 21 Maryland this season.


The Terrapins have lost back-to-back games for the first time in 2016-17, and the latest came on Tuesday on the road against unranked Penn State.


Maryland never seemed to be in a flow on offense and fell 70-64 to the Nittany Lions, who improved to 13-12 overall and 5-7 in conference play.


Maryland is 20-4, 8-3 going into its game on Saturday against Ohio State.


"We've been great on the road, we've been together; we've played with energy, we've played for each other. We love each other. It just didn't have that feel tonight," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said after the game at Penn State. "It just didn't have that feel tonight. We have to get that feel back."


The Terrapins will get that chance at home Saturday when they host Ohio State in a Big Ten Conference game. Maryland, in its last home game, fell to Purdue 73-72 on Saturday.


Freshman forward Justin Jackson led Maryland with 14 points at Penn State, while making four of 11 shots from the field.


Freshman guard Kevin Huerter had 12 points and junior point guard Melo Trimble had 11, though he was just 4 of 13 from the field.


"It starts on the defensive end. That's what we want our identity to be," said Huerter, who had 12 points at Penn State.


The Terps had Sunday off then practiced just one day, Monday, to get ready for Penn State.


"We didn't have any energy in practice, and it led to the game," Trimble said.


The Buckeyes are coming off a 70-64 win on Wednesday against Rutgers at home as the club improved to 15-10 overall and 5-7 in conference play. Kam Williams had 23 points for Ohio State.


"It felt good," Williams told reporters. "Good execution team-wise and I was making good shots, and my teammates were setting great screens for me so I thank them for that."


C.J. Jackson started at point guard for the second game in a row as sophomore JaQuan Lyle deals with an ankle injury. Marc Loving, a senior forward, missed part of the first half after he suffered a cut above his left eye.


"We need to get as close to 100 percent as we possibly can, but it's sort of that time of the year," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "I think even the managers had ice on them after the game, but to look ahead or look behind with this group is not good."


Ohio State is led in scoring by junior forward Jae'Sean Tate (14.1 points per game), Loving (11.7), Lyle (11.4), junior center Trevor Thompson (10.8) and redshirt junior guard Williams (10.6). Williams is from nearby Baltimore and played at Mount Saint Joseph.


Ohio State associate head coach Dave Dickerson is a graduate of Maryland and a former assistant with the Terps.


Maryland will honor former head coach Lefty Driesell on Saturday as it hangs a banner in the rafters before the game. Driesell was a head coach for 41 seasons, with 17 at Maryland from 1969-1986. He won 786 games and was fifth among coaches when he retired in 2003.


The Virginia native went into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 as the only coach to win at least 100 games at four schools. Driesell also coached at James Madison, Davidson and Georgia State. He also is credited with starting "Midnight Madness" on Oct. 15, 1971 at 12:03 a.m. for the first possible practice at the time under NCAA rules.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Seminoles (21-4) at Fighting Irish (18-7)
Date: February 11, 2017 6:00 PM EDT

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Surviving quite the Atlantic Coast Conference challenge that featured five wins during six-straight games against ranked opponents last month, No. 14 Florida State has been handed another doozy.


Do the Seminoles have another answer?


Saturday's game at sold-out Notre Dame (18-7, 7-5) opens a stretch of four of the next five on the road for Florida State (20-4; 9-3), which is 2-3 away from home in league play.


With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Seminoles are tied with North Carolina for first place in the ACC.


Winning at Notre Dame won't be easy, even for a Florida State team that has sailed through its last three successes by an average of 30 points.


"We've got to be very focused going to South Bend, because they kind of hit a little skid, like most teams do," Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said. "They're going to be very hungry for a victory."


Freshman power forward Jonathan Isaac returned to his groove earlier this week in a 24-point home victory over North Carolina State. After scoring only two points in a 48-point clubbing of Clemson, Isaac busted out for 21 points and seven rebounds. He gave the nearly-two dozen NBA scouts in attendance that night good reason to watch.


But for Hamilton, Isaac's impact is felt from more than just what the stat sheet says.


"Jonathan affects the game when he is not scoring a whole lot of points," Hamilton said. "He is more interested in playing the game the right way than he is interested in scoring."


This is a bit different Notre Dame team than the one that fell three points short of the Seminoles last month in Tallahassee. Back then, the Irish were flying high, atop the league having won their first five conference contests. They scored 47 points in the second half of a game that saw them shred the FSU defense to go 15-of-21 (71.4 percent) from 3.


Notre Dame got back on the winning track Tuesday against Wake Forest. That snapped a slide of four-straight ACC games and five of six.


Both teams are playing their third league game in seven days. For the Irish, it's another chance to get into more of an offensive rhythm that has seen coach Mike Brey's team turn to small ball.


Following Sunday's loss to North Carolina, Brey decided to start four perimeter players around one big -- power forward -- Bonzie Colson. The result was 88 points against Wake -- Notre Dame's highest output in league play. The Irish moved it better, shot it better and just overall played better than they have since opening 5-0.


That read and react defense has to be at its best against a Florida State team that forced Notre Dame into 12 first-half turnovers, and 18 overall, in the first meeting. Remaining in a good offensive flow is easier said than done against the Seminoles, who wear teams down with their depth and determination.


"They kind of take your spirit defensively," Brey said. "It's almost as if you're not running as much of your offensive principles sometimes (as) you're reading and reacting to ball pressure, and traps. That's where you're really, really tested."


It's a test the Irish likely wouldn't have passed earlier this month -- or even earlier this week. But the win over Wake delivered a much-needed shot of confidence for a program that was wondering a whole lot while working nearly three weeks between wins.


"We need to come out and play hard for 40 minutes," said guard Matt Farrell. "We really want to get this one."

