Conference USA Basketball

Jan. 2

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Clay Moser) (7-8) vs. Albuquerque

The Vipers got a 108-96 victory over the Thunderbirds on Friday. The Vipers were led by Smush Parker who had 19 points and 13 assists. Joey Dorsey also added 16 points and 12 rebounds in the Vipers win.

Jan. 3

Tennessee Tech (Steve Payne) (7-5) vs. SE Missouri (Rodney Hamilton) (3-11)

Will Barnes and Frank Davis scored 18 points each to lead Tennessee Tech to an 103-76 victory over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday night.

The Golden Eagles (7-5, 1-1 Ohio Valley Conference) built on a 48-35 halftime lead by scoring 55 second-half points to send the Redhawks (3-11, 0-3) to their third consecutive loss. Tennessee Tech had 34 assists, the most ever against a Division I opponent and the second highest in school history.

The Golden Eagles also shot 56.9 percent from the field (41 of 72), thanks to Barnes and Daniel Northern, who each shot 7 of 9 from the floor. Northern added 17 points and seven rebounds. Calvin Williams led Southeast Missouri State with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Jaycen Herring scored 18 points, JaJuan Maxwell had 12 points and LaMont Russell added 11 points for the Redhawks.

Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (5-8) vs. Denver

La’Ryan Gary hit two free throws with eight seconds left in double overtime to lift Louisiana-Lafayette to a 63-62 win over Denver on Saturday night. La’Ryan was fouled after he grabbed the offensive rebound on a Lamar Roberson miss with 10 seconds to play, and the Ragin’ Cajuns down 62-61.

Denver led 27-17 at halftime, and by as many as 12 points before the Ragin’ Cajuns (5-8, 2-1) used a 52.8 percent shooting (11 of 21) second half to send the game to overtime.

Tyren Johnson hit a jumper to give Louisiana-Lafayette a 55-53 lead in the first overtime with 2:58 remaining, but Brian Stafford made a layup with 1:31 left, sending the game into the second overtime. Gary scored 15 points for Louisiana-Lafayette and Chris Gardnigo added 14.

Arkansas State (Elwyn McRoy) (10-4) vs. New Orleans

Donald Boone scored 20 points, and Arkansas State held New Orleans without a field goal for over 12 minutes in a 71-56 win Saturday night. The Red Wolves (10-4, 2-1 Sun Belt) didn’t allow a field goal for the final 10:04 of the first half and the first 2:08 of the second.

New Orleans led by nine in the first half before its extended offensive slump. Arkansas State was ahead 25-24 at the half, then steadily built its lead in the second. The Red Wolves only missed seven shots of any kind in the second half, going 10-of-13 from the field and 23-of-27 from the free throw line.

UIC (Tracy Dildy) (8-5) vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wisconsin-Green Bay got a 66-61 victory over Illinois-Chicago on Saturday in Horizon League play. The score was tied after the first period at 28, but Wisconsin-Green Bay (10-4, 3-0) came back after half time to outscore Illinois-Chicago (8-5, 1-2) by five points in the second period and seal the win.

The victory leaves Wisconsin-Greey Bay undefeated in the Horizon League. Josh Mayo led Illinois-Chicago with 22 points and Scott Vandermeer added nine points. The Flames saw their shooting percentage drop from 41.7 percent in the first period to 28.6 percent in the second period. Illinois-Chicago earned 20 points from its bench players.

NCCU (Henry Dickerson) (0-16) vs. Miami

James Dews scored 16 points as Miami shook off an early challenge from winless North Carolina Central for a 76-42 victory on Saturday. The Eagles (0-16) stayed within single digits of the Hurricanes (10-3) in the first half and kept it as close as 15-12 after Stevy Worah-Ozimo’s field goal with 8:50 left.

Down by six at halftime, N.C. Central cut Miami’s lead to 31-29 after Vincent Davis scored a basket just 2:50 minutes into the second half. Davis led North Carolina Central with 10 points. But Miami followed with 11 unanswered points during a 2:11 minute span early in the second half to claim a 42-29 lead.

