My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on Iowa at 9:00 ET.

Chris Collins took over at Northwestern back in the 2013-14 season and won 20 games in the 2015-16 season. The very next season, he led the Wildcats to a 24-12 year, as Northwestern finished with its first winning Big Ten Conference record in 49 years (10-8) and earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history (Wildcats even won their first game). It was NO small accomplishment, as Northwestern had been the only member of a power conference to have never made the "Big Dance." However, three straight losing seasons followed. However, with four starters back, Northwestern is 'making news' again! More in a bit. Iowa head coach Fran McCaffrey came to Iowa City from Siena, where he led the Saints to THREE straight NCAA appearances and a 77-26 record. He's been at Iowa since the 2010-11 season. He's led Iowa to SIX 20-win seasons the last eight seasons, getting four NCAA bids (would have been five last year but the NCAA tourney was canceled). Iowa returned all FIVE starters from last year, including the Preseason P-O-Y. (Luka Garza).

The 6-7 Kupp (15.1) leads Northwestern in scoring and is joined in the starting lineup by guards Buie (14.4 & 5.3 APG), Audige (12.9 & 4.3) and Gaines (3.9 & 4.7) plus the 6-10 Nance (10.6 & 6.9). Freshman guard Berry (8.3) plus frontcourt players like the 6-10 Young (8.9 & 6.4) and the 6-9 Beran (6.7 & 3.4) contribute off the bench. Garza (28.8 & 10.0) is shooting 62.7% to lead the Hawkeyes. Two senior guards join him in the starting lineup in Wieskamp (15.8 & 6.9) and Bohannon (6.9 & 4.3 APG). The 6-11 Nunge (8.4 & 5.9) comes off the bench plus FIVE more players contribute regularly, led by sophomore guard Fredrick (10.4).

So what's going on in Evanston, Illinois? The Wildcats (6-1, 3-0) have won their first THREE conference games for the first time since the 1967-68 season (note: Northwestern was 3-17 in the Big Ten last season!). The Wildcats entered the AP poll yesterday (No. 19), for the first time this season but hardly tells the whole story. Northwestern's No. 19 ranking is its highest this late in a season since 1969! Iowa fell from No. 4 to No. 10 on Monday, after it lost 102-95 (OT) at Minnesota last Friday. Iowa was up 80-73 on the Golden Gophers with 44 seconds remaining but Minnesota came back to tie the game at 83-83. Iowa's only other loss has come 99-88 to No. 1 Gonzaga in a neutral-site setting.

This is an EXCELLENT Iowa team and the jury is still out on Northwestern (in my opinion). A check of the record book reveals that Northwestern now owns THREE straight wins over ranked opponents. The streak started at the end of last season with a win over then-20 Penn St and has continued this season in wins over then-No. 4 Michigan St and then-No. 23. However, Northwestern has NEVER won four in a row over ranked AP opponents (AP rankings began in Jan 1949). Yes, the Wildcats can lose but still cover with this pointspread but my bet says it's an Iowa W-I-P-E-O-U-T!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on Rutgers at 7:00 ET.

Rutgers won its first five games by double digits and opened league play with a 74-60 win at Maryland on Dec 14. The Scarlet Knights improved to 6-0 by pulling out a 91-88 win over then-No. 13 Illinois on Dec 20 (rose to No. 11 in the AP poll) but was unable to duplicate that performance last Wednesday, losing 80-68 at the-No. 23 Ohio State. Rutgers (6-1 / 2-1 in Big Ten) dropped to No. 14 in the latest AP poll (out yesterday) and will welcome unranked Purdue (7-3 / 2-1) to Piscataway, NJ on Tuesday. The Boilermakers rebounded from a 70-55 loss at Iowa on Tuesday by posting a 73-70 home win over Maryland on Friday.

Purdue head coach Matt Painter's lone loss of note from last season's team was the 7-3 Haarms (8.6 & 4.6), who went to BYU as a graduate transfer. The team's "Big Three" are all returning players, senior PG Hunter (12.8 & 4.0 APG) plus juniors like the 6-10 Williams (13.4 & 9.5) and SG Stefanovic (11.3). 7-4 freshman Edey (9.9 & 4.2) has made all forget about Haarms plus freshman guard Newman (10.1) gives Purdue four double digit scorers  Depth is provided by four players chipping in a combined 22 PPG.

Steve Pikiell spent 11 years at Stony Brook, winning 20-plus games in his final five seasons. He led the Seawolves to an NCAA berth in 2015-16 and a 26-7 record. His first three seasons at Rutgers saw the Scarlet Knights go just 15-18, 15-19 and 14-17. Rutgers was 20-11 last season before the year was shut down. This year's team looks REALLY good, led by senior guards Harper (23.4 & 7.1) and Young (15.9 & 5.6 APG). Junior guard Mathis adds 14.3 & 3.9 plus two 6-11 centers, Omoruyi (5.3 & 5.8) and Johnson (7.7 & 8.6) give Rutgers a strong inside presence.

Pikiell could be without standout freshman Omoruyi, who missed the last game with a knee injury plus Myles Johnson played 15 minutes before fouling out. However, I expect Rutgers to be PRIMED to bounce back (especially here at home), after holding a 38-28 lead at halftime at Ohio St and leading by 16 points in the second half, before going EIGHT minutes without a FG while enduring a 20-1 run by the Buckeyes. Purdue enters this game with the second-lowest scoring offense in the league at 72.5 PG and has yet to score more than 75 points in any Big Ten game. Purdue lost at then-No. Iowa on Dec 22 and this contest will mark the SECOND of three games over a four-game stretch against a ranked opponent (No. 15 Illinois is up next). 

'That's a tough 'ask!'. Catching Rutgers off its 'collapse' vs Ohio St puts Purdue in the WRONG place at the WRONG time, even if the Scarlets Knights are a little short-handed. Rutgers has made "the RAC" (Rutgers Athletic Center) ONE tough venue, having gone a 'sweet' 23-2 SU since the start of last season. Lay the reasonable price!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* CBB Oddsmaker's Game of the Month is on Arizona at 9:30 ET.

Tad Boyle is in his 1th season at Colorado and despite losing the 6-7 Tyler Bey (13.8 *& 9.0) to the NBA (he played center), Boyle has his Buffs off to a 6-1 start as Colorado opens its Pac 12 schedule with this game in Arizona against the Wildcats. While Colorado is a veteran team, the 6-1 Wildcats, who lost their Pac 12 opener 78-75 at Stanford on Dec 19, have FIVE new starters.

PG Wright flirted with the NBA draft but returned to Boulder and is averaging 16.3-4.7-5.9. Wright is surrounded by veterans, such as the 7-0 Dallas Walton (10.3), the 6-8 Evan Battey (8.7 & 4.9) and the 6-7 Jeriah Horn (a Tulsa graduate transfer), who adds 11.4 & 6.0. A quartet of guards combine to add about 26 PPG. Sean Miller has had some off the court issues the last few seasons and saw THREE freshmen from last year go the 'One and Done' route. PG Mannion (14.0 & 5.3 APG), Green (12.0 & 4.6) and  big man Nnaji (16.1 & 8.6). Arizona is led by guard Jemarl Baker (15.4 PPG /  45.5 percent from three-point range) and Georgetown transfer James Akinjo (13.4 & 4.7 APG). The 6-11 Jordan Brown (10.7 & 6.9) is a Nevada transfer. Miller made a lineup change against Montana (most recent game, taking out 7-footer Christian Koloko (4.1 & 5.3) and inserting the more offensive-minded Azoulas Tubelis (7.6 & 5.0). The 6-11 freshman was a force on both ends with eight points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Newcomer Mathurin (from Canada) has added 9.9 & 4.6 off the bench.

Here's the bottom line. The Buffs won't have to face the usual sold-out crowd at McKale Center, as Arizona is playing without fans as part of its COVID-19 protocols. However, since joining the Pac 12 in for the 2011-12 season, the Buffs have NEVER won at McKale Center. Why should it be any different here and at this price, an Arizona win almost GUARANTEES a cover. That's my bet!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on Michigan St at 8:00 ET.

Michigan State opened as the AP's No. 8 team in its preseason poll and began the season 6-0, a start which included an impressive 75-69 win at then-No. 6 Duke. However, after that undefeated start in non-conference play, the Spartans have dropped their first two conference games. They got blindsided by Northwestern 79-65 on Dec 20 and then got outplayed in the second half of an 85-76 home loss to No 9 Wisconsin this past Friday. The now 12th-ranked Spartans (new poll comes out later today and MSU will SURELY drop) play at Minnesota (8-1 / 1-1 in Big Ten) in Minneapolis on Monday. The Golden Gophers have cracked the 90-point mark in THREE of their last four outings, including a 102-95 upset of No. 4 Iowa in overtime on Friday. 

Michigan State trailed by double digits throughout the second half against Northwestern and was outscored 43-34 in the second half by Wisconsin. "We did do some really good things," Spartans head coach Tom Izzo said. "We played harder, and were, I thought, much more in-tune to the game. We just made some mistakes when it was a two to three point game in those last four minutes and just couldn't get it done. So I'm disappointed, but I feel like we took a step forward." Michigan St lost its two best players from last season's team to the NBA Draft, as PG Winston (18.6 & 5.9 APG) was taken by the Wizards and the 6-8 Tillman (13.7 & 10.3) by the Grizzlies  6-9 junior forward Joey Hauser, a transfer from Marquette, leads the team averaging 14.0 & 8.6. and was terrific in the loss to Wisconsin, with 27 points and seven rebounds. Joining him in the frontcourt are two returning players, the 6-7 Brown and the 6-6 Henry. Brown has averaged 9.5 PPG, while Henry has chipped in 12,0-5.5-4.6. Sophomore PG Watts (10.9 & 4.6 APG) steps in for Winston plus veteran guard Langford (8.1) joins him on the perimeter. Langford is FINALLY healthy and is back on the court this season, having last played in December of 2018. 6-7 sophomore Hall averages 6.5 & 5.5 and guard Loyer adds 6.4. MSU is NOT lacking for talent!

Richard Pitino is in his eighth season at Minnesota. He led the Gophers to the NIT championship in his first season (2013-14) but over the last six seasons, Minnesota has made just two NCAA appearances (2017 and 2019), while going a combined 56-71 (.441) over the other four. However, Season No. 8 has begun well, as the Golden Gophers are now 8-1 after their win over No. 4 Iowa. Marcus Carr scored 30 points and Brandon Johnson had 26 off the bench, including an 8-for-9 performance on three-pointers. "He was just confident and came in ready to go," Pitino said of Johnson. "He got a lot of rhythm shots and he knocked them down with confidence. That confidence and that momentum built. He is a very skilled player and he's just been a little bit hobbled with injuries, but he is getting healthy. He provided in a huge way for us." PG Carr (24.6-3.8-6.2) ranks with the best in the nation and has been aided by THREE transfers, 7-0 Liam Robbins (12.6 & 6.6) from Drake, the 6-6 Gach (12.3 & 6.0( from Utah and Johnson (8.5 & 5.5) from Western Michigan. Plus, don't dismiss returning junior guard Kalescheur, who's adding 9.4 PPG.

Minnesota is a 'tough 'out' at Williams Arena and while it's still only December, I view this as a "must win" for Izzo and his team.  We all know that "must win" doesn't always translate to "will win" but in this case, it DOES!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Ultimate Underdog is on Virginia at 4:00 ET.

No. 1 Gonzaga (6-0) will take on No. 16 Virginia (4-1) late Saturday afternoon in Fort Worth, Tx. Issues with COVID-19 have wiped out Virginia's opportunities to test itself against perennial powers Michigan State, Villanova and Florida but this game with the Bulldogs will provide an even bigger test. Gonzaga knows all about virus issues as well, as the Bulldogs had a 17-day layoff due to COVID-19 concerns, before their 99-88 win over then-No. 3 Iowa last Saturday. The nation's top team then played back-to-back home games Monday and Tuesday against Northwestern State, winning by a combined 55-points (note: Gonzaga was 0-2 ATS!). This non-conference neutral-site game was added to the schedule on Dec 17.

Mark Few has done everything but win a national championship since taking over the Gonzaga program for the 1999-2000 season. He has led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in every season during his tenure as head coach and holds the record for the most consecutive tournament appearances since starting as head coach at 21! His career record at Gonzaga was 599-124 (.828) entering this season, which is an average of 28.5 wins per season. Is this Gonzaga's year to "win it all?"  UVa's Tony Bennett HAS "won it all!" He came to Charlottesville to begin the 2009-10 season and in his first two years at the school went 15-16 and 16-15. Enough of that! It's been NINE straight seasons of 20-plus wins since, including four seasons of 30-plus wins. Bennett and UVa lost to UMBC in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA tournament, becoming the first time since expansion in 1985 that a No. 1 seed lost to a No. 16 one, However, the Cavs came back to win the title in 2019, as ESPN called Virginia's championship run "the most redemptive season in the history of college basketball," and NBC Sports took it a step further by calling it "the greatest redemption story in the history of sports." UVa was 23-7 when the season was shut down last March.

The Bulldogs hated to see Filip Petrusev (17.5 & 7.9), last season's West Coast Conference Player of the Year, decide to forgo his final two years of eligibility to pursue a professional career overseas but SF small Corey Kispert (13.9 & 4.0), a preseason All-American, and guard Joel Ayayi (10.6-6.3-3.2) both return. Few has recruited a talented freshman class, one which includes guard Jalen Suggs, a top-10 prospect who is the program's highest-ranked recruit ever. Kispet is averaging 20.8 & 5.0. Ayayi 9.7 & 7.5 and freshman Suggs has been "as good as advertised," with a line of 16.3-5.7-5.8. 6-10 sophomore Timme (9.8 & 5.4 LY) has blossomed (20.3 & 7.5 TY) plus Florida transfer Newbhard (9.7-3.7-3.8) has been a great addition in the backcourt.

UVa lost the 6-9 Diakite (13.7 & 6.8) and 6-8 big guard Key (9.9 & 7.4) but this year's team has NINE players who have participated in all five games, chipping in between 4.6 and 13.4 PPG. Three are averaging in double digits, 6-8 Marquette transfer Sam Hauser (13.4 & 6.0), the returning 7-1 Hall (11.6 & 6.2) and 6-9 Trey Murphy (11.6). 6-11 freshman Kadin Shedrick had 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench in UVa's 76-40 home victory against William & Mary this past Tuesday, as the Cavaliers returned from an 18-day layoff. 

The Cavaliers have won three straight since that shocking loss to San Francisco and are once again playing their signature brand of defense, holding opponents to just 54.0 PPG on 36.3 percent shooting so far this season. However, how will it match up against a Gonzaga team that ranks third in the nation with 94.7 PPG and is shooting 55.1 percent from the floor? Let's ask Bennett. "When you play a team as talented and explosive as Gonzaga, I don't know what prepares you for that," Bennett said. "I know how good they are, and I know what we'll have to do at a very high level to be in a game like that and make it competitive and hopefully be successful." FYI...When Bennett coached at Washington State from 2006-09, his Cougars were 2-1 against Gonzaga. Upset Alert? Maybe that's a stretch but I am sure taking the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekend Wipeout is on Illinois at 4:00 ET.

Archie Miller spent six years at Dayton, winning 20-plus games in five seasons. Over his final four at the school, the Flyers averaged 25.5 wins per season and went to four straight NCAA tourneys. He got the Indiana job beginning with the 2017-18 season and was just 16-15 and 19-16. However, last year's team was 20-12 before the season was "called off!" Gone from that team are Devontae Green (13.5 & 8.4) who graduated and the 6-7 Justin Smith (10.4 & 5.2), who transferred to Arkansas. Brad Underwood had a great three-year run at SF Austin (three straight NCAA bids) before making a one-year 'pit stop' in Stillwater, where he led Oklahoma St to an NCAA bid. Illinois "came calling" in March of 2017 when it fired John Groce and Underwood's first two seasons were duds (14-18 and 12-21). However, behind outstanding guard Dosunmu and 7-0 freshman Cockburn, the Illini were 21-10 when last season was shut down. Illinois opened the current season No. 8 in the AP's preseason poll but so far, it has NOT been 'smooth sailing.' More in a bit.

This year's Indiana team is led by the 6-9 Jackson-Davis (21.1 & 8.6) and the 6-8 Thompson (10.5 & 6.8). The backcourt is led by sophomore Franklin (12.3), senior Durham (8.7-4.3) and junior Phinisee (7.0). With just 11 weeks to complete their 20-game league schedules, there's precious little time for Big Ten teams to celebrate victories and, more important, solve problems that spring up during defeats. Case in point is Indiana. Barely 10 hours after suffering a 74-67 home loss to Northwestern in their Big Ten opener on Wednesday, the Hoosiers (5-3, 0-1) were back on the practice floor at 9 a.m. Christmas Eve, before taking a bus ride on Christmas Day for today's 4 p.m. ET game at No. 18 Illinois (6-3, 2-1). In Dosunmu (23.4-7.8-5.2), Illinois features one of the top guards in the nation plus center Cockburn's sophomore season is going great, as he's averaging 17.4 & 9.3.Dosunmu is joined in the backcourt by veterans Curbelo (10.4 & 4.3 APG), Frazier (9.6) and Williams (6.4 & 5.3) plus freshman Miller (9.8). The 6-9 Bezhanishvili (7.1 & 3.7) rounds out the main contributors.

Here's what I said about Illinois in taking them on Wednesday as my Game of the Week. "Illinois completes a rollercoaster 22-day span (Dec 2-23) in which the Fighting Illini lost to No. 2 Baylor, won at then-No. 10 Duke, lost their Braggin' Rights game at now-No. 14 Missouri (5-0) and now plays a dangerous Penn St team in Happy Valley. It's time for Illinois to 'step up' and prove it's a top-10 team!" The Illini did just that pulling away from Penn St in the second half for a 98-81 win. The Fighting Illini, like the Hoosiers, are back on the court after Wednesday games but Illinois was able to come back home and have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 'at home' in Champaign-Urbana, while the Hoosiers practiced Christmas Eve morning and then took that Christmas Day bus ride, "B-L-O-W-O-U-T" Alert!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on Purdue at 2:30 ET.

he NBA has 'owned' Christmas Day in recent years but the Big Ten has decided in this 'Year of COVID' to 'crash the party.' In fact, COVID sparked the move. Typically, the NCAA upholds a rule requiring three days off around Christmas but the organization waived the regulation as various teams remain on campus amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So, Big Ten hoops will play FOUR Christmas games that feature four ranked teams. The lone game without a ranked opponent in this Christmas 'grand slam' is 5-2 Maryland visiting West Lafayette to take on 6-3 Purdue. Maryland is 0-1 to open Big Ten play and Purdue is 1-1.

Mark Turgeon coached Wichita St for seven years, before leading Texas A&M to four straight NCAA tournaments in four years going 97-40. He joined Maryland when it was still in the ACC but its move to the Big Ten has been good for the basketball program, as over the last six seasons the Terps have won 20-plus games in five seasons (exception was a 19-win season), making four NCAA tourneys (would have been five, as Maryland was 24-7 when the season was shut down last year). PG Cowan (16.3 & 4.7 APG) and big man Jalen Smith (15.5 & 10.5) are gone but the Terps have a deep backcourt, Ayala (14.6) and Hart (10.6) lead the way, supported by Wiggins (10.0-4.6-3.1) and Morsell (7.8 & 5.1). Up front, it's the 6-7 Scott (12.7 & 7.1) and 6-8 BC transfer Hamilton (8.3 & 3.4).

Purdue head coach Matt Painter's lone loss of note from last season's team was the 7-3 Haarms (8.6 & 4.6), who went to BYU as a graduate transfer. The team's "Big Three" are all returning players, senior PG Hunter (12.2 & 4.0 APG) plus juniors like the 6-10 Williams (13.8 & 9.7) and SG Stefanovic (12.2 & 4.0 APG). 7-4 freshman Edey (10.3 & 3.9) has made all forget about Haarms plus freshman guard Newman (9.3) just barely misses double digits in scoring. Depth is provided by four players chipping a combined 21 PPG.

Maryland is coming off a win over La Salle on Tuesday but that hardly 'wipes away' the team's back-to-back losses to Clemson and Rutgers. The Terps were routed  67-51 at Clemson in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and then lost 74-60 at home to now-No. 11 Rutgers 74-60 in its Big Ten opener. Purdue saw a three-game winning streak end at No. 4 Iowa on Tuesday, losing 70-55 to the Hawkeyes. I had Iowa in that one and noted that Purdue was in the WRONG place at the WRONG time, as Iowa was coming off a loss to No.1 Gonzaga.

This is a HUGE game for Purdue, as it plays THREE of its next four games (all in the Big Ten) on the road. The Boilermakers will be on the road at No. 11 Rutgers and then at No. 18 Illinois, before getting a home game with Nebraska and then going back on the road at No. 12 Michigan St. The LAST thing Purdue needs here is a home loss to Maryland to kick off that stretch. Maryland has been AWFUL in its two biggest tests this season so far, averaging just 55.5 PPG on 36.9% shooting in losses to Clemson and Rutgers. What changes here in a Christmas Day visit to Mackey Arena? I say NOTHING!

Goods luck...Larry

My 10* Big Ten Game of the Year is on Michigan St at 12:30 ET.

Big Ten basketball has 'taken over' Christmas Day with a 'grand slam' of games, featuring FOUR ranked teams. The '4-pack' tips off at 12:30 ET with No. 9 Wisconsin (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) heading to East Lansing to take on No. 12 Michigan State (6-1 / 0-1 Big Ten). Wisconsin lone loss has come 67-65 at Marquette and owns a home blowout win 85-48 over then-No. 23 Louisville on Dec 19 (Cards only loss this season). Michigan St earned a 75-69 'marquee' win at then-No. 6 Duke back on Dec 1 but came into this contest off an embarrassing 79-65 at Northwestern this past Sunday.

Wisconsin has a had a terrific basketball program for decades and Greg Gard enters his sixth season at Madison, having had FOUR 20-win season in his first five. The Badgers start FIVE seniors, guards Davison (11.3), and Trice (11.0) plus the 6-10 Potter (13.4 & 7.3), the 6-11 Reuvers (10.9 & 3.9) and the 6-8 Ford (9.1 & 4.0). 6-5 freshman Davis (7.9 & 5.1) and 6-9 sophomore (4.8 & 4.5) are both averaging about 21 MPG off the bench. Wisconsin plays stifling defense, holding opponents to 57.5 PPG on 36.2 percent shooting overall.

You may just have heard of MSU head coach Tom Izzo, who was disgusted with his team's performance at Northwestern. The Spartans were dominated by the unheralded Wildcats, 79-65, trailing by double digits throughout the second half. "Obviously still disappointed, not by the loss but just by how we played," Izzo said. "And yet, I'm going to look myself in the mirror and say, ‘You know what, there's going to be some ups and downs and there's going to be some mind-boggling days when you just say, ‘What's going on?' " Michigan St lost its two best players from last season's team to the NBA Draft, as PG Winston (18.6 & 5.9 APG) was taken by the Wizards and the 6-8 Tillman (13.7 & 10.3) by the Grizzlies. 6-9 junior forward Joey Hauser, a transfer from Marquette, leads the team averaging 12.1 & 8.9. Joining him in the frontcourt are two returning players, the 6-7 Brown and the 6-6 Henry. Brown has averaged 10.6 PPG, while Henry has chipped in 12,0-5.4-4.9. Sophomore PG Watts (11.7 & 4.3 APG) steps in for Winston plus veteran guard Langford (8.2) joins him on the perimeter. Langford is FINALLY healthy and is back on the court this season, having last played in December of 2018. 6-7 sophomore Hall averages 6.7 & 6.0, so Michigan St matches up well with the Badgers.

Best of all, what team would want a Christmas Day visit to Breslin Center to face an Izzo-coached team off an embarrassing loss. I know Wisconsin will put on a 'brave face' but this just in, the Badgers have dropped 12 straight in East Lansing, with their last victory there coming back to 2004. No margin to cover here and it's Michigan St by double digits!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on Illinois at 6:30 ET.

Brad Underwood had a great three-year run at SF Austin (three straight NCAA bids) before making a one-year 'pit stop' in Stillwater, where he led Oklahoma St to an NCAA bid. Illinois "came calling in March of 2017 when it fired John Groce and Underwood's first two seasons were duds (14-18 and 12-21). However, behind outstanding guard Dosunmu and 7-0 freshman Cockburn, the Illini were 21-10 when last season was shut down. Illinois opened the current season No. 8 in the AP's preseason poll but so far, it has NOT been 'smooth sailing.' Penn St was also 21-10 last season but the Nittany Lions went through some turmoil right as practices started when head coach Pat Chambers resigned in late October following an investigation into inappropriate conduct. Penn State interim head coach Jim Ferry led the Nittany Lions to an impressive 75-55 road win over then-No. 15 Virginia Tech on Dec 8 but this past Sunday lost 62-58 at Michigan (Wolverines are 6-0 and ranked 25th).

Dosunmu (22.6-8.0-5.30 is one of the top guards in the nation and Cockburn's sophomore season is going great, as he's averaging 16.8 & 9.8.Dosunmu is joined in the backcourt by freshman Miller (10.4) plus fellow guards Frazier (9.9), Curbelo (9.9-3.4-3.9), and Williams (6.9 & 5.8). The 6-9 Bezhanishvili (7.0 & 3.8) completes the main contributors. Penn  St surely misses All-Big Ten forward Lamar Stevens (17.6 & 6.9) but the Nittany Lions have four players averaging in double figures; the 6-7 Seth Lundy (14.4) and 6-7 Izaiah Brockington (14.0 & 5.6) plus two guards that can play the point, Sam Sessoms (11.8 & 3.5 APG) and Myreon Jones (11.8 & 3.3 APG), when PG Wheeler (5.8-4.0-4.6) needs a break. The 6-9 Harrar (7.6 & 7.0) is the team's leading rebounder.

Illinois completes a rollercoaster 22-day span (Dec 2-23) in which the Fighting Illini lost to No. 2 Baylor, won at then-No. 10 Duke, lost their Braggin' Rights game at now-No. 14 Missouri (5-0) and now plays a dangerous Penn St team in Happy Valley. It's time for Illinois to "step up" and prove it's a top-10 team (despite a 5-3 record, Illinois is still ranked 18th) or it will be a sad Christmas in Champaign-Urbana. I'm in.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on Iowa at 9:00 ET.

The Iowa Hawkeyes won their first six games by an average of 32 points but were outclassed by top-ranked Gonzaga (99-88) this past Saturday at Sioux Falls, SD. Iowa's (6-1) first loss of the current season only dropped them one spot in the AP poll, from No. 3 to No. 4. Iowa welcomes Purdue (6-2) to Hawkeye-Carver Arena tonight well-aware that the Boilermakers may be unranked but they are dangerous.

Purdue (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) enters tonight's game with the momentum of three straight victories, including Wednesday's 67-60 home triumph over then-No. 20 Ohio State in its Big Ten opener and Saturday's 78-68 victory over Notre Dame on a neutral floor in Indianapolis. Head coach Matt Painter's lone loss of note from last season's team was the 7-3 Haarms (8.6 & 4.6), who went to BYU as a graduate transfer. The team's "Big Three" are all returning player in senior PG Hunter (14.3 & 3.8 APG) plus juniors like the 6-10 Williams (13.8 & 9.8) and SG Stefanovic (12.5).7-4 freshman Edey (11.3 & 4.3) has made all forget about Haarms plus freshman guard Newman (9.1) just barely misses double digits in scoring. Depth is provided by four players chipping in between 5.0 and 6.7 PPG.

Iowa's 6-11 Luka Garza was named Preseason P-O-Y by many and hasn't disappointed. He's averaging 29.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG and 2.3 blocked shots while shooting 69.6 percent from the floor. He had 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting, 10 rebounds and three rejections against the Bulldogs. Garza has four 30-points efforts this season with a high of 41. Two senior guards join him in the starting lineup in Wieskamp (15.9 & 6.3) and Bohannon (6.6 & 4.9 APG). The 6-11 Nunge (10.6 & 6.8) comes off the bench plus FIVE more players contribute regularly, led by sophomore guard Fredrick (9.3).

Purdue is a solid defensive team in allowing just 65.0 PPG but will attempt to slow down an Iowa attack scoring 98.7 PPG (1st in the nation) on 50.3% shooting. The Hawkeyes have topped 100 points three times already and their 88 against Gonzaga represents a season low. Purdue is a perfect 5-0 when its defense holds opponents to a field goal percentage of 41.3 percent or less and my thought here is, "good luck with that at Iowa." The Hawkeyes have turned the ball over on just 12.7 percent of their possessions, the fourth-lowest mark in all of Division I. Great bounce-back spot for Iowa here and don't think that the Hawkeyes are NOT aware that the Boilermakers are seeking their FIFTH consecutive victory over the Hawkeyes. Lay the points and expect an Iowa R-O-U-T!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Non-Conference Game of the Year "Best of the Best" is on San Diego St at 9:00 ET.

The St Mary's Gaels dropped their season opener, 73-56, to Memphis at Sioux Falls, SD back on Nov 25 but will take on San Diego Tuesday night on an EIGHT-game winning streak. The San Diego St Aztecs opened their season 5-0 and reached No. 18 in the AP poll but a 72-62 Friday night home loss to BYU saw SDSU fall from the new AP rankings, which were released yesterday. 

Randy Bennett has been head coach at St Mary's since the 2001-02 season and entered this season with a 440-1982 (.707) record. The Gaels posted their 13th season of 20-plus wins last year, as they were 26-8 when COVID shut things down. Would the Gaels have gotten an NCAA bid? Bennett and his various teams know all about NCAA snubs, as SIX times in the previous 12 seasons, his team had been denied an NCAA bid despite seasons of 28, 25, 23, 21, 29 and 30 wins. No Kidding!

Gone from last year are guard Ford (21.9), forward Fitts (16.5 & 7.1) and guard Krebs (9.1). However, is "winning as usual" for 8-1 St Mary's, as senior Guard Kushe, who averaged just 5.9 PPG last season, is averaging 15.4-3.8-6.3 so far this season. Junior guard Johnson (1.4 PPG last season) is averaging 8.2 & 3.8, while returning players like the 6-10 Tass (10.2 & 4.3) and the 6-7 Fotu (7.9 & 4.9) are holding up their ends. Aussie guard Ducas averaged just 3.6 PPG last season but adds 10.9 & 5.3 so far this season.

Brian Dutcher has more than 30 years of coaching experience, including 18 seasons as an assistant to Steve Fisher, first at Michigan and then at San Diego St. Dutcher joined then-interim coach Fisher in 1989 when Michigan won the national championship. Dutcher was named San Diego State's "head coach in waiting" in 2011. Following Fisher's decision to retire, Dutcher was formally named as his replacement on April 11, 2017. The Aztecs won 22 and 21 games in his first two seasons but last season, the team opened 26-0 with impressive road/neutral site wins over BYU, Creighton, Iowa, and Utah State. SD State finished 30-2 and ranked No. 6 when the season shut down. Dutcher brought in transfers Malachi Flynn, Yanni Wetzell, K.J. Feagin, and Trey Pulliam, to mesh with returnees Matt Mitchell, Jordan Shackel, Nathan Mensah, and Adam Sieko, as the Aztecs put together one of their best seasons in program history last year. However, the Aztecs lost MWC player-of-the-year Malachi Flynn (17.6-4.5-3.1) to the NBA while Yanni Wetzell (11.6 & 6.5) transferred to Vandy and Feagin (9.1) has finished up his time with the program. 