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Bulldogs (25-0) at Gaels (22-2)
Date: February 11, 2017 8:15 PM EDT


What might be considered the biggest basketball game ever played on the Saint Mary's campus will take place Saturday evening.


That is when No. 1 Gonzaga brings its 25-0 record to Saint Mary's to face the No. 20 Gaels (22-2, 12-1 WCC) in a game that is likely to determine to West Coast Conference champion and could have a major influence on the national landscape.


It will be the first time a No. 1 team has played a game on the Saint Mary's campus since top-ranked San Francisco defeated the Gaels on Feb. 16, 1955, about a month before Bill Russell led the Dons to their first national championship


Adding to the buildup will be the presence of ESPN's Game Day crew, which will descend on Moraga, Calif., a bucolic town whose location is a mystery to many folks outside the San Francisco Bay Area.


"It's really cool," Saint Mary's guard Joe Rahon said of the hype generated by Game Day's presence. "It's something that we're not going to shy away from. We're not going to hide from it. We're going to enjoy it. But we know they wouldn't be here if it weren't for the other team."


The other team, Gonzaga, has won its 13 conference games by an average margin of 25.8 points and none was closer than 10 points. Saturday's game is the biggest remaining obstacle to Gonzaga completing an undefeated regular season.


The Bulldogs apparently were not looking ahead on Thursday when they pounded Loyola Marymount 90-60.


"I feel like we've done it all year," junior guard Nigel Williams-Goss told the Spokesman-Review of Spokane. "For games like Saturday, you can't just expect to turn it on. We preach having great practices, great games, regardless of who we're playing.


"So when we do get in these big games like Saturday, we only know how to play one way. It's been a recipe for success for us."


Williams-Goss missed last Saturday's game against Santa Clara because of an ankle injury, but he returned Thursday to collect 19 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes of court time.


He was the high scorer with 19 points back on Jan. 14 in Spokane, Wash., when the Bulldogs handed Saint Mary's a 79-56 defeat. The score was a bit misleading because the Gaels trailed by just six with 8:40 remaining, but it was still a decisive blow by a Gonzaga team that lost both regular-season meetings with Saint Mary's last season before beating the Gaels in the conference tournament.


Saint Mary's returns every key member of the team that beat Gonzaga 70-67 the last time the teams met in Moraga. All nine Saint Mary's players who saw time in that game are back this season, and that was before 6-foot-11 center Jock Landale, who leads the team in both scoring (15.7) and rebounding (9.5), was a prominent contributor.


Gonzaga is a completely different team, with four new starters following the departure of Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis. Two transfers -- Goss-Williams, a leading candidate for WCC player of the year who is averaging 15.8 points, 4.7 assists and 5.9 rebounds, and Jordan Mathews -- join returning starter Josh Perkins to give the Bulldogs a sound perimeter game. And 7-1 Przmek Karnowski (who missed most of last season with a back injury), 6-9 Johnathan Williams and 7-foot freshman Zach Collins, the team's sixth man, give them a strong inside presence.


That's why the Bulldogs rank third in the country in field-goal percentage at 51.4 percent.


The Gaels were sixth in the country in that category at 50.1 percent before shooting a season-low 30.6 percent in their 51-41 victory over Portland on Thursday.


So what will it take for Saint Mary's to pull off the upset?


"Defense and rebounding," said Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett. "They can generate offense so fast."


The Bulldogs shot 64.7 percent in last month's game against Saint Mary's, which obviously can't let that happen again.


The Gaels rank second nationally in scoring defense, yielding just 54.6 points per game, but Gonzaga ranks second in the country in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponent to shoot just 37.0 percent.


"I think we've been a sneaky-good defensive team this season," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "I don't think we get enough credit defensively."


It all begins at 5:15 p.m. PT on Saturday, an unusual starting time to accommodate television.


"It'll be nice that it's an earlier start," said Rahon, "because I'm sure that day we'll be jumping out of our of skin ready to go."

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Golden Bears (18-6) at Wildcats (22-3)
Date: February 11, 2017 10:00 PM EDT

No. 9 Arizona is back in first place in the Pac-12, but coach Sean Miller was not all that happy after his team's most recent victory.


The Wildcats (22-3, 11-1 Pac-12) are coming off a closer-than-expected 74-67 home win over Stanford in a game that was tied with less than two minutes to go. The Cardinal had a 42-16 advantage on points in the paint and had a plus-eight edge on second-chance points.


Arizona will try to do better in Saturday's game against Cal (18-6, 9-3), which tips off at 10 p.m. ET from McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz.


"We have a number of players who can't guard their man," Miller said after Wednesday night's game.


"There's constant dribble-drive, and that's part of why they get second shots. When the dribble is going into the paint and they're beating their man, we have to help. And when we have to help and the shot goes up, you're not in good block-out position.


"We have to guard the ball."


The Wildcats, which fell into a first-place tie in the conference following a 27-point loss at Oregon last Saturday, are all alone at the top again after the Ducks lost at UCLA on Thursday night. Oregon is 10-2 in conference play, while UCLA and Cal are tied, one game behind the Ducks.


The Bears won at Arizona State on Wednesday night 68-43, holding the Sun Devils to 25.4 percent shooting, going almost exclusively to a zone defense. Although Cal coach Cuonzo Martin prefers man-to-man, expect to see lots of zone against Arizona, which has struggled against that look in recent weeks.


Cal has won five consecutive games and eight of its past nine.


The Bears led by 13 against Arizona in the teams' first meeting of the season, but the Wildcats rallied to a 67-62 victory in the conference opener in Berkeley.