Savannah State (Horace Broadnax) (7-7) vs. UAB

Alabama-Birmingham got a 63-37 victory over Savannah State on Sunday. Jovonni Shuler led Savannah State (7-7) with 11 points. The Blazers, who started the second half on a 10-2 run, eventually led by as many as 31 points.

Jan. 4

No. 25 Marquette (Scott Monarch) (13-2) vs. Cincinnati

Jerel McNeal scored 26 points and hit a career-high seven 3-pointers as Marquette rolled to an easy 84-50 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday. Wesley Matthews added 17 points for Marquette (13-2, 2-0 Big East), which won its first two Big East Conference games for the first time since joining the conference in 2005.

Marquette upset Villanova 79-72 Thursday in its Big East opener. Marquette put the game away at the start of the second half with a 25-4 run. Lazar Hayward scored 11 of Marquette’s first 13 points during that run, including three 3-pointers. Hayward finished with 16 points.

(Note: As a reminder, if you are participating in the Conference Rankings, they will be published tomorrow, so please send your rankings to nathanmedic2003@yahoo.com or leave them on my profile.)

Welcome to the second installment of the "Out of Focus" series.

In this column, three to five games are pegged that feature teams outside of the top 25.  To be selected, the games must have significant postseason implications or compelling storylines.

These are games primarily for fans of the schools involved or true college basketball aficionados.  The matchups are usually highly competitive, and some conferences that don't get a lot of face time on ESPN are highlighted.  Keeping up with these games is a great way to track how the "lesser" conferences stack up against each other.

As was the case last time, the comments section will be used to update the games' results (and to hurl insults at my predictions as they fail), and I welcome any comments you have on the games or the predictions!  Now on to the games that you should be watching, but won't (or can't) for Dec. 30.

3.  Cleveland State (10-4) at Wright State (6-7)

I'm kidding, right?  I'm not.  This is a matchup between two teams that both have a legitimate shot at the postseason.

Since a two-point loss to Butler (an awfully important game in retrospect) and a 10-point loss to West Virginia in early December, Cleveland St. has run off five wins in a row, including an upset of the Syracuse Orange in the Carrier Dome.  The Vikings were the preseason pick to win the Horizon League (though Butler is on top for now) and have been beating up on weaklings of late.

Wright State started the season 0-6, and they were not exactly playing top 25 competition.  So how could they be competitive tonight?  Well, they have won six of their last seven, including decisive victories over Oral Roberts, Big East foe South Florida, and an underrated Arkansas-Little Rock team.  Their only loss during that span was by 13 points to No. 6 Wake Forest.

Whatever woes the Raiders were suffering through earlier in the season, they have certainly "Wrighted" the ship (yep, you can put my head in a vise and squeeze for that one) and should give the Vikings all they can handle.

Prediction: Cleveland State 72, Wright State 66

2.  BYU (10-1) at Tulsa (8-4)

The Cougars are a one-point loss from being undefeated, and that loss came to a ranked Arizona State team on a neutral floor in Anaheim, CA.  They don't have a lot of impressive wins, but they have a solid talent in G-F Jonathan Tavernari and great backcourt support from Lee Cummard and Jimmer Fredette.

Their names might need some work (Jimmer? Really?), but the Cougars join UNLV as the class of the Mountain West Conference.

Tulsa has faced a far more difficult schedule than BYU, and their only bad loss was at the hands of 5-6 Ohio.  They lost by just four to Illinois and have defeated Oral Roberts and Texas A&M.  The Golden Hurricane currently ride a four-game winning streak, but will probably have their hands full.

If Tulsa hopes to compete for a postseason bid in Memphis USA (er, Conference USA), this game is an absolute must-win.