The good news for Dutcher is that Matt Mitchell (12.2 & 4.8) flirted with the NBA draft but returned and is averaging 16.3 & 3.8. Jordan Schakel is second with 13.2 PPG, as NINE players are averaging between 5.0 and Mitchell's team-leading 16.3 PPG. The 6-10 Mensah (8.8 & & 7.2) and the 6-6 Arop (5.6 & 4.4) have been the top frontcourt contributors. Mitchell did all he could for San Diego State in the defeat against BYU. The Aztecs trailed by as many as 17 points and were down by 14 with 5:20 remaining, but Mitchell scored a career-best 35, including a dunk with 1:57 to play to make the score 61-61. However, San Diego State scored just ONE more point the rest of the way.

St Mary's is obviously no pushover but other than Memphis (lone loss) and Northern Iowa, the Gaels' early schedule has hardly been challenging. St Mary's is in the WRONG place at the WRONG time tonight, catching SDSU off its first loss. That game is being played on the Cal State San Luis Obispo campus (neutral site) but that won't help. Aztecs bounce-back in a "big way."

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on Minnesota at 8:30 ET.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-1, 0-1 Big Ten) will host the St Louis Billikens on Sunday in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers are looking to bounce back from losing their Big Ten opened 92-65 at No. 13 Illinois on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Billikens are coming off of an 80-69 victory over North Carolina State on Thursday, giving them a 6-0 start to the season. Travis Ford spent eight seasons at Oklahoma St and had five seasons of 20-plus wins (also five NCAA tourney appearances) but after the Cowboys went 12-20 (3-15 in the Big 12) in 2015-16, he and school mutually decided to part ways. He replaced Jim Crews at St Louis, which was coming off an 11-21 season. Not much changed in Year 1 (12-21) but after a 17-16 sophomore season, Ford's Billikens have gone 23-13 and 23-8 the last two seasons. All FIVE starters are back this season. Richard Pitino is in his eighth season at Minnesota. He led the Gophers to the NIT championship in his first season (2013-14) but over the last six seasons, Minnesota has made just two NCAA appearances (2017 and 2019), while going a combined 56-71 (.441) over the other four. However, Season No. 8 opened 6-0, before catching Illinois at the WRONG time Place (had just lost 81-78 to Missouri in its Braggin' Rights series).

St Louis is led by a quartet of excellent guards. Perkins is averaging 19.5 PPG, Goodwin 15.7 PPG and despite being just 6-3, leads the team in rebounding with 11.0 per game (both are seniors). Sophomore guard Jimerson adds 13.2 PPG plus PG Collins runs the show, adding 7.5 PPG but 7.3 APG. 6-7 senior French did not play the first two games but is rounding back into form (averaged 12.4 & 10.4 last season), averaging 8.3 & 8.3. St Louis is shooting 'lights' out' at 52.7% (8th), while averaging 87.8 PPG (21st).

Minnesota PG Carr (22.7-4.0-5.9) ranks with the best in the nation but while the Gophers won their first six games in getting big contributions from freshman Jamal Mashburn Jr. and transfers Both Gach, Liam Robbins and Brandon Johnson, that group shot a combined 6 of 32 shots (18.8%) from the floor vs Illinois. However, Illinois is a VERY good team, so let's give them a 'pass.' After all, the 6-6 Gach is averaging 13.3-5.7-3.6, the 7-0 Robbins 12.1 & 6.9 and the 6-8 Johnson 7.0 & 5.7. Don't dismiss junior guard Kalescheur, who's adding 9.3 PPG.

St Louis is "hitting on all cylinders" but is on the road for the FIRST time this season and note that Minnesota is a perfect 6-0 at Williams Arena this season. The Billikens beat Indiana State at home 78-59 on Tuesday night, then hastily prepared to host North Carolina State on Thursday. That game was a last-minute addition to the schedule, replacing a COVID-19 cancellation. This trip to Minneapolis comes at the end of a BUSY week and with the Gophers looking to "make amends" for their shellacking at Illinois, it's the "perfect situation" to take Minnesota (a few points are just a bonus).

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Conference Game of the Year (Big East) is on St John's at 6:30 ET.

Georgetown-St. John's has been a GREAT rivalry but the last time the two schools played on their respective campuses was in the 1980-81 season (when the teams moved on to big arenas). That was THEN and this is NOW! 40 years later in the era of COVID-19 and a limit on crowd size, the two longtime rivals have gone home. These two played a wild game a week ago at Georgetown's McDonough Arena and will conclude the season series Sunday night at Carnesecca Arena on the campus of St. John's in Jamaica, NY. St. John's held a seven-point lead with less than three minutes left in regulation on Dec 13, but needed to force overtime on a layup by Greg Williams. The Red Storm took a four-point lead in overtime before allowing a game-ending 8-1 run to lose 97-94.

Patrick Ewing is in his fourth season as Georgetown's head coach (49-46 entering this season) and the Hoyas are off to an uneven start (3-3, 1-1 Big East). The 7-0 Yutseven (15.5 & 9.8) has moved on plus McClung (15.7) transferred to Texas Tech, where he's averaging 5.0 PPG. Ewing's 'Core 4' are playing between 27 and 37 MPG and doing almost all the work. Returning seniors Blair (18.7-4.3-3.20 and the 6-8 Pickett (13.3 & 9.0) lead in scoring and rebounding, respectively. 6-1 sophomore Wahab (12.2 & 7.8) has really improved from last season plus 6-5 graduate transfer (from Siena) Cary is averaging 9.8 & 5.2. Georgetown is averaging a modest 75.3 PPG but allows almost the same amount (73.0 PPG).

St John's is coached by Mike Anderson, who is in his second season in Queens. He's had success wherever he's been, going 89-41 in four years at UAB, 111-57 in five years at Missouri and 169-102 in eight years at Arkansas. Anderson took over a recently struggling St John's program last season and went 17-15, giving him his 18th consecutive winning season as a head coach (zero losing seasons). Anderson lost LJ Figueroa (14.5 & 4.5) to Oregon but THREE newcomers have already made HUGE contributions. Vince Cole is a 6-5 two-time junior-college All-American and is averaging 11.1 PPG, freshman guard Posh Alexander averages 10.1 & 4.3 APG and 6-10 JC transfer Isaih Moore (but with a 7-6 wingspan) has chipped in with 10.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG. There's all sorts of depth in the backcourt with Williams (11.4) and freshman Addae-Wusu (5.7). However, the team's star is 6-8 wing Julian Champagnie (9.9 & 6.5 last season). He missed the first games but is averaging 20.3 & 7.3 over the last seven. St John's is averaging a healthy 81.3 PPPG but when a team is allowing 80.0 PPG (304th), its 5-4 start is NOT surprising.

Anderson's teams are typically known for defense and allowed 71.6 PPG in the 2019-20 season. "We are still waiting to get the blue collar out of our basketball team," said Anderson. "Our guys last year, they took pride in their defense. Truth be told, we have got some of the same guys and we just need them to get all connected." It's time to 'connect' right here, after losing at Georgetown in a game St John's 'had in hand!' That loss and the team's 0-3 start in Big Eats should be a HUGE motivating factor. Expect St John's to roll!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on Georgia at 8:00 ET.

John Brannen led Northern Kentucky to a 72-30 record in his final three seasons, leading the Norse to the "Big Dance" in two of those three years. He was hired at Cincy on April 14, 2019 when Mick Cronin left for UCLA. The Bearcats went 20-10 in last year's pandemic-shortened season. Cincy is missing guards Jarron Cumberland (15.5) and Jaevin Cumberland (8.8) plus forward Tre Scott (11.4 & 10.5). The Bearcats were one of the last teams in Division I to start their season, not taking the floor until Dec 2. They head to Athens, Ga for a non-league game with 6-0 Georgia off the SEC. Tom Crean spent nine seasons at Marquette and nine more at Indiana, before landing in Georgia. The Bulldogs have gone 11-21 and 16-16 in his first two seasons, plus lost Edwards (19.1 & 5.2) and forward Hammonds (12.8 & 7.4) to the NBA off last year's team. Edwards was the NBA's overall No. 1 pick.

The Bearcats have excellent balance but senior guard Williams (14.6) is the lone player in double digits. Fellow guards DeJulius (9.4-5.04.8), a Michigan transfer DeJulius, and Adams-Woods (8.2) join him in the backcourt. Returning 7-1 center Vogt (9.0 & 4.4) is joined up front by the 6-10 Ivanauskas (a Colgate transfer), who is averaging 7.6 & 5.2, plus 6-8 freshman Eason (6.4 & 5.8). Cincy is just NOT putting enough points on the board (68.2 PPG ranks 243rd) and that's why they've lost at home to Xavier plus on the road at Tennessee.

What Crean has done at Georgia is recruit well and create interest in the program, as Georgia set a school record with 11 crowds of more than 190,000 fans last year (of course, that will be moot this season). Sophomore PG Wheeler (14.8-4.4-8.6) is off to an excellent start and is joined by FIVE more double digit scorers. 6-8 sophomore Camara has added 14.3 & 8.0 plus George Mason transfer Kier (11.8-5.0-5.8) joins Wheeler and junior guard Fagan (10.4 & 5.8) for a nice backcourt trio. Joining Camara up front are 6-6 Stony Brook transfer Garcia (11.4) and 6-6 Va Tech transfer Horne (10.0 & 3.8).

It could be said that this is Georgia's first real test but is it? Cincinnati is coming off a 74-71 loss to South Florida in its AAC opener on Wednesday. "Our inability to be tough -- we're plugging one hole and another hole is opening," Cincinnati coach John Brannen told reporters after his team lost to the Bulls. "That's a sign of a mediocre team. If we're going to become a really good team, we have to foundationally get some things fixed first." Don't believe for a second that a 'fix' comes here in Athens. Just why aren't the Bulldogs a favorite in this one?

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on Ohio St at 4:15 ET.

The CBS Sports Classic men's basketball doubleheader is being held in Cleveland. 5-1 UCLA and No. 20 Ohio State (also 5-1) hook up in the nightcap, following a game between North Carolina and Kentucky in the earlier game. Just as a reminder as to where we are in college hoops this season, UCLA was supposed to be facing Kentucky on Saturday with Ohio State meeting North Carolina, but the schedule was adjusted this week since UCLA and Ohio State have COVID-19 protocols that better align. "You can't make this stuff up!"

Mick Cronin made NINE consecutive NCAA Tourney appearances at Cincy, as his Bearcats posted a 235-78 (.751) record in that span. He moved to Westwood last season and his Bruins got better as the year progressed and were playing their best ball when the season was shut down. The Bruins were 19-12, including a 12-6 Pac-12 record, good enough to get the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. UCLA lost its opener at San Diego St but have won FIVE straight since. Chris Holtmann took over at Butler for Brad Stevens and went 70-31 win three seasons, each ending with an NCAA tourney berth. He took the Ohio St job beginning in 2017-18 and strung together three straight 20-win seasons but was denied a third straight NCAA bid when last season was shut down. Ohio St opened 5-0 and moved the 20th in the AP poll but is coming off a 67-60 road loss at Purdue on Wednesday.

UCLA brought back almost its entire team from last year, only losing Prince Ali (6.8 PPG) as a graduating senior. 6-9 guard Chris Smith (13.2 & 7.0) has seen fellow guard Jaquez (14.8 & 6.0) take over the scoring lead, with both followed closely by PG Campbell (12.5 & 7.2 APG). The 6-10 Hill and 6-9 Riley are the team's two-best frontcourt players, with Riley averaging 9.8 & 5.0 and Hill joining the fray after missing the season's first two games to average 8.8 & 7.8. 6-6 Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang missed the first four games with a right foot injury but has averaged 9.5 PPG the last two games in just 23.0 MPG.

Ohio State's best player is the 6-7 Liddell (15.5 & 7.5) but didn't play  in the loss to Purdue (COVID-19 precautions). 6-8 Harvard graduate transfer Seth Towns (15.8 & 5.7 last season at Harvard) has been out so far with a knee injury but neither has been ruled out from returning for the UCLA game. The Buckeyes can match UCLA's depth, with guard Washington (14.5), the 6-7 Sueing (14.0 & 4.5), PG Walker (12.0 & 4.5 APG), 6-8 freshman Key (6.5 & 4/8), the 6-6 Aherns (6.0) and the 6-8 Young (5.5 & 6.5).

As noted, UCLA has won FIVE in a row and has clamped down defensively by allowing 56.0 PPG over its last four wins. However, the Bruins are leaving the state of California for the first time and catch a VERY good Ohio St team off its first loss of the season, The game is NOT in Columbus but Cleveland is an easy trip for the Buckeyes, although these days, home court edges mean MUCH less with limited or even no crowds allowed. Ohio St gets the bounce-back win and we even get a couple of points.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Ultimate Underdog is on Seton Hall at 9:00 ET.

Seton Hall believed it could have made a run to the Final Four behind All-American guard Myles Powell (21.0 & 4.3) last season, before COVID-19 shut things down. The Pirates were 21-9 and ranked 15th in the country after finishing tied for first in the Big East with a 13-5 record. Powell is now in the NBA but OUTSTANDING head coach Kevin Willard has plenty to work with as this season. Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski knows all about losing a key player, as Marquette opened the season without Markus Howard, who led the nation in scoring last season at 27.8 PPG. Also gone was fellow senior Scar Anim, who added 13.1 PPG. However, Wojo welcomed an impressive freshman to his roster, the 6-11 Dawson Garcia (31.9 & 9.7 last year in high school) plus has been able to surround him with a deep supporting cast.

Seton Hall stumbled to a 1-3 start but enters this contest having won THREE in a row. 6-11 senior Sandro Mamukelashvili (20.4 & 7.4) scored a career-high 32 points as the Pirates defeated St. John's in their Big East opener last Friday but Tuesday's scheduled game against Xavier was postponed due to COVID-19 considerations within the Musketeers' program Mamukelashvili leads the team in scoring and rebounding, while wing Jared Rhoden adds 14.1 & 7.4 Fellow wing Myles Cale (9.9) and guard Takal Molson (9.1 & 4.) are just shy of double digits. PG Reynolds (0.0 & 5.6 APG) and the 7-2 Obiagu (6.7 & 4.4) round out the main contributors

The Golden Eagles' 89-84 victory at No. 9 Creighton this past Monday was Marquette's second against a top-10 foe this month, after downing then-No. 4 Wisconsin at home on Dec 4. Garcia is averaging 12.9 & 6.1 but senior guard McEwen leads in scoring at 145.7 PPG. Carton, an Ohio St transfer, led five Golden Eagles in double figures with 20 points against Creighton and has scored 38 points in his last two games (11.7-3.6-3.7 on the season). Marquette has depth with 6-7 senior Cain (9.1 & 6.3), 6-7 freshman Lewis (9.1 & 6.9) and  6-9 senior John (6.9 & 7.9).

I like both of these teams but Seton Hall plus the points is the play in this one

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on St Louis at 8:00 ET.

3-0 North Carolina State visits Saint Louis in a hastily scheduled non-conference game against the 5-0 Billikens. The Wolfpack had their scheduled ACC opener against No. 23 Louisville on Wednesday night postponed, creating an opening that allowed them to travel to Saint Louis, which had its Dec 12 game vs Evansville canceled. Welcome to CBB in the "Year of COVID." The matchup, which came together Tuesday, pits an NC State team that hasn't played since Dec 3 against a St Louis team that is coming off a 78-59 home win over Indiana State on Tuesday, Its 10th straight win dating back to last season. The teams have met just once in their history, with St Louis winning 83-80 in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

Head coach Kevin Keatts took over at NC State for Mark Gottfried beginning in the 2017-18 season, after leading UNC-Wilmington to 25-8 and 29-6 records in his final two season (both teams earned NCAA tourney bids). He's won 21, 24 and 20 games his first three seasons in Raleigh and while he lost leading scorer Bryce (13.3 & 6.3) plus PG Johnson (12.8-4.4-6.8) from last season's team, the Wolfpack have plenty of talent and depth this season. Guard Daniels (18.0 & 5.7), 6-7 wing Hellems (14.0) and freshman PG Hayes (11.3 & 5.3 APG) are all averaging in double digits, while FIVE more players check in at between 6.7 and 8.3 PPG. Leading that group is the 6-10 Funderburk, who is coming off averaging 12.8 & 6.1 last season.

Travis Ford spent eight seasons at Oklahoma St and had five seasons of 20-plus wins (also five NCAA tourney appearances) but after the Cowboys went 12-20 (3-15 in the Big 12) in 2015-16, he and school mutually decided to part ways. He replaced Jim Crews at St Louis, which was coming off an 11-21 season. Not much changed in Year 1 (12-21) but after a 17-16 sophomore season, Ford's Billikens have gone 23-13 and 23-8 the last two seasons. All FIVE starters are back with a trio of guards leading the way. Perkins is averaging 19.4 PPG, Goodwin 15.0 PPG and despite being just 6-3, leads the team in rebounding with 10.2 per game (both are seniors). Sophomore guard Jimerson adds 13.4 PPG plus PG Collins runs the show, adding just 5.6 PPG but 7.8 APG. 6-7 senior French did not play the first two games but is rounding back into form (averaged 12.4 & 10.4 last season), averaging 9.7 & 6.7.

The Wolfpack sure hope to take the court tonight, looking to end a streak of FOUR straight games having been canceled. "We'll be rusty," coach Kevin Keatts said. "For me to think that we're going to just go back and be clicking the same way we were ... I don't think that's going to happen." I agree and as I noted above, St Louis comes in a 10-game winning streak. What's more, the Billikens take the court tonight having won 35 of their last 40 games at Chaifetz Arena (the last two-plus seasons)! The 'Price' is sure 'RIGHT!'

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Month is on Duke at 9:00 ET.

Duke travels to Notre Dame just 2-2 and without a notable win. In contrast, the Blue Devils' two losses both came at home, against Michigan St and then Illinois. Duke had won EIGHT of its previous nine vs Michigan St and the loss was just Duke's THIRD non-conference home loss since 2000. Then came the loss to Illinois as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in which Duke had been the dominant school, going 19-2, while going 9-0 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke opened No. 9 in the AP's preseason poll and now sits at No. 21. Notre Dame bounced back from a 14-win season two seasons ago to go 20-12 last year but lost PF Mooney, who averaged 16.2 & 12.7.  Mike Brey is now in his 21st season at South Bend and the Fighting Irish were 1-2 (lost to Michigan St and Ohio St) before Saturday's first-ever victory at Kentucky. Notre Dame built a 22-point halftime lead on Kentucky before hanging on for a 64-63 win, needing a defensive stop at the end.

Coach K lost his top-two players to the NBA, the 6-10 Carey (17.8 & 8.8) will play this season for the Hornets and PG Jones (16.2-4.7-6.4) was taken by the Spurs. Coach K has seamlessly transitioned into the One-and-Done era and freshman guard Stewart has opened averaging 11.8-4.0-3.3, while 6-9 freshman Johnson is averaging 11.5 & 8.3. The 6-9 Hurt (9.7 & 3.8 last season) leads the team this season with 19.0 PPG and 8.3 RPG. Guards Goldwire and Roach plus SF Moore are combining for 18.0 PPG, plus 6-8 freshman Brakefield is averaging 7.3 & 4.0 in just 13 minutes!

Brey likes his junior class, which includes PG Hubb (21.3-4.0-4.3), SG Goodwin (13.0 & 6.0) and the 6-10 Laszewski (16.5 & 9.5). Laszewski posted a season-high 21 points at Kentucky. Joining those three are guard Ryan (11.5-4.3 4.3) and the 6-11 Durham (6.8 & 6.8). Ryan is a Stanford transfer and Durham a UConn transfer. So far, that group has been an 'iron-5,' with little help from the bench.

Duke announced last week that it would play only ACC games for the remainder of the regular season. It had three non league games called off because of coronavirus-related issues with scheduled opponents. One of those games had been rescheduled, but the Gardner-Webb game reset for Dec 19 was then wiped off the schedule by Duke's decision. "We're only going to play conference games  the rest of the way and hopefully play all of them," Krzyzewski said. Duke won't play again until after Christmas, making this a game the team BADLY needs to win. This will be Duke's first road game but arrives in South Bend having won its past SIX meetings with Notre Dame. As for Notre Dame, facing a ranked team has not turned out well for the Irish for quite some time now. With losses to ranked teams Michigan St and Ohio St (see above), Mike Brey's team has now lost 23 straight games against top-25 opponents since beating Wichita St back in 2017. Make that 24 in a row with this loss coming "by a margin" that will give Duke the ATS win, as well.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on Illinois at 7:00 ET.

Illinois is 4-2 but ranked 13th in the latest AP poll and will host the Minnesota Golden Gophers (who are 6-0 but unranked), in the Big Ten opener for both teams. The matchup will feature two of the nation's most productive PGs, Minnesota junior Marcus Carr, a preseason all-league pick, who is averaging 23.7-3.7-6.2 and Illinois junior Ayo Dosunmu, a preseason All-American, averaging 24.8-7.7-5.2.

Richard Pitino is in his eighth season at Minnesota. He led the Gophers to the NIT championship in his first season (2013-14) but over the last six seasons, Minnesota has made just two NCAA appearances (2017 and 2019), while going a combined 56-71 (.441) over the other four. Season No. 8 is off to an excellent start with Minnesota at 6-0 and outscoring opponents 84.2-to-69.0 PPG. The 6-6 Both Gach (a Utah transfer), is averaging 15.3-6.2-3.8 plus 7-0 junior Robbins (12.5 & 7.7) junior guard Kalescheur adds 9.3 PPG.

Illinois is coming off a rollercoaster 11-day span (Dec 2-12) in which the Fighting Illini lost to No. 2 Baylor, won at then-No. 10 Duke and then lost their Braggin' Rights game at Missouri. Dosunmu is joined in the backcourt by freshman Miller (11.5) plus 7-0 center Cockburn had a terrific freshman season (13.3 & 8.1) and checks in at 14.0 & 8.8 through five games. Guards Curbelo (11.8), Frazier (8.3) and Williams (6.8 & 6.0) plus the 6-9 Bezhanishvili (6.8 & 3.5) complete the main contributors.

This will be Minnesota's first real test, as the team hasn't left Williams Arena up until now. The 7-0 Liam Robbins took the lead against Kansas City in Minnesota's most recent game, scoring 27 points with nine rebounds and five blocks. It was his finest effort since transferring from Drake shortly after last season ended but Robbins' first Big Ten test figures to be one of his toughest of the year going up against 7-footer Kofi Cockburn. "We've been tested," head coach Brad Underwood recently said, with Ayo Dosunmu adding "We've been smacked," after the Penn St debacle. Lay the points with Illinois.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on Va Tech at 7:00 ET.

Brad Brownell is in his 11th season at Clemson and returned four starters from last year's team. Clemson is off to a 5-0 start (also 5-0 ATS) and entered the AP poll for the first time this season on Monday at No. 24. The Tigers will travel to Blacksburg tonight for their ACC opener, where the 4-1 Va Tech Hokies await. Va Tech won its first four games, including an overtime upset in the Mohegan Sun bubble of then-No. 3 Villanova, showing it was worthy of being the No. 15 team in the AP poll. However, the Hokies then got BLASTED 75-55 on Dec 8 by Penn State at home in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, dropping out the top-25 in Monday's poll.

Clemson is led by 6-8 senior forward Aamir Simms (11.6 & 4.0) and he's the team's lone double digit scorer. Fordham transfer Nick Honor averages 9.8 PPG and is joined in the backcourt by returning guards Dawes (9.4), Newman (5.4) and Trapp (5.0 & 5.00, while the 6-8 Tyson (6.6 & 4.6) plays up front with Simms. The Tigers are averaging a modest 68.0 PPG (240th) but have excellent balance plus their defense is OUTSTANDING, allowing only 51.4 points per game (4th) on just 34.9 percent shooting, while forcing 19 turnovers per game. Purdue is the only opponent to score more than 56 points.

Va Tech head coach Mike Young is in his second season with the school, after a record-setting 17-year tenure as the head coach at Wofford. The Terriers posted a 30-5 overall record in 2018-19, including a perfect 18-0 mark in Southern Conference play, and registered a convincing 84-68 win over Seton Hall in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Young built the Terriers into one of the Southern Conference's preeminent programs and a perennial NCAA Tournament participant. He guided Wofford to five NCAA Tournament berths over his last 10 seasons and five Southern Conference championships. However, the Hokies were just 16-16 overall in Young's first season at Blacksburg, losing almost two-thirds of their ACC games (7-13). Landers Nolley was selected to the ACC All-Freshman Team in leading the Hokies in scoring (15.5 PPG) last season but after the season he announced he was transferring to Memphis. More bad news came when the 6-6 Horne (7.6 & 4.2) also transferred. Sophomore guard Tyrece Radford (10.2 & 6.2) is both the team's leading returning scorer AND rebounder! However, Young thinks this team will improve because of some experienced graduate transfers. Guard Cartier Diarra averaged 13.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists at Kansas State last season, and helped them to the Elite Eight in 2018. He will play both guard spots, sometimes alongside Wabissa Bede, who returns after averaging 5.2 PPG and 5.5 APG. Radford is averaging 11.0 & 6.0, Diarra 7.5 and Bede 7.0. Two 6-7 transfers start up front, Keve Aluma (15.8 & 7.8), who followed Young from Wofford, plus Delaware transfer Justyn Mutts (5.4 & 6.2).

Yes, Clemson looks very good (I've played them twice, winning each time) but the team's 67-51 home rout of Maryland doesn't look all that impressive after Penn St won 74-60 at Maryland last night. It shouldn't go unnoticed that Va Tech swept the season series a year ago. This is the only meeting of the teams this season and expect a huge bounce-back from Va Tech off that Penn St embarrassment. 

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Big Ten Game of the Month is on Maryland at 6:00 ET.

4-0 Rutgers is ranked 21st in the AP poll (new poll released later today) and will take to the road for the first time this season when the Scarlet Knights visit College Park to take on the 4-1 Maryland Terrapins. Rutgers had an impressive 79-69 home win over former Big East rival Syracuse last Wednesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, while Maryland got 'spanked' in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge (that same night) in a 67-51 loss at Clemson.

Steve Pikiell spent 11 years at Stony Brook, winning 20-plus games in his final five seasons. He led the Seawolves to an NCAA berth in 2015-16 and a 26-7 record. His first three seasons at Rutgers saw the Scarlet Knights go just 15-18, 15-19 and 14-17, before going 20-11 last season before the year was shut down. This year's team looks REALLY good, led by senior guards Harper (22.3 & 7.5) and Young (16.0-3.3-6.8). Junior guard Mathis adds 16.3 & 4.8 plus two 6-11 centers, Johnson (8.3 & 7.3) and Omoruyi (6.5 & 7.0) give Rutgers a strong inside presence.

Mark Turgeon coached Wichita St for seven years, before leading Texas A&M to four straight NCAA tournaments in four years going 97-40. He joined Maryland when it was still in the ACC but its move to the Big Ten has been good for the basketball program, as over the last six seasons the Terps have won 20-plus games in five seasons (exception was a 19-win season), making four NCAA tourneys (would have been five, as Maryland was 24-7 when the season was shut down last year). PG Cowan (16.3 & 4.7 APG) and big man Jalen Smith (15.5 & 10.5) are gone but the Terps have a deep backcourt, Ayala (13.4) and Hart (12.2) lead the way, supported by Wiggins (9.8 & 3.4 APG) and Morsell (8.2 & 4.6). Up front, it's the 6-7 Scott (11.6 & 7.) and 6-8 BC transfer Hamilton (8.6 & 4.2).

Rutgers and Maryland both turned in history-making seasons last year. The Terrapins claimed a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with a 14-6 conference mark while going 24-7 overall. The Scarlet Knights posted their first winning record in 14 years and won their most conference games in 17 years, going 20-11 overall and 11-9 in the Big Ten. Rutgers was ranked in the preseason (No. 24) for the first time since 1978 and could move up in today's poll. However, all four games have been at home, where the Scarlet Knights have outscored opponents 82.8-to-65.8 at the RAC (Rutgers is 22-2 SU since the start of last season at home). However, since both programs joined the conference for the 2014-15 season, Maryland has won EIGHT of the nine meetings. Maryland is allowing just 60.8 PPG and is shooting 52.9% as a team from the floor to rank 15th in the nation. That's a sweet 'daily double' and I expect the Terps to win "with room to spare!"

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Daytime Dominator is on Michigan at 2:00 ET.

It's a Big Ten contest Sunday afternoon between 3-1 Penn St and 5-0 Michigan from Ann Arbor. Penn St won 26 games and the NIT in the 2017-18 season but then fell to just 14 wins the following season. The Nittany Lions bounce back with 21 wins in last year's pandemic-shortened season. They entered the current season without leading scorer Stevens (17.6 & 6.9) plus leading rebounder Watkins (9.7 & 7.6). Michigan's Juwan Howards's first season as head coach saw his team open 7-0, then go 6-9 over its next 15 games. A six-game win streak followed but Michigan lost three of four before the shutdown. (19-11 finish). Gone from last year are PG Simpson (12.9-4.5-7.9) and the 7-1 Teske (11.6 & 6.7).

The Nittany Lions went through some turmoil right as practices started when head coach Pat Chambers resigned in late October following an investigation into inappropriate conduct. However, the Nittany Lions are averaging 81.3 PPG and have four players averaging in double figures; the 6-7 Seth Lundy (16.8 & 3.5) and Izaiah Brockington (14.0 & 5.5) plus two guards that can play the point, Sam Sessoms (12.3 & 3.5 APG) and Myreon Jones (12.3 & 3.3 APG). The 6-9 Harrar (7.3 & 7.8) is the team's leading rebounder.

6-7 senior Livers led Michigan in scoring last season and does so again, averaging 16.8 PPG. 7-1 freshman Dickinson (14.8 & 7.4) has made an immediate impact plus four guards give Michigan a strong perimeter group. That group includes Brown (12.0), Wagner (10.2 & 7.0), Brooks (9.2 & 4.0 APG) and Smith (7.8 & 5.2 APG).

Penn State interim head coach Jim Ferry led the Nittany Lions to an impressive 75-55 road win over No. 15 Virginia Tech on Tuesday but following that up with a win here at Crisler Arena may be a 'bridge too far.' Michigan has yet to leave "the friendly confines,' opening 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS at home, outscoring opponents 86.4-to-69.4! Oddly enough, Michigan opened No. 25 in the AP's preseason poll but hasn't been 'seen' since, despite its perfect start. A win here and come Monday's poll, the Wolverines will 'join the party.' Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on Clemson at 8:00 ET.

It's 3-1 Alabama and 4-0 Clemson meeting tonight in the Pit Boss Holiday Hoopsgiving Tournament in Atlanta. Alabama head coach Nate Oats was 96-43 at Buffalo, leading the Bulls to three NCAA tourneys in his four years, including going 27-9 and 32-4 in his last two seasons. 'Bama was just 16-15 last season and guard Lewis (18.5-4.8-5.2) left after one year for the NBA but the other four starters returned. Brad Brownell took UNC-Wilmington to two NCAA tourneys in his four seasons there and won 20-plus games in each of his four seasons at Wright St. He's now in his 11th season at Clemson but has just two NCAA bids to show for it.