"They did a great job in the second half, came out aggressive, very assertive, made plays," Cal coach Cuonzo Martin said of Arizona this week. "We just didn't play well down the stretch and they did."


Cal sophomore forward Ivan Rabb had 16 points and 16 rebounds in the first meeting, when Arizona guard Allonzo Trier was still under an NCAA suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. Trier is averaging 15.5 points in six games since his return. He went 12 of 12 from the free throw line against Stanford.


Freshman forward Lauri Markkanen averages a team-high 15.6 points for Arizona and is shooting 47.5 percent (57 of 120) from 3-point range, despite a recent slump. He is just 4 of 20 from the field in the past three games.


"I don't know any player who hasn't had a streak where they haven't shot the ball great," Trier said after Wednesday's game. "Because he shot it so well, and then he doesn't shoot it spectacularly you guys act like it's the end of the world. But it's not. It's not to say he won't come out Saturday and have a big game."


Rabb leads Cal with 15.2 points per game. Wing Jabari Bird averages 14.2, and freshman point guard Charlie Moore averages 14.0 points and 3.8 assists. Guard Grant Mullins hit six 3-pointers against Arizona State and is making 42.5 percent (48 of 113) for the season.


In other words, there is a lot for Arizona to guard.


"We have guys who think they are NBA players, but they can't guard the ball," Miller said. "Not only are you not getting picked, but you are not getting invited to camp. Nobody is going to take a chance on a guy who can't guard the guy in front."

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Ducks (21-4) at Trojans (21-4)
Date: February 11, 2017 10:30 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- Oregon's 13-game winning streak over USC matches its longest ever against a Pac-12 opponent.


The fifth-ranked Ducks know it won't be easy to keep that streak alive.


Oregon and USC bring identical 21-4 records into Saturday's game at the Galen Center.


"USC is a good team that plays well at home," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "We are going to have to play our tails off and our guys know that. USC is talented, so we have to play harder."


Oregon fell out of first place in the conference when it blew a 19-point lead in an 82-79 loss to 10th-ranked UCLA on Thursday to drop to 10-2 in the Pac-12, one game back of Arizona.


"We let this one slip, no doubt about it," said Oregon guard Tyler Dorsey, who scored 19 points against UCLA. "We have to bounce back and finish out this week with a win. We cannot let this linger. "


If Oregon loses to USC, it could fall from first into a three-way tie for second in a three-day span.


"It is not easy because we extended a lot of energy against UCLA," Altman said. "It will be tough to bounce back, but Saturday we will be ready."


Oregon beat the Trojans 84-61 in Eugene in December to match its 13 straight wins against Washington State from 2002-07 for its longest streak against a conference foe. The Ducks have won six straight at USC.


While Oregon has won 40 in a row at home, the Ducks are 3-3 in true road games.


Junior forward Dillon Brooks scored 19 points against UCLA to push his team lead to 14.6 points per game, but Oregon has four other players averaging in double figures.


Dorsey is scoring 12.8 points per game while 6-foot-10 senior center Chris Boucher averages 12.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Guard Dylan Ennis is scoring 10.9 points and Jordan Bell is at 10.8 while leading the team with 7.4 rebounds per game.


USC has won five in a row to move into fifth place in the conference at 8-4 as it prepares for a rematch with the Ducks.


"I don't know if it is revenge, Oregon is a great team," USC coach Andy Enfield said. "They won the league last year and are ranked in the top five. It's an opportunity for us to play well on our home floor and win a game."


Chimezie Metu, a 6-11 sophomore, leads the Trojans with 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while junior guard Elijah Stewart is at 13.7.


Bennie Boatwright, a 6-10 sophomore averaging 13.3 points, scored 16 in USC's 92-66 win over Oregon State on Thursday, his third game back since missing 15 due to a sprained knee ligament.


"It's great having him back," said USC sophomore guard Shaqquan Aaron. "He's a great player. Bennie's a great weapon. He can score inside, outside, and it helps everbody around him."


Aaron scored 21 points against Oregon State to boost his average to 9.2 points after sitting out last year following his transfer from Louisville.


"I guess you could say that I'm getting used to the flow of the game because, at the beginning of the season, I hadn't played college basketball for a while," he said. "I'm just letting the game come to me."


Junior point guard Jordan McLaughlin is averaging 13.2 points and a team-high 5.1 assists.

 

[CNOTES]

Saturday's Tip Sheet
February 10, 2017


**Florida State at Notre Dame**


-- Florida State (21-4 straight up, 14-8-1 against the spread) is in a first-place tie with North Carolina atop the ACC standings. Leonard Hamilton’s squad improved to 9-3 in conference action with Wednesday’s 95-71 win over North Carolina State as a 13.5-point home favorite. Jonathan Isaac led way with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Dwayne Bacon contributed 19 points and nine boards. Michael Ojo added 11 points and six rebounds.


-- FSU owns a 2-3 record both SU and ATS on the road.


-- FSU is No. 6 in the RPI Rankings, 14th in the Associated Press’s poll and No. 13 at KenPom.com. The ‘Noles are 5-1 against the RPI Top 25, 9-1 versus the Top 50 and 13-4 against the Top 100. They own home wins over Minnesota, Florida, Wake Forest, Va. Tech, Duke, Notre Dame, Louisville and Clemson. They’ve also won at Virginia and at Miami, in addition to a neutral-court win over Illinois. FSU’s setbacks have come at UNC, at Ga. Tech, at Syracuse and vs. Temple on a neutral floor.


-- Bacon, a sophomore guard, is averaging a team-best 17.6 points per game while making 38.4 percent of his launches from 3-point range. Isaac averages 13.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game.


-- FSU is ranked No. 14 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 84.8 PPG. The ‘Noles are also 14th in field-goal percentage (49.0%).