Prediction: BYU 69, Tulsa 59

1. George Mason (8-2) at Dayton (11-1)

The darlings of the 2007 NCAA Tournament after stunning the nation and reaching the Final Four, George Mason has struggled mightily since.  This year, however, the Patriots appear to be on the verge of turning it around.  They have won six of seven, the only loss being a three-pointer to a decent Liberty squad.  George Mason also has wins over East Carolina, Drexel, Ohio, and Tulane, none of whom are pushovers.

While GMU is on the verge of contending in the CAA, Dayton (deservedly or not) is on the verge of a top 25 ranking and may be ripe for an upset if they take the Patriots lightly.  Their only win they can really crow about came against Marquette, who is fading fast in the Big East.  Most of the other 10 wins came against considerably weaker opponents, and the one loss was a 77-59 blowout at the hands of MVC foe Creighton.

I'm marking this game down for the upset special of the night.

Prediction: George Mason 71, Dayton 70

A game that would have occupied a top three slot has already been played.  Houston, representing Conference USA, blew out Massachusetts of the A-10 by a rather surprising score of 80-54. 

With UAB down to six scholarship players and East Carolina playing inconsistently, Houston (8-2) may well have emerged as the most serious threat to Memphis (8-3) in the conference.  After a horrible opening day two-point loss to Georgia Southern, the Cougars have been near perfect in winning eight of nine, their only loss being 71-67 to Iowa State. 

The huge blowout of a UMass team that had beaten Kansas and Hofstra indicates Houston may be rapidly improving.  Their next game at Mississippi State will help define whether there is any legitimate chance for the Cougars to snag an at-large bid.

Enjoy the games!

What’s in a number?

Some will tell you numbers don’t lie.  While others will point out how numbers can be manipulated.

In the coming weeks college basketball fans will have a chance to see how numbers play out on the hardwood.

For example tomorrow night the team with the number one scoring offense in the country, VMI, hosts the Richmond Spiders. 

The Virginia Military Institute...you remember them.  The Keydets opened their 08-09 campaign with a 111-103 victory over—that’s right—Kentucky.  VMI leads the nation with 99 points per game, 13 trifectas per game, and 16 steals.

Richmond, on the other hand, makes 50 percent of their shots from the field—good for seventh in the land.

Anyone want to guess at the over/under for that matchup?

Circle Jan. 8 on your calendar.  That’s when the Washington State Cougars host the Golden Bears of California.  Washington State boasts the top defense in the country, holding teams to 48 points per game on 33.5 percent shooting from the field.

Cal is number one in three-point shooting converting 52.3 percent from behind the arc.

Tony Bennett’s Cougars will get tested again on Jan. 31 when they travel to Tucson to face the "Lute-less" Wildcats.  Arizona has the eighth-best field goal percentage at 50 percent, including 46 percent behind the arc.

Houston and Memphis should be an interesting Conference USA match.   Tom Penders’ Cougars averaged nine turnovers per game, best in the country.  Calipari’s Tigers grab 10 steals per game—10th in the nation.  The two do battle on Jan. 31.

Monday night, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and the Georgetown Hoyas will play a little truth or consequences. 

The Irish have been hitting at a rate of 41 percent from long-range (eighth in the country) for over 10 three's per game (fifth in the land).  The Irish have also protected the ball well, only turning it over nine times a game (No. 2 on the charts).

Meanwhile, the Hoyas are limiting opponents to 33 percent from the field.  Georgetown disassembled the UConn Huskies last night in an 11-point victory.  The Huskies usually convert 50 percent from the field.  Last night Calhoun’s corps hit 44 percent.

Big East battles this year should be a lesson in warfare under the boards.

Four teams from the nation’s top conference rank in the top 10 for rebounding margin—Cincinnati (No. 4; margin of 12), Pittsburgh (No. 7; margin of 10.5), and UConn and West Virginia are tied for ninth with a margin of 10 per game.

Jan. 10 brings a little truth serum.  Pitt plays at Morgantown (Hey Doug!  Can you score some tickets?  Are pictures a possibility?), and UConn ventures to Cincinnati.