Alabama started with an 81-57 home win over Jacksonville State, then opened the Maui Invitational last with a bad loss to Stanford (82-64), before bouncing back to earn double-digit victories against UNLV and Providence. All-SEC John Petty is averaging 14.8 & 5.3 after four games but it's PG Quinnerly (eligible this year) who leads the team by averaging 15.3 PPG. SG Shackleford (14.0 & 6.5) starts in the backcourt with Petty and Quinnerly, while the 6-8 Jones (11.8 & 7.0) is joined up front by the 6-10 Brunner (5.3 & 5.0), who is a rare Yale graduate transfer.

Brownell returns four starters as well, led by 6-8 senior forward Aamir Simms (13.0 & 3.8) and senior guard Clyde Trapp (5.3 & 5.0). Simms was a preseason All-ACC first-team and Trapp is surrounded by returning guards Newman (5.5) and Dawes (9.3). More good news came that Fordham transfer Nick Honor is now eligible and he's averaged 10.0 PPG off the bench.

Both schools are beginning tough stretches. Saturday's game kicks off a stretch of four games in 10 days for Alabama, with those four opponents having a combined record of 13-3. As for Clemson, the Tigers are to play three games in the next week, including their ACC opener at Virginia Tech. It's not as if I don't think Alabama is a solid team, it's just that I'm REALLY impressed with Clemson, which has won all four of its games by double digits (4-0 ATS!), including a 67-51 romp against Maryland on Wednesday. The Tigers are holding opponents to just 50.3 PPG (5th-best in the nation), while the Crimson Tide allow 71.0 PPG. The Tigers control the tempo AND the game. The price is a 'BARGAIN!'

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Eye-Opener is on Kentucky at 12:00 ET.

1-3 Kentucky was ranked No. 10 in the AP preseason poll but has fallen out of the top-25 after THREE straight losses, to Richmond, Kansas and most recently Georgia Tech this past Sunday. Kentucky suffered a 76-64 home loss to an unranked Richmond team on Nov 29, before falling by three to No. 7 Kansas in Indianapolis at the Champions Classic on Dec 1. Georgia Tech had opened its season with losses to Georgia State and Mercer before Sunday's victory. The last time Georgia Tech had won a game against a ranked non conference opponent was Nov 21, 2006. Kentucky welcomes Notre Dame to Rupp Arena on Saturday afternoon having opened 1-3 for the first time since the 2000-01 season. The 1-2 Fighting Irish have dropped games to then-13 Michigan State and then-No. 22 Ohio State, while barely holding off Detroit Mercy 78-70 on Dec 6 for their lone win.

Notre Dame bounced back from a 14-win season two seasons ago to go 201-2 last year but lost PF Mooney, who averaged 16.2 & 12.7.  Mike Brey is now in his 21st season at South Bend and likes his junior class, which includes PG Hubb (22.3-5.0-5.3), SG Goodwin (14.3 & 7.0) and the 6-10 Laszewski (15.0 & 9.7), Joining those three are guard Ryan (13.3 & 4.3 APG) and the 6-11 Durham (7.7 & 7.7). Ryan is a Stanford transfer and Durham a UConn transfer. So far, that group has been an 'iron-5,' with little help.

As is typical with Calipari teams these days, Kentucky started four freshmen in its most recent game. That's not unusual, considering the recruiting classes Calipari has brought in over the past several years. However, the Wildcats did lose EIGHT of their nine leading scorers from the 2019-20 team. Only two Wildcats are averaging double digits thus far, freshmen Brandon Boston (14.5 & 6.8) and Terrence Clarke (13.8 & 4.0). Joining that duo in the starting lineup are 6-10 freshman Jackson (7.8 & 10.5) and freshman guard Askew (6.0). The fifth starter is 7-0 Wake Forest transfer Sarr (9.8 & 5.8), while Creighton transfer Mintz adds 7.3 & 2.8 APG off the bench.

"There's a lot of stuff we're working on, and losing games makes it harder," John Calipari said. "I mean, everybody is knocking us around right now." What isn't going wrong for Kentucky so far? The team is making just 25.4 percent  from beyond the arc, while turnovers are plaguing Kentucky. The Wildcats are averaging 18.3 per game, compared to just 11.8 turnovers from their opponents. However, does anyone really think Calipari WON'T get things straightened out? Here's a tidbit to chew on. With losses to ranked teams Michigan St and Ohio St (see above), Mike Brey's team has now lost 23 straight games against top-25 opponents since beating Wichita St back in 2017. YES, Kentucky is not currently ranked but it did start at No. 10 in the preseason poll and I'd like to bet right now, the Wildcats finish in the top-25 by season's end. Something to bet RIGHT NOW is, Kentucky minus the points!'

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Late-Breaker is on UCLA at 9:30 ET.

Marquette opened the season without Markus Howard, who led the nation in scoring last season at 27.8 PPG. Also gone was fellow senior Scar Anim, who added 13.1 PPG. However, head coach Steve Wojciechowski welcomed an impressive freshman to his roster, the 6-11 Dawson Garcia (31.9 & 9.7 last year in high school) plus has been able to surround him with deep supporting cast (more later). Marquette has opened 4-1 and already has an impressive victory on its resume, defeating then-No. 4 Wisconsin 67-65 last Friday. Mick Cronin made NINE consecutive NCAA Tourney appearances at Cincy, as his Bearcats posted a 235-78 (.751) record in that span. He moved to Westwood last season and his Bruins got better as the year progressed and were playing their best ball when the season was shut down. The Bruins were 19-12, including a 12-6 Pac-12 record, good enough to get the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. UCLA lost its opener at San Diego St (Aztecs are currently 5-0 and ranked 24th and climbing to the latest AP poll) but have won four straight since.

Dawson Garcia (12.8 & 5.8 has has looked good but guard McEwan (16.6 & 4.2) is the team's leading scorer and is paired with Ohio St transfer Carton (8.8-3.0-3.4) in the backcourt. Returning frontcourt players like the 6-6 Cain (10.6 & 6.8) and the 6-9 Johnson (8.2 & 8.6) have meshed well with Garcia and 6-7 freshman Lewis (9.2 & 7.0). UCLA brought back almost its entire team from last year, only losing Prince Ali (6.8 PPG) as a graduating senior. 6-9 guard Chris Smith (15.0 & 7.0) leads in scoring and rebounding and is joined by another big guard in Campbell (14.2-3.4-6.8). Jaquez (14.2 & 6.0) is also off to a strong start plus 6-6 Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang played for the first time after missing the first four games with a right foot injury, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 20 minutes off the bench. The 6-10 Hill and 6-9 Riley are the team's two-best frontcourt players, with Riley averaging 10.0 & 6.0 and Hill joining the fray after missing the season's first two games. He's averaged 9.3 & 9.0, as the Bruins have won their last three by margins of 26, 20 and 27 points.

The last time UCLA and Marquette met on the basketball court, the coaches were future Hall of Famers John Wooden and Al McGuire. The schools square off for the first time in 56 years when the Golden Eagles visit the Bruins on Friday night at Pauley Pavilion. Wooden's Bruins posted a 61-52 victory over McGuire's Marquette club in the meeting back on Dec 18, 1964, a contest played in Milwaukee. UCLA 'fell flat on its face' at SD St (Aztecs can do that to a team) and could surely use a "W" over Marquette, which owns that marquee win over Wisconsin. Bruins "get it done tonight" with a solid win (AND cover!).

Good luck...Larry

My 10* play is on Arizona St at 10:00 ET.

No. 23 Arizona St (3-1) will host No. 24 San Diego St (4-0) Thursday night in Tempe. The Aztecs visit Desert Financial Arena having entered the AP poll for the first time this season on Monday, after opening unranked despite the fact that last season's team opened 26-0 and was 30-2 when the season was shut down for the virus. ASU was ranked 18th in the preseason poll. Brian Dutcher spent 18 seasons as an assistant to Steve Fisher (first at Michigan and then at San Diego St) and won 22 and 21 games in his first two seasons as SDSU's head coach, before last year's 30-win one. However, while he likely couldn't be "picked out of a lineup," that's NOT the case for ASU head coach Bobby Hurley, who starred for a Duke team which won back-to-back national championships (1991 and 1992) and is part of the Hurley legacy of coaches. This is Hurley's sixth season at ASU and he's led the team to an overall 93-69 (.574) record in his first five with two NCAA appearances which have produced ZERO tourney win

Dutcher brought in transfers Malachi Flynn, Yanni Wetzell, K.J. Feagin, and Trey Pulliam, to mesh with returnees Matt Mitchell, Jordan Shackel, Nathan Mensah, and Adam Sieko, as the Aztecs put together one of their best seasons in program history last year. However, the Aztecs lost MWC player-of-the-year Malachi Flynn (17.6-4.5-3.1) to the NBA while Yanni Wetzell (11.6 & 6.5) transferred to Vandy and Feagin (9.1) has finished up his time with the program. The good news for Dutcher is that Matt Mitchell (12.2 & 4.8) flirted with the NBA draft but returned and is averaging 12.3 & 3.8. Jordan Schakel leads the team with 12.8 PPG, as NINE players are averaging between 6.0 and 12.8 PPG. The 6-6 Arop (7.3 & 5.0) and the 6-10 Mensah (7.0 & & 6.3) have been the top frontcourt contributors.

Arizona State freshman Josh Christopher is averaging 17.5 & 4.3 has scored in double figures in all four games. Senior guard Martin is not far behind, averaging 17.3-3.0-4.0. Fellow senior Verge, who averaged 14.6 PPG last season, has missed two straight games because of COVID but returned to practice last Saturday and is expected to return to action against San Diego State. He averaged 15.0 & 5.5 in his first two games. Then there is 6-6 freshman Bagley, who has averaged 13.0 & 5.8 but suffered a lower-left leg injury in the Sun Devils' 70-62 victory at California last Thursday. "I'm very happy with where Marcus is and we've been very blessed and fortunate to get the medical (information) back that we did get back," Hurley said. "His Achilles (injury) is completely clean. It's intact. There were no strains or sprains or tears or anything to that area and that was my first initial thought when I saw him go down."

This is the Aztecs' first road game and in their last outing, trailed Pepperdine by 16 points with 16:16 remaining, before eking out a 65-60. I don't expect them to be that lucky here at ASU. "The Price is Right" on the Sun Devils.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the week is on Florida St at 7:15 ET.

The No. 20 Seminoles have played just one game but get tested tonight when 3-1 Indiana comes to Tallahassee as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday night for their first big test of the season. The Seminoles only game so far was an 86-58 home win over North Florida, which has opened 0-6. As for the Hoosiers, they are 3-1 but that loss was 'ugly,' falling 66-44 to current-No. 13 Texas.

Archie Miller spent six years at Dayton, winning 20-plus games in five seasons. Over his final four at the school, the Flyers averaged 25.5 wins per season and went to four straight NCAA tourneys. He got the Indiana job beginning with the 2017-18 season and was just 16-15 and 19-16. However, last year's team was 2012 before the season was "called off!" Devontae Green (13.5 & 8.4) graduated and the 6-7 Justin Smith (10.4 & 5.2) transferred to Arkansas. This year's team is led by the 6-9 Jackson-Davis (21.5 & 7.0), senior guard Durham (12.0-4.7-3.0) and the 6-8 Thompson (11.5 & 7.5). Indiana is looking to build off its third-place finish in the Maui event at Asheville, N.C, which included wins over Providence and Stanford plus a loss to then-No. 17 Texas. The Hoosiers have been solid defensively so far this season, holding opponents to 61.5 PPG (50th) on 31.8 percent shooting (60th).

Leonard is now in his 19th season with FSU and he's been greatly underappreciated (more later). Florida State was 26-5 and poised to make a Final Four run before the postseason was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but entered this season losing three key players from a team.PG Forrest (11.6-4.4-4.0), SG Vassell (12.7 & 5.1) and 6-7 swingman Williams (9.7 & 4.0) were all chosen in the NBA draft. MJ Walker is back (opened with 17 points) and is surrounded by a talented group. Frontcourt veterans like the 7-1 Koprivica had 13 & 5, the 6-8 Gray (8 & 5), the 6-9 Osborne (6 & 3) all 'warmed up' against North Florida plus returning guard Polite (7 points) and 6-9 freshman Braun (8 & 6) will be solid contributors.

Here's the bottom line. Hamilton has built a championship-caliber program at Florida St, one that has produced the THIRD most victories among ACC schools behind Duke and Virginia since 2016. How many knew that? Indiana shot a putrid 23.9% against Texas (2 of 10 on threes) in its biggest test so far and if there is ONE thing Hamilton does get credit for it's his team DEFENSE! The Seminoles may just also remember losing last year's battle when the Hoosiers won 80-64 in Indiana behind a career-high 30 points from Devonte Green. No Green here and FSU wins "with room to spare!"

Good luck...Larry

My 9* "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" Play is on Cincinnati at 5:00 ET.

The Cincinnati Bearcats welcome the Furman Paladins to Fifth Third Arena for a 5:00 ET tipoff. The Bearcats lost the 88th meeting of what's known as the "Crosstown Shootout" on Sunday 77-69 to Xavier, giving them a 1-1 start to the current season. Meanwhile, Furman has opened 4-0 and the Bearcats are well aware that the Paladins are MUCH more than an early season non-conference foe. Bob Richey's team is favored by many to win the Southern Conference and have opened with victories by 33, 28, 40 and 24 points. He won 23 games in his first two seasons at Furman and then 25 in each of the last two, as his 73-26 record represents the best three-year run in school history.

Last season's leading scorer was Jordan Lyons (16.4) and while he graduated, the other four starters returned. Starting for the Paladins this season are guards Bothwell (21.8-5.-4.0) and Hunter (11.0-3.5-3.3) plus the frontcourt features the 6-7 Mounce (12.8 & 5.5), the 6-9 Slawson (11.8-6.5-5.0) and the 6-8 Gurley (11.5 & 4.8). Add in two freshmen, the 6-9 Hien (8.0 & 4.3) and guard Foster (4.8 & 5.5) coming off the bench and Richey has another quality team.

John Brannen led Northern Kentucky to a 72-30 record in his final three seasons, leading the Norse to the "Big Dance" in two of those three years. He was hired at Cincy on April 14, 2019 when Mick Cronin left for UCLA. The Bearcats went 20-10 in last year's pandemic-shortened season. Cincy is missing guards Jarron Cumberland (15.5) and Jaevin Cumberland (8.8) plus forward Tre Scott (11.4 & 10.5). The Bearcats were one of the last teams in Division I to start their season, not taking the floor until last Wednesday, beating Lipscomb 67-55. Guard Keith Williams (12.5-3.0-2.5) is Cincy's top scorer after two games but shaky shooting and two crucial missed free throws down the stretch prompted him to shoulder the blame for the 77-69 loss to crosstown rival Xavier on Sunday. "I came back to lead this team, so everything is on me," said Williams, who explored NBA draft possibilities after last season. "Defensively, offensively. I'll take this loss. I'll take this on the chin as a veteran."

The Bearcats have great balance with five players in double digits. After Williams there is Michigan transfer DeJulius (12.0-5.5-5.0), 6-10 Ivanauskas (a Colgate transfer) averaging 10.5 & 6.0, returning guard Adams-Woods (10.5) and the 7-1 Vogt (10. & 4.0). John Brannen didn't 'pull punches' after the Xavier loss saying, "We gotta get better. Just as a whole, we gotta get better!" He emphasized his hopes for more steady leadership from Williams, as well as Chris Vogt. Vogt struggled to capitalize on his size advantage against the Musketeers, contributing six of his eight points in the first half while snagging just one rebound in 32 minutes. "I mean, Chris is 7-1, 260 pounds," Brannen said. "For him to have one rebound, that can't happen." Furman's a quality team but Cincy is a 'tough out' at home and I expect then to bounce back after that loss to Xavier!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on Rutgers at 9:30 ET.

Rutgers and Syracuse play Tuesday night in the first meeting in almost seven years between the two schools. Both enter with identical 3-0 records, after Rutgers led wire-to-wire in a 70-56 non-conference win over visiting Hofstra, while Syracuse tied a school record by making 15 three-pointers in a 87-52 win over Rider. The difference in this meeting, from that one in 2013, is that Rutgers is the ranked team (at No. 21), not Syracuse.

At least three Syracuse team members - two players and head coach Jim Boeheim - have tested positive for the coronavirus this season. Buddy Boeheim (Jim's son) averaged 15.3 PPG and scored 21 points in the team's season-opening win over Bryant but he hasn't played since and will NOT be eligible to return for this one. Throw in the fact that the 6-10 Bourama Sidibe continues to recover from meniscus surgery and Syracuse will be without two of its original starting five. SF Griffin (16.7-7.0-4.0), the 6-7 Guerrier (16.3 & 11.0) and the 6-10 Dolezag (10.3 & 6.7) will lead the Orange into this game with the Scarlet Knights.

Steve Pikiell spent 11 years at Stony Brook, winning 20-plus games in his final five seasons. He led the Seawolves to an NCAA berth in 2015-16 and a 26-7 record. His first three seasons at Rutgers saw the Scarlet Knights go just 15-18, 15-19 and 14-17, before going 20-11 last season before the year was shut down. This year's team looks REALLY good, led by senior guards Harper (21.0 & 7.7) and Young (15.3 & 5.7 APG). Junior guard Mathis adds 15.3 & 4.0 plus two 6-11 centers, Omoruyi (8.7 & 7.3) and Johnson (7.3 & 5.7) give Rutgers a strong inside presence.

Rutgers was ranked in the preseason (No. 24) for the first time since 1978 and has opened with three wins by double digits. Syracuse will be a tougher test but as noted, come to town less than 100%. This would be a confidence-building win for the Scarlet Knights and the team's record at the RAC (Rutgers Athletic Center) is a 'sweet' 21-2 SU since the start of last season. Lay the reasonable price!

Good luck...Larry

 My 9* PERFECT STORM is on Duke at 9:30 ET.

In yet another ACC/Big Ten Challenge game on Tuesday, No. 5 Illinois will play at Cameron Indoor Stadium against No. 10 Duke. Both schools lost last week, as the Fighting Illinois fell 82-69 to No. 2 Baylor in Indianapolis, while Duke lost at home 75-69 to now-No. 4 Michigan State. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood made a big 'splash' at S.F. Austin and then made a one year 'pit stop' at Oklahoma St, before landing in Champaign-Urbana. The Fighting Illini were just 14-18 and 12-21 in his first two seasons but had a breakout year in going 21-10 before last season was shut down. I'd list Coach K's accomplishments but we'd be here all day.

6-5 junior Dosunmu is the Fighting Illini's best player, averaging 23.8-7.3-6.3 and is joined in the backcourt by freshman Miller (14.5). 7-0 center Cockburn had a terrific freshman season (13.3 & 8.1) and checks in at 13.8 & 9.8 through four games. Guards Curbelo (10.0), Frazier (9.0) and Williams (7.0 & 7.8) plus the 6-9 Bezhanishvili (7.5) complete the main contributors. Coach K lost his top-two players to the NBA, the 6-10 Carey (17.8 & 8.8) will play this season for the Hornets and PG Jones (16.2-4.7-6.4) was taken by the Spurs. Coach K has seamlessly transitioned into the One-and-Done era and freshman guard Stewart has opened averaging 11.3-4.7-3.3, while 6-9 freshman Johnson is averaging 13.0 & 8.7. The 6-9 Hurt (9.7 & 3.8 last season) leads the team this season with 19.0 PPG and 8.7 RPG. Guards Goldwire and Roach plus SF Moore are combining for 18.0 PPG, plus 6-8 freshman Brakefield is averaging 8.0 & 3.7 in just 12 minutes!

Here's the rub. Duke has been the dominant school in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, going 19-2. The Blue Devils have won EIGHT straight games as part of the series, while going 9-0 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Speaking of Duke's record at Cameron, note that the Blue Devils' home loss to Michigan St on Dec 1 was just Duke's THIRD non-conference home loss since 2000. The pointspread is more than reasonable and I expect Coach K to win this one fairly comfortably.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekly Wipeout is on Kansas at 5:00 ET.

Creighton was ranked No. 11 in the AP's preseason poll (the highest in school history) and after a 3-0 start is up to No. 8 as the Bluejays visit No. 7 Kansas, which is 4-1. Greg McDermott is now in his 11th season at Creighton and after tying for the Big East title last season and finishing 24-7, Creighton was picked to finish second behind Villanova in a preseason poll of league coaches. The Bluejays have used an eight-man rotation in the early going led by two juniors, the 6-7 Bishop (15.0 & 5.3) and 6-2 PG Zegarowski (12.3-3.0-7.0). SIX others chip in between 6.0 and 10.7 PPG. Note that 7-0 freshman Ryan Kalkbrenner (10.7 & 4.0) and 6-6 sophomore Antwann Jones (10.7-6.0-3.3) have both made big contributions off the bench.

Key losses for Kansas entering this season were PG Devon Dotson (18.1-4.9-4.0) and the seven-foot Udoka Azubuike (13.7 & 10.5). However, two 6-5 guards are back, junior Ochai Agbaji (16.2) and senior Marcus Garrett (9.2 & 4.6), who is one of the nation's top defenders. 6-10 junior David McCormack has opened averaging 9.4 & 4.4 and 6-8 Justin Wilson, who has bounced back after suffering a broken ankle as a freshman last season, has been excellent (15.0 & 8.8). Kansas couldn't quite handle No. 1 Gonzaga (lost) but did beat then-No. 20 Kentucky, although with the Wildcats losing THREE in a row, that win doesn't seem like all that much. Bill Self is grateful for 6-7 JC transfer Tyon Grant-Foster, who had seen limited action until adding eight points and eight rebounds as Kansas avoided an embarrassing homecourt upset by North Dakota State on Saturday, winning just 65-61.

To say the least, this visit to Allen Fieldhouse will be a competitive upgrade for the Bluejays after being favored by between 21 and 32 1/2-points over North Dakota State, Omaha and Kennesaw State. The Jayhawks got a real 'scare' by North Dakota St (Creighton was not all that much better in beating the Bison just 69-58) and should be primed for a matchup with the highly-ranked Bluejays. Top-10 matchups are nothing new for Kansas and I expect a win with "room to spare!"

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Rivalry Game of the Month is on Xavier at 3:00 ET.

The Xavier Musketeers will visit Cincinnati's Fifth Third Arena to take on the Bearcats in the 88th meeting of what's known as the "Crosstown Shootout," the tow schools are just THREE miles apart and the rivalry features as much animosity as ANY in college hoops (Google the 2011 game!). Travis Steele was hired by Sean Miller at Xavier for the 2008-09 season and retained by Chris Mack after Miller accepted the Arizona head coaching position. Steele was promoted to head coach on March 31, 2018 when Mack left for Louisville. He has been a part of a program that has been to eight NCAA tournaments, including an Elite Eight run in 2017, as well as being part of two Atlantic 10 regular season titles, and one Big East regular season title. John Brannen led Northern Kentucky to a 72-30 record in his final three season, leading the Norse to the "Big Dance" in two of those three years. He was hired at Cincy on April 14, 2019 when Mick Cronin left for UCLA. The Bearcats went 20-10 in last year's pandemic-shortened season.

Xavier's leading scorer Marshall (16.8) is gone, as is big man Jones (14.0 & 11.1) but Steele has plenty of talent on this season's squad. The Musketeers have been one of the busiest teams in the country so far, fitting their first five games into eight days and have gone 5-0!. The 6-9 Freemantle (17.4 & 8.4) is off to a strong start and is joined up front by 6-11 graduate transfer Johnson (11.8 & 4.4) plus 6-9 returning senior Carter (8.2 & 10.6) Senior guard Scruggs checks in with 12.4 PPG and 7.4 APG, while sophomore guard Tandy is averaging 14.8 PPG. Xavier averaged just 70.7 PPG last season but is scoring 81.2 PPG through five games, plus after shooting only 43.6% from the floor last year, the Musketeers are making 49.7% (44th) this season.

Cincy is missing guards Jarron Cumberland (15.5) and Jaevin Cumberland (8.8) plus forward Tre Scott (11.4 & 10.5). It's hard to judge Cincy's team this season as unlike the busy Musketeers, the Bearcats were one of the last teams in Division I to start their season. They did so Wednesday night at home with a 67-55 defeat of Lipscomb. Mika Adams-Woods tallied a career-high 16 points (he averaged just 5.0 PPG last season in 21 minutes) and the 7-1 Chris Vogt added 12 & 8. The 6-10 Ivanauskas is a Colgate transfer and chipped in 11 & 6, plus Michigan transfer DeJulius had 8-6-4 while playing the point.

Having a FIVE games to one advantage this early is a HUGE advantage for Xavier plus the record book shows the Musketeers have won FIVE of the last seven and NINE of the last 13 meetings. Xavier gets the win and let's hope for NO fights!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on Kansas St at 8:00 ET.

UNLV has opened 0-4 (lost three games in three days at the Maui Invitational, which was held in Asheville, NC) and will travel to Manhattan, Ks to take on 1-2 Kansas State. UNLV returns just three players who played significant minutes from last season's 17-15 team and Bruce Weber's Wildcats lost their top-three scorers from a team that went just 11-21 last season, after winning 25 games in the previous two campaigns. 

UNLV head coach T.J. Otzelberger is in his second season in Las Vegas has watched his team lose 91-78 to Montana State at home and then lose three straight in Asheville. That said, he claims to be "encouraged" heading into this contest. I'm NOT sure why? Junior guard Hamilton (21.5-5.8-3.5) is a quality player who is joined in the backcourt by Grill (14.0 & 4.) and graduate transfer Jenkins (10.3).

Kansas State's best returning player is senior guard McGuirl, who averages 12.3 & 4.0. Freshman guard Pack was expected to make an impact right away and he has, adding 11.7-3.0-3.0. Guard DaJuan Gordon is averaging 11.0 & 7.0 plus the 6-9 Antonio Gordon (not related) adds 5.3 & 4.7. The 6-10 Ezeagu is a redshirt sophomore and has shown promise (9.3 & 4.7).

Bruce Weber is a quality coach and he was none too happy about his team racing out to a 17-0 lead against UMKC in its latest game, before holding on to win 62-58. Homecourt helps here (even without fan support), as the Rebels have been away from Las Vegas since opening the Maui Tourney Nov 30 vs North Carolina. "The Price is Right" on Kansas St.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on Oregon at 9:00 ET.

No. 21 Oregon (opened No. 20 in the preseason poll) has played just once so far, an 83-75 loss to Missouri on Wednesday. The Ducks will look to rebound Friday night in Omaha against Seton Hall, which has opened 1-2. Tonight's contest is a rematch of Oregon's 71-69 win last November in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Both schools lost their best player from last season, Payton Pritchard (20.5-4.3-5.5) of Oregon and Myles Powell (21.0 & 4.3) of Seton Hall.

Dana Altman spent 16 seasons at Creighton and took the school to seven NCAA tourneys in his last 12 years at the school. He came to Oregon for the 2010-11 season and won the CBI championship in his first season. He begins his 11th season in Eugene having won 20-plus games in each of his first 10, averaging 25.9 wins per year. Oregon has played in SIX of the last eight NCAA tourneys and it would have been seven if last season's year was not cut short (Ducks were 24-7). Seton Hall believed it could have made a run to the Final Four behind All-American guard Myles Powell last season, before COVID-19 shut things down. The Pirates were 21-9 and ranked 15th in the country after finishing tied for first in the Big East with a 13-5 record. Head coach Kevin Willard began his stint at Seton Hall in 2010-11 and struggled in his first five but he entered this season off FIVE straight 20-win or more seasons, each ending in an NCAA berth, not including last year in which the Pirates would have received a bid.

Along with Pritchard, Altman lost SG Mathis (8.5) and 6-7 SF Juiston (7.9 & 6.3). However, to the rescue come two transfers. The 6-6 Eugene Omoruyi, who sat out last year as a transfer from Rutgers and the 6-6 Eric Williams who transferred from Duquesne. Omoruyi wasted no time making his presence felt, scoring 31 points (the most ever scored by a Duck in his debut for the school) and grabbing 11 rebounds. Williams added 13 & 9 plus returning 6-6 senior Duarte had 22-4-3. Oregon's problem was the Ducks got a total of just FOUR points off the bench.

Willard will miss Powell but likes his team. Seton Hall PG Shavar Reynolds averaged just 4.2 PPG playing limited minutes last season behind Powell but Willard is counting on Reynolds to "run the show," First-team All-Big East selection Sandro Mamukelashvili is back as are wings Jared Rhoden and Myles Cale, plus 7-foot-2 center Ike Obiagu. Mamukelashvili has averaged 21.7 & 9.0 and Rhoden joins him in double digits at 15.7 & 7.3. Reynolds (7.0 & 4.7 APG) is off to a decent start, with Cale averaging 9.7 & 3.7. Molson 7.0 & 4.3 and Obiagu 3.7 & 6.3.

Seton Hall lost by just ONE at Louisville in its season opener, then won 86-64 over Iona but fell 76-63 to Rhode Island. I'm a HUGE fan of Altman and I expect the Ducks to bounce back from that unexpected loss to Missouri with Omoruyi leading the way. With ANY support off the bench, Oregon should win comfortably.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* "signature" 37-Club Play is on USC at 7:00 ET.

UConn moved to the AAC for the 2013-14 season and made an improbable run to the Final Four and won a national championship. However, it has spent the last six seasons going just 110-90, with just two seasons of 20-plus wins and one NCAA tourney appearance. The Huskies have fallen out of the national 'picture' but hope a return to the Big East this season, along with the hiring of Dan Hurley as its head coach, will change that. Hurley spent six seasons at Rhode Island, winning 25 and 26 games in his final two years, ending with NCAA bids. However, he went 14 -19 and 16-17 in his first two seasons with UConn, before going 19-12 in last season's pandemic-shortened one.

Andy Enfield led Florida Gulf Coast to a 26-11 season in his second at the school, making a Sweet 16 appearance. That gave him the chance to "move on up" to USC but his first two seasons were HUGE disappointments (11-21 and 12-20). However, the Trojans have won 21-plus games in FOUR of the last five seasons, including a 22-9 mark last season before the shut down. The Huskies have opened 2-0 and the Trojans 3-0 ahead of tonight's in the Mohegan Sun "Bubbleville."

Vital (16.4 & 6.3) was UConn's best player but he graduated and Gilbert (8.5 & 3.5 APG) transferred to Wichita St. However, hopes are high for Connecticut this year, as the Huskies return to their natural habitat in the Big East after seven years in the American Athletic Conference. The 6-5 Bouknight is averaging 19.0 & 6.5 and is surrounded by fellow guards Cole (13.5 & 3.5 APG), Gaffney (10.5) and Martin, a Rhode Island transfer who made a nice impression in his Huskies debut against Hartford with six points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes. Up front, it's three 6-9 players, Whaley (11.0 & 8.5), freshman Sanogo (8.0 & 4.5) and a now healthy Polley (played just 15 games LY), who has contributed 7.0 & 4.5.

USC saw its top-five scorers leave after the 2020 season. Onyeka Okongwu left for the NBA, Elijah Weaver transferred to University of Dayton plus seniors Jonah Mathews, Nick Rakocevic, and Daniel Utomi all graduated. However, Enfield recruited a "super frosh" in 7-0 freshman Evan Mobley plus brought in SIX transfers. Evan Mobley has wasted little time in showing his value, averaging 16.3 & 9.0. He joins his brother Isaiah (a 6-10 sophomore), who has added 10.3 & 11.3. Peterson is a 6-8 swingman from Rice and leads a perimeter group with 14.7 & 4.7. Fellow guards are Eaddy (Santa Clara) and White, a grad transfer from Utah Valley St. Eaddy is averaging 12.7 PPG and White 8.3. The 6-9 Goodwin, a grad transfer from Wofford adds 6.7 & 5.3.