-- Notre Dame (18-7 SU, 12-6-1 ATS) is in seventh place in the ACC with a 7-5 record in league play. In other words, Mike Brey’s team is a Final Four contender. That’s zero stretch this season when the conference might get 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament.


-- Notre Dame is 13-2 SU and 6-3 ATS at home in the Joyce Center this year. The Fighting Irish snapped a four-game losing streak by capturing an 88-81 win Wednesday over Wake Forest as a 5.5-point home ‘chalk.’ Bonzie Colson was the catalyst with 27 points, 16 rebounds, five blocked shots, two steals and a pair of assists. V.J. Beachem added 19 points and four blocks, while Steve Vasturia finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Matt Farrell contributed 16 points and six assists.

-- Notre Dame is No. 27 in the RPI, but it has lost six of seven games against Top-25 opponents. Brey’s team is 5-6 versus the Top 50 and 9-7 against the Top 100. The Irish owns home wins over Louisville, Wake Forest, Iowa, Clemson and Syracuse. It also has a neutral-court scalp of Northwestern, in addition to wins at Va. Tech, at Miami and at Pitt.


-- Colson (16.1 PPG, 10.8 RPG) is averaging a double-double and leads the team with 39 blocked shots. Beachem (15.2 PPG) is hitting 38.0 percent of his 3-pointers, while Farrell (14.1 PPG) is draining 44.4 percent of his 3’s and has dished out a team-best 5.4 APG. Vasturia (14.0 PPG) is making 90.5 percent of his free throws and has an 82/44 assists-to-turnovers ratio.


-- Notre Dame leads the nation in free-throw percentage (80.7%) and ranks 18th in makes from downtown (40.0%).


-- When these teams met in Tallahassee on Jan. 18, FSU captured an 83-80 win but the Irish took the cash as a 5.5-point road underdog. The 163 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 156-point total. Isaac led the ‘Noles with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Vasturia scored a team-high 18 points, burying 4-of-6 attempts from long distance. Farrell finished with 17 points and seven assists, making 3-of-4 shots from 3-point range.


-- The ‘over’ is 13-10-1 overall for the ‘Noles, but they’ve seen the ‘under’ go 3-2 in their five road assignments. Regardless of the venue, the ‘over’ is on a 7-3 run for FSU.


-- The ‘over’ is 11-8-1 overall for the Irish, 7-2 in its home outings.


-- As of late Friday afternoon, several offshore book had Notre Dame listed as a 2.5-point favorite.


-- Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.


**Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s**


-- As of late Friday afternoon, several offshore shops had Gonzaga (25-0 SU, 17-4-1 ATS) installed as a three-point road favorite.


-- Gonzaga is the last remaining unbeaten team and is ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in school history. Mark Few’s team is off of Thursday’s 90-60 win at Loyola-Marymount as a 17-point road ‘chalk.’ Nigel Williams-Goss led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Johnathan Williams finished with 13 points, two steals and a pair of blocked shots. Jordan Mathews, Zach Collins and Killian Tillie were also in double figures with 11 points apiece.


-- Gonzaga owns a 6-1 spread record in its eight road victories.


-- Gonzaga is ranked third in the country in field-goal percentage (51.5%), 12th in scoring (85.6 PPG), second in field-goal percentage defense (37.0%), eighth in scoring defense (61.6 PPG) and eighth at defending the 3-point line (29.5%).


-- Gonzaga is No. 12 in the RPI with three wins over Top-25 foes, six wins versus the Top 50 and seven wins against the Top 100. The Bulldogs have neutral-court wins vs. Florida, Iowa St., Arizona and Tennessee. They have home wins over Akron and Saint Mary’s, in addition to a victory at BYU.


-- Williams-Goss paces Gonzaga in scoring (15.8 PPG), assists (4.7 APG), rebounding (5.9 RPG) and steals (1.7 SPG). Przemek Karnowski is averaging 12.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting at a 61.0 percent clip from the field. Zach Collins (10.8 PPG) is averaging 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game, while Mathews (10.6 PPG) is also averaging double figures.


-- Saint Mary’s (22-2 SU, 11-9-1 ATS) has won 13 of its 14 home games while going 4-6 ATS. The Gaels have won seven in a row after Thursday’s 51-41 non-covering home win over Portland as 24-point home favorites. Jock Landale paced Randy Bennett’s team with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. Emmett Naar added 11 points and Joe Rahon was in double figures with 10 points and five boards.


-- Landale leads the Gaels in scoring (16.7 PPG), rebounding (9.5 RPG) and blocked shots (1.2 BPG). Calvin Hermanson (12.8 PPG) and Naar (10.1 PPG) are also scoring in double figures while making 43.5 percent and 45.2 percent of their 3-pointers, respectively. Rahon (8.8 PPG) has a stellar 139/37 assists-to-turnovers ratio and is hitting 38.5 percent of his 3’s.


-- Saint Mary’s is ranked No. 20 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the RPI. The Gaels are 0-1 against the Top 25, 2-1 versus the Top 50 and 4-2 against the Top 100. They have home wins over Nevada and BYU, in addition to road scalps of Dayton and Stanford. Their defeats have come at Gonzaga and vs. UT-Arlington.


-- Totals have been an overall wash (11-11-1) for the Bulldogs, who have seen the ‘over’ go 5-3 in their eight road assignments.


-- The ‘under’ is 13-8-1 overall for the Gaels, 6-5 in their home games.


-- When these teams met in Spokane on Jan. 14, Gonzaga rolled to a 79-56 win as a five-point home favorite. The 135 combined points slithered ‘under’ the 136.5-point tally. Williams-Goss led the winners with 19 points and six assists compared to just one turnover. Williams finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five blocked shots, while Mathews scored 16 points. Hermanson scored a team-best 12 points in the losing effort.