Jan. 10 will give the remote control a workout.

In Atlantic Coast Conference action, the Clemson Tigers will host the North Carolina State Wolfpack.  Clemson drops 50 percent from the field, while the Wolfpack holds teams to 35 percent.

We should find out quite a bit about Clemson’s offense.  A week later, they host Wake Forest.  The Demon Deacs limit opponents to 36 percent shooting. 

When playing Clemson, the best defense could be an efficient offense.  The Tigers show multiple presses from full, three-quarter and half-court, and look to convert easy layups.  Opponents who can take care of the ball will take care of Clemson.

Purdue and Iowa present the Big Ten’s version of contrasting styles.

The Boilermakers hold opposing shooters to 34.9 percent (good for fourth).  Iowa has a three-point percentage of 40 percent, while hitting nine behind the stripe per game.

The Big Ten combatants face off on Jan. 18.

L.S.U. and Tennessee will collide Jan. 28 in Knoxville.

The Tigers have the number one rebounding margin at 13.3.  Tennessee is 13th with a 9.7 margin.

Trent Johnson’s Tigers dropped 9 of 20 from long range against the Washington St. Cougars. 

Hey Bruce!  Have you taught your kids how to defend the arc yet?  You only allowed 8 of 20 versus Temple and 9 of 22 to Belmont.  Geez, it’s not like you don’t start a bunch of long and athletic guards or anything.

Get ready college hoops' fans.  We have plenty of hunker down events in the near future.

43 days until Carolina—Duke.  Not that anyone is counting or anything.

After a heartbreaking National Championship loss to Kansas, losing three starters, and losing two assistant coaches, most Memphis Tigers fans would think this will be a "rebuilding" year, but one recruit changed everything. His name is Tyreke Evans.

The 6'6", 220 combo guard received many tags during his high school career, but the most common? Ball hog. Many scouts questioned his ability to play on a team where he is not the star player, or even the leading scorer. Seven games into the season, most fans are labeling him as "raw talent." The scoring machine in high school, where he averaged over 32 points per game, is now just being labeled as a "project" player.

All the criticism he has received is just making him work harder. According to his coach John Calipari, Evans is one of the hardest working players he has ever coached, not only at Memphis, but in all his years of coaching. Calipari also mentioned that Evans has all the talent to be not only a star in the college level, but also at the professional level.

For the most part Evans has been showing a lot of glimpses of his high school hype, but he has one HUGE flaw: his horrendous field goal percentage.

Evans is shooting just barely above 40 percent, and most of his points come from the line and strong drives to the basket. Evans is certainly not the player with the ball in his hands with 15 seconds left in a close game. He definably is not expected to take over in the second half by hitting midrange jumpers and three-pointers.

According to Coach Calipari, Evans is still making "freshman mistakes" and being asked to do too much.

Memphis fans have seen many great players in the last few years, but no one in the history of the program had made as big an impact as Derrick Rose did just last year. Like Evans, Rose was also a highly touted recruit out of high school and had many of the same characteristics as Evans. Both players are very strong, very athletic, and love going to the hole to score points.

Evans came to Memphis as the team's new star freshman, and a year after Memphis fans experienced Rose carrying Memphis through a magical season, many fans expected Evans to have a similar impact to what Rose had his freshman year.

What many fans do not realize is that Rose struggled his first few games as well. Rose himself said, "He looked like me my first few games," referring to Memphis's loss to Xavier, where Evans had 12 points and was the team's leading scorer, but struggled to find his shot, shooting just 25 percent on 4 of 16 shooting. This field goal percentage would improve drastically the next two games.

Possibly the most underrated aspect of Evans's game is his defense. Evans is 6'6", but his wingspan is over seven feet. His freakishly long arms made Coach Calipari say that Evans could be one of the nation's best defenders soon. Evans is no Bruce Bowen yet, and is not a lockdown defender ether, but his long arms, speed, and athleticism always make him a threat to intercept passes or be a good help defender.