UConn has yet to play a quality opponent (Central Connecticut State and Hartford) and hardly looked "ready for primetime" in blowing a 19-point lead and sending Hartford to the line 27 times. Meanwhile, USC held a normally potent BYU attack to 27.5 percent from the floor in a 79-53 rout. Note that Cougars are off to a 4-1 start, averaging 87.5 PPG in those four wins. At "pick-em," USC is a STRONG play!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on Baylor at 10:00 ET.

No. 5 Illinois and No. 2 Baylor meet in the nightcap of the Jimmy V Classic at Indianapolis giving college basketball fans the first top-5 matchup of the young season. Baylor opened No. 2 (to Gonzaga) in the AP's preseason poll, while Illinois began at No. 8 Illinois. head coach Brad Underwood made a big 'splash' at S.F. Austin and then made a one year 'pit stop' at Oklahoma St, before landing in Champaign-Urbana. The Fighting Illini were just 14-18 and 12-21 in his first two seasons but had a breakout year in going 21-10 before last season was shut down. As for Baylor's Scott Drew, he took over a devastated Baylor program in the 2003-4 season and since 2007-08, has turned the Bears into one of the better programs in the country. Baylor won the NIT in 2013 and has made eight NCAA tourney appearances (26-4 last season would have made nine).

The Illini routed North Carolina A&T and Chicago State by a combined 121 points but nearly lost to Ohio U last Friday. However, junior guard Ayo Dosunmu sank the tying and go-ahead free throws with two seconds left to save Illinois, 77-75. Dosunmu is averaging 25.7-7.7-6.7 and is joined in the backcourt by freshman Miller (18.0). 7-0 center Cockburn  had a terrific freshman season (13.3 & 8.1) and checks in at 15.0 & 11.7 through three games. Guard Feliz (11.0 & 5.0) and SF Griffin (8.9 & 4.5) are gone but a trio of guards (Curbelo, Frazier and Williams) are combining for 26-plus PPG!

Baylor lost 6-9 center Gillespie (9.6 & 9.0) but Tchatchoua  is a 6-8 transfer from UNLV and he's averaged 9.0 & 8.0. The 6-5 Vital plays like a power forward, averaging 6.5 & 8.5 and is considered one of the best defensive players in the nation. The strength of Baylor's team is centered around its four guards, all scoring in double digits. Butler's (18.5-3.0-4.5) the best of the group but don't look past Teague (18.0 & 6.5), Flagler (14.5-3.0-4.0) or Mitchell (12.0-4.0-6.5)

Illinois entered the top-5 for the first time since losing to North Carolina in the 2005 NCAA championship game but the team's stay may not last long. Baylor is expected to regain the services of head coach Scott Drew, who missed Baylor's impressive wins over Louisiana and Washington over the weekend in Las Vegas while completing his quarantine after contracting COVID-19. He used Zoom to participate in the Bears' scout sessions and pregame locker room discussions, but mostly volunteered to stand aside and let associate head coach Jerome Tang run the show. Baylor wins by double digits!

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on St John's at 5:00 ET.

St. John's is 3-0 and takes on 3-1 BYU in a "Bubbleville" game at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Ct (part of the Legends Classic). The Red Storm eked out a 97-93 win over Boston College on Monday night, while BYU suffered its first loss last night, when the Cougars fell to USC, 79-53, in the Legends Classic opener. For St John's, its win over BC was its second nail-biter in three games. The Red Storm needed a go-ahead three-pointer from Vince Cole with nine seconds left to edge Saint Peter's 76-75 in their season opener on Nov 25 and Monday, led by as many as 20 and almost squandered a 13-point lead in the final 2:39. BYU hosted its first three games against weak opponents over Thanksgiving weekend and won by a combined 96 points. However, reality set in last night vs USC, when the Trojans ended the first half on a 10-0 run to take a 31-20 lead and expanded the lead to as many as 30 points in the second half, before winning 79-53!

St John's is coached by Mike Anderson, who is in his second season in Queens. He's had success wherever he's been, going 89-41 in four years at UAB, 111-57 in five years at Missouri and 169-102 in eight years at Arkansas. Anderson took over a recently struggling St John's program last season and went 17-15, giving him his 18th consecutive winning season as a head coach (zero losing seasons). Anderson lost LJ Figueroa (14.5 & 4.5) to Oregon but THREE newcomers have already made HUGE contributions in the team's 2-0 start. Vince Cole is a 6-5 two-time junior-college All-American and is averaging 16.0 PPG. Freshman guard Posh Alexander is off to a strong start with a line of 12.0-4.7-3.7 and 6-10 JC transfer Isaih Moore (but with a 7-6 wingspan) has chipped in 9.3 PPG and 7.3 RPG. There's all sorts of depth in the backcourt with Williams (12.0-3.3-3.7) and freshman Addae-Wusu (8.3). The 6-6 Earlington has opened adding 8.0 & 4.7 plus Anderson got 6-8 wing Julian Champagnie (9.9 & 6.5 last season) back vs BC (he missed the first two) and he not only scored 29 points with 10 rebounds but blocked a potential game-tying three-pointer with 17 seconds left. 

Mark Pope had an excellent first season at BYU (came from Utah Valley St), going 24-8. However, gone are PF Childs (22.2 & 9.0) plus guards Toolson (15.2-4.8-3.9) and Haws (14.0 & 5.8 APG). Guard Barcello (9.3 PPG last season) is leading the way in averaging 18.0-5.8-3.3) and the 7-3 Haarms (Purdue graduate transfer) has chipped in 10.5 & 3.5 the last two games. BYU has a ton of depth, as EIGHT more players are averaging between 16 and 26 MPG. Guard Averette leads in scoring (9.8) in that group, while 6-9 Lohner (6.3) and the 6-11 Harvard (5.8) are the best rebounders.

These schools last met almost 30 year ago, when St John's beat BYU 67-62, in Provo back on Dec 8 1990.  30 years later, St John's wins again.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* play is on North Carolina at 4:00 ET.

No. 14 North Carolina and No. 17 Texas will meet late Wednesday afternoon (4:00 ET tip) in the championship game of the Maui Invitational. However, in the "Year of COVID," the tournament has been relocated to snowy Asheville, a western North Carolina mountain city instead of its normal location in 'paradise' (or Hawaii, if you will). Shaka Smart was a 'genius' at VCU, winning the CBI championship in his first season and then taking the Rams to the Final Four in his second season. He took the Texas job after six seasons at VCU where he was 163-56, an average of 27.2 wins per season. However, in his first five seasons  in Austin, he's had one 'nightmare' season (11-22 in his second year) and four more in which the Longhorns have won a total of just 79 games (just under 20 per) with just two NCAA appearances (lost first game each time). North Carolina's legendary head coach Roy Williams is coming off a 14-19 season in which North Carolina players lost 99 games to injury. However, the Tar Heels opened No. 16 in the AP's preseason poll (Texas opened at No. 19).

Texas returned all FIVE starters plus added the 6-9 Brown, an impressive freshman. The Longhorns have opened 3-0, with their trio of veteran guards leading the way. Ramey is averaging 15.7-3.3-3.7, Coleman 14.3 & 5.7 APG and Andrew Jones 12.5 PPG. Up front, the 6-11 Kai Jones adds 10.7 & 5.0, the 6-10 Sims 8.0 & 7.7 and SF Cunningham 4.7 & 6.7. Freshman Brown is chipping in 8.0 & 7.3.

Last year's super frosh Anthony lost time to injury last season (played 22 games) but averaged 18.5-5.7-4.0 and as expected was a "One and Done!" Also gone is senior guard Robinson and his 11.8 PPG. Freshman guard Caleb Lowe (13.0) leads the team in scoring early on, paired with sophomore Davis (12.7 & 4.7). A pair of 6-10 big men are back, with Bacot averaging 11.3 & 6.3  (9.6 & 8.3 LY) and Brooks 10.0 & 9.0 (16.8 & 8.5 LY) plus 6-8 swingman Black averages 6.3 & 6.3.

Texas has more depth and is looking for its first Maui Invitational title in five all-time appearances in the event. Meanwhile, North Carolina has trailed in the second half in two of its three games this season. "I feel like we're battle-tested going through the things we went through last year," Leaky Black said. "We feel like we've got some guys willing to learn and to fight when the going gets tough" Consider this. North Carolina is going for its FIFTH Maui Invitational title with its seventh appearance in the tournament final. What's more, it sure DOESN'T hurt that instead of playing in Maui, the Tar Heels are playing in North Carolina, although it's Asheville, not Chapel Hill. Tar Heels get that FIFTH title with a win here!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Top-10 Showdown is on Duke at 7:30 ET.

The Champions Classic has been played as a doubleheader at a neutral site in the past. However, COVID-19 has changed all that, as the game between No. 8  Michigan State and No. 6 Duke game was switched to Duke's campus, with the Blue Devils agreeing to visit Michigan State next year, while No. 7 Kansas and  No. 20 Kentucky will meet in Indianapolis. Michigan State comes in 2-0, as the Spartans followed an 83-67 opening victory against Eastern Michigan by defeating Notre Dame 80-70 on Saturday night. Duke had its first game called off because of Gardner-Webb's coronavirus situation and enters this contest off an unimpressive 81-71 victory Saturday against visiting Coppin State.

Michigan St lost its two best players from last season's team to the NBA Draft, as PG Winston (18.6 & 5.9 APG) was taken by the Wizards and the 6-8 Tillman (13.7 & 10.3) by the Grizzlies. 6-9 junior forward Joey Hauser, a transfer from Marquette, secured his first career double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds against Notre Dame and is averaging 12.5 & 12.5. Joining him in the frontcourt are two returning players, the 6-7 Brown and the 6-6 Henry. Brown has averaged 10.5 PPG, while Henry has chipped in 10.0 & 6.0. Sophomore PG Watts (7.5 & 4.5 APG) steps in for Winston plus veteran guards Loyer (11.5) and Langford (9.0) join him on the perimeter. Langford is FINALLY healthy and is back on the court this season, having last played in December of 2018.

Like Michigan St's Izzo, Duke's Coach K lost his top-two players to the NBA as well. The 6-10 Carey (17.8 & 8.8) will play this season for the Hornets and PG Jones (16.2-4.7-6.4) was taken by the Spurs. Coach K has seamlessly transitioned into the One-and-Done era and freshman guard Stewart scored 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds in hi debut vs Coppin St, while the 6-9 Johnson scored 19 points and added 19 rebounds in what Krzyzewski called "a heck of a first-time performance." SF Moore (7.4 & 4.2 last season) added 13 & 4 plus the 6-9 Hurt (9.7 & 3.8 last season) chipped in 12 & 7.

These two schools are meeting for the FIFTH consecutive season that these teams meet and Duke has won EIGHT of the last nine, with the exception being the 2019 NCAA Tournament's East Region final. Nothing changes here. Lay the modest price!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekly Wipeout is on Marquette at 7:00 ET.

Mike Boynton was named the 20th head coach of the Oklahoma State University men's basketball team following the departure of Brad Underwood back in March of 2017. His first team (2017-18 season) went 21-15 and reached the NIT quarterfinals but the Cowboys have gone 12-20 and 18-14 the last two seasons. His "best move" may have been hiring Cannen Cunningham as an assistant coach in 22019, as his younger brother, the 6-8 Cade Cunningham (Naismith HS Player of the Year), subsequently signed with Oklahoma State. The Blue Ribbon Yearbook named Cunningham as its Newcomer of the Year. Cunningham joins 6-5 guard Issac Likekele, who may have been OSU's best player last season (10.9-5.6-4.5), despite missing about a month with mono.

Marquette's Coach Wojo knows all about losing a "big-time" player, as Markus Howard led the nation in scoring last season at 27.8 PPG. Also gone is fellow senior Scar Anim, who added 13.1 PPG. However, Wojo also knows about welcoming an impressive freshman to his roster. The 6-11 Dawson Garcia (31.9 & 9.7 last year in high school) earned  Big East Conference Freshman of the Week honors by averaging 17.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in Marquette's 2-0 start, shooting 55.6 percent from the floor and 84.6 percent at the foul line.

Oklahoma St has also opened 2-0 with Cunningham living up to expectations by averaging 20.5-7.0-3.5. SIX other players are chipping in between 7.0 and 9.5 PPG, led by senior guard Flowers (9.5) and freshman guard Walker (9.5). The 6-5 Likekele owns an impressive line of 8.5-9.9-5.5. I think the Cowboys will be improved but 'hanging over the season' is the postseason ban handed down by the NCAA due to transgressions by former program assistant Lamont Evans unveiled in the 2017 FBI investigation. NO postseason for OSU in 2021.

Sure, Marquette will miss Howard but Wojo has a "star in the making" with Garcia plus a really 'deep' team behind him. Guard McEwan (9.5 & 5.) plus frontcourt players like the 6-9 Johnson (5.1 & 5.7) and the 6-6 Cain (5.2 & 4.2) are back. Carton (10.4 as a freshman at Ohio St) is a transfer and eligible right away at the guard position plus 6-7 freshman Lewis is ready right now to contribute. Checking in on that group we find McEwan averaging 13.0 PPG, Johnson 11.0 & 10.5, Cain 11.0 & 6.5), Lewis 10.0 & 6.0, Carton 8.0-4.5-3.0 plus Torrence, who averaged less than two points and two assists last season, producing 6.0-5.0-4.5 to open this season.

Oklahoma St has yet to be tested, as the Cowboys have only beaten UT-Arlington (14-8 last season) and Texas Southern (16-160. Winning on Marquette's Fiserv Forum floor is a "horse of a different color." Expect a double-digit win by the Golden Eagles!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Oddsmaker's Error is on Alabama at 9:30 ET.

Stanford opens its season tonight against 1-0 Alabama in the Maui Invitational. However, in the "Year of COVID-19," it's being played in Asheville, NC (CAN'T make that up!). Stanford's contest vs Utah Valley on Wednesday was canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test, and subsequent contact tracing, within the Wolverines' program. However, expectations are high for the Cardinal, who return FIVE of their top six scorers from last season and boast an impressive freshman class. Head coach Jerod Haase may be feeling some pressure, as he replaced Johnny Dawkins at Stanford, who earned the title "King of the NIT,' leading the Cardinal to NIT titles in 2012 and 2015. However, no school gets much credit these days for an NIT championship. Haase is just 69-61 in his first four years without an NCAA bid and his lone NIT appearance ended in the second round.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats was 96-43 at Buffalo, leading the Bulls to three NCAA tourneys in his four years, including going 27-9 and 32-4 in his last two seasons. 'Bama was just 16-15 last season and guard Lewis (18.5-4.8-5.2) left after one year for the NBA (Jay Bilas thinks he could be the 'steal' of the first round). Alabama used a 21-4 spurt midway through the second half to down Jacksonville State 81-57, impressing no one.

The 6-9 Oscar da Silva averaged team-leading totals in points (15.7) and rebounds (6.4) last season and while he'll miss guard Terry (14.6-4.5-3.2) who left for the NBA, he expects the infusion of young talent to be a boon for his game. Two solid defensive guard guards return in Davis (8.8-3.2-3.7) and Willis (7.8 & 4.0) but Stanford's success will rely on its incoming freshman class. The star is expected to be 6-8 forward Ziaire Williams but the group also includes the 6-8 Angel, the 6-9 Murrell plus guards O'Connell and Taitz. We will have to see.

Oats uses a fast-paced offense with lost of three-0balls but also a pressure defense. He will miss Lewis but senior guard Petty (14.5 & 6.6) and the 6-7 Jones (7.9 & 6.4) will be surrounded by talent. Petty had 14 & 6 in the opening win, while Jones added 12 & 12. 6-1 PG Quinnerly (eligible this year) and SG Shackleford (15.0 & 4.5 LY) each scored 18 points in the team's opener. The 6-10 Brunner is a rare Yale graduate transfer and while he had just 4 & 4 in the opener, he averaged 10.9 & 9.2 for Yale last season,

I believe Alabama is MUCH further along at this point than Stanford (let's see about all those freshman) and with a game under its belt, are q bargain at this price!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Rivalry Rout of the Month is on St John's at 6:00 ET.

The St. John's Red Storm of the Big East will take on the ACC's Boston College Eagles in a non-conference, neutral-court game in Uncasville, Conn. The Red Storm are off to a 2-0 start (beat Saint Peter's and LaSalle), while the Eagles are 1-1, losing to No. 3 Villanova 76-67 before rebounding to defeat Rhode Island, 69-64.(2-0).St John's is coached by Mike Anderson, who is in his second season in Queens. He's had success wherever he's been, going 89-41 in four years at UAB, 111-57 in five years at Missouri and 169-102 in eight years at Arkansas. Anderson took over a recently struggling St John's program last season and went 17-15, giving him his 18th consecutive winning season as a head coach (zero losing seasons). Jim Christian had an excellent six-year run at Kent St, winning 20-plus games each year and averaging 22.8 wins per season. He took on the challenge at TCU and failed miserably, going 56-73 in four seasons. He returned to the MAC with Ohio U but 24-10 and 25-12 seasons brought only NIT and CIT postseason appearances. It was then on to BC and in six seasons, he's had just ONE winning campaign, going 75-119 overall.

Anderson lost LJ Figueroa (14.5 & 4.5) to Oregon but THREE newcomers have already made HUGE contributions in the team's 2-0 start. Vince Cole is a 6-5 two-time junior-college All-American and was named the MVP of the Lapchick Tournament, as he averaged 20.0 points on 46.2 percent shooting on three-pointers. Freshman guard Posh Alexander averaged 12.0-5.0-3.0 in the two wins and 6-10 JC transfer Isaih Moore (but with a 7-6 wingspan) chipped in 10.5 PPG and 8.0 RPG. There's all sorts of depth in the backcourt with Williams (9.5) and freshman Addae-Wusu (8.0 & 3.5). The 6-6 Earlington has opened adding 9.0 & 4.5 plus  Anderson is waiting for 6-8 wing Julian Champagnie (9.9 & 6.5 last season) to return (missed two straight games due to a sprained ankle and PG Rasheem Dunn (5 points / 5 assists in the opener) to recover from a concussion.

Speaking of hoping to get a key player back on the court, Christian waits to see how bad the foot injury that forced guard Jay Heath to miss BC's second game is. Heath had 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting s Villanova and was BC's leading scorer last season (13.1 PPG). Guard Thornton (12.7 & 3.4 APG) plus a trio of frontcourt players will also be missed (trio combined to average 27.8 & 13.0). Two key returning players are Wynston Tabbs, a third-year guard who missed half his freshman year and all of last season due to left-knee surgery. However, Tabbs (13.5 & 5.5) produced the first double-double of his career, getting 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against Rhode Island (he averaged 13.9 PPG as a freshman). Up front it's the 6-8 Steffon Mitchell, who has made 84 starts and is averaging 9.0 points and 9.5 rebounds this season plus the 6-7 Felder (8.0 & 4.0).

BC has played the better competition so far but I really like the group Anderson has at St John's, especially when Champagnie gets healthy. This was a healthy rivalry back in the old days, when both teams were members of the Big East in its glory years. However, the Big East is now a basketball-only conference and BC has moved to the ACC, where competing is VERY difficult (see Christian's record at the school above). St John's wins this one comfortably in an 'old school' rivalry!

Good luck...Larry

My CBB 10* Oddsmaker's Error Game of the Month is on Rhode Island at 5:30 ET.

San Francisco went 22-12 last season in head coach Todd Golden's first season and the Dons have opened 2-1 playing at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Ct. The 1-2 Rhode Island Rams (21-9 last season) will be their opponents, as both teams will be playing a FOURTH since Wednesday (five-day stretch). San Francisco lost its opener 76-68 to UMass-Lowell but then won back-to-back games. The first win came 79-68 over Towson but then came a shocking 61-60 win over No. 4 Virginia as a 15-point underdog. Rhode Island opened its season with losses to No. 18 Arizona St (94-88) and Boston College (69-64) but picked up its first "W" on Saturday, beating USF 84-69.

The Dons lost two key players from last season in leading scorer Mineland (14.4 & 4.7) and huge center Lull (11.9 & 7.6). This year's team revolves around senior PG Bouyea (18.0 & 5.6 APG), junior SG Shabazz (16.7) and 6-9 junior Ryuny (10.3 & 5.0). The Rams lost guard Dowtin (13.9-3.5-3.2) and forward Langevine (10.1 & 10.3) to graduation plus guard Martin (12.8 & 7.1) transferred to UConn. However, PG Fatts Russell (18.8 PPG and 4.6 APG last season) returns along with SG Shepard (17.1). Russell (16.7-3.7-4.0) is off to a solid start, as is Sheppard (13.1). A pair of 6-7 forwards have started well too, as Walker starts (10.3 & 5.7) and Johnson (8.3 & 4.3) comes off the bench. The Mitchell twins share time at center with Makhi averaging 5.7 & 5.3 and Makhel averaging 5.0 & 2.7. Shooting guard Carey is a Syracuse transfer and he's averaging 9.3 PPG.

I believe Rhode Island is the better team by a fairly wide margin and is catching San Francisco off it HUGE upset of Virginia, when the Cavs shot 3 of 12 from behind the arc and San Francisco countered by going 13 of 28. NO repeat effort here by the Dons and the Rams win by double digits!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekend Wipeout Game of the Month is on Villanova at 8:00 ET.

No. 3 Villanova will look for its third consecutive victory to open the season when it takes on Virginia Tech in a newly rescheduled game at Uncasville, Conn on Saturday night. The 2-0 Wildcats captured the 2K Empire Classic with an 83-74 win over No. 18 Arizona State on Thursday, after opening its season with a 76-67 win over BC. The 1-0 Hokies won their season opener with a 77-62 home victory over Radford.

Va Tech head coach Mike Young is in his second season with the school, after a record-setting 17-year tenure as the head coach at Wofford. The Terriers posted a 30-5 overall record in 2018-19, including a perfect 18-0 mark in Southern Conference play, and registered a convincing 84-68 win over Seton Hall in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Young built the Terriers into one of the Southern Conference's preeminent programs and a perennial NCAA Tournament participant. He guided Wofford to five NCAA Tournament berths over his last 10 seasons and five Southern Conference championships. However, the Hokies were just 16-16 overall in Young's first season at Blacksburg, losing almost two-thirds of their ACC games (7-13).

Landers Nolley was selected to the ACC All-Freshman Team in leading the Hokies in scoring (15.5 PPG) last season but after the season he announced he was transferring to Memphis. More bad news came when the 6-6 Horne (7.6 & 4.2) also transferred. Sophomore guard Tyrece Radford (10.2 & 6.2) is both the team's leading returning scorer AND rebounder! However, Young thinks this team will improve because of some experienced graduate transfers. Guard Cartier Diarra averaged 13.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists at Kansas State last season, and helped them to the Elite Eight in 2018. He will play both guard spots, sometimes alongside Wabissa Bede, who returns after averaging 5.2 PPG and 5.5 APG. Diarra had eight points and Bede nine vs Radford. 6-9 Iowa graduate transfer Cordell Pemsl, 6-7 Delaware transfer Justyn Mutts and 6-7 Keve Aluma, who followed Young from Wofford, add depth and size. Pemsl and Mutts contributed nothing in the win over Radford but Aluma led the team with 19 points.

Jay Wright lost Saddiq Bey (16.1 & 4.7) to the NBA (was a first-round NBA draft pick). However, four double digit scorers from last year's team returned. The 6-9 Robinson-Earl (10.5 & 9.4) was one of those four and he's been dominant in the first two games, averaging 23.0 & 9.0. He was joined by a trio of double-digit scorers last season and they are all back. SG Moore is averaging 15.0 & 6.0, PG Gillespie 13.0-3.5-5.5 and the 6-7 Samuels checks in at 7.0 & 7.0. Caleb Daniels transferred in from Tulane and is now eligible. He averaged 16.9 PPG in his last season at Tulane and has averaged 14.0 & 4.0 the first two games.

Villanova's preseason ranking of No. 3 was its highest since the 1995-96 season but the Wildcats have yet to "put it all together" in their first two wins. My bet says the THIRD time (game) will be the charm," as Mike Young still has plenty of "work to do" with this Va Tech team. "Blowout Alert!"

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Ultimate Underdog is on Seton Hall at 4:00 ET.

Louisville is hosting what will likely be the biggest university-run non-conference event during the 2020-21 college basketball season. It's called the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic and joining the Cardinals are Seton Hall, Western Kentucky, UNC Greensboro, Winthrop, Arkansas-Little Rock, Duquesne, Evansville and Prairie View A&M. The nine teams will play 18 games over a 10-day stretch from Nov 25 to Dec 4. Louisville opened with an easy 79-44 win over Evansville on Wednesday, which replaced Southern Illinois in the field (Salukis drops out due to COVID issues). Carlik Jones had a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds in his first game with Louisville. He's a graduate transfer from Radford and was last season's Big South Conference player of the year (20.0-5.1-5.5). 6-7 swingman Samuelson added 17-6-5, 6-8 freshman Traynor 11 & 5 and 6-8 sophomore Slazinski 10 & 4.

This will be Seton Hall's first game and the Pirates enter the current season with high hopes. Seton Hall believed it could have made a run to the Final Four behind All-American guard Myles Powell (21,0 & 4.3) last season, before COVID-19 shut things down. The Pirates were 21-9 and ranked 15th in the country after finishing tied for first in the Big East with a 13-5 record. Powell is now in the NBA but OUTSTANDING head coach Kevin Willard has plenty to work with as the new season opens. PG Shavar Reynolds averaged just 4.2 PPG playing limited minutes last season behind Powell but Willard is counting on Reynolds to set up backcourt mates Bryce Aiken and Takal Molson, first-team All-Big East selection Sandro Mamukelashvili, wings Jared Rhoden and Myles Cale, plus 7-foot-2 center Ike Obiagu. Aiken had an outstanding run at Harvard but announced that he would transfer to Seton Hall for his senior season, choosing the Pirates over Maryland, Michigan and Iowa State. Aiken played just seven games during the 2019–20 season before being sidelined with a season-ending injury but averaged 16.7 PPG in those seven games. The 6-11 Mamukelashvili averaged 11.9 & 6.0 last season and is primed for a big season plus expects MUCH more help from the 7-2 Obiagu.

Here's the rub. Louisville is the host team but attendance for Wednesday's game was just 2,956 at the 22,090-seat KFC Yum! Center with COVID-19 measures in place. As for Seton Hall, the Pirates KNOW all about playing quality opposition. They played 10 ranked teams last season, winning OUTRIGHT over four, top-10 opponents, while losing by just three points to then-No. 3 Michigan St and by two points to then-No. 11 Oregon. Chris Mack was terrific at Xavier and is now coaching Louisville but Willard matches up well. Take the points but an OUTRIGHT win by Seton Hall will be NO surprise.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* No. 1 vs No. 1 play is on Gonzaga at 1:30 ET.

Kansas was ranked No. 1 in the final poll of the unfinished 2019-20 CBB season and will open this season on Thanksgiving Day at the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Florida against Gonzaga, which finished No. 2 to Kansa last season but opens No. 1 in the AP's preseason poll this year (Kansas is No. 6). respectively, in the polls.

Key losses for Kansas are PG Devon Dotson (18.1-4.9-4.0) and the seven-foot Udoka Azubuike (13.7 & 10.5). Two 6-5 guards are back, junior Ochai Agbaji (10.0 & 4.2) and senior Marcus Garrett (9.2-4.5-4.6), one of the nation's top defenders. Joining the backcourt are newcomers Tyon Grant-Foster (a JC transfer) and blue-chip prospect Bryce Thompson. Up front, 6-10 junior David McCormack (6.9 & 4.1) and the 6-8 Justin Wilson (who has bounced back after suffering a broken ankle as a freshman last season). will be tasked with filling Azubuike's shoes. "I don't think we're an unbelievably athletic team," head coach Bill Self said. "I thought initially we could get out and pressure, but I think we can play to our length from a depth standpoint. Could we press some? Zone some? Yeah, I think we could do that, but I have not really thought about how to take advantage of our depth, other than to play hard and force others to defend."

"It's a great honor to be selected No. 1," Bulldogs head coach Mark Few said. "We understand that it is more a reflection of what our program has accomplished over the years and hope to play up to that standard as we start our season." The Bulldogs hated to see Filip Petrusev (17.5 & 7.9), last season's West Coast Conference Player of the Year, decide to forgo his final two years of eligibility to pursue a professional career overseas but SF small Corey Kispert (13.9 & 4.0), a preseason All-American, and guard Joel Ayayi (10.6-6.3-3.2) both return. Few has recruited a talented freshman class, one which includes guard Jalen Suggs, a top-10 prospect who is the program's highest-ranked recruit ever. Suggs led his Saint Paul, Mn high school to three straight state titles before COVID-19 ended last season prematurely.

Mark Few has done everything but win a national championship since taking over the Gonzaga program for the 1999-2000 season. He has led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in every season during his tenure as head coach and holds the record for the most consecutive tournament appearances since starting as head coach at 21! His career record at Gonzaga is 599-124 (.828), which is an average of 28.5 wins per season. Is this Gonzaga's year to "win it all?" That's getting way ahead of ourselves but a "W" here gives him a nice round number of 600 career wins. That's my bet and the Zags also get the ATS win.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Month is on UCLA at 10:30 ET.

The UCLA Bruins and the San Diego State Aztecs open their respective 2020-21 seasons Wednesday night at Viejas Arena in San Diego. It's a meeting of two excellent head coaches as Mick Cronin of UCLA and Brain Dutcher of SD State will go mano-a-mano. Cronin began his coaching career at Murray St, leading the Racers to two Big Dance appearances in three years. He got the Cincinnati job to begin the 2006-07 season but after four years, had just a 61-68 record. However, NINE consecutive NCAA Tourney appearances, as his Bearcats posted a 235-78 (.751) record. He moved to Westwood last season and his Bruins got better as the year progressed and was playing their best ball when the season was shut down.

Brian Dutcher has more than 30 years of coaching experience, including 18 seasons as an assistant to Steve Fisher, first at Michigan and then at San Diego St. Dutcher joined then-interim coach Fisher in 1989 when Michigan won the national championship. He is credited for having a central role in recruiting the Fab Five to Michigan and for bringing Kawhi Leonard to San Diego St. Dutcher was named San Diego State's "head coach in waiting" in 2011.[Following Fisher's decision to retire, Dutcher was formally named as his replacement on April 11, 2017. The Aztecs won 22 and 21 games in his first two seasons but last season, the team opened 26-0 with impressive road/neutral site wins over BYU, Creighton, Iowa, and Utah State. SD State finished 30-2 and ranked No. 6 when the season shut down.

Mick Cronin’s first year as UCLA's head coach ended 19-12, including a 12-6 Pac-12 record, good enough to get the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. UCLA wouldn’t get their chance to win the tournament though as the Pac-12 tournament and subsequently the NCAA tournament were cancelled on the same day back in March. The good news for the 2020-21 season for UCLA is that it brings back almost its entire team from last year, only losing Prince Ali (6.8 PPG) as a graduating senior. UCLA is led by senior SG Chris Smith, who was named the Pac-12 Conference's Most Improved Player of the Year last season after averaging a team-high 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds. "Somebody I expect to have a monster season," UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. "It's imperative for us that Chris competes for Pac-12 Player of the Year and All-American status, and he's consistent every night." The 6-10 Hill (9.0 & 6.9) and 6-9 Riley (8.8 & 4.5) are the team's two-best frontcourt players, while big guards Jaquez (8.9 & 4.8) and Campbell (8.3) join Smith on the perimeter.