-- The ‘under’ has cashed at a 10-1 clip in the last 11 head-to-head meetings between these WCC rivals.


-- ESPN will have the broadcast at 8:15 p.m. Eastern.


**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**


-- Ohio State guard JaQuan Lyle is ‘out’ Saturday at Maryland for personal reasons. Lyle is averaging 11.4 points, 5.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.


-- St. Joseph’s James Demery has been upgraded to ‘probable’ for Saturday’s home game vs. UMass. Demery, who averages 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, missed Wednesday’s 77-70 loss at Dayton due to an illness. Nevertheless, the Hawks took the cash as 16-point underdogs.


-- Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina are tied for first place in the SEC with identical 9-2 records. The Gators are absolutely on fire with five straight wins both SU and ATS. They’ve won those five games by margins of 35 (at LSU), 32 (at Oklahoma), 39 (vs. Missouri), 22 (vs. Kentucky) and 12 (at Georgia). Mike White’s squad was listed as a 14-point home favorite vs. Texas A&M late Friday afternoon. These SEC adversaries will collide Saturday at noon Eastern in Gainesville on ESPN2.


-- John Calipari’s UK team has lost three of its last five games and is mired in an abysmal 1-8 ATS slump. The Wildcats will try to snap out of their slump Saturday at Alabama. They were favored by seven late Friday afternoon for the 1:00 p.m. Eastern tip on CBS. The Crimson Tide has posted a 4-5 spread record with three outright wins in nine games as an underdog. If the total holds (one offshore had it at 148.5 late Friday afternoon), it will be the highest the Tide has seen this season. The ‘over’ has hit in three consecutive ‘Bama games and seven of its last nine.


-- Georgia had covered the number in seven straight games as an underdog until Tuesday’s 72-60 loss to Florida as a 4.5-point ‘dog. The Bulldogs are in the role of puppies again Saturday at Tennessee. The Volunteers, who are 5-1 both SU and ATS in their last six games, opened as five-point home ‘chalk.’ UGA and UT will collide at 4:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.


-- Mississippi State owns a 3-0 spread record with two outright wins over Tennessee and South Carolina in a trio of games as a home underdog. Ben Howland’s squad will take that role again Saturday catching five points vs. South Carolina at The Hump. The Gamecocks and Bulldogs will square off at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.


-- Last (televised) call for gamblers Saturday night? Arizona (-8.5) vs. Cal at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.


-- That dagger of a step-back 3-ball from about 30 feet out by UCLA’s Lonzo Ball to put Oregon away on Thursday night was a thing of beauty!

 

[CNOTES]

Saturday's Upsets to Watch
February 10, 2017


The month of February is all about rivalry games and resume building for the NCAA Tournament in college basketball and so far the early days of this month have lived up to that billing. This weekend there are plenty of ranked teams in action looking to strengthen their position for either a high tournament seed or a conference crown, but faltering down the stretch of the regular season can be highly detrimental. Let's take a look at some of the teams who are on upset alert on Saturday.


Game #1: #2 Villanova at #25 Xavier


Some may not think Villanova has much to worry about in this game after they beat Xavier by 25 points back in early January, but this is definitely one of those games the second ranked team in the country has to be put on upset alert.


Xavier may have got blown out in that first meeting, but they were actually hanging around at halftime (34-28) before totally collapsing in the second half. Nobody on the Musketeers could get their shots to consistently drop – they shot 29.3% from the field – and their leading scorer ws Edmond Sumner with just 11 points. Conversely, Villanova was hitting everything (53.8% shooting) and had a total team effort with five guys scoring in double-digits.


But with the scenery changing this time around, expect Xavier to shoot the ball much better as they are 12-1 SU at home and a win would put them just a half-game behind Villanova for top spot in the Big East.


There is no doubt that the Musketeers have had this game circled on their calendar since that blowout loss earlier and with Villanova starting to feel the pressure from everyone being the #2 ranked team as evidenced by their 0-6 ATS run, it may only be a matter of time before this team cracks again on the road in conference play.


Both of Villanova's losses this year have come away from home to quality conference rivals in Marquette and Butler and Xavier would love to add their names to that list.


Game #2: #1 Gonzaga at #20 St Mary's


The Gonzaga/St Mary's rivalry is one that doesn't get talked about in the same breath as the UNC/Duke, Kansas/Kansas State or Syracuse/Georgetown's of the world but it's just as intense. These two teams typically find themselves battling one another for the WCC title and this year is no different. The two teams are separated by just a half-game in the standings entering Saturday and St Mary's only loss in their last 17 games came at Gonzaga in the middle of January.


Like the first meeting between Villanova and Xavier, St Mary's had the same problem that the Musketeers did in their first meeting; they couldn't get shots to fall and couldn't stop Gonzaga from hitting everything. Gonzaga shot 64.7% from the floor that day as they used a dominant second half run to pull away and never look back. It didn't hurt the Bulldogs cause that St Mary's shot less than 40% from the floor and their top scorer – Calvin Hermanson – had just 12 points.


Those numbers should drastically change for both sides with this game being at St. Mary's as the Gaels are 13-1 SU in this building and that lone defeat was an absolute shocker to Texas-Arlington in early December.


Gonzaga remains the lone undefeated team left in college basketball and many believe this will be their last test of the regular season to keep that mark unblemished. But with the steep history of this rivalry often splitting the two matchups, don't be surprised to see St Mary's end that pipe dream for the Bulldogs and hand Gonzaga its first loss.