Evans came in as the new star freshman and an NBA lottery pick for the Tigers. Evans has said numerous times that if his stock is good, he will enter the draft. Evans has been criticized since his first day in Memphis. Will he prove the doubters wrong?

There is only one statement to sum up the Tigers’ victory over Drexel, and it came from the 10-year-old girl sitting next to me in the throwback Joey Dorsey jersey.  She yelled out to the Drexel players as they ran out on the court, "Don't make me make it rain!"

This brought a huge grin to my face—thinking about Mr. Dorsey a few blocks away on top of a bar “making it rain” as a fight was breaking out.  These are the memories Memphis fans cherish and take pride in.

Former Memphis player Dorsey displayed a level of dominance on the court every game that the fans have yet to see this season.  His presence on the court is a concern the team may not have to worry about much longer.

In the past two games, Pierre Henderson-Niles has been stepping up his level of toughness and is using every pound of his massive stature to get the rebounds.  The big men of Memphis have shown their defensive abilities by making 13 blocks and retrieving 39 rebounds.

The Tigers’ footwork has looked exceptional at times in their cycling movement of the ball, but also abysmal at other points.  Robert Dozier lost the ball several times while dribbling and even by bouncing the ball off his own foot when taking it to the basket.  Robert Sallie really stepped up and made three clutch three-pointers.

It is evident that John Calipari wants the team to penetrate the paint more often.  The Tigers’ shooting percentage of 47.7 percent should be considered an improvement over the last three games, where the team shot under 35 percent.  The Tigers made 31-65 field goals, 10-22 three-pointers, and 15-20 free throws.

The entire team has shown a level of intensity for the entire game that has been reminiscent of last year's finals squad.  Sallie has ended up diving out of bounds on every side of the court.  Taggart has made several big saves to keep the play going off a rebound. Tyreke Evans made a huge steal on a pass that allowed Memphis to get the momentum that Drexel was unable to contain.

After the Syracuse loss this past Saturday, the Tigers finally began to look like an elite team today, and they showed their ability to take control at both ends of the court and truly dominate a game.

by Brett Speer

The first month of the college basketball season has gone remarkably well for some teams. Wake Forest, Xavier, and Syracuse have all jumped straight up the rankings to reach the Top 10, or have flirted with that mark in the early going.

But some haven't been so lucky.

There are a number of teams, individual players, and coaches that will be waking up on Christmas morning with coal in their stockings (the coal signifying that things aren't going to be getting any better).

University of Alabama-Birmingham

Some teams deserve the proverbial coal while others deserve the real thing. UAB deserves to get a truck load of coal for its body of bad work that is the 2008 season.

The Blazers hoped to knock Memphis off as Conference USA champions or even just make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team, but those hopes have been dashed rather quickly with a sub-par start and off-the-court issues.

UAB has already lost to Boston College and Cincinnati, two teams that likely will not be a factor come March. The Blazers also blew a chance to beat a top five team in Oklahoma.

Mike Davis' squad is going to have trouble in conference play, picking up quality wins with only six scholarship players.

UAB was left handicapped after Terrence Roderick and Armon Bassett left school and Jeremy Mayfield and Ed Berrios were ruled academically ineligible.

Davis deserves some serious Coach of the Year consideration if he can turn this team into an NCAA Tournament team.

John Calipari, Memphis

How does a coach that can recruit so well not sign any point guards or shooters? When he recruited Derrick Rose, Calipari had to have known that Rose was probably going to be one-and-done, thus leaving the Tigers without a capable point guard.

Unless he can get John Wall to sign with the Tigers for next year, Calipari might have to go two years without a true point guard.

Memphis also doesn't have anybody who can shoot the rock, which was prominently on display Saturday against Syracuse. The Tigers hit their first three-pointer of the game but then didn't hit another 'til, oh, say, about the 2014 season.