Dutcher brought in transfers Malachi Flynn, Yanni Wetzell, K.J. Feagin, and Trey Pulliam, to mesh returnees Matt Mitchell, Jordan Shackel, Nathan Mensah, and Adam Sieko, as the Aztecs put together one of their best season's in program history last year. However, the Aztecs lost MWC player-of-the-year Malachi Flynn (17.6-4.5-3.1) to the NBA while Yanni Wetzell (11.6 & 6.5) transferred to Vandy and Feagin (9.1) has finished up his time with the program. The good news for Brian Dutcher is that Matt Mitchell (12.2 & 4.8) flirted with the NBA draft but returned, G]guard Jordan Schakel (10.0 & 3.4) is back plus the 6-10 Nathan Mensah is healthy after playing just 13 games last season when he averaged 6.9 & 6.8 in about 20 minutes. Help also figures to come from Terrell Gomez, a transfer from CSU-Northridge after leading the Matadors with 19.8 PPG.

Here's the rub. UCLA is ranked 22nd in the preseason AP poll, while SD St (30-2 last season and ranked 6th in the final poll) was NOT included in the preseason top-25. I have often pointed out that poll rankings can be misleading but it's not often that linemakers are fooled and they made UCLA a small road favorite, despite playing at one of the toughest road venues in college hoops. I have little doubt that Dutcher will produce another strong season but UCLA was on a 5-0-1 ATS run when last season was shut down, plus ended the season on a 4-0 ATS run on the road. I'm taking the Bruins here!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Tourney Takedown is on Clemson at 8:30 ET.

It's the Clemson Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs meeting Wednesday in college basketball action from Titan Field House in the Space Coast Challenge (Melbourne, Fl). Clemson finished with a record of 16-15 overall record last season, including 9-11 in ACC conference play to finish in 9th in the standings. The Tigers were scheduled to play Florida State in the quarterfinals of the ACC conference tournament but the tourney was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Mississippi State went 20-11 last season, its third consecutive 20-win season. The Bulldogs were on a roll (had won 11 of their last 15) and finished with an 11-7 mark in SEC conference play, earning the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, earning a bye to the quarterfinals. However, as previously mentioned, COVID-19 had other plans and the conference tournament was canceed.

Clemson's Brad Brownell returns four starters, led by 6-8 senior forward Aamir Simms and senior guard Clyde Trapp (6.0-3.9-2.5). Simms is a preseason All-ACC first-team selection and while guard Mack (12.2 & 5.2) has graduated, Trapp is surrounded by returning guards Newman (9.5 & 3.9) and Dawes (9.0). More good news comes now that Fordham transfer Nick Honor is now eligible. He sat out the season due to NCAA transfer eligibility rules and is immediately eligible with three year remaining. He started all 32 games for the Rams two year ago, leading the team by averaging 15.3 PPG. He could be Clemson's best backcourt player this season.

In contrast to Brownwell, MSU's Ben Howland lost his four best players in the 6-10 Reggie Perry (17.4 & 10.1), plus guards Tyson Carter (13.9), Robert Woodard (11.4 & 6.5) and Nick Weatherspoon (11.6-3.5-4.1). Guard DJ Stewart returns (8.5) as does the 6-11 Abdul Ado (5.7 & 6.7) plus Howland is counting on 6-6 forward Jalen Johnson, a transfer from Louisiana who averaged 15.5 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Ragin’ Cajuns last season.

it's ACC vs SEC in this neutral-site contest and let me point out that while Clemson was only 16-15 last season, the Tigers were the ONLY team to defeat THREE teams ranked in the top-six nationally (then-No. 3 Duke, then-No. 5 Louisville and then-No. 6 Florida St. Tigers "take down" the Bulldogs!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on Georgia at 7:00 ET.

Georgia and Ole Miss have each endured disappointing seasons, as both enter their first-round matchup in the SEC tournament Wednesday in Nashville at 15-16 on the season. Ole Miss went 6-12 in the SEC, so the Bulldogs enter the tourney as the no. 12 seed, while the Bulldogs' 5-13 record makes them the 13th-seed. Georgia closed February by winning three of its final four games but has dropped its final two contests, getting blown out 94-64 at LSU to end the regular season. Ole Miss knows a little about getting blown out themselves, losing 69-44 at in-state rival Miss St on Saturday, snapping a modest two-game winning streak.

Tom Crean had success at Marquette (five NCAAs, including a Final 4) and Indiana (four NCAAs, including three Sweet 16s) but his first season at Georgia (2018-19) produced an 11-21 record, including 2-16 in SEC play. This year's team went 10-3 in non-conference play as noted above, the SEC portion of its schedule went only slightly better than last year. 6-5 guard Anthony Edwards enters the postseason leading all freshmen nationally in scoring (19.5) and is 42 points shy of matching Jacky Dorsey’s school record for most points by a freshman (646). The 6-5 guard, who is a projected NBA lottery pick this summer, has scored 20-plus points 13 times and 30-plus points on three occasions. 6-9 Junior forward/center Rayshaun Hammonds averages 12.6 points and 7.3 rebounds and over his last four games is averaging 14.8 points and nine rebounds on 51.2 percent shooting. Freshman PG Wheeler, adds 8.8 & 4.4 APG plus senior guard Crump is averaging 6.9 PPG, while 6-8 freshman forward Camara chips in 6.5 & 4.4.

Kermit Davis spent 16 seasons at Middle Tenn St  and led the Blue Raiders into the postseason in SEVEN of his final nine seasons at Murfreesboro. That included THREE trips to the Big Dance and his 2017 team won 31 games. He took over at Oxford last season and the Rebels were able to 'sneak' into the NCAA tourney but lost their first game, finishing 20-13. However, Year 2 has NOT gone as planned. Like Georgia, Ole Miss has a terrific guard in Breein Tyree, who comes in averaging 19.7 PPG (he landed on the All-SEC first team). Shuler (11.5-4.5-3.3) and Hinson (10.2 & 4.7) join Tyree in the backcourt, while the 6-7 Buffen (10.1 & 6.1) and the 6-10 Sy (9.1 & 5.4) are the team's top frontcourt producers.

Georgia will play without senior guard Tyree Crump (mononucleosis) but I still believe Georgia is the better team on a neutral court. Ole Miss went 1-8 SU on the SEC road and that LONE win came back on Jan 25 in Athens, 70-60. The Bulldogs will REMEMBER plus we are getting points!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Conference Rivalry Game of the Year is on St John's at 7:00 ET.

Georgetown and St. John's were once 'giants' in the Big East but when the two schools meet Wednesday in the first round Wednesday of the Big East Tournament, the longtime rivals will check in as the tourney's 8th and 9th seeds, respectively. Both teams enjoyed success out of conference this season as the Hoyas went 10-3 and the Red Storm were 11-2. However, that success didn't carry over to conference play, as each went 5-13.

Chris Mullin resigned after last season, ending a disappointing four-year run at his alma mater. The Red Storm posted losing records in his first three seasons but last year's team went 21-13 and did make an NCAA appearance (no small deal, as it was just this once-proud basketball program's THIRD Big Dance appearance in 17 years!). Taking over was Mike Anderson, who came to renown at UAB and Missouri, before returning to Arkansas. His eight-year run with the Razorbacks didn't go as planned, as the school made just three NCAA appearances. At the end of last year he was fired, marking the end of a 25-year association with Arkansas as both an assistant and head basketball coach.  Anderson is 59-years-old and had NO connection to NYC, so he was a surprise choice. This is Patrick Ewing's third season at Georgetown and after a 15-15 'rookie' year, his Hoyas won 19 games last season but lost in the first round of the NIT. The good news entering the current season was, FOUR starters returned. Losing Jessie Govan (17.5 & 7.5) from last year was a big deal but what was NOT expected was that returning guard Akinjo played just seven games before deciding to transfer (he was averaging 13.4 & 4.4 APG) plus the 6-7 LeBlanc (averaging 7.2) also decided to transfer.

Julian Champagnie is a 6-7 freshman who has made an immediate impact. He comes in averaging 10.0 PPG and a team-high 6.5 RPG. He became the first St. John's player to be named to the All-Big East freshman team since Shamorie Ponds and Marcus Lovett in 2017. He enters the tourney having scored in double digits in SEVEN straight games and has averaged 19 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor in three March games. 6-6 sophomore forward Marcellus Earlington (8.7 & 4.5) has also produced when given enough minutes. 6-6 junior Figueroa (14.3 & 4.5) and 6-5 senior Heron (13.8) returned in the backcourt plus PG Dunn has delivered a solid season (12.0-3.7-3.8) after being given the OK to play (was a transfer from Cleveland St). However, Heron won't play here due to an ankle injury.

As for the Hoyas, they lost three quality players to transfer early in the season and have been without leading scorers Omer Yurtseven and Mac McClung for six and nine games, respectively, since early February. The 7-0 Omer Yurtseven was averaging 15.8 & 10.0 and guard McClung, 15.5 PPG. 'Carrying' Georgetown these days are guards Jahvon Blair (10.9 & 3.0), Terrell Allen (9.1 & 4.0 APG) and Jagan Mosely (8.4 & 4.5) in the backcourt plus the 6-8 Jamorko Pickett (10.1 & 6.2) and the 6-11 Qudus Wahab (5.4 & 4.2), up front. Blair has been the team's best player since McClung went out, averaging 17.6 points in the last 10 games

The Hoyas and the Red Storm have met on 115 occasions, including NINE times in the Big East Tournament. These two storied programs combined to win EIGHT of the first 10 Big East Tournament titles (six by Georgetown) but just ONE, since (by St. John's). It's safe to say the NEITHER will be around very long this week but Georgetown is a mere 'shell' of the team that opened the season back in November. The Hoyas are 2-0 vs St John's this season, including a win on Super Bowl Sunday here at MSG, when they overcame a 17-point second-half deficit to win, 73-72. St John's gets out to a lead tonight and DOESN'T 'let go!"

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on Arizona at 5:30 ET.

Sean Miller began his 10th season as the Arizona head coach during the 2018–2019 season but Arizona ended the season 17−15, missing the NCAA tournament for only the SECOND time in the previous 34 seasons. Miller's 11th season at Arizona featured a top-5 recruiting class and the Wildcats were ranked No. 21 in the AP's preseason. The Wildcats opened the season 9-0 and had the look of a team that could go far in the NCAA Tournament but inconsistent play has resulted in an 11-11 record since. Arizona finished 10-8 in Pac 12 play and enter the tourney as the No. 5 seed.

Mike Hopkins spent more than 20 years as an assistant to Jim Boeheim at Syracuse, before taking the job at Washington for the 2017-18 season. His first team won 21 games and an NIT berth but last year's team won 27 games and earned an NCAA bid. However, FOUR starters are gone from that team, including three NBA draft picks. That's never good but Hopkins recruited a pair of McDonald's All-Americans (big men Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels) plus added a third with the transfer of guard Quade Green from Kentucky. However, after a 10-2 start, the Huskies' season imploded. Quade Green was ruled academically ineligible after a Jan 5 win against USC and Washington has gone 4-12 without him.

The Huskies lost NINE straight from Jan 18-Feb 20 but they won their first two conference road games of the season last weekend in Arizona (over the Sun Devils and Wildcats) and have won three of four since that nine-game losing streak. 6-9 freshman Stewart (16.6 & 8.7) and McDaniels (13.1 & 5.8) have been as good as advertised. Stewart was named to the Pac-12 first team on Monday and McDaniels is the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after he averaged 18 points, six rebounds, 2.5 blocks and a steal in last weekend's state of Arizona sweep. Senior guard Carter (12.5 & 5.0) is the team's third double digit scorer plus sophomore guard Jamal Bey went 16-for-17 from the free-throw line and totaled 23 points in the sweep of the Arizona schools, although his season average is just 5.8 PPG.

Arizona's 6-11 Zeke Nnaji was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after leading the conference with 14 double-doubles and leading the club in scoring (16.3) and rebounding (8.6). PG Nico Mannion, a 6-3 guard from Italy, was a second-team and all-freshmen team selection after averaging 14.0 PPG and 5.4 APG. He's already said he'll leave school after the season and he's projected to be an NBA lottery pick this summer. Josh Green, a 6-6 freshman guard, scored a total of 20 points in two games since missing two with a back injury, and enters the tourney averaging 11.7 & 4.6. That trio of freshman have led the way for Arizona but senior guard Smith (8.5) and 6-9 senior Gettings (6.7 & 4.2) have been regular contributors. 6-10 senior Jeter (6.8 & 4.3) is supposedly eligible to return from his suspension, but who really knows.

Maybe I'm 'spitting into the wind' here but I just can't see Arizona NOT putting forth an excellent effort off Saturday's 'ugly' home loss to Washington, in which the Wildcats shot 35.1% and scored 63 points. Arizona sis shooting 44.8% on the season and averaging 76.4 PPG.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Revenge Rout is on George Washington at 3:30 ET.

The 8-22 Fordham Rams enter the A-10 conference tournament as the No. 14-seed, after finishing dead-last in the conference standings at 2-16. Awaiting the Rams at Barclays Center on Wednesday afternoon will be the 12-19 George Washington Colonials, who own the No. 11-seed after going 6-12 in conference play. The 'kicker' is, BOTH of Fordham's A-10 wins have come over GW.

The Rams lost the 6-9 Ohams (11.0 & 8.2) was lost for the season after just 13 games with a knee injury and then the 6-9 Eyisi (6.5 & 5.6) went down im mid-Feb with a foot injury. Fordham head coach Jeff Neubauer will start four guards and 6-11 freshman Soriano (4.5 & 6.4). Guards Portley (10.4 & 3.7) and Cobb (10.2) are now the team's lone double digits scorers for a team averaging only 58.1 PPG (349th).

Head coach Jamion Christian led Mount St Mary's to two NCAA berths in six years and then led Siena to a NINE-game turnaround in his only year at Loudonville, NY (2018-19). This is his first season at GW and last year's team was just 9-24. This year's team is better but has NOT had the success the school had hoped for. GW was 10-11 entering Feb but has finished the season in a complete 'free-fall,' losing EIGHT of its final 10 games. Not sure one can explain it, as the Colonials own four double digitscorers. Senior PG Potter (14.3-3.2-5.9) leads the way, followed by junior guard Jackson (11.8), freshman guard Nelson (10.4) and 6-7 freshman forward Battle (11.9 & 5.3).

How does a team lose TWICE to sad-sack Fordham. My bet says GW won't lose THREE times this season to the Rams.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Afternoon Delight is on Oregon St at 3:00 ET.

16-14 Utah and 17-13 Oregon St tip off the festivities in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday afternoon as they meet in the 8-9 game of the Pac-12 tournament (both were 7-11 in league play). The winner will advance to Thursday's quarterfinals to face top-seeded Oregon. The Runnin’ Utes played just one game during the final week of the regular season, but it produced an emotional win as Utah rallied to stun rival Colorado 74-72 in overtime and secure the ninth seed. Meanwhile, the Beavers swept their regular season-ending homestand against Stanford and California to garner the eighth seed. Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak and his Oregon State counterpart (Wayne Tinkle), were teammates at Montana during the 1985 and ’86 seasons. The former teammates will meet for the 10th time as opposing head coaches (Krystkowiak owns a modest 5-4 advantage).

6-6 forward Timmy Allen is the team’s leading scorer (17.5) and rebounder (7.3), while Gach (11.0) and PG Jones (9.6 & 4.5 APG) give the Utes a solid backcourt duo. Gach led the way in last Saturday’s home win over the Buffaloes, scoring a career-high 28 points, to garner his first career Pac-12 Player of the Week award. However, freshman PG Jones suffered a concussion Feb 29 against California. He missed the Colorado game and is NOT expected to play in this one. Utah does have solid depth though, as four other players are chipping in between 7.0 and 7.8 PPG.

Tinkle’s son Tres, a 6-7 senior forward, leads the team in scoring (18.4) and rebounding (7.0), while guard Ethan Thompson (14.9-4.2-4.5) and the 7-0 Kylor Kelley (11.1  & 5.7) also average double digits for the Beavers (note: Kelley's 3.5 blocks per game rank second nationally). Guard Reichle (7.9) and 6-6 forward Hollins (5.2 & 3.1) round out the Beavers' main contributors. Seniors Tinkle and Kelley lead the Beavers into the conference tourney after combining for 43 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in a 74-56 Senior Day win over California on Saturday.

Yes, this is a neutral-site contest but note that Utah lost all NINE of its Pac-12 road games, averaging 68.9 points while allowing 78.0. Utah's 6-6 Allen will have a tough time matching up with OSU's Tinkle (Utah has no one to match OSU center Kelley) plus Thompson will be the best backcourt player on the floor. Ore St advances easily for another game with Civil War rival Oregon on Thursday.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Revenge Rout is on North Carolina at 7:00 ET.

Roy Williams' Tar Heels were ranked No. 9 in the AP's preseason poll but when "all the dust had settled" in the ACC's regular season, North Carolina owned a 13-18 overall record, including 6-14 in the ACC (tied with Pitt and Wake for the league's worst mark). It would be hard to make this up! Te Tar Heels open ACC tourney paly against the Va Tech Hokies, who are 16-15, including 7-13 in the ACC. Mike Young spent 17 years at Wofford, where he led the Terriers to five NCAA appearances, including last season. Wofford defeated Seton Hall 84-68 in LY's Big Dance, giving him the first NCAA Tournament win of his career. He took over at Va Tech, when Buzz Williams used Tech's Sweet 16 appearance last season to take the Texas A&M job. Young lost Va Tech's leading scorer from last year (Alexander-Walker at 16.2) to the NBA and couldn't convince the 6-10 Blackshear (14.9 & 7.5) to stay (he's a graduate transfer at Florida). The Hokies surprised by opening 6-0 and after a two-OT win over UNC on Jan 22, were14-5 (5-3 in the ACC). However, 'the bottom fell out' for Va Tech, as the Hokies went 2-10 SU and ATS over their final 12 regular season games.

Losing streaks of four, five and seven games have already made this a forgettable season in Chapel Hill, but North Carolina had won three in a row before losing 89-76 at Duke on Saturday. UNC freshman guard Cole Anthony began his college career with a bang by scoring 34 points in his debut. North Carolina opened the season 5-0 but Anthony went down with a knee injury in early December and didn't return until the beginning of February. He's played well since his return and checks in with a line of 19.6-5.7-4.1. Fellow freshman, the 6-10 Bacot, has averaged 9.6 & 8.2, while junior forward Garrison Brooks has had a strong season, averaging 16.7 & 8.8. Senior guard Robinson went down with an ankle injury just as Anthony returned but he's been back in the lineup the last SIX games and checks in at 11.9 PPG.

SEVEN of Va Tech's top-eight scorers are guards. Two freshman lead the way, Landers Nolley II (15.6 & 5.9) and Tyrece Radford (10.4 & 6.4). Guards Alleyene (9.0) and Bede (5.2-3.6-5.5) plus 6-5 SF Horne (7.6 & 4.2) complete the starting-five. Horne is the lone frontcourt player of note but note that Va Tech's two freshman guards are the team's top rebounders (see above).

One of North Carolina's MANY frustrating losses came at Virginia Tech back on Jan 22, when Tyrece Radford hit the game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds left in overtime. As noted, Va Tech's imploded since then (see above) and enters this contest with many (most?) of its best players struggling. Horne snapped out of a four-game slump in which he totaled 16 points on 6-of-24 shooting with 17 points on 6-of-10 from the floor in Wednesday's victory over Clemson and paced the Hokies in scoring again with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting vs Notre Dame. However, freshman guards Nolley and Radford (team's top scorers and rebounders) have both failed to score 10 points in THREE of the team's last four games! The Tar heels may not last past Wednesday's second round but expect UNC to earn a "revenge win" and COVER vs Va Tech, as the Hokies are 0-15 ATS in their 15 losses this season!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* NEC Tourney Game of the Year is on St Francis (Pa) at 7:00 ET.

Merrimack (14-4) was the regular-season champion of the Northeast Conference in its first Division I season. In fact, Merrimack became the first school ever to win 20 games in its first Division I season, going 20-11. However, the school is ineligible for postseason play as it transitions to Division I. The St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash and the Robert Morris Colonials both finished 13-5 in conference play but the Colonials' 76-658 home win over the Red Flash in the regular season finale (Feb 29) earned Robert Morris the No. 1 seed. That came with a HUGE bonus, as 19-14 Robert Morris gets to host 22-9 St Francis (Pa) in the championship game.

Colonials head coach Andy Toole has Robert Morris a win away from clinching a berth in the NCAA Tournament, an event he has experienced as a player, assistant and head coach. Toole played in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments as a PG at Penn in 2002 and ’03. He coached in back-to-back NCAA tourneys as a Robert Morris assistant to Mike Rice in ’09 and ’10, plus Toole guided the Colonials there as head coach in 2015. St Francis head coach Rob Krimmel has nowhere-near the success Toole has experienced. St Francis was his first-ever head coaching gig and he wasn't able to produce a winning season in any of his first FIVE. He entered this season off 18-13 and 18-15 years and while the Red Flash expected another winning season, this year's 22-9 mark is quite a surprise. Can Krimmel lead the Red Flash to a win here, giving the school just its second-ever NCAA berth (made it back in 1991)?

Robert Morris has the homecourt edge but St Francis is the better team. The Colonials own a nice guard trio in Williams (13.5 & 4.4), Bramah (13.0 & 7.9) and Treacy (8.5-2.8-4.5) plus the 6-8 Mendy (8.5 & 4.7) is their best frontcourt performer. However, the Red Flash counter with the dynamic guard duo of  Isaiah Blackmon, the 2019-20 NEC Player of the Year, and Keith Braxton, the 2018-19 NEC Player of the Year. Blackmon is averaging 18.9 & 5.4 and Braxton 17.5-7.4-3.8. 6-6 forward Thompson (10.5 & 5.) is a third double digit scorer.

St Francis has scored 87 and 84 points in its two NEC tourney wins and won't let playing away from home stand in its way of the school's second-ever NCAA berth (see above). After all, the Red Flash are a MONEY-MAKING 11-3 ATS (79%) in road and neutral-site games this season! Party like it's 1991!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on Northern Kentucky at 7:00 ET.

The 18-16 UIC Flames and the 22-9 Northern Kentucky Norse meet in the Horizon League championship game from the Indiana Farmers Coliseum (Indianapolis) on Tuesday night. The Flames were just 10-8 in the regular season and entered the tourney as the No. 4 seed but after winning twice at home (93-59 over IUPUI on March 3 and 67-61 over Youngstown St on Mar 5), they took down No. 1 seed Wright St last night, 73-56 as a six-point underdog (note: Wright St made just 28.3% of its shots!). John Brannen led the Northern Kentucky Norse to three straight 20-plus winning seasons the previous three years and to the "Big Dance" in two of those three seasons. However, he left for the 'greener pastures' of Cincinnati after the conclusion of last season. Darrin Horn, who and excellent head coaching success at Western Kentucky but flopped at South Carolina, took over. Horn's team finished second in the regular season (13-5) and had a bye into the semifinals. The Norse punched their ticket to the title game with an 80-69 win over Green Bay last night.

UIC owns depth in the backcourt, as four players contribute. PG Ferguson (14.5-5.8-4.8), followed by Ottey (11.7 & 3.1), Boahen (10.4 & 4.1) and Ahale (5.4). The frontcourt trio consists of the 6-8 Diggins (9.2 & 4.9), the 6-10 Bridges (8.5 & 5.0) and the 6-8 Blount (6.1 & 4.0). Ferguson tied his career high with 25 points, as Illinois-Chicago advanced to its first Horizon League championship game since 2004.

6-6 senior forward Dantez Walton was lost to an arm injury in December but returned on Jan 31. He's the team's top scorer (16.5) and rebounder (7.2) and is joined in the starting lineup by guards Sharpe (15.1), Tate (13.9 & 5.4) and Faulkner (11.9 & 4.2), plus the 6-5 Adheke (3.7 & 4.9). Sharpe led the Norse with 20 points against Green Bay, while Walton scored 19 and grabbed 11 rebounds.

This is the Flames' FOURTH game in eight days and they are coming off upsetting the Horizon's top-seed. Meanwhile, Northern Kentucky enters this game having won 14 of its last 17 games. TWO of those losses came at the hands of Wright St and other??….It came against these very same Flames, who won at Northern Kentucky 73-43, as 9 1/2-point underdogs! In that game, the Norse shot just 22.0% from the floor, including an abysmal 4 of 32 on threes! That WON'T happen here! Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* West Coast Crusher is on St Mary's at 11:30 ET.

Gonzaga ha dominated the WCC regular season ands the conference tourney for two decades but both fifteenth-ranked BYU and Saint Mary's are hoping for a chance to take down the Bulldogs in Tuesday title game (assumption being that Gonzaga, a two 'TD' favorite, beats San Francisco). The 25-7 Gaels and 24-7 Cougars have already played a couple nail-biters this season, with the Gaels winning 87-84 at home in OT on Jan 9 and the Cougars prevailing 81-79 at home on Feb 1, when T.J. Haws hit a three-pointer with 8.5 seconds left. The Cougars ended the regular season on a NINE-game winning streak (included a 91-78 home win over Gonzaga) and received a bye into the semifinals. St Mary's was the league's No. 3 seed and needed two OTs to put away Pepperdine 89-82 in Saturday's quarterfinals.

St Mary's is led by senior guard Ford (21.8) and 6-8 junior forward Fitts (16.7 & 7.0). Krebs (9.7 & 4.1) and PG Kuhse (5.8-3.3-3.8) surround Ford in the backcourt but Fitts only gets help up front from the 6-7 Fotu (6.3 & 3.5). The 6-10 Tass (6.6 & 3.6) was lost for the season with a knee injury back in late-December. BYU has the deeper team. led by 6-7 senior Childs (22.2 & 8.9), who gets help up front from Nixon and Lee (combined 14.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG). Toolson )(15.3-4.7-4.0), Haws (14.3 & 5.8 APG) and Barcello (9.5) give BYU an excellent guard trio.

BYU is a better team 'on paper,' but it's hard to ignore the two regular season meetings. BYU hasn't won a conference tourney title in 19 years, while St Mary's shocked Gonzaga in last year's WCC title game. I want NO part of St Mary's against Gonzaga but for tonight, I want the points as I see another tightly-contested game. Ford scored a career-high 42 points on Saturday while playing all 50 minutes. this tournament St Mary's is considered an NCAA Tournament at-large team by prognosticators no matter how it fares in the tournament, but Ford hasn't forgotten that the Gaels were 28-5 on Selection Sunday two years ago and got passed over by the NCAA selection committee. Again, take the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on Wright St at 7:00 ET.

The UIC Flames and the Wright State Raiders meet in Horizon League tourney action from Indiana Farmers Coliseum at Indianapolis on Monday. The Flames were just 10-8 in the regular season and entered the tourney as the No. 4 seed. They've won twice so far (both at home), 93-59 over IUPUI on March 3 and 67-61 over Youngstown St on Mar 5. The now 17-16 (overall) Flames square off against the Horizon's No. 1 seed, the Wright St Raiders (25-6 / 15-3 in Horizon), who haven't played since winning 64-62 at Northern Kentucky on Feb 28.

UIC owns depth in the backcourt, as four players contribute. PG Ferguson (14.1-5.9-4.9), followed by Otley (11.6), Boahen (10.4 & 4.0) and Ahale (5.6). the frontcourt trio consists of the 6-8 Diggins (9.3 & 4.9), the 6-10 Bridges (8.4 & 5.0) and the 6-8 Blount (6.2 & 4.0). The Raiders own a STRONG starting-five, led by the 6-8 Love (16.3 & 975) and the 6-6 Wampler (15.6 & 4.6). A trio of guards join them in the starting lineup, Holden (12.1 & 6.5), Gentry (11.0) and Hall (7.8). The Raiders are one of the nation's highest scoring teams (81.4 PPG ranks 5th).

Head coach Scott Nagy had a long run of success at South Dakota St and has now won 20-plus games in each of his first four seasons at Wright St. He led the Raiders to an NCAA appearance in 2018 and anything less than that would be a HUGE disappointment. Wright St is 11-4 SU in road and neutral games this season and I don't see a Flames team which averages just 68.3 PPG, 'hanging' with the Raiders, who average 81.4 on this neutral court. Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Summit League Tourney Game of the Year is on North Dakota St at 7:00 ET.

The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and the North Dakota State Bison meet in a Summit League conference tournament semi-final matchup from the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, SD. Oral Roberts was just 9-7 in league play but moved to 17-13 on the season after winning last night, 79-52 over Omaha. It sure helped that Omaha shot an abysmal 27.1% from the floor (including 4 of 19 on threes) but don't minimize that fact that Oral Roberts' four digit scorers played well. Senior PG Burns (15.3-3.9-4.2) and freshman guard Abmas (14.9) for an excellent guard duo, while a pair of 6-8 forwards form an impressive frontcourt. Nzwkwesi leads the team in scoring (16.9) and rebounding (10.1) and gets solid help from Obanor (11.8 & 16.7). Abmas led last night with 20 points (Burns had 17), while Nzwkwesi added 13 & 9 and Obanor 13 & 11.

The North Dakota State Bison tied South Dakota St fir first with a 13-3 record but won the tiebreaker, giving them the No. 1 seed. However, the Bison barely edged No. 8 seed Denver (just 3-13 in league play), 'escaping with a 71-69 win on Friday (note: South Dakota St lost Friday night to IPFW!). The Bison are led by a pair of senior guards, PG Sahid (18.3-3.2-3.0) and the 6-6 Ward, who is the team's second-best scorer (16.6) and its top rebounder (7.1). 6-10 junior Kreuser (10.3 & 5.9) is the team's best frontcourt play. Sahid had 22 points and Ward 20 in edging Denver but the big surprise was sophomore guard Griesel (6.5 &n 5.6), who had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

North Dakota St survived despite shooting only 38.6%, while Denver shot 50.0%. North Dakota St was a surprise winner of this tourney last year (entered the tourney 15-15, including 9-7 in league play but then won THREE games in three days!) but this year was a co-favorite with South Dakota St. The Jackrabbits are out and after a HUGE scare Saturday night vs Denver, I expect the Bison to be fully focused in this one. "The Price is Right" for a HUGE play on North Dakota St!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on Appalachian St at 7:00 ET.

It's second round Sun Belt conference tournament action as the Appalachian State Mountaineers (17-14 / 11-9 Sun Belt) host the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (16-16 / 8-12 Sun Belt from the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, NC. Cliff Ellis owns more tha  850 career wins as a  head coach but it's been awhile since he and his Chanticleers shocked CBB with back-to-back NCAA appearances in 2014 and 2015. Coastal Carolina entered this season off 14-18 and 17-17 years and as noted above, are just 16-16 entering play tonight. Over in Boone, NC, the Appalachian State football program has made major 'waves' but the same can't be said for the basketball program. However, head coach Dustin Kerns (in his third season) has turned things around this season. His Mountaineers won just 15 games in his first year and entered this season off an 11-21 year in 2018-19. A 17-14 record may not seem like a big deal to some but the fans are looking forward to the school advancing in this tourney.