 

[CNOTES]

SEC Snapshot
February 9, 2017


The SEC has generally been considered the weakest of the major basketball conferences of late, but over the past 11 years, the conference has produced eight Final Four teams and three national championship teams. Only the Big East can top that with nine Final Four teams in that run, but that conference has gone through more significant changes in that span. Right now, it looks like only four teams are bound for the NCAA Tournament from the SEC, but they are four teams with potential to win multiple games in March. Here is a look at the teams with a shot to make the Big Dance though it looks like only three teams are assured spots.


Favorite – Kentucky (9-2 S/U, 4-7 ATS): With three freshmen that are projected first round NBA draft picks, Kentucky as usual is one of the most talented teams in the nation. This year’s team is still the favorite for the SEC title, but it isn’t clear if this young group could come together for a great NCAA Tournament run or whether another first weekend exit is more likely. Despite being a high caliber team in all of the John Calipari era, Kentucky only has three outright SEC titles in the past 11 years plus last season’s shared title with Texas A&M. Kentucky’s toughest remaining games including a rematch with Florida will be at home to keep the Wildcats in the driver’s seat. While Kentucky rates as the top offensive team in the SEC, the defensive numbers are closer to the middle of the pack and superior defensive teams South Carolina and Florida will be threats to unseat the Wildcats who may be hitting a freshmen wall with a 1-8 overall ATS run since early January.


Contender – Florida (9-2 S/U, 7-4 ATS): Since a surprising home loss to Vanderbilt, Florida has been on a tear with five straight double-digit wins including a 22-point home win over Kentucky to announce that the Gators are back as a national force. Florida lost three out of five games at one point early in the year, but those opponents have all wound up being top-20 caliber squads and if Florida can beat Kentucky again, they will likely take the SEC title. They also still have to play South Carolina again, but this time it will be in Gainesville and the rest of the remaining schedule looks favorable. In his second season with Florida, Michael White’s team is rated second in the SEC in offensive and defensive efficiency and after some inconsistent shooting early in the season, Florida has shot much stronger from 3-point range in recent weeks. Florida has an impressive resume through one of the nation’s toughest schedules and after missing the NCAA Tournament last season, the Gators are poised to be a serious March threat this season.


Overachiever – South Carolina (9-2 S/U, 6-4-1 ATS): The Gamecocks are the #1 defensive efficiency squad in the nation and South Carolina is still in the mix for a SEC championship even following the epic four-overtime loss at home against Alabama. Three non-conference losses against quality teams all came with senior Sindarius Thornwell suspended and while the Gamecocks were blasted at Kentucky with a 16-point defeat, they won’t have to face them again. South Carolina does have a difficult game at Florida remaining, but they should be favored to win every other remaining game in a breakthrough season for Frank Martin in his fifth year in Columbia. In the three-team conference race, South Carolina likely ends up a step behind Kentucky and Florida with the team featuring the worst effective field goal rate in the entire 14-team SEC.

Bubble Team – Tennessee (6-5 S/U, 6-5 ATS): The Volunteers have 10 losses but after a 1-3 start in SEC play, Tennessee is up to 6-5 with a strong run of play the past three weeks that includes a win over Kentucky and an impressive non-conference win over Kansas State. The Volunteers played a tough non-conference schedule though they didn’t win any of the big early season games other than beating Georgia Tech. They’ll still end the season having faced one of the nation’s toughest slates which should help the cause with the selection committee. While the young Volunteers have some current momentum bouncing back from an upset loss with a comeback win hosting Mississippi this week, the remaining schedule is daunting with road games vs. Kentucky and South Carolina. Tennessee has three home losses this season and games with Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Alabama won’t be assured wins for a team that has been inconsistent. Ultimately, Tennessee probably needs to reach a double-digit win mark in SEC play to stay inside the NCAA Tournament picture as there isn’t much margin of error unless the Volunteers score another major upset vs. one of the league’s top three teams.


Sleeper – Alabama (7-4 S/U, 5-6 ATS): Sleeper candidacy for Alabama in the SEC race gained some credibility with this week’s four-overtime win at South Carolina. That was a fourth road win for the Crimson Tide in league play this season and while the ceiling doesn’t look as high for this squad, winning out isn’t impossible with the remaining schedule. The toughest remaining game is this weekend hosting Kentucky, but with the Wildcats clearly out of sync of late that upset looks a bit more plausible than it did a few weeks ago. The remaining road games are at Missouri and Texas A&M before a finale at Tennessee that could be a critical game on both sides. Alabama has a lot of work to do to even reach NCAA Tournament consideration as they aren’t even on the bubble at this point and a win this weekend vs. Kentucky is a required piece of the puzzle. Alabama played close with a number of quality teams in the non-conference campaign and with a SEC schedule that features the top three teams just once each a run to a 14-4 finish is unlikely, but not impossible for a team that has quality defensive numbers and is the best rebounding team in the conference.


Enigma – Arkansas (6-5 S/U, 5-6 ATS): Arkansas started the season 11-1 with a couple of decent wins on the resume, but the Razorbacks have been a puzzling team in league play. Arkansas has three road wins including winning at Tennessee, but they have also lost badly in several games while handing Missouri its only SEC win so far. That bad loss likely ended the NCAA Tournament candidacy for Arkansas, but March Madness hopes are still on life support with remaining opportunities for quality wins though the upcoming games vs. South Carolina and Florida are both on the road. Getting to 10-8 in SEC play likely won’t be enough for Arkansas, but they could make a reasonable bubble case at 12-6 or 11-7 especially if they score one of those big road upsets. Mike Anderson’s squad is very capable offensively and is the best 3-point shooting team in the SEC, but surprisingly hasn’t created turnovers with its pressure defense as usual. Arkansas needs to win almost all of the remaining coin-flip games to stay in the conversation, but this squad has a better postseason chance than most probably would expect given some of the recent outings.


Underachiever – Mississippi (5-6 S/U, 6-4-1 ATS): Wednesday’s loss at Tennessee was emblematic of how much of the season has gone for Ole Miss as the Rebels led the entire second half until inside of three-minutes only to get outscored 15-2 to finish the game, losing and not even holding on for the underdog cover. Ole Miss similarly failed to close out wins vs. Texas A&M and in a big non-conference opportunity vs. Baylor in late January as at 5-6 NCAA Tournament, hopes for the Rebels no longer exist despite a favorable remaining schedule. Four of the final seven SEC games are at home, including the finale with South Carolina as the Rebels drew a very tough path this season with seven games vs. the league’s likely top four teams. Five home losses on the season already is a very disappointing result for Andy Kennedy’s 11th season, but this team could have some upset potential down the stretch or in the SEC Tournament with great free throw shooting and offensive rebounding numbers and one of the better interior defenses in the conference as this looks like a stronger team than the results have shown.


Long Shot – Georgia (4-7 S/U, 7-4 ATS): With a 4-2 SEC start, Georgia looked like a candidate to make a run to the top tier of the SEC as the losses came by six and by four in overtime vs. South Carolina and Florida. The Gators have lost five SEC games in a row since, only mixing in a narrow non-conference win over Texas. The past three losses have come against Kentucky, South Carolina, and Florida in succession including an overtime loss at Kentucky and a two-point loss at South Carolina as the Bulldogs haven’t missed by much in what could have been a stronger season. They still have to play Kentucky again at home next week, facing the three contenders twice each for possibly the toughest SEC slate any team has drawn. Non-conference losses to Clemson, Kansas, and Marquette give Georgia a great strength of schedule rating and should the Bulldogs rally to finish 10-8 in SEC play and perhaps win a few SEC tournament games the case for NCAA Tournament inclusion would be possible. Beating Kentucky in the toughest remaining home game will be required, but with home games vs. Mississippi State, LSU, and Auburn remaining, there is a good chance Georgia closes February with much better results than the month has started with.

Cash Collector – Vanderbilt (5-6 S/U, 7-4 ATS): The Commodores have won four of the past six games including three road wins with a big upset at Florida while also impressively beating Iowa State in non-conference action. Six non-conference losses and five home losses on the season dooms any hopes for Bryce Drew to get this team into the NCAA Tournament, but Vanderbilt could continue its run as one of the best ATS teams in the conference. They still get to play all four of the top teams in the SEC which should draw some favorable underdog pricing and Vanderbilt rates third in the SEC in offensive efficiency. The Commodores can have rebounding issues, but they are one of the best outside shooting teams in the conference while also leading the SEC in free throw percentage. Vanderbilt won without Matthew Fisher-Davis on Tuesday at Arkansas and with mostly veteran contributors this is a squad that should continue to play at a high level even if a difficult remaining schedule might mean more close losses for a team that has 10 losses by 12 or fewer points this season.


Cash Burner – Texas A&M (5-6 S/U, 3-8 ATS): In the non-conference season, Texas A&M looked like a tough-luck loser with narrow defeats against USC, UCLA, and Arizona, but the Aggies started SEC play 1-5. Texas A&M has rallied to reach 5-6 in league play, but three of the five wins are vs. LSU and Missouri, the clear bottom two teams in the conference as the Aggies have played the SEC’s weakest schedule so far. Games with Florida and Kentucky remain with four of the final seven on the road and it seems unlikely that the losing ATS fortune will change for this squad given that the three of five SEC wins have come by four or fewer points. The Aggies have the worst turnover rate in the SEC while getting to the free throw line on offense at the third lowest rate in the conference while on defense allowing foes to shoot 38 percent from 3-point range. Texas A&M doesn’t have a top 50 win on the season while possessing only three top 100 wins all season by a combined total of eight points and six of the seven remaining games are vs. top 100 squads.

 

[CNOTES]

Big 12 Snapshot
February 7, 2017


Since Kansas won the NCAA Tournament in April 2008, the Big XII has only sent two teams to the Final Four in the eight tournaments since. This year, the Big XII looks loaded with eight of the conference’s ten teams in the mix to make the Big Dance and three teams possibly in the mix for #1 or #2 seeds. After upsets filled the weekend schedule in Big XII play, here is a look at the remaining contenders for tournament bids.


Favorite – Kansas (9-2 S/U, 2-8-1 ATS): The Jayhawks have won 12 consecutive Big XII titles to have a firm hold on the favorite status in the league, but note that four of the championships in that run were shared titles and that result is a real possibility this season. Kansas has turned in high profile non-conference wins over Duke and Kentucky as the Jayhawks are on a #1 seed track should they stay on top of the Big XII standings. Josh Jackson is one of the most impressive freshmen in the country and while senior guard Frank Mason is a player of the year candidate incredibly shooting 52 percent from 3-point range. Kansas has just a +4.4 scoring differential in Big XII play and with losses in two of the past four conference games with the wins coming by five and three points extending the title streak is not a given. In defensive efficiency, this is the worst Kansas team Bill Self has featured in now 14 seasons while also being one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the nation as the opportunity is there for the other contenders to reach the top.


Contender – Baylor (7-3 S/U, 4-6 ATS): The Bears delivered an incredibly impressive non-conference season picking up wins over Oregon, VCU, Michigan State, Louisville, and Xavier as they are a #1 seed contender even if they wind up a runner-up in the Big XII race. Back-to-back losses have soured a 7-1 start in league play, but they have already faced West Virginia and Kansas on the road and the toughest remaining games will be at home. Baylor is the Big XII’s top defensive team but the offense can have inconsistency with a high turnover rate and marginal outside shooting. Each of the last six Big XII wins have come by 10 or fewer points as the losing ATS mark in league play could continue for the Bears, but if they win the remaining home games and avoid upset risk games at Oklahoma State or at Iowa State, Baylor could find its way into the top spot in the conference standings.