Appalachian State comes into the tournament as them No.6 seed, finishing with an 11-9 mark in conference play. The Mountaineers have a solid backcourt led by PG Forrest (17.3-3.4-2.9) plus Williams (12.8 & 4.2) and Delph (9.3 & 3.8). The 6-9 Johnson (11.0 & 7.7) is joined by the 6-7 Lewis (7.3 & 4.2) and the 6-9 Seacat (6.6 & 5.0). Coastal Carolina can match Appalachian St in the backcourt, as PG Jones (17.0-5.7-5.7) is joined by Brewton (14.5), Gumbs-Frater (11.2) and Green (8.54 & 5.0). However, the lone frontcourt player of note is the 6-8 Burton (11.8 & 7.4).

Appalachian St hasn't played since March 3 plus will NO doubt remember losing 84-77 at home to Coastal Carolina on Feb 29, when the Chanticleers shot 57.1% from the floor. The Chanticleers are looking for another upset win, after eking out a 63-62 victory at UT-Arlington in their first round matchup on Saturday. However, this marks the team's FOURTH straight road game (began with that Feb 29 win at App St) and I believe that's asking "too much" of a 16-16 team. The well-rested Mountaineers get the win and COVER!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on Illinois at 4:00 ET.

No. 18 Iowa (20-10) and No. 23 Illinois (20-10) are both safely are safely in the NCAA Tourney field but each has motivation for this game. Illinois dropped to fourth place in the Big Ten Conference (12-7) with its Thursday home loss to the Buckeyes but a win would give the Illini a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Meanwhile, Iowa suffered its first home defeat since early November when it lost 77-68 to Purdue on Tuesday. However, if the Hawkeyes beat the Illini, they hold the tiebreaker for the No. 4 spot over Illinois, Ohio State and Penn State.

Iowa's 6-11 Luka Garza (23.7 & 9.9) has a chance to win national Player of the Year. Garza scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss to Purdue to register his team-leading 15th double-double of the season (note: he's scored 20 or more points in 15 straight Big Ten games). Guard Joe Wieskamp (14.3 & 6.1) and freshman guard CJ Fredrick (10.5) are the team's other two double digit scorers. The 6-10 Ryan Kriener (7.9 & 4.2) starts up front with Garza, while Toussaint (6.2) and McCaffrey (6.1-4.0-3.9) give Iowa an excellent perimeter group.

The Illini are led PG Ayo Dosunmu (16.6-4.2-3.2). 6-9 freshman Cockburn (13.4 & 8.8) and guard Feliz (10.9 & 5.2) join him in double figures, while guards Griffin (9.1 & 4.6) and Frazier (9.1), just miss. The 6-9 Bezhanishvili (6.8 & 4.8) works alongside of Cockburn, up front. Dosunmu scored a game-high 21 points and dished out five assists, but the Fighting Illini couldn’t hold on to a seven-point halftime lead in the loss to Ohio State. Feliz added 11 points and 11 rebounds to register his third double-double of the season, However, Cockburn was limited to six points and three rebounds due to foul trouble.

The Hawkeyes defeated the Illini 72-65 back on Feb 2 at home, with Garza leading the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds. However, allowing 11 PPG more on the road than at home. Cockburn is surely capable of playing Garza even (he NEEDS to) but don't be surprised if it's Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu (he's averaging 20 points over his last five outings!) who plays the starring role in this one, especially come "crunch time." Iowa has beaten Illinois FIVE in a row but home court rules' in this one, as the Illini win convincingly, which means the team is off until Friday!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* MVC Champ Game is on Bradley at 2:05 ET.

Matt Lottich's first season at Valpo saw the Crusaders go 24-9 (2016-17) but the next two seasons saw them finish 15-17 and 15-18. The Crusaders ended their regular season just 16-15 (9-9 in the MVC) but have now won three games in three days in St Louis (Arch Madness) to reach the MVC championship game as the 7th-seed (10-team league). Brian Wardle took the Bradley head coaching job in 2015-16, after having no success at Green Bay. That first season was a disaster (5-27) but in his fourth season (last year), Wardle led the Braves to the NCAA Tournament by winning The Missouri Valley’s “Arch Madness” Tournament (first MVC title for Bradley since 1988), as the Braves overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Northern Iowa 57-54. The win led to Bradley's first NCAA Tourney appearance since 2006. Bradley finished this year 11-7 in MVC play (tied with Ind St for third), although the Braves were the 4th-seed. However, Bradley's back in the title game with wins over Southern Illinois and Drake.

The Crusaders are led by freshman PG Freeman-Liberty (18.9-5.9-3.3), who gets help from a trio of guards combining for just under 18 PPG. The 6-8 Ryan Fazekas, a graduate transfer from Marquette, was lost early on to an ankle injury but he returned in late January. He checks in as the team's only other double digit scoer at 10.8 PPG. However, like the backcourt, Valp has depth up front, as four others chip in between 6.4 and 9.4 PPG, with 6-7 freshman Clay being the top scorer (9.4) and rebounder (4.7) of that group. Freeman-Liberty scored 29 points with nine rebounds and five assists, as Valparaiso beat Missouri State 89-82 Saturday to advance to the championship game.

Bradley's a veteran team, led by returning guards Brown (14.3 & 4.6 APG) at the point and Kennell (12.5 & 4.4). LSU transfer Kingsby (7.4) starts with the aforementioned duo in the backcourt, with the 6-7 Childs (14.7 & 8.7) and the 6-11 Bar (6.4 & 7.) starting up front. The 6-6 Henry (9.3 & 5.9) is also a frontcourt contributor. Darrell Brown scored 25 points to lead FIVE players in double-figure scoring as No. 4 seed Bradley beat eighth-seeded Drake 76-66 on Saturday to advance to a second straight Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship.

FOUR wins in four days? I'm not convinced (even a little) that Valpo's up to that task. The No. 7 seed Crusaders beat 10th-seed Evansville Thursday by just THREE points (note: Purple Aces lost all 19 MVC games this season) and then upset No. 2 seed Loyola Chicago on Friday in OT. Saturday's win over Missouri St came over a team that like Valpo finished 9-9 in conference play and sees its season end with a 16-17 record. Playing off back-to-back outright wins as an underdog makes me believe the THIRD time WON'T be the charm for Valpo. For Bradley, it will be "deja vu all over again," as the Braves capture a SECOND-straight MVC Tourney title and make a SECOND-straight trip to the Big Dance.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Eye-Opener is on Maryland at 1:00 ET.

John Beilein left Michigan to take the head coaching job with the Cleveland Cavaliers (that went well, didn't it?), after leading the Wolverines to NINE NCAA tourneys in his 12 years (twice lost in the national championship game). Taking over was former Fab Fiver Juwan Howard, who had to replace forward Ignas Brazdeikis (14.8 & 5.4) plus guards Jordan Poole (12.8) and Charles Matthews (12.2 & 5.0). Michigan opened the season unranked but began 7-0, after winning the Battle 4 Atlantis (Thanksgiving week). The Wolverines shocked then-No. 6 North Carolina (73-64) and now-No. 2 Gonzaga in the championship game. When "the dust had settled," Michigan wound up No. 4 in the AP poll on Dec 4. However, the Wolverines then went 4-9 over their next 13 games to fall to 11-8, including 2-6 in the Big Ten. Michigan to win SEVEN of eight but then dropped two in a row. The Wolverines ended that mini two-game skid with an 82-58 rout of Nebraska on Thursday to virtually punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

Mark Turgeon's Maryland team was ranked 7th in the AP's preseason poll and the Terps opened 10-0. They were ranked No. 4 when they lost Dec 10 at Penn St, a defeat started a 3-4 run. However, Maryland then won NINE in a row from Jan 18-Feb 18. Heading into their final five games, the ninth-ranked Terrapins were in excellent position to claim the regular-season title outright, but they've stumbled toward the finish line. Maryland has lost to Ohio State, Michigan State and Rutgers, with its lone victory during that span coming in a one-point win over Minnesota.

The Wolverines scored 50 points in the second half of their win over Nebraska, capping off an emotional Senior Night in Ann Arbor, which saw PG Zavier Simpson (12.9-4.4-7.9) and 7-1 center Jon Teske (11.7 & 6.9) play their final home game. The return to health of the 6-7 Isaiah Livers has been huge for Michigan. He leads the team in scoring at 13.3 PPG, which give Michigan FIVE players in double digits. Guards Wagner (11.4 & 5.7) and Brooks (10.8) round out that group. With "all hands on deck," Michigan has regained its swagger.

Maryland lost the 6-10 Fernando and his double-double average (13.6 & 10.6) from last year's 23-11 NCAA team (lost in the 2nd round) but FOUR starters returned. PG Anthony Cowan Jr. (16.2 & 4.6 APG) is the team's leading scorer, closely followed by the 6-10 Jalen Smith (15.4 & 10.5). Guards Aaron Wiggins (10.2 & 4.1), Morsell (8.6 & 4.8) and Ayala (8.2) plus 6-8 freshman Donta Scott (6.0 & 3.8) round out Maryland's main contributors.

One can't ignore that Maryland enters its final regular-season game a bit shaken but the Terrapins can still claim at least a share of the Big Ten title with a victory over No. 25 Michigan on Sunday. PG Cowan and the 6-10 Smith are an outstanding 'one-two punch,' with Smith leading the Big Ten with 20 double-doubles (has double-doubles in 12 of his last 13). Michigan lost the previous week to both Wisconsin and Ohio St and I'm not sure a win over hapless Nebraska means much. This stat may surprise some (it did me), as Maryland has won a Big Ten-best 45 home games since the start of the 2017-18 season. A 46th home win here and the Terps earn a share of the Big Ten regular season title for the first time since joining the conference.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* West Coast Crusher is on Oregon at 11:00 ET.

No. 13 Oregon (20-7 / 12-5 Pac 12) can finish with no worse than a share of the Pac-12 Conference title if it can beat Stanford (20-10 / 9-8 Pac 12) on Saturday in Eugene, in the regular-season finale for both teams. Oregon pulled into a tie atop the conference (with UCLA) on Thursday with its 90-56 blowout of visiting Cal. Meanwhile, Stanford battled back from a 10-point deficit in the second half to take a one-point lead with less than a minute remaining at Oregon St, only to lose 68-65.

The loss dropped Stanford behind Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and USC, all of which are tied at 10-7 heading into the final day of regular-season competition. The four-team logjam ahead of the Cardinal make it unlikely that Stanford could secure one of the four byes in the Pac-12 tournament. Stanford features the inside/outside duo of 6-10 da Silva (16.1 & 6.3) and PG Terry (15.2-4.6-3.2) plus the Cardinal lead the Pac-12 in scoring defense at 61.9 PPG.

Oregon is led by senior PG Payton Pritchard (20.2-4.3-5.6). He's a leading candidate for Pac-12 player of the year and the ONLY player in the nation averaging at least 20 points, four rebounds and five assists per game. The Chris Duarte, the team’s second leading scorer (12.9) and rebounder (5.6), is out indefinitely due to a broken finger. However, he's been replaced in the starting lineup by Mathis (8.3), who has averaged 13.7 points in his last three games. Guard Richardson (10.9) and 6-7 forward Juiston (8.0 & 6.20 have been solid contributors all season.

An Oregon win would guarantee the Ducks the tournament's top seed by virtue of having won its lone meeting with UCLA and considering the Ducks have won 21 consecutive home games, including all 16 this season, I like Oregon's chances to do just that. However, the Ducks have to cover to 'ca$h' but I like their chances to do that as well. Oregon's romp over Cal was its widest margin of victory in a Pac-12 game this season and the Ducks will well-remember losing 70-60 at Stanford back on Feb 1. The Cardinal opened Pac 12 play 4-0 but are just 5-8, since. Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* CBB Rivalry Game of the Year is on Mississippi St at 6:30 ET.

Ole Miss (15-15 / 6-11 SEC) visits Starkville for the regular season finale for both the Rebels and their longtime Rivals, the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Ole Miss will be very lucky to play in any of the this season's postseason tourneys and while 19-11 Mississippi St (10-7 SEC) will surely continue to play after the SEC tourney, the Bulldogs will likely need to make some 'noise' in the conference tourney to have any chance of earning an at-large bid to the Big Dance.

Kermit Davis made quite any name for himself at Middle Tenn St and took Ole Miss to last year's NCAA tourney (finished 20-13). However, he's no such success this season. However, the Rebels have won their last two. Ole Miss owns a good backcourt, led by senior guard Breein Tyree (20.3) He is joined by Shuler (11.4-4.7-3.4) and Hinson (10.6 & 4.7). The 6-7 Buffen (10.7 & 6.1) and the 6-10 Sy (9. 1& 5.5) give the Rebels a decent frontcourt duo.

Ben Howland knows more than just a little about coaching and his Miss St team has put together back-to-back seasons of 25 and 23 wins in the tough SEC. This year's team will sure misses Qiunndary Witherspoon (18.5 PPG) but FOUR starters returned plus he added freshman guards Stewart and Molinar. The 6-10 Perry (17.2 & 9.9) leads in scoring and rebounding plus the Bulldogs are 'loaded' on the perimeter. Carter (14.1) leads the way, joined by vets Weatherspoon (11.7-3.6-4.0) & Woodard (11.4 & 6.7) plus freshman Stewart (8.6) and Molinar (6.0).

Miss St had won FOUR of five but saw a big opportunity for a win go by the board with an 83-71 loss at South Carolina on Tuesday (Gamecocks are another bubble team). However, the Bulldogs still have a chance to gain one of the top-four seeds and a double bye in the SEC tourney if they get some help elsewhere and they defeat the Rebels. Miss St can only control this game and a dominating win over its bitter rival (Ole Miss is 1-9 SU in true road games) is EXACTLY what I expect from the Bulldogs.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Eye-Opener is on Indiana at 12:00 ET.

Wisconsin has been to the "Big Dance" in 20 of the last 21 seasons and as the 24th-ranked Badgers visit Indiana for tehri regular season finale, they are the hottest team in the Big Ten. Wisconsin has won SEVEN in a row (20-10 / 13-6 Big Ten) and claim at least a share of the Big Ten championship for the first time since 2015 with a win Saturday over the 19-11 (9-10 Big Ten) Hoosiers. Archie Miller began his third season as Indiana's head coach in 2019-20 and KNEW he had better improve on the 16 and 19-win seasons the Hoosiers delivered in his first two seasons at Bloomington. Indiana was 10-1 in non-conference play but it's been 'tough sledding' in Big Ten. The schools met Dec 7 in Madison and Wisconsin came away with an 84-64 victory over Indiana

The Badgers lost the 6-10 Happ (17.3 & 10.1) and a solid guard in Iverson (6.9 & 4.5) from last season's 23-win NCAA team but the Badgers returned a solid core. The 6-11 Reuvers (12.9 & 4.4) may not be Happ but he's a quality man. Wisconsin owns a 'DEEP' backcourt, even though King left the team (he was averaging 10.0 PPG but his last game was Jan 24 and he's headed to Nebraska?). In fact, the Badgers are 10-2 without him. Trice (10.0-4.0-4.2), Davison (9.8 & 4.4) and Pritzl (8.2) are a quality trio on the perimeter. The 6-10 Micah Potter, an Ohio St transfer who became eligible in December, has averaged 9.9 & 6.0 since joining the team (he's played 19 games) and along with the 6-8 Ford (8.5 & 4.4), support Reuvers up front.

Indiana lost two NBA players from last year's team, guard Langford (16.5 & 5.4) and the 6-7 Morgan (15.5 & 8.2), but highly-touted 6-9 freshman Jackson-Davis (13.9 & 8.1) has been as good as advertised. He's joined up front by returning 6-7 forward Smith (10.5 & 5.3) and 6-11 Butler graduate transfer Brunk (7.0 & 5.3). The backcourt has depth in Green (10.6), Durham (9.7) and Phinisee (7.3).

The Badgers find themselves in position to secure the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament based on tiebreakers with Maryland and Michigan State if they can win here. However, while the Badgers have lost only once since Feb 1, SIX of their eight wins since have come at home. Indiana comes into this contest having snapped a two-game losing streak with a 72-67 home win over Minnesota on Wednesday night, as all five starters scored in double figures in the win, led by freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had 18 points and 9 rebounds, despite playing through a foot sprain. Indiana is 15-3 at home this season and more notably, has gone 5-1 against ranked teams this season with the lone loss coming 77-76 to Maryland. The Hoosiers have beaten ranked teams Florida State, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State and Iowa at Assembly Hall. Wisconsin would love to win the Big Ten regular season title but the badgers have clinched a "double-bye" in the tourney, as the school gets set of its 21st NCAA appearance in the last 22 season. Meanwhile, Indiana is vying for a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 and has played excellent defense lately, holding  their last five opponents to 65.4 PPG. A win here could greatly help the school's at-large resume.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* WCC Tourney Game of the Year is on Santa Clara at 11:30 ET.

Herb Sendek has taken schools like Miami-Fl, NC State and Arizona St to the "Big Dance." He was fired on March 24, 2015 by Arizona State, after an 18–16 record, losing to USC in the Pac-12 Tournament and a trip to the NIT. Sendek accepted the head coaching job at Santa Clara on March 28, 2016, replacing recently fired coach, Kerry Keating. After seasons of 17, 11 and 16 wins, Sendek's Broncos earned their 20th win of the 2019-20 season last night, beating Portland 76-62. The Broncos will take on the 15-15 Pepperdine Waves in the second round of the WCC Tourney in Las Vegas (Orleans Arena). While Pepperdine was just 15-15, the Waves' 9-9 league mark gave them a first-round bye, as the Broncos went just 6-10 in MCC play during the regular season.

Wertz (12.0-3.5-4.0) and Eddy (8.9) are a solid backcourt duo plus Sendek has real depth and SIZE in his frontcourt. The group includes the 6-9 Vrankic (12.3 & 5.5), the 6-8 Mitchell (10.6 & 5.2), the 6-11 Caruso (9.7 & 4.40 and the 6-10 Bediako (6.6 & 5.3). Pepperdine PG Ross (19.8-4.4-7.2) will be the best player on the court and Chavez (10.1) is a solid backcourt partner. Up front, the Waves feature the Edwards brothers, 6-6 senior Kameron adds 16.5 & 7.1, while 6-8 sophomore Kessler adds 13.7 & 7.6.

Pepperdine has underachieved all season (7-7 in non-conference action / 8-8 in WCC play), yet beat Santa Clara both times during the regular season, 90-86 (OT) on the road and 91-77 at home. That 91-77 result at Pepperdine was the FIRST of SIX straight losses for Santa Clara (Broncos had been 18-6). However, back-to-back wins over Portland has Santa Clara back in the winning column and I believe the Broncos are headed to Saturday's quarterfinals, as "the THIRD time will be the charm" in this meeting with the Waves.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on Indiana St at 9:35 ET.

It's Arch Madness in the MVC, as the third-seeded Indiana State Sycamores (18-11 / 11-7) take on the sixth-seed Missouri State Bears (15-16 / 9-9) Friday night at the Enterprise Center in St Louis. Missouri State won a tiebreaker with Valparaiso, earning a first round bye into the quarterfinals (FYI...Valpo was able to edge winless Evansville on Thursday and will play on Friday, as well).

The Bears hired Dana Ford as their head coach in 2018, after he was an unimpressive 57-65 in four years at Tennessee St. Not sure the school should have been too surprised with last year's 16-16 and not much has changed this season, either. The Bears are led by guard Cook (14.6 & 4.6) but the loss of PG Dixon (7.2-4.0-3.6) to season-ending shoulder surgery (last played Jan 11), has left the team with a shortage of quality perimeter players. The frontcourt is rotating five players, chipping in between 5.3 and 13.6 PPG. The top performers are 6-8 forwards Prim (13.6 & 4.8) and Da Silva (9.8 & 7.0).

Greg Lansing is in his 10th season as Indiana St's head coach. He burst onto the national scene as a rookie head coach with the Sycamore basketball program in 2010-11, as he became just the second-ever Indiana State head coach to lead the team to the NCAA Tournament in his first season (The first was Bill Hodges and the 1979 NCAA Final 4 team led by Larry Bird). However, he's never matched that success since. The Sycamores went to the CBI in his second season and then back-to-back NITs but ISU entered the current season off FIVE straight sub-.500 seasons. That's changed with this year's 18-11 team. This year's team owns an excellent guard duo in Key (15.8 & 4.7) and Barnes (12.6-3.7-3.7) and I think that gives them an edge in this tournament setting.

I can't think of  SINGLE reason why a 15-16 team would be favored (at a neutral site) over an 18-11 team. Let me note that ISU opened 0-4, so that means the Sycamores are 18-7 their last 25 games. ISU's last loss was at home to tonight's opponent on Feb 16 (note: ISU won at Mo St on Feb 1), with the Sycamores winning FOUR in a row to end the regular season, after that defeat. ISU's winning streak began with a home upset of Northern Iowa (MVC's No. 1 seed) and also included TWO road wins. Any 'FREE' points are a bonus.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on Davidson at 9:00 ET.

Mike Rhoads took over at VCU for Will Wade when he left for LSU and after the Rams won a disappointing 18 games in his first season, went 25-8 last season as VCU earned an NCAA bid for the NINTH time in the last 11 seasons. The Rams returned all four of their double-figure scorers from last season’s team, as the lone starter lost from the 2018-19 team was the 6-8 Mobley (no real loss). Bob McKillop is in his 31st season as Davidson's head coach and he's had quite a run (578-350 overall with nine NCAA teams entering the current season). His best-known team was the 2007-08 edition, when Steph Curry led the Wildcats into the Elite 8. Davidson came into this season off a 24-10 year, while returning all five starters. Both schools had high expectations but as they meet in the regular-season final for each, VCU is 18-12 (8-9 in A-10 play) and Davidson just 1`5-14 (9-8 in A-10).

Th 6-7 Santos-Silva (12.8 & 9.1) is VCU's top scorer and rebounder but starting guards Jenkins (10.7 & 4.2) and Evans (9.9) have each recently been sidelined. Jenkins because of a personal health matter(?) and Evans to an MCL knee sprain. Those losses partly explain the team's recent collapse, one in which VCU has gone 1-6 SU and ATS its last seven. VCU's lone double digit scorer now is Santos-Silva.

Davidson's season turned very early on, as the 6-6 Pritchett's knee injury saw him lost for the season before it started plus SG Frampton left for personal reasons after FIVE games. That's TWO of last year's five returning starters. PG Jon Axel Gudmundsson was the A-10s P-O-Y last season and is averaging 14.4-7.2-4.4. Fellow guard Grady led the team in scoring last season and has done so again this year, checking in at 17.1 & 4.2. The 6-10 Luka Drogkovic (10.3 & 4.9) is the third starter back from last season, while returning guard Collins (10.0 & 3.9) and a pair of freshman, round out Davidson's main contributors. The freshman are the 6-7 Lee (8.4 & 3.2) and guard Jones (5.7)

VCU's current slide began right after it won 73-62 at home over Davidson back on Feb 7. However, Jenkins and Evans played in that one (combining for 34 points) and NEITHER are available in this one. "Revenge" will be sweet for Davidson in this one, particularly for Gudmundsson, who scored just four points in the first meeting, making just ONE of eight FG. This marks Gudmundsson's final home game and I expect a big effort from him here, as the injury-riddled Rams go 'quietly.'

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Horizon League Tourney Game of the Year is on Wisconsin-Green Bay at 8:00 ET.

The Horizon League tourney opened Tuesday and Oakland advanced with an 80-59 home win over Cleveland St. The now 14-18 Golden Grizzlies will travel to Green Bay to take on the 16-15 Phoenix, who earned the league's No. 3 seed by going 11-7 in league' play (Oakland was just 8-10). Oakland owns a excellent 'one-two punch' in guard Williams (19.8) and the 6-7 Hill-Mais (17.0 & 8.3). Williams, who didn't become eligible until mid-January, had 14 points in the win over Cleveland St, while Hill-Mais had a double-double (26 & 12). Oakland shot 49.1% at home, while Cleveland St made just 38.7%, including a woeful 2 of 11 on threes.

The Golden Grizzlies can't expect that kind of poor shooting here, as Green Bay is averaging 82.2 PPG (4-th best in the nation). Green Bay has excellent depth, as EIGHT players are seeing 15-plus minutes of "PT," led by PG McCloud (17.4-5.1-4.6) plus fellow guards Davis (15.8) and Hankerson (11.3). Green Bay was forced to play FIVE consecutive road games from Feb 6 through Feb 23, before ending the regular season with back-to-back home wins. The final stop on that five-game road trip was at Oakland, which 'escaped' with a 92-88 double-OT win over Green Bay. Some revenge and home cookin' gets Green Bay the win and cover, here!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* MVC Tourney Game of the Year is on Drake at 7:00 ET.

First Round play begins tonight in the MVC Tourney in St Louis. It's been dubbed "Arch Madness" but neither Illinois St (10-20 / 5-13) nor Drake (18-13 / 8-10) is expected to be around by the weekend. Dan Muller served for 12 years as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt University under head coach Kevin Stallings, whom he played for at Illinois State from in the late-90s. He was named head coach at his alma mater for the 2012-13 season and after SEVEN consecutive winning season (including a 28-7 record in 2016-17), his eight season will NOT end well (see above).

Darian DeVries played collegiately at Northern Iowa. He was named assistant coach at Creighton in 2001. He stayed with Creighton following the departure of Dana Altman and the hire of Greg McDermott but became a head coach for the first time when he accepted the job at former conference rival Drake in March 2018. The Bulldogs went 24-10 last season, including 12-6 in MVC play (T-1st) but they have not built on that success this season (again, see record above)

However, Drake is a MUCH better team than Illinois St and "at this price," is a STRONG play. SIX players have played in all 31 games (all have averaged 21-plus minutes), led by the 7-0 Robbins (13.8 & 6.9) and PG Penn (11.7-4.5-5.5), who was a Siena transfer who sat out last season. Guard Copeland (14.6) is the lone double digit scorer for the Redbirds, although FIVE more players chip in between 6.3 & 9.5 PPG. The best of that group is the team's lone frontcourt player of note, the 6-8 Fisher (9.5 & 5.9).

Drake was 2-10 on the road but did win TWO of three neutral-site contests. Meanwhile, not only was Illinois St 1-11 in true road games (lone win at Evansville which went 0-18 in the MVC) but the Redbirds lost all THREE neutral-site games as well. Drake owns the best big man on the floor (Robbins) plus a solid lead-guard in Penn. Drake may not survive a Friday meeting with the No. 2 seed (Loyola-Chi) but a victory gets them to 19 wins, with a chance for back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since winning 26, 21 and 22 games from 1969-71 (only 20-win season since 1970-71 was a 28-win season in 2007-08). Bulldogs are the play!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on Rhode Island at 9:00 ET.

Anthony Grant had success at both VCU and Alabama, before taking Dayton job for the 2017-18 season (he had a successful four-year playing career as a Flyer). Grant's first two seasons saw the Flyers go a modest 35-29 but his current Dayton team is ranked No. 3 in the latest AP poll, the school's highest ranking since being No. 2 in the 1955-56 season. Dayton is 27-2, with its two losses coming in OT to Kansas (current No. 1) and Colorado. The Flyers have already clinched the Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season title (16-0) and will put their 18-game winning streak on the line tonight when they visit Rhode Island on Wednesday.

Rhode Island head coach David Cox went 18-15 in his 'rookie year' at Rhode Island last season but had all FIVE starters back to open the current season. The Rams are 20-8 and at 12-4 in A-10 play, sit just ONE game back of second-place Richmond in the league standings. The Rams need one win in their last two games to earn a double-bye in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

Dayton ranks FIRST in the nation by shooting 52.6% from the floor plus allows 65.2 PPG (pretty good when one is scoring 80.0 PPG). Leading the way is 6-9 All-America candidate Obi Toppin (also a P-O-Y candidate), who is a certain NBA first-round pick if he decides to forgo his final two seasons. Toppin leads the team in scoring (19.7) and rebounding (7.8), while a trio of guards join him in double digits. That group includes PG Jalen Crutcher (14.8 & 4.9 APG), Trey Landers (10.7 & 6.5) and Ibi Watson (10.2). Toppin is joined up front by 6-7 senior Mikesell, who adds 8.7 & 4.9.

PG Fatts Russell (19.5-3.4-4.6) leads the team in scoring plus is joined by two other guards in double digits, Dowtin (14.0-3.6-3.2) and Martin (13.0 & 7.0). 6-8 senior Cyril Langevine (10.2-10.4) is one of just a handful of players averaging a double-double for the entire season  plus a trio of frontcourt players combine to chip in about 16 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

The Rams lost 81-67 at Dayton back on Feb 11 but actually pretty much played Dayton even, after falling behind 17-0! That loss ended a 10-game Rhode Island winning streak and leaves the Rams just 2-3 their last five. Sunday's 72-62 loss to Saint Louis placed Rhode Island squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, as the Rams are currently projected by ESPN to be one of the first four teams out of the tournament. That said, a victory over the Flyers could change all that! A win secures a double-bye into the upcoming A-10 tourney and could just secure an at-large NCAA bid. That would be a pretty 'sweet daily-double.' That's my bet.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Conference Crusher (ACC) is on UVA at 9:00 ET.

Virginia won the school's first-ever national championship last season but gone from that team are its top-three scorers, guards Guy (15.4 & 4.5), Hunter (15.2 & 5.1) and Jerome (13.6 & 4.2). The Cavs opened 7-0 and were ranked 5th when they lost 69-40 at Purdue on Dec 4. UVA was 11-2 (3-0 ACC) and ranked 18th when it lost 60-53 at BC on Jan 4. That defeat was the start of UVA losing FOUR of five. However, the surging Cavs have now won SIX straight and NINE of 10 to reach 21.7. They are 13-5 and tied with Duke for third in the ACC. Virginia climbed back into AP top-25 at No. 22 on Monday and there is no longer ANY talk of missing the "Big Dance."

Jim Larranga famously led George Mason to the Final Four back in 2006 and has been at Miami since the 2011-12 season. He won 20-plus games in SIX of his first seven years at Miami (four NCAA teams) but the team was just 14-18 last year and now 14-12 this season, including 6-12 in ACC play. The Hurricanes are returning home from a disappointing 1-2 road swing, which included a miserable showing Saturday in a 63-57 loss at Georgia Tech (note: Miami scored a season-low 24 points in the first half).

The 6-9 Diakite and 5-9 PG Clark are the returning starters from last year's defending champs and Diatke leads in scoring at 13.6 PPG, while adding 6.6 RPG. Clark naturally leads the team in assists (6.0) and adds 10.7 PPG. The 6-8 Key joins him in the backcourt and he adds 10.2 PPG and a team-high 7.4 RPG.  Woldetensae is fairly new to the starting lineup and while he's been 'quiet' the last two games (only a combined five points), he had 13.3 PPG his previous eight. 7-1 junior center Jay Huff (8.1 & 6.1) had one of the best games of his career on Saturday in a 52-50 home win over then-No. 7 Duke. He nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 15 points, 10 blocks and nine rebounds.

The Hurricanes are close to full strength with Chris Lykes, Kameron McGusty and Rodney Miller all back from injuries. Lykes (15.2) leads a solid guard trio that also includes Vasiljevic (13.2 & 4.2) and McGusty (13.0 & 4.1). However, freshman guard Isaiah Wong (7.6) had his streak of NINE straight games with double-digit scoring halted with a six-point effort against Georgia Tech. Rodney Miller Jr., Miami's 7-foot, 255-pound redshirt junior center, provides some scoring from the post as well as rebounding, averaging 7.6 points and 5.8 rebounds. He is joined up front by the 6-10 Waardenburg (6.2 & 5.9).

Jim Larranaga (now 70-years-old) is in danger of having his SECOND straight losing season, which would mark the first time that's happened to him since 1991-93, when he coached at Bowling Green. Miami will surely look to bounce-back from its 'ugly' effort at Ga Tech but UVA allows just 52.6 PPG (1st). What's more, the Cavs should not have trouble against a Miami D allowing 74.6 PPG, 301st in the nation. Cavs continue their climb up the ACC standings and in the AP poll.

Good lucky...Larry

My 9* play is on Arkanasa at 7:00 ET.

LSU burst of the SEC gates at 8-0 but has since gone 3-5 (Tigers are 20-9 overall). LSU tied for second in the conference with No. 17 Auburn after a 64-50 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday and is on the verge of earning a double-bye in the SEC tourney. Mike Anderson never fulfilled his promise at Arkansas and was let go after eight seasons (just three NCAA bids). To the rescue has come Eric Mussleman, who led Nevada to the CBI title in his first season at Reno (2015-16) and then to three consecutive NCAA tourneys the last three years (won 28, 29 and 29 games!). Four starters returned  for Arkansas but Mussleman added FIVE transfers in his first five months on the job. The Razorbacks were coming off a 18-16 season but enter this contest 18-11 but just 6-10 in SEC play.

All five of LSU's starters are in double digits, led by guard Skylar Mays (16.2 & 5.0). He's joined by Javonte Sn]mart (12.4-3.3-4.1) in the backcourt, while the 6-9 Watkins (13.6 & 7.1), the 6-6 Williams (13.4 & 6.7) and the 6-6 Days (11.7 & 7.2) make up the frontcourt. Arkansas is led by PG Jones (21.3-5.7-3.4), who is joined in double digits by 6-5 SF Joe (16.9 & 4.1), plus guards Whitt (13.8 & 4.7) and Sills (10.4 & 3.1). The best frontcourt player is the 6-6 Bailey (6.9 & 4.5)

LSU hasn't won back-to-back games since opening SEC play at 8-0 and after beating A&M the last time out, I wouldn't trust them here. The Razorbacks lost Joe for a few games but he's returned the last three to average 23.0 PPG. This would count as a valued Quad 1 win for Razorbacks, who could move to the "safe side" of the Big Dance 'cut-line' with a victory. That's my bet.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* play is on Temple at 7:00 ET.

Tulsa head coach Frank Haith has had stops at Miami-Fl and Missouri before coming to Tulsa, where he led the Golden Hurricane to back-to-back 20-win seasons in his first two seasons at the school. However, Tulsa entered this season on a three-year postseason drought, so the team's 20-9 record so far, is "big news" in Tulsa. The Golden are 12-4 in AAC play, tied with No. 21 Houston for first place. Temple has a first-year head coach in Aaron McKie, but he's hardly "new." McKie played three years at Temple (he was the 1993 Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year as a junior) and then after a 15-year NBA career, returned to Temple as Dunphy's assistant from 2014-19. Temple was picked to finish seventh in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll and the Owls are currently 8th (6-10), with an overall record of 14-15.

The Golden Hurricane are led by the trio of guard Rachal (12.4 & 5.7) plus forwards Igbanu (13.2 & 5.1) and Horne (11.1 & 5.2) (11.1 & 5.1). Three more guards all play 25-plus minutes, combining for about 23 PPG. Temple is led by senior guard Quinton Rose (16.2-4.9-3.5) and junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis (11.5 & 8.4). The Owls have excellent depth in the backcourt with Moore (8.5) and Scott (7.4). Up front, it's the 6-8 Forrest (8.0 & 4.1), the 6-7 Perry (5.9 & 2.7) and the 6-7 Moorman (5.8 & 5.1).

Tulsa's been terrific at home (15-2) but can be had on the road. It's Senior Night for Temple, as Quinton Rose plays his last home game. The home team is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings between these two schools and I'm taking the Owls.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Revenge Game of the Year is on Iowa at 9:00 ET.

Full, detailed analysis by 9:00 ET Tuesday morning.

My 9* PERFECT STORM is on Rutgers at 7:00 ET.

Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell is in his fourth season at the school, having gone 44-54 in his first three. Coming off a 14-17 season a year ago, Rutgers was picked 12th (of 14 schools) in the Big Ten preseason polls but the Scarlet Knights got off to their best start since the 1996-97 season and earned an AP ranking for the first time since the end of the 1978-79 season back on Jan 20. However, the Scarlet Knights are just 4-7 since losing at Iowa on Jan 22, including their first home loss of the season 60-52 to Michigan on Feb 19. Rutgers ha s followed the loss to the Wolverines with back-to-back road losses at Wisconsin and Penn St and welcome Maryland to New Jersey 18-11 overall, including 9-9 in the Big Ten. Mark Turgeon's team was ranked 7th in the AP's preseason poll and the Terps opened 10-0. They were ranked No. 4 when they lost Dec 10 at Penn St, a defeat started a 3-4 run. However, Maryland then won NINE in a row from Jan 18-Feb 18. Maryland is 23-6 overall and despite TWO losses in its last three, is atop the Big Ten at 13-5 (ONE game up on three schools).

Maryland lost the 6-10 Fernando and his double-double average (13.6 & 10.6) from last year's 23-11 NCAA team (lost in the 2nd round) but FOUR starters returned. PG Anthony Cowan Jr. (16.1-3.6-4.7) is the team's leading scorer, closely followed by the 6-10 Jalen Smith (15.3 & 10.5). Guards Aaron Wiggins (10.4 & 5.1), Morsell (8.6 & 4.8) and Ayala (8.2) plus 6-8 freshman Donta Scott (6.2 & 3.1) round out Maryland's main contributors.

Pikiel took his team to Spain in August and Rutgers went 4-0, while jelling as a unit. The "breakout star" of that trip was guard Ron Harper, who averaged 17.0 PPG on 53 percent shooting. He's currently Rutgers' leading scorer, averaging 12.1 PPG and adds 5.7 RPG. PG Baker (10.6 & 3.5 APG) plus a trio of other of guards combine to add 22.4 PPG. Up front, the 6-6 Yeboah (9.8 & 4.7) and the 6-10 Johnson (7.9 & 8.0) are the biggest contributors.

Ninth-ranked Maryland can clinch at least a share of its first Big Ten regular-season title since joining the conference in 2014 when it visits Rutgers on Tuesday. The Terrapins missed a chance to seal the deal on Saturday, losing 78-66 at home to Michigan State. Martyland two previous games saw thenm lost at Ohio St and edge Minnesota 74-73, when Morsell hit a three-pointer with 1.9 seconds to go in the game. Maryland beat Rutgers just 56-51 back on Feb 4 in College Park, overcoming a five-point halftime deficit. Maryland's 56 points was the team's lowest output in its last 12 games and now must beat Rutgers at "The RAC" (Rutgers Athletic Center), where the Scarlet Knights are 17-1 (most home wins of any school, so far!). This will be Senior Night in Piscataway, N.J., and the RAC will be packed with fans to cheer the squad still enjoying its first winning season in 14 years, and hoping for its first NCAA Tournament bid in 29 seasons. Sounds  like PERFECT STORM to me!

Good luck...Larry
 
 

My 9* Weekly Wipeout is on North Carolina at 7:00 ET.

Wake Forest visits Chapel Hill Tuesday night. Danny Manning is now in his sixth year as Wake's head coach and he entered the current season with just ONE winning season in his first five (65-93, .411 overall). Meanwhile, Roy Williams' Tar Heels were ranked No. 9 in the AP's preseason poll. However, as the teams meet in h=this final week of regular season play, Wake is 13-15 (6-12 ACC) and UNC just 12-17 (5-13). It would be hard to "make this up!"

Wake Forest enters having won two straight, defeating Duke in double overtime 113-101 on Feb 25 and then beating Notre Dame 84-73 on Feb 29. Wake features THREE double digit scorers in veteran guards Childress (15.1 & 4.6 APG) and Brown (12.7 & 6.5) plus 7-0 junior center Sarr (13.6 & 8.8). Senior guard White (9.4), just misses. UNC freshman guard Cole Anthony began his college career with a bang by scoring 34 points in his debut. North Carolina opened the season 5-0 but has lost 17 of 24 since that start. Anthony went down with a knee injury in early December and just returned at the beginning of February.  However, he's looked good and leads the etam with a line of 19.7-5.9-3.9. Fellow freshman, the 6-10 Bacot, has averaged 9.5 & 8.1, while junior forward Garrison Brooks has added 16.1 & 8.7. The team's fourth double digit scorer is senior guard Robinson (11.7). However, just as Anthony returned, he went down with an ankle injury. The good news is, he's been back for the last four games.

North Carolina has shown some life in its last two outings, following a seven-game losing streak by seven by knocking off North Carolina State on Tuesday and shooting 51.6 percent to win at Syracuse 92-79 on Saturday. The Tar Heels look to extend their winning streak to three games, for the first time since opening the season with five straight victories. It's been a "season to forget" for Roy Williams but he and his Tar Heels WON'T forget losing for the first time in six years to Wake Forest back on Feb 11. Wake won 74-57, as North Carolina went 1 of 16 on three-pointers. It was the worst display seen at Chapel Hill since the days Matt Doherty was on the bench almost two decades ago. Wake is just 1-9 SU on the road, so lay the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekend Wipeout in on Wisconsin at 6:30 ET.

Richard Pitino has had a roller-coaster run at Minnesota, capturing the NIT (25 wins) in his first season but then falling to 18 wins and just EIGHT wins the next two seasons. The last three seasons have seen 24 and 22-win NCAA teams sandwiched around a 15-win season. Pitino opened the current season without guards Coffey (16.6) and McBrayer (8.9) plus big man Murphy (14.4 & 11.0), who gave the Minnesota program a combined 11 seasons. Minnesota comes into this game off blowing a 17-point lead in a 74-73 loss to Maryland on Wednesday. The Golden Gophers imploded down the stretch and at 13-14 (7-10 Big Ten), even their NIT hopes are on 'life support.'

Meanwhile, Wisconsin has been to the "Big Dance" in 20 of the last 21 seasons and the Badgers will take a five-game winning streak into this contest, looking to earn a top-four finish in the Big Ten, while taking another step towards securing an NCAA Tournament bid. After Saturday's results, Maryland leads the Big Ten at 13-5, with 12-6 Michigan St in second at 12-6. Wisconsin and Illinois (Illini host Indiana today) are both 11-6, while Penn St and Iowa are 11-7. A reminder, a top-four Big Ten finish earns a double-bye in the conference tournament.

Minnesota's 6-10 sophomore center Daniel Oturu iss averaging 20.0 & 11.4, while fellow sophomore, PG Marcus Carr, is averaging 15.5-5.6-6.7. Guards Kalscheur (11.4) Willis (9.2) plus the 6-9 Demir (7.0 & 4.) round out Minnesota's starting-five (Gophers don't have much depth). Oturu scored 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor and pulled down 11 rebounds against Maryland to register his fifth double-double in his last six games. Marcus Carr added 19 points and seven assists to give him 182, which broke the single-season assist record.

The Badgers lost the 6-10 Happ (17.3 & 10.1) and a solid guard in Iverson (6.9 & 4.5) from last season's 23-win NCAA team but the Badgers have a solid returning core. The 6-11 Reuvers (13.3 & 4.6) may not be Happ but he's a quality man. Wisconsin owns a 'DEEP' backcourt, even though King (10.0) left the team (last game was Jan 24). Trice (10.3-4.0-4.1), Davison (9.5 & 4.2) and Pritzl (7.9 & 3.7) are a quality trio. The 6-10 Micah Potter, an Ohio St transfer who became eligible in December, has averaged 9.9 & 6.1 since joining the team and along with the 6-8 Ford (8.4 & 4.3), support Reuvers up front. Trice went 5-of-6 from the three-point line en route to a game-high 28 points and dished out four assists as the Badgers finished 11-of-23 from beyond the arc in winning 81-74 at Michigan at No. 19 Michigan on Thursday. Aleem Ford added 18 points and eight rebounds, while Micah Potter produced 18 points and seven rebounds.

Wisconsin's last loss was at Minnesota (Feb 5), when the Badfgers fell 70-52. Wisconsin shot 28.4% in that contest but have won FIVE in a row since, averaging 76.0 PPG. Wiscionsin's 81-74 win at Michigan saw the Badgers top the 80-point mark in back-to-back road games for the first time since 1993-94! The Kohl Center has been a "House of Horrors" for visiting teams for two decades and the current season is NO different, with the Badgers going 13-1 (lone loss was 71-70 to Illinois). Lay the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* play is on SMU at 4:00 ET.

The Wichita State Shockers are traveling to the Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas to face off against the SMU Mustangs. The Shockers are 21-7 on the year and the Mustangs 19-8, with both teams checking in at 9-6 in conference play. Gregg Marshall led Winthrop to seven NCAA appearances in nine seasons and since taking over in Wichita, entered this season with a string of 10 consecutive seasons of 22 or more wins, including FOUR, 30-win seasons. In that 10-year span, the Shockers have been to seven NCAA tourneys (including a Final 4 appearance in 2013) and in three NITs (won title in 2011). Wichita St opened 15-1 (3-0 in AAC) and was ranked 16th in mid-January but is just 6-6 since that time (2-4 on the road). Tim Jankovich won 20-plus games in four of his five seasons at Illinois St, making four NIT appearances. He was announced as SMU's Associate Head Coach and coach-in-waiting in April of 2016 and then as head coach on July 8, 2016. He's had to bear the full force of NCAA sanctions due to Larry Brown's tenure but things are looking up this season. SMU breezed through a not-so-difficult non-conference schedule and few are complaining in Dallas with the Mustangs' 19-8 record.

Marshall's team goes eight-deep, led by sophomore guard Erik Stevenson (1 & 1.64.9). 6-10 senior center Echenique (11.4 & 7.0) comes in right behind Stevenson and just ahead of a quartet of guards, Burton (10.1-3.4-3.4), Etienne (9.9), Dennis (8.5 & 4.8) and Sherfeld (8.8). The 6-6 Wade (7.6 & 5.7), a transfer from UTEP. starts up front plus the 6-8 Udeze (4.4 & 2.9) provides depth.

Jankovich has two guards and two forwards making most of the contributions for his SMU team this season. PG Kendric Davis (a TCU transfer) owns a line of 15.0-4.4-6.9 and is joined in the backcourt by JC transfer Tyson Jolly (14.8 & 6.3). Then there are two 6-8 forwards, Isiaha Mike (13.8 & 6.3) and Feron Hunt (11.3 & 6.1). The 6-9 Chargois, who averaged 12.4 & 6.2 last season, continues to under-perform (6.8 & 3.7).

SMU has been sensational at Moody Coliseum, going 15-1 (lone loss back on Dec 7 to Georgetown?) and while the early-season Shockers might have won a game like this, the current version is NOT up to the task. Home team is the play.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* play is on Illinois at 2:00 ET.

Indiana is 18-10 (8-9 Big Ten) and will visit 18-10 Illinois (11-6 Big Ten) on Sunday, as the Big Ten concludes its second-to-last week of the regular season. Archie Miller began his third season as Indiana's head coach in 2019-20 and KNEW he had better improve on the 16 and 19-win seasons the Hoosiers delivered in his first two seasons at Bloomington. Indiana lost two NBA players from last year's team, guard Langford (16.5 & 5.4) and the 6-7 Morgan (15.5 & 8.2), but this year's team got off to an 11-1 start. The Hoosiers moved to 15-4 with a home win over Michigan St on Jan 23 but they then lost FOUR in a row. Indiana split its next four games but comes into this one off a loss 57-49 at Purdue, with its NCAA at-large hopes taking a big hit.

Brad Underwood was a head coach at Stephen F Austin and Oklahoma St before being hired at Illinois back on March 18, 2017. He signed a six-year contract through 2023 worth $18 million but after two seasons in Champaign, his Fighting Illini were just 26-39 (11-27 in Big Ten play). However, as Underwood entered the current season, he returned FOUR starters from last season's team plus added 6-9 freshman center Kofi Cockburn. Illinois can reach 20 wins for the first time since the 2016-17 season when it hosts Indiana on Sunday. The Fighting Illini have won three straight games, including a 74-66 victory over Northwestern on Thursday. After Saturday's results, Illinois and Wisconsin are both 11-6, behind only Michigan St (12-6) and Maryland (13-5) in the tightly contested Big Ten.

Highly-touted 6-9 freshman Jackson-Davis (13.8 & 8.0) has been as good as advertised plus he's joined up front by returning 6-7 forward Smith (10.6 & 5.4) and 6-11 Butler graduate transfer Brunk (7.0 & 5.4). The backcourt has depth in Green (10.6), Durham (9.6) and Phinisee (7.0 & 3.1 APG). Devonte Green scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds, but was the only Hoosier player to finish in double figures in the loss to Purdue. Trayce Jackson-Davis, who is the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week, was limited to six points on 2-of-7 shooting from the floor, after averaging 20 points and 13 rebounds over his previous two games.

The Illini are led PG Ayo Dosunmu (16.4-4.3-3.2)/ 6-9 freshman Cockburn (13.6 *& 9.1) and guard Feliz (10.8-4.9-3.0) join him in double figures, while guards Frazier (9.4) and Griffin (9.4 & 4.8), just miss. The 6-9 Bezhanishvili (8.4 & 4.3) works alongside of Cockburn, up front. Griffin had a career-high 24 points to help the Fighting Illini beat Northwestern for the fourth consecutive time, while  Dosunmu added 21 points, six rebounds and four assists, to notch his third 20-point game in his last four outings. Kofi Cockburn produced 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds to register his 12th double-double of the season.

Thursday's win guarantees Illinois will finish over .500 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2010 but Underwood's team wants more. First, would be securing a top-four finish in the Big Ten which gives them a double-bye in the conference tournament. This is the ONLY meeting between the two schools this season and while Illinois is 13-3 at home, Indiana is just 2-7 on the road, including 2-6 in the Big Ten, winning only at sad-sack Nebraska and sub-.500 Minnesota. Indiana is 5-14 on the road in Big Ten play since the start of the 2018-19 season and DOESN'T improve on that record here. Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* play is on North Texas at 2:00 ET.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are on the road for a game with the North Texas Mean Green. Both schools own 19 wins but the Hilltoppers trail the Mean Green in the race for the C-USA regular season title. Western Ky is 12-4, while North Texas is 13-3. Both schools have one more game remaining but since Western Ky won the first meeting (93-84 at home back on Jan 2), a win here would give the Hilltoppers the tiebreaker in case the team's finish with the same record.

Western Kentucky lost the 6-11 Bassey (15.3 & 9.2) back in December for the season and now relies on five guards plus 6-5 forward Williams (13.3 & 6.4), who plays bigger than his height. Hollingsworth.(16 & 4.3) is the team's leading scorer and is joined by four more guards in Savage (11.9 & 7.2), Justice (10.1), Anderson (9.9 & 4.0) and Rawls (7.9). The 6-5 Savage is the team's leading rebounder. North Texas owns a strong trio of guards, led by Gibson (14.9), PG Hamlet (14.2 & 4.7 APG) and Reese (8.9). SF Simms (9.0 & 5.1), the 6-8 Geu (7.6 & 5.6) and the 6-6 Bell (6.1 & 5.8) round out the main frontcourt contributors.

Here's the situation. Western Ky's Jan 2 home win over North Texas was its 10th straight in the series and dropped North Texas to 6-8 on the season (0-1 in C-USA). However, the Mean Green have gone 13-2 (all in league play) since that time and can now clinch the regular season title with a win. Despite the team's 10-game losing streak to Western Ky, you'll note that North Texas is a solid favorite in this game. I agree with the oddsmakers. North Texas says ENOUGH is ENOUGH and wins with room to spare!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* CBB Underdog of the Month is on Nevada at 8:00 ET.

San Diego State clinched the Mountain West regular-season championship back on Feb 11 with a win over New Mexico. The fifth-ranked Aztecs now will set their sights on posting the best record in the 21-year history of the conference when they travel to Reno on Saturday to face Nevada in their regular-season finale. The 2004-05 Utah Utes, led by national player of the year and eventual No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Andrew Bogut, compiled the best mark in Mountain West history with a 13-1 record (.929). However, the 27-1 Aztecs can top that by finishing 17-1 (.944) in league play with a victory over the 19-10 Nevada Wolf Pack who enter the contest with a season-high six-game win streak and in a tie for second place in the MWC with Utah State at 12-5.

The Aztecs bounced back from their lone loss of the season (66-63 at home to UNLV last Saturday) with a 66-60 Senior Night win over Colorado State on Tuesday, using a late 13-0 run to rally from a seven-point second-half deficit. Guard Malachi Flynn led the way, scoring 10 of San Diego State's final 17 points and finishing with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists, while forward Matt Mitchell added 15 points. FIVE Aztec players have played in all 28 games, averaging at lead 26-plus minutes. PG Flynn (16.9-4.4-5.1) leads the team in scoring and assists and is joined in the starting lineup by fellow guards Schakel (10.1) and Feagin (8.5-3.1-3.0). Two 6-10 players, Wetzell (11.7 & 6.5) and Mensah (6.9 & 6.8), plus SF Mitchell (12.5 PPG & 4.9), are the frontcourt contributors. SDSU has been known for its defense since Fisher arrived in San Diego and current head coach Brian Dutcher (he was on Fisher's staff in Michigan and SDSU), preaches the same 'sermon.' The Aztecs are allowing 58.6 PPG, 3rd-best in the NCAA.

Eric Mussleman led Nevada to the CBI title in his first season (2015-16) and then to three straight NCAA appearances with win totals of 28, 29 and 29. However, Musselman left for Arkansas and was replaced by Steve Alford. The former Indiana star had coaching success at Missouri St and New Mexico but was generally viewed as a 'flop' at UCLA, where he was fired during last season. He took over a Nevada team that lost all FIVE starters but Alford's done a good job, as the Wolf Pack are headed for a 20-win season. Jalen Harris, a La Tech transfer, leads the way averaging 21.8-6.5-3.9. He's joined by returning guards Johnson (16.0), Drew (11.6-6.7-4.2) and Zouzoua (9.8). No frontcourt player averages more than 20 minutes per game but a "group of four" combine to add 18.9 PPG and 16.3 RPG. Two 6-10 big men, freshman Meeks (6.7 & 3.9) and senior Reyes (4.7 & 4.3), are the best of the bunch.

I'm sure SDSU would like to finish 17-1 in MWC play but I don;7't see that a much of a motivating factor. A perfect regular season is another thing but that 'dream' was smashed last Saturday by UNLV. As for Nevada, Alford has done quite a job at Reno and the Wolf Pack would 'LOVE' to win here, giving the Aztecs something to think about if the schools meet in the MWC tourney. Nevada is riding a 20-game conference homecourt winning streak (dating back to Feb 7, 2018) so I'm taking the points with this 'live' home underdog!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* play is on USC at 8:00 ET.

Bobby Hurley won two national titles as Duke's PG (1991 and 1992) but was always destined to get into the 'family business,' as his father is Bob Hurley, Sr, the legendary high school coach of St Anthony's (NJ). Hurley's first job was at Buffalo and in his second season, led the Bulls to an NCAA berth. He used that as springboard to take the Arizona St job in 2015-16. However, he opened with back-to-back losing seasons (15 wins each year). Hurley's 2017-18 squad snuck into the "Big Dance" as a First Four team and the Sun Devils were back 'dancing' again last season, losing in the Round of 64 to finish 23-11. ASU was just 10-7 (1-3 in the Pac 12) in mid-January but the Sun Devils came to visit the Pac-12's two LA schools (UCLA and USC) this weekend in sole possession of first place in the conference at 10-4. It's the first time the Sun Devils have led the league this late in a season since joining the conference in 1978-79. However, despite a 30-point performance from point guard Remy Martin (19.5) and 23 points from senior guard Rob Edwards (11.3), ASU lost 75-52 at UCLA on Thursday (the game featured eight ties and 12 lead changes).

Andy Enfield came to USC with unlimited fanfare. He led Florida Gold Coast to 26 wins and a Sweet 16 appearance back in the 2012-13 season and used that as a springboard to come to LA. He also brought along stock in a company he helped manage to more than $100 million in net worth plus a beautiful former model of a wife (the perfect fit for California). However, he's had three winning and three losing seasons at USC. Last year's team was just 16-17 but this year team (now 20-9 / 9-7 in the Pac 12) took another step closer toward securing an NCAA Tournament at-large berth and a coveted top-four finish in the congested Pac-12 on Thursday night when it grinded out a 57-48 victory over visiting Arizona. 6-9 freshman forward Onyeka Okongwu recorded his 11th double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with four blocks in the win (he's averaging team highs in points at 16.5 and rebounds at 8.9). Senior guard Jonah Mathews (12.9) and 6-11 senior Nick Rakocevic (10.6 & 8.7) became the 41st and 42nd players in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark, early this season.

When all the dust had settled from Thursday, Oregon and UCLA sat atop the Pac 12 at 11-5, ASU was next at 10-5, Colorado at 10-6, Arizona at 9-6 and USC at 8-7. ASU is trying to avoid a 'lost' weekend in LA but that's exactly what I see happening. USC lost just 66-64 at Tempe (Feb 8) and is 12-2 at home this season, including going 8-1 its last nine.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* play is on California.

Mark Fox had a terrific run at Nevada, winning 20-plus games in each of his five seasons at Reno, making three NCAA tourneys. He used that as a 'springboard'  to coach in the SEC at Georgia but his nine-year stay in Athens was a huge disappointment, with just four, 20-win seasons and only TWO appearances in the "Big Dance." This is his first season at Berkeley and while Cal may be just 12-16, that's quite an improvement after recording EIGHT victories in each of the last two seasons. Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak is in his ninth season at Utah but after back-to-back NCAA teams in 2014-15 (26 wins) and 2015-16 (27 wins), the Utes began this season off three straight non-NCAA seasons. The Utes did go 9-3 in non-conference play but enter this game 15-13, including 6-10 in Pac 12 play.

Utah is led by 6-6 sophomore Timmy Allen (17.8 & 5.1) and he scored 17 points in Wednesday’s 70-62 loss at Stanford. Meanwhile. Cal's sophomore guard Matt Bradley (17.8) made five 3-pointers and matched his career high with 26 points in Thursday’s 76-62 win over No. 20 Colorado, as Cal ended a five-game losing streak against the Buffaloes. This has been a nice turnaround season for Cal and the Bears are 11-5 at Haas Pavilion this season, going 7-1 ATS at home in Pac 12 play. As for Utah, the Utes are 1-9 SU on the road this season, including 0-8 in Pac 12 play. Why should Utah win here?

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Eye-Opener is on Iowa at 12 noon ET.

Maryland (13-4) leads the Big Ten, with four schools tied for second at 10-6. 21-7 Penn St is one of those four teams and at 12 noon ET will play in Iowa City against the 19-9 Iowa Hawkeyes, who are ranked 18th in the latest AP poll but find themselves at just 10-7 in Big Ten play. The key being, the top-four teams in next month's Big Ten tournament receive an automatic bye to the quarterfinals, avoiding the extra game that comes with finishing fifth through 10th, or two extra games, finishing No. 11 or worse. These schools met back on Jan 4, with Penn St winning 89-86 in a game played NOT at the Nittany Lions' on-campus Bryce Jordan Center but rather at the Palestra in Philadelphia.

Penn St won the NIT back in 2018 (26 wins) but fell off badly last season, finishing 14-18 (7-13 in the Big Ten). However, the Nittany Lions returned FOUR starters and have impressed so far this season. The Nittany Lions are currently ranked but they entered the AP poll back on Dec 16 (at No. 23). That gave the school its first top-25 ranking since March of 1996. Sounds impressive, right? It's even more so when one realizes that Penn St's previous top-25 ranking (to 1996) came back in 1954!  Penn State climbed to No. 9 in the poll last week (matching the school's best-ever ranking) but then lost two in a row. However, Penn State kept its Big Ten regular-season title hopes alive with a 65-64 victory over Rutgers on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions had led by as many as 18 points before escaping with a last-minute victory, and they aim to take another step towards securing a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament by sweeping the season series with the Hawkeyes. Izaiah Brockington (8.9) scored a game-high 16 points (off the bench). The 6-8 Lamar Stevens (17.6 & 6.8) is Penn State's best player but was limited to nine points to see his streak of games scoring in double figures end at 41 in a row. Worrisome these days for Penn St is guard Myreon Jones (14.1), who hasn't played since Feb 4, missing SIX games with an undisclosed illness.

The Hawkeyes are coming off a 78-70 setback at 24th-ranked Michigan State on Tuesday. The 6-11 Luka Garza scored a team-best 20 points and pulled down nine rebounds against Michigan State to record his 13th straight 20-point game in conference play. He's the Big Ten's best "big man," averaging 23.6 & 9.6 on the season. The 6-10 Ryan Kriener (7.9 & 4.) also had a big game, adding 18 points and seven rebounds, while Connor McCaffery (6.1-4.1-6.1).  Good news seems to be coming Iowa's way, as freshman guard CJ Fredrick, who is averaging 10.7 points, is expected to return to the lineup after missing the last three games with a sprained ankle. He'll join Wieskamp (14.5 & 6.1) and Toussaint (6.5) and McCaffrey on the perimeter.

Iowa lost to Pent St in early January, despite Garza scoring 34 and Weiskamp adding 23. Expect a different outcome here, especially with Penn St missing Jones.  The Hawkeyes are one of SIX teams with 10 or more Big Ten victories and getting a top-four seed in the Big Ten tourney is HUGE (see above). Carver-Hawkeye Arena is known for its hostile crowds and is ONE a tough venue. Iowa has won 12 consecutive home games since a loss to DePaul back on Nov 11 and takes a 13-1 record this season into this game, as well as a 31-5 SU the last two seasons at home. Expect the Hawkeyes to make it a "lucky" 13 straight home wins here, "with room to spare!"

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on Northern Kentucky at 7:00 ET.

Wright St and Northern Kentucky tied for first in the Horizon League last season but the Norse beat the Raiders in the Horizon title game to advance to the "Big Dance." The two schools meet tonight in the regular season finale for each, with 24-6 Wright St owning 14-3 league record, while 21-8 Northern Kentucky checks in at 13-4. A win by the home team would mean a first place tie again but the raiders own the tie-breaker, meaning they will enter the conference tourney as the No. 1 seed, giving then the home court edge if the team's meet in the title game, again.

Scott Nagy had a long run of success at South Dakota St and has now won 20-plus games in each of his first four seasons at Wright St. The Raiders own a STRONG starting-five, led by the 6-8 Love (16.1 & 9.5) and the 6-6 Wampler (15.9 & 4.3). A trio of guards join them in the starting lineup, Holden (12.3 & 6.6), Gentry (11.0) and Hall (7.8-3.7-3.0). The Raiders are one of the nation's highest scoring teams (82.0 PPG ranks 5th) and have gone 10-4 SU in road and neutral games this season.

John Brannen led the Northern Kentucky Norse to three straight 20-plus winning seasons the previous three years and to the "Big Dance" in two of those three seasons. However, he left for the 'greener pastures' of Cincinnati after the conclusion of last season. Darrin Horn, who and excellent head coaching success at Western Kentucky but flopped at South Carolina, took over. Horn had recently been an assistant for Shaka Smart at Texas and his Norse can tie for the regular season title with a win in this one. 6-7 senior swingman Dantez Walton was lost to an arm injury in December but returned on Jan 31. He's the team's top scorer (16.4) and rebounder (6.9) and is joined in the starting lineup by guards Sharpe (15.2), Tate (12.8-5.2-3.7) and Faulkner (12.2 & 4.1), plus the 6-5 Adheke (3.9 & 4.9).