Overachiever – West Virginia (6-4 S/U, 4-6 ATS): Most power ratings still call West Virginia a top-10 caliber team with the big victory at Virginia in non-conference play carrying a lot of weight. The Mountaineers have lost two overtime games in Big XII play, but it is hard to envision the team winning out to claim the conference title. Road games vs. Kansas and Baylor remain on the schedule and West Virginia has lost twice at home in conference play including falling against an Oklahoma squad at the bottom of the standings. With its propensity to create turnovers, West Virginia is capable of delivering high end performances, but poor free throw shooting and a torrid pace of play makes the Mountaineers more at risk for upsets as well. West Virginia’s overall schedule is rated as the second-weakest among Big XII teams and it seems more likely that the Mountaineers fall back to the pack than rise up to the top of the Big XII in the remaining weeks.

Sleeper – Iowa State (6-4 S/U, 6-4 ATS): Iowa State just handed Kansas its first Big XII home loss in more than four years and while the Cyclones remain a only a bit ahead of the NCAA Tournament bubble due to an unimpressive non-conference season, they could become a realistic player in the Big XII race. They have both Kansas games out of the way and will play Baylor again at home, while the road game at West Virginia is in the final conference game of the season that may not be critically important for the Mountaineers. While winning out looks unlikely, the remaining schedule is reasonable and a strong run to finish 12-6 or 11-5 isn’t unrealistic for this squad. As one of the most experienced teams in the nation, Iowa State has one of the lowest turnover rates in the nation and the Cyclones have had their outside shooting heat up in recent games, hitting nearly 40 percent in Big XII play. Iowa State has been a little lucky with two overtime wins in conference play, but if there is a long shot candidate to possibly take home a share of the conference title, the Cyclones fit the bill.


Enigma – Oklahoma State (4-6 S/U, 6-4 ATS): After starting Big XII play 0-6, Oklahoma State has won the past four games in conference play plus a non-conference win over Arkansas. Despite the 5-6 record, Oklahoma State has outscored its opponents by 20 points over the last 11 games and last weekend’s win at West Virginia legitimized the return to relevancy in the conference picture for the Cowboys. The toughest remaining games are at home with this week’s game vs. Baylor and the finale vs. Kansas and Oklahoma State won’t be more than a slight underdog in the six games in between as getting back to .500 or higher in league play is a possibility. Oklahoma State lives by the 3-point shot with its up-tempo pace and in conference play, the Cowboys have hit over 42 percent from beyond the arc. This is the least efficient defense in the Big XII and the offense can struggle with turnovers at times despite the great backcourt. This is a still rather young team, but a team on the rise that has learned from a number of tight losses vs. quality teams to emerge as a threat in any remaining matchup though a few puzzling losses down the stretch won’t be a surprise either.

Long Shot – Kansas State (5-6 S/U, 5-4-2 ATS): The 11-2 non-conference mark featured zero top 100 wins for Kansas State as they are certainly just barely ahead of the cut line for the NCAA Tournament right now. Kansas State looks the part on the court and while there are not a lot of high quality wins the past three Big XII wins came at Oklahoma State, at home vs. West Virginia, and at Baylor for a trio of very high caliber quality wins. Narrow non-conference losses to Maryland and Tennessee don’t look too damaging and every Big XII loss has come by nine or fewer points including three losses by three or fewer points plus another overtime result. After the upcoming trip to Morgantown, the toughest road games are out of the way as this looks like a team that could close the year with some momentum to finish with a winning record to sit in the upper half of the Big XII. Along with West Virginia, Kansas State is the only other team in the top five of the Big XII in offensive and defensive efficiency and while a lot would have to go right for the Wildcats to climb back into Big XII contention, they are likely a play-on team coming out of the current 1-4 run the past five games.

Bubble Team – TCU (5-5 S/U, 6-4 ATS): In his first season in Fort Worth, Jamie Dixon has the Horned Frogs already by last season’s win count and in contention for the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid since 1998. TCU is on fragile ground as the non-conference resume is providing little help and three of the five Big XII wins have come against the bottom two teams in the standings. The remaining schedule is very difficult with road games in Waco, Ames, and Lawrence as well as home games vs. West Virginia and two other potential Big XII bubble teams in Texas Tech and Kansas State. A .500 finish in a highly regarded Big XII would probably be enough to get serious consideration, but the Frogs could really use a major win vs. one of the top teams. They’ll have plenty of upcoming chances, but a team that for the most part looks middle-of-the-pack or worse in most conference measures is also in danger of suffering a rocky run to close out February that could sink a promising season.

Sinker – Texas Tech (4-6 S/U, 4-6 ATS): Texas Tech made the NCAA Tournament last season, but Tubby Smith left to take over at Memphis. Chris Beard was hired after just one successful season at Arkansas-Little Rock and the Red Raiders have held their own so far. They have faced the weakest schedule of any Big XII team as the 12-1 non-conference record features a loss to the only top 100 team they faced while all the heavyweights are coming up on the late February Big XII schedule. Texas Tech’s four conference wins have come by 1, 1, 6, and 8 points with the Red Raiders 0-5 on the road. In conference play, the Red Raiders rate in the bottom four in both offensive and defensive efficiency and despite great experience, coming up with enough quality wins to keep the Red Raiders in the NCAA Tournament mix looks unlikely. With losses to Oklahoma and Texas already included in the 4-6 league mark, things look likely to only get worse for this team.