Northern Kentucky was no match Wright St back on Jan 24, as the Raiders routed the Norse 95-63. Wright St  shot 61% (including 12 of 22 on threes), as all five starters were in double digits. The Norse were not just awful on the defense end of that game but shot just 39.4% from the floor, including 4 of 22 on threes. However, Walton was NOT available for that contest and the Norse have won SEVEN of eight since that contest. Wright St has the No. 1 seed locked up (win or lose) and this is the team's THIRD straight road game, although the Raiders have had SIX days off since their last contest. Still, I see Northern Kentucky wanting this game VERY badly, as after losing by 30-plus points at Wright St in the first meeting, a home loss to the Raiders here would leave them with little confidence in a likely THIRD meeting this season in the conference title game, which would be played in the Nutter Center in Dayton, Wright St's homecourt. I'm on the Norse.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* West Coast Crusher is on UCLA at 11:00 ET.

Bobby Hurley won two national titles as Duke's PG (1991 and 1992) but was always destined to get into the 'family business,' as his father is Bob Hurley, Sr, the legendary high school coach of St Anthony's (NJ). Hurley's first job was at Buffalo and in his second season, led the Bulls to an NCAA berth. He used that as springboard to take the Arizona St job in 2015-16. However, he opened with back-to-back losing seasons (15 wins each year). Hurley's 2017-18 squad snuck into the "Big Dance" as a First Four team and the Sun Devils were back 'dancing' again last season, losing in the Round of 64 to finish 23-11. ASU was just 10-7 (1-3 in the Pac 12) in mid-January but the Sun Devils visit the Pac-12's two LA schools (UCLA and USC) this weekend in sole possession of first place in the conference at 10-4. It's the first time the Sun Devils have led the league this late in a season since joining the conference in 1978-79.

Mick Cronin started his career by leading Murray St to two NCAA tourneys in his three seasons at the school and then took over at Cincinnati for Bob Huggins. He didn't get the Bearcats to the "Big Dance" until his FIFTH season (2010-11) but that began a run of NINE consecutive NCAA appearances. He took the UCLA job before the start of the current season but the Bruins got off to a slow Pac-12 start, winning only one of their first four contests. However, "The Mick Cronin lessons" have begun to click, as the Bruins have won NINE of their last 11 (all in Pac 12 play) and at 10-5, are in a three-way tie with No. 14 Oregon and No. 21 Colorado, just a half-game back of ASU. The Sun Devils are the hottest team in the conference with a SEVEN-game win streak but the Bruins aren't far behind with a FIVE-game streak.

A key to the Sun Devils' recent surge has been the play of junior guard Alonzo Verge Jr. (14.6 & 3.5), who averaged 21.5 points in last weekend's home sweep of the Oregon schools, including a game-high 26 points in a 77-72 upset of No. 14 Oregon. He is averaging 20.7 points off the bench during the team's seven-game win streak. However, it's junior PG Remy Martin who is second in the Pac-12 in scoring (19.1) plus also leads the team in assists (4.0) and steals (1.6) while Verge, the frontrunner for conference Sixth Man of the Year, is second in scoring (14.6). Senior guard Rob Edwards (10.9) and 6-8 junior forward Romello White (10.5) also are averaging double figures, with White also grabbing a conference-best 9.2 RPG. However, NO other player aveages more than 5.0 PPG for the Sun Devils.

UCLA was just 8-9 after a 74-59 home loss to Stanford on Jan 15 but has gone 9-2 since then to move within a half-game of first place, plus has also put themselves in a position to be considered " in the conversation" for a potential NCAA Tournament at-large berth. 6-9 swingman Chris Smith is the only UCLA player averaging double figures with 13.2 PPG (also 5.4 RPG) and he’s stepped things up of late, averaging 16.2 points during UCLA's FIVE-game winning streak. Unlike Arizona St, UCLA has the kind of depth that sees SEVEN more UCLA players are averaging 16 minutes or more. The 6-10 Jalen Hill tops that group at 9.2 PPG plus also owns a team-best 6.9 RPG. The 6-9 Cody Riley averages 8.5 & 4.5 plus a group of five guards combine to add 34.1 PPG.

ASU's win streak has been dominated by "close wins," except the team's 18-point blowout of UCLA back on Feb 6 (ASU's other six wins have come by a combined 22 points!). However, it shouldn't go unmentioned that Jalen Hill missed that game with a sprained right knee. The Bruins know the school's past domination will NEVER be matched in the current 'culture' of college hoops but Cronin is a "winner" and this is the type of game he was brought in to win. Cronin joked when asked about Thursday night's first-place showdown saying, "It's great. Obviously, we all saw this coming five weeks ago. Everybody on the outside, the sky was falling and now it's all -- well, it is beautiful and sunny, we're in Westwood. If you're a recruit, that's how it is here -- everything's rosy." I'm backing UCLA.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* play is on Green Bay at 8:00 ET.

The Youngstown State Penguins and Green Bay Phoenix meet Thursday in Horizon League action. Both schools are 9-7 in conference play, with no chance of catching the Horizon's top-two schools, 14-3 Wright St and 13-4 Northern Kentucky. Green Bay has the greater depth, as EIGHT players are seeing 15-plus minutes of "PT," led by PG McCloud (17.3-4.9-4.5) plus fellow guards Davis (16.1) and Hankerson (10.9). Youngstown PG Quisenberry (16.2-3.7-4.1) doesn't gets the kind of help McCloud (his counterpart) gets at Green Bay on the perimeter but in the 6-6 Bohannon (10.9 & 8.8) and the 6-8 Akuchie (8.8 &n 6.1), Youngstown has an advantage up front.

Youngstown St has played just five road games in 2020, going 1-4 SU. In stark contrast, Green Bay returns home here, after FIVE consecutive road games! This is a tough spot for Youngstown, which just hosted the Horizon's top-two teams, upsetting Wright St and then losing by just TWO points to Northern Kentucky. Meanwhile, Green Bay has to 'LOVE' being back home and will be eager to avenge a 98-94 OT loss at Youngstown back on Jan 25. The last home game for Green Bay was back on Feb 2, when the Phoenix upset Wright St, 92-89. Lay the points with team averaging 81.5 PPG (5th-best in the nation).

Good luck...Larry

My 8* play is on NC-Wilmington at 7:00 ET.

The Drexel Dragons and the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks meet in CAA college basketball action from the Trask Coliseum on Thursday night. Drexel is 13-16 (6-10 CAA) and Wilmington 9-20 (4-12 CAA). However, while Drexel owns a better record, the Dragons 'limp in' off FIVE straight losses, as well as EIGHT in their last nine games. The Seahawks hardly enter on a roll, although they did beat Charleston 68-55 in their last game.

Drexel is led by PG Wynter (16.1-3.9-5.3), the 6-8 Butler (13.5 & 11.6) and guard Walton (12.1 & 4.1), although no other player averages as much as 6.0 PPG. Wilmington owns some nice balance, as FIVE palmers score between 9.0 and 12.6 PPG. Guards Sims (12.6 & 5.5) and Gadsden (10.5) plus the 6-8 Linssen (10.0 & 4.6) lead the way. The bottom line is this. Wilmington may be just 7-7 at home but the Seahawks surely have enough to beat a Drexel team which is just 1-11 SU on the road this season (lone win at James Madison, which is 2-14 in the CAA).

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Big Ten Showdown is on Michigan at 7:00 ET.

17-10 Wisconsin (10-6 in the Big Ten) will be in Ann Arbor Thursday night to take on 18-9 Michigan (9-7 in the Big Ten). Wisconsin has been to the "Big Dance" in 20 of the last 21 seasons and the Badgers take a four-game winning streak into this contest looking to earn a top-four finish in the Big Ten, while taking another step towards securing an NCAA Tournament bid. The Wolverines have won five consecutive games, including a 71-63 road victory over Purdue on Sunday, to climb back into the top-25 (at  No. 22) after a five-week absence. Like Wisconsin, Michigan hopes for a top-four finish in the Big Ten plus add to its at-large resume.

The Badgers lost the 6-10 Happ (17.3 & 10.1) and a solid guard in Iverson (6.9 & 4.5) from last season's 23-win NCAA team but the Badgers have a solid returning core. The 6-11 Reuvers (13.7 & 4.7) may not be Happ but he's a quality man. Wisconsin owns a 'DEEP' backcourt, even though King (10.0) left the team (last game was Jan 24). Trice (9.7-4.1-4.1), Davison (9.6 & 4.2) and Pritzl (8.1 & 3.7) are a quality trio. The 6-10 Micah Potter, an Ohio St transfer who became eligible in December, has averaged 9.5 & 6.0 since joining the team and along with the 6-8 Ford (8.1 & 4.1), support Reuvers up front. Potter matched a career high with four 3-pointers en route to a team-leading 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench in Sunday's 79-71 home win over Rutgers. Pritzl added 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor while Nate Reuvers scored eight of his 17 points from the free throw line. Davison scored 15 points against the Scarlet Knights to become the 43rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.

John Beilein left Michigan to take the head coaching job with the Cleveland Cavaliers (that went well, didn't it?), after leading the Wolverines to NINE NCAA tourneys in his 12 years (twice lost in the national championship game). Taking over was former Fab Fiver Juwan Howard, who had to replace forward Ignas Brazdeikis (14.8 & 5.4) plus guards Jordan Poole (12.8) and Charles Matthews (12.2 & 5.0). Michigan opened the season unranked but began 7-0, after winning the Battle 4 Atlantis (Thanksgiving week). The Wolverines shocked then-No. 6 North Carolina (73-64) and now-No. 2 Gonzaga in the championship game. When "the dust had settled," Michigan wound up No. 4 in the AP poll on Dec 4. However, the Wolverines then went 4-9 over their next 13 games to fall to 11-8, including 2-6 in the Big Ten. Michigan has rebounded though, to win SEVEN of eight, including FIVE straight. The return of the 6-7 Isaiah Livers has been huge, as he's averaged 15.5 PPG over the last four games and leads Michigan in scoring (13.6 PPG). He went 8-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final 90 seconds en route to 19 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots (note: Livers has made 31 straight free throws!). PG Zavier Simpson (12.3-4.4-8.0) ], 7-1 center Jon Teske (12.0 & 7.3) plus guards Brooks (11.0 & 3.7) and Wagner (10.9 & 5.5), round out a group of FIVE double digit scorers. Wagner continued his recent stellar play as he scored a career-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the win over Purdue.

Michigan has regained its swagger and has held NINE straight opponents to 68 points or less. That's notable considering that Wisconsin averages a modest 66.9 PPG and before scoring 81 points in a Feb 15th win at Nebraska (Huskers are 2-14 in Big Ten play), the Badgers had averaged 57.8 PPG in their first seven Big Ten road games. Wisconsin hasn’t beaten the Wolverines in Ann Arbor since 2015 and WON'T get a win here, or even a cover!

Good luck...Larry

My 8* play is on Delaware at 6:00 ET.

The Delaware Blue Hens are 20-9 (10-6 in CAA), as they look to avenge a 75-63 home loss (back on Dec 30) to the College of Charleston Cougars (15-13 / 9-7 CAA) on Thursday night. The Blue Hens feature a trio of guards in double digits, led by Darling (21.5 & 3.9), who is surrounded by Allen (12.2) and PG Anderson (11.6-3.9-3.7). The frontcourt features big men like the 6-10 Painter (9.5 & 5.7) and the 6-11 Goss (6.4 & 4.4), although the 6-6 Mutts leads the group in scoring (11.9) and rebounding (8.4). Charleston's Riller (21.5-5.4-3.1) has a solid backcourt partner in Galloway (11.3) but the 6-7 McManus (8.4 & 4.4) and the 6-9 Miller (8.1 & 5.8) will have some trouble matching Delaware's trio in the frontcourt.

Charleston will NOT see the same team it did back on Dec 30, as Delaware enters this contest having won EIGHT of its last 10, while Charleston has lost FOUR in a row. Delaware's Martin Ingelsby is a head coach "on the rise," while the Blue Hens’ Nate Darling, is the league's 'hottest' scorer. He's averaging 28.0 points over his last eight games, failing to score 20 or more points just ONCE. Take the points,. No upset here!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* West Coast Crusher is on Stanford at 10:00 ET.

The Utah Utes are 15-12 (6-9 Pac 12) and travel to Palo Alto Wednesday night to take on the 18-9 Stanford Cardinal (7-7 in Pac 12). Stanford looks to avenge an earlier loss to Utah (Utes won 64-56 in OT at Salt Lake City on Feb 6), after ending a four-game slide by sweeping the Washington schools last weekend. Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak is in his ninth season at Utah but after back-to-back NCAA teams in 2014-15 (26 wins) and 2015-16 (27 wins), the Utes began this season off three straight non-NCAA seasons. The Utes did go 9-3 in non-conference play but as noted above, are just 6-9 in Pac 12 play.

The Utes snapped a three-game losing streak with last Sunday’s 79-65 win over USC behind strong outing from junior guard Alfonso Plummer (just 6.4 PPG on the season), who matched his career high with 18 points on five 3-pointers. Coach Larry Krystkowiak has also been pleased by the development of 6-8 freshman Mikael Jantunen (7.1 & 4.4), who is averaging 9.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his last three games while shooting 75 percent from the floor. However, the Utes have been led all season by 6-6 sophomore Timmy Allen (17.4 & 7.3) and freshman PG Rylan Jones (10.2-3.0-4.7). The bad news is, Jones is listed as questionable after leaving the USC contest with a leg injury.

Many think that Stanford has a chance to make some 'noise' in the Pac 12 tourney and that's because of the potent duo of 6-9 forward Oscar da Silva (16.0 & 6.5) and freshman PG Tyrell Terry (15.0-4.6-3.2). Five other players chip in between 4.8 and 9.2 PPG, led by 6-7 freshman Jones (9.2. & 3.4) plus guards Davis (8.6 -3.1-3.4) and Wills (7.1 & 4.2). Da Silva suffered a head injury Feb 8 in a loss to Colorado and then missed one game before returning. However, he played 30-plus minutes last week when Stanford swept Washington and Washington St, scoring 35 points, while pulling down 19 rebounds. He's "good to go!"

Here's the bottom line. Utah won 79-74 at Nevada on Nov 15 but has lost all EIGHT road games since, going 1-7 ATS (that's an 88% "go-against"). The Utes needed OT to win at home over the Cardinal and I see little reason to think Stanford will have much trouble avenging that loss, here. Stanford has won NINE of the 12 meetings at Maples Pavilion since Utah joined the Pac 12 and checks in 12-4 SU (10-6 ATS) at home this season. Stanford leads the Pac-12 in scoring defense (allows 61.6 PPG, 13th-best in the nation), while the Utes are 0-7 on the Pac 12 road, being held under 60 points in FOUR of those seven losses. Lay the points.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Oddsmaker's Error is on Southern Illinois at 8:00 ET.

The Indiana State Sycamores and the Southern Illinois Salukis each own 16 wins. The Sycamores won the first meeting (68-56 at home back on Dec 30) but the Salukis enter this contest 10-6 in MVC play, one game better than Indiana St's 9-7 mark. Indiana St has a veteran guard duo in junior Tyreke Key, who leads the Sycamores in scoring at 16.0 PPG. Senior Jordan Barnes also averages in double digits (12.4 PPG) and adds a team-high 3.7 APG. A pair of freshman are the top frontcourt performers, the 6-9 Jake Laravia (9.2 & 5.9) and the 6-7 Christian Williams (7.4 & 4.1). Marcus Domask is a 6-6 freshman swingman and he is the leading scorer for Southern Illinois with an average of 14.3 PPG (also adds 5.6 RPG). Senior guard McGill (11.3 & 4.4) and freshman guard Jones (8.1) are the team's top-producing guards but SIU has depth on the perimeter, as four other guards are combining for 15.4  PPG. The 6-10 Barret Benson joins Domask and McGill in double digits at 10.7 PPG (adds 5.5 RPG).

Here's the bottom line. Indiana St is just 3-8 SU on the road, including 2-6 in MVC play (1-6-1 ATS). Meanwhile, Southern Ilinois is 12-2 SU at home, including a MONEY-MAKING 10-3 ATS.  A little in-season "payback" works here, as SIU keeps itself in the MVC's top-four (coveted spot for Arch Madness) in this final week of the regular season. "The Price is Right" for an easy cover!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Oddsmaker's Error is on Valparaiso at 8:00 ET.

The 14-15 Missouri State Bears and the 15-14 Valparaiso Crusaders meet Tuesday in MVC action (both schools are 8-8) at Valpo's Athletics-Recreation Center. The Bears hired Dana Ford as their head coach in 2018, after he was an unimpressive 57-65 in four years at Tennessee St. Not sure the school should have been too surprised with last year's 16-16 and not much has changed this season, either. Matt Lottich's first season at Valpo saw the Crusaders go 24-9 (2016-17) but the next two seasons saw them finish 15-17 and 15-18. Not much has changed this season for the Crusaders, either.

The Bears are led by guard Cook (14.8 & 4.8) but the loss of PG Dixon (7.2-4.0-3.6) to season-ending shoulder surgery (last played Jan 11), has left the team with a shortage of quality perimeter players. The frontcourt is rotating five players, chipping in between 5.4 and 13.5 PPG. The top performers are 6-8 forwards Prim (13.5 & 4.8) and Da Silva (9.8 & 7.0). The Crusaders are led by freshman PG Freeman-Liberty (19.3-6.0-3.2), who gets help from a trio of guards combining for 17.5 PPG. The 6-8 Ryan Fazekas, a graduate transfer from Marquette, was lost in early January to an ankle injury but he returned in late January. He's played 38 and 37 minutes the last two games, scoring 31 points and is now the team's second-leading scorer at 11.8 PPG. Four other frontcourt players chip in between 5.9 and 9.4 PPG, led by McMillan (9.4 & 3.2) and Clay (8.7 & 4.4).

Missouri St is just 3-9 SU on the road. Two of those wins have come at Illinois St (4-12 in MVC play) and Evansville (0-16). Meanwhile, Valpo is 10-2 SU at home this season, posting a  MONEY-MAKING 8-2-1 ATS mark. Valpo is a MUCH-improved team with Fazekas back on the court, giving us great value at this price.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Revenge Rout is on Loyola-Chi at 8:00 ET.

Drake hired Darian DeVries, a longtime assistant at Creighton, as its new head coach a year ago. It was DeVries' first head coaching job and he led the Bulldogs to a 24-10 season. Drake returned four starters from that team but while the Bulldogs are 18-11 overall, they are just 8-8 in MVC play. Porter Moser's Loyola-Chicago Ramblers made that great run to the Final 4 in 2018, finishing with 32 wins. Last year's team won a more modest 20 games, after losing in the NIT. The Ramblers welcome the Bulldogs to Chicago at  19-10 overall, including 11-5 in MVC play (just ONE game back of conference-leader Northern Iowa, which is 12-4).

Drake is led by 7-0 sophomore Liam Robbins, who tops the team in scoring (14.0) and rebounding (6.7). The rest of the major contributors are all guards, with a bevy of six perimeter players chipping in between 6.0 and 11.7 PPG. That group is led by PG Penn, who averages 11.7-4.6-5.7. Three starters returned for Loyola this season and are contributing as expected. 6-9 center Krutwig leads in scoring (15.2), rebounding (8.1) and assists (4.3). FOUR guards play 20-plus minutes, chipping in between 8.9 and 13.2 PPG, led by Hall (13.2 & 4.0) and Clemons (10.0). The 6-7 Uguak (5.4 & 3.4) helps Krutwig up front.

Drake is an excellent home team (14-1) but is just 2-9 on the road, including 1-7 on the MVC road (note: lone win came at Evansville, which is 0-16 in conference play). Loyola is 13-2 at home, losing only to Coppin St back on Nov 12 as a three 'TD' favorite (?) and by three points to Davidson on Dec 22. Loyola has NOT lost at home since, winning EIGHT in a row while going 6-2 ATS. The Ramblers are an excellent defensive team (allow 62.3 PPG to rank 21st in the nation) and while they score a modest 68.8 PPG, the team shoots an impressive 50.1% from the floor (4th-best in the nation). Loyola lost at Drake just 65-62 back on Jam 7 and gets some revenge here with a convincing win that keeps them "right there" with Northern Iowa. Lay the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekend Wipeout is on Creighton at 4:00 ET.

Creighton jumped from No. 23 to No. 15 in Monday's AP poll and then won 73-65 at No. 19 Marquette on Tuesday. That comes after winning at then-No. 8 Villanova on Feb 1 and at then-No. 10 Seton Hall on Feb 12. The 15th-ranked Bluejays, who were picked to finish seventh in the 10-team Big East prior to the season, will attempt to earn four wins against ranked opponents in the same month for the first time in school history on Sunday, when they host No. 21 Butler. The Bulldogs made six NCAA trips from 1997-2007, before Brad Stevens took them to FIVE tourneys in six years, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011. Chris Holtmann led Butler to three straight NCAA appearances from 2015-17 and LaVell Jordan followed with an NCAA berth in 2018 but the Bulldogs finished just 16-17 last season. Butler opened the season 7-0 and on Dec 2 entered the AP poll at No. 24, ending a span of 43 consecutive polls on "the outside, looking in!' Butler sat at 15-1 through mid-January and rose as No. 5 in the AP poll (highest rating in school history) but will enter this contest 19-8 (7-7 Big East), having gone just 4-7 its last 11 (all conference games).

Butler's frustrating stretch continued Wednesday when Seton Hall's Sandro Mamukelashvili hit an off-balance shot in the lane as time expired to send Butler to a 74-72 defeat. All-American candidate Kamar Baldwin (16.3-4.5-3.3) led the Bulldogs in scoring for the 11th time in the last 14 games Wednesday with 20 points and ranks third in the conference with 18.4 points per game during league play. 6=6 senior Sean McDermott (11.9 & 6.0) is the only other player on the team averaging in double digits. Playing up front with him are Nze (9.3 & 6.5), Tucker (9.0 & 3.9) and Golden (8.5 & 3.7). PG Thompson (6.8 & 4.9 APG) returned from a one-game absence due to a concussion and contributed 12 points in the loss to Seton Hall.

Creighton opened the season starting a trio of guards in Ty-Shon Alexander, Marcus Zegarowski and Mitch Ballock (12.3 & 5.5). However, highly touted 6-5 guard Denzel Mahoney became eligible in mid-December and Creighton now goes with a four-guard lineup. Alexander (16.9 & 5.3) poured in 22 points Tuesday and is averaging 18.5 points while shooting 32-for-80 beyond the arc in his last 11 games (he also owns a 32:9 assist-to-turnover ratio and has accumulated 15 steals, over that same stretch).  Zegarowski (15.8-3.7-5.1), Mahoney (12.4 & 3.5) and Ballock (12.1 & 5,4) join Alexander to give Creighton an awesome perimeter group. The 6-5 SF Jefferson (9.6 & 5.5) and the 6-7 Bishop (8.4 & 5.3) are the team's top frontcourt performers.

Greg McDermott is in his 10th season as head coach of Creighton. He arrived in 2010-11 and led the Bluejays to a runner-up finish in the CBI. Three straight NCAA teams followed, as Creighton won 29, 28 and 27 games. His lone losing season came in 2014-15 but Creighton's now won 20-plus games the last five years. Butler is one victory shy of reaching 20 wins for the 20th time in the last 24 seasons but win No. 20 WON'T come here. Creighton can tie a single-season program record with a FIFTH straight regular-season Big East victory with a win on Sunday and that "W" comes "with room to spare," avenging a 71-54 Jan 4 loss at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Lay the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Eye-Opener is on Wisconsin at 1:00 ET.

Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell is in his fourth season at the school, having gone 44-54 in his first three. Coming off a 14-17 season a year ago, Rutgers was picked 12th (of 14 schools) in the Big Ten preseason polls but the Scarlet Knights got off to their best start since the 1996-97 season and earned an AP ranking for the first time since the end of the 1978-79 season back on Jan 20. However, the Scarlet Knights are just 4-5 since losing at Iowa on Jan 23, including its first home loss of the season, 60-52 to Michigan on Wednesday. Wisconsin has been to the "Big Dance" in 20 of the last 21 seasons and Sunday, the Badgers  look to take another step towards securing an NCAA Tournament bid when they hosts Rutgers. Wisconsin (16-10 / 9-6 Big Ten) has won three consecutive games, including a 69-65 victory over Purdue on Tuesday, to move within a game of reaching double-digit wins in Big Ten play the 13th time in the last 14 seasons. Wisconsin lost 72-65 to the Scarlet Knights back on Dec 11 at "The RAC" (Rutgers Athletic Center).

Pikiel took his team to Spain in August and Rutgers went 4-0, while jelling as a unit. The "breakout star" of that trip was guard Ron Harper, who averaged 17.0 PPG on 53 percent shooting. He's currently Rutgers' leading scorer, averaging 11.9 PPG and adding 5.6 RPG. PG Baker (10.25& 3.5 APG) plus a trio of other of guards combine to add 22.4 PPG. Up front, the 6-6 Yeboah (10.1 & 4.8) and the 6-10 Johnson (8.0 & 7.9) are the biggest contributors. Baker scored a team-high 16 points against Michigan to finish in double figures for the 13th time this season. Harper scored 13 points and Yeboah added 10 points and five rebounds, but the Scarlet Knights were doomed by an 0-of-10 performance from three-point range in the final 20 minutes.

The Badgers lost the 6-10 Happ (17.3 & 10.1) and a solid guard in Iverson (6.9 & 4.5) from last season's 23-win NCAA team but the Badgers have a solid returning core. The 6-11 Reuvers (13.5 & 4.8) may not be Happ but he's a quality man. Wisconsin owns a 'DEEP' backcourt in King (10.0), Trice (9.7-4.2-4.0), Davison (9.4 & 4.7) and Pritzl (7.7 & 3.7). King left the team four games ago, but Wisconsin is 4-1 without him. The 6-10 Micah Potter, an Ohio St transfer who became eligible in December, has averaged 8.9 & 5.8 since joining the team and along with the 6-8 Ford (8.3 & 4.1), support Reuvers up front. In fact, Ford knocked down five 3-pointers en route to a career-high 19 points and pulled down seven rebounds as the Badgers hit EIGHT straight free throws down the stretch to stave off a late rally by Purdue. Pritzl scored eight of his 13 points from the FT line  and grabbed six rebounds while Brad Davison also tallied 13 points as Wisconsin finished 19-of-20 from the foul line. Reuvers chipped in 12 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Wisconsin is a VERY disciplined team, ranking fifth nationally in fewest turnovers per game (10.3).

Kudos to Rutgers for its excellent season but The Kohl Center has been a "House of Horrors" for visiting teams for two decades and the current season is NO different, with the Badgers going 12-1 (lone loss was 71-70 to Illinois). Wisconsin has beaten Maryland, Michigan St, Ohio St and Purdue (all four have been ranked at some time this season) at this venue already, so why won't the Badgers add a "revenge win" here vs Rutgers? After all, Rutgers is 1-6 SU away from "The RAC" in Big Ten play, winning only at Nebraska (7-19 / 2-13 Big Ten).

Good luck...Larry

My 10* CBB Game of the Year is on Nevada at 10:00 ET.

Justin Hutson spent two 'tours' as an assistant at SD St, sandwiched around a stint as an assistant at UNLV, before getting his first head coaching job at Fresno St for the 2018-19 season. He took over a program that had won 20-plus games the previous three seasons and continued that success by leading last year's Bulldogs to a 23-9 season, including a  3rd-place finish in the MWC (13-5). However, he lost THREE starters off that team, including his two highest scorers, guards Huggins (18.5 & 4.3) and Taylor (17.9-3.7-5.0). Fresno has struggled in Hutson's second season, entering this contest 10-17, including 6-10 in league play.

Eric Mussleman led Nevada to the CBI title in his first season (2015-16) and then to three straight NCAA appearances with win totals of 28, 29 and 29. However, Musselman left for Arkansas and was replaced by Steve Alford. The former Indiana star had coaching success at Missouri St and New Mexico but was generally viewed as a 'flop' at UCLA, where he was fired during last season. He took over a Nevada team that lost all FIVE starters but Alford's done a good job, as the Woolf Pack enter this game 17-10 overall, including 10-5 in the MWC (currently 3rd). ALL schools are "looking up" at SD St but 2nd-place and sixth-place in the MWC finds teams bunched with in 1 1/2 games of each other.

Fresno St beat Air Force 71-62 at home on Thursday, as guard senior Blackwell (9.7-3.1-3.1) matched a career high with 25 points and is joined in the backcourt by fellow senior Williams (11.9). 6-10 freshman Robinson (12.7 & 6.8) and 6-8 senior Grimes (11.6 & 10.0) are Fresno's top frontcourt players. Nevada is led by a deep backcourt. Jalen Harris, a La Tech transfer, leads the way averaging 21.8-6.5-4.0. He's joined by returning guards Johnson (16.2 & 3.4), Drew (11.1-6.7-4.3) and Zouzoua (9.6). No frontcourt player averages more than 20 minutes per game but a "group of four" combine to add 18.6 PPG and 16.5 RPG. Two 6-10 big men, freshman Meeks (6.9 & 4.0) and senior Reyes (4.7 & 4.4), are the best of the bunch.

Beating Air Force at home is no big deal (Falcons are 4-1 in MWC play) and I'll note that FSU entered that contest on a 2-6 ATS run. This marks Fresno’s final road game and it's being played at elevation like at Colorado St, where the Bulldogs lost by 18 points! Meanwhile, Nevada comes in on 4-0 SU & ATS run (not to mention the school's 8-1 ATS mark since mid-January). Nevada is in "prime" position to finish among the top-5 in the Mountain West, thereby earning a first-round bye (note: Wolf Pack are just a HALF-GAME behind second-place Utah St). Lay the points!

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on Ole Miss at 8:30 ET.

Alabama takes a 14-12 overall record (6-7 in the SEC) into a game Saturday night in Oxford against the 13-13 Ole Miss Rebels (4-9 SEC). The Crimson Tide have been competitive against the best in the SEC but come to Mississippi losers of FIVE of seven, after an 'ugly' 74-68 home loss to a 13-12 Texas A&M team. Any more losses like the one suffered Wednesday and Alabama can probably 'kiss an at-large NCAA berth goodbye!" Ole Miss won three straight from Feb 5-11 but enters this contest off back-to-back road losses, 67-62 at Kentucky and 71-68 at Missouri. Ole Miss is now 1-6 in games decided by fewer than six points, including 0-5 in the SEC.

Alabama owns a deep backcourt, with three in double digits. Lewis (17.5-5.1-5.0) leads the way, along with Petty (15.0 & 7.0) and Shackelford (14.7 & 4.3). The 6-9 Reese (9.4 & 4.6) and the 6-7 Jones (8.9 & 6.6) are the top frontcourt performers. Ole Miss counters with a deep backcourt, as well. Tyree (20.3) is outstanding and is joined by Shuler (11.2-4.7-3.5) and Hinson (10.3 & 5.0). The 6-67 Buffen (9.9 & 6.1) and the 6-10 Sy (9.4 & 5.5) give the Rebels a small edge up front.

Senior guard Breein Tyree has been on a tear, averaging 29.8 points in the last five contests, including games of 38 points and a career-high 40. The worst Ole Miss home-floor performance has been a four-point loss to then-No. 18 LSU and I'll take them here vs an Alabama team that opened 15-3 ATS but enters this contest just 3-5 ATS over its last eight.

Good luck...Larry