The Tigers have a few players that can hit the occasional three-pointer, like Doneal Mack and Robert Sallie. But after that Memphis is a group of athletic freaks who slash to the basket and pound the offensive glass to put points on the board.

Eric Devendorf, Syracuse

No matter what Eric Devendorf actually did that fateful Halloween night, the junior deserves some kind of significant punishment since he was already on probation. The two-game suspension doesn't really cut it in most people's books.

Devendorf gets the coal because if he slips up one more time the slightest bit, he's probably gone from Syracuse for good.

If he sneezes in an old lady's face and doesn't say, "God bless you," he could be gone. If he comes to an intersection and doesn't help a first grader through the crosswalk, he could be gone.

Devendorf isn't going to get another chance.

The Big East

Ugh...

Remember when everyone was in agreement that the Big East had the greatest collection of teams in college basketball history? Well, the Big East still has more than enough time to make some noise in March, but for now the conference has come out of the gate as a dud. A big, fat dud.

The Big East sits third in conference RPI behind the Big Ten and the ACC, largely because of the league's inability to pick up quality wins. Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, and West Virginia have been the biggest culprits.

The league does have some quality wins. UConn has already knocked off Miami, Wisconsin, and Gonzaga, while Syracuse has won away from the Carrier Dome against Kansas, Florida, and Memphis. Georgetown has grabbed a key win at home against Memphis, but the Hoyas blew a chance to make a real statement against Tennessee.

It's not going to get better for most of the Big East as conference play is about to begin, which means the league's 16 teams are about to beat the living daylights out of each other.

University of Southern California

The Trojans have one last chance to pick up something that could be remotely considered a quality win, and that is when Tim Floyd's team hosts Georgia Tech.

USC already has losses to Big East bottom-dweller Seton Hall and Big 12 foes Missouri and Oklahoma. Right now, you can take your pick for the best win on USC's resume.

Which looks better, a five-point win against San Francisco or a four-point win against North Dakota State? Those are the two best teams the Trojans have defeated.

The only thing USC has going for itself is a chance to stockpile wins in an 18-game schedule against the putrid Pac-10.

The SEC West

The entire SEC has been pretty darn awful, but at least the East Division has several teams that should be NCAA Tournament-worthy.

The SEC West, on the other hand, may not have a single team dancing in March.

Mississippi has had enough season-ending injuries to last them into the next decade, while Auburn and Alabama have fallen victim to awful coaching jobs in 2008.

Mississippi State is trying to rebuild after losing several key players from last year's team.

Finally, there's LSU and Arkansas, who combined have just two losses. But if you add the ranks of the strength-of-schedule for both teams, you get a number north of 600.

The Tigers have beaten only one team with a winning record, 5-4 Northwestern State. Arkansas' resume is just as bad, with its key win being a victory over Stephen F. Austin, which is one of two teams leading the chase for the Southland Conference title.

Let the games begin!  Tonight!  No, really!

You've had a long day of work.  Or school.  Or post-exam lounging. 

You're tired of reading about Charles Barkley, Gene Chizik, Sean Avery reruns (pardon the pun), and Plaxico Burress' need for a holster.

You are in need of a college basketball fix, but a quick glance at the Top 25 shows a whole lot of typical December mismatches, a point I've already addressed.

There are plenty of games on tap tonight, and plenty that matter in the college basketball world.  They are not going to be grabbing attention on ESPN, and they won't be "televised worldwide," but you need (yes, need! You are an aficionado, aren't you?) to know about them, and I'm here to bring you the lowdown on five of these matchups.

Sure, there are some interesting storylines for the ranked teams.  Can a talented Siena team upset a heralded Pitt Panthers squad that has played exactly no one so far this year?  Western Kentucky and Cleveland State have already delivered recent body blows to the Big East.  Is Pittsburgh next?

Speaking of Syracuse, in-state rival Canisius pays them a visit, and while it will be interesting to see how Jim Boeheim's squad rebounds from the devastating last-second loss to Cleveland State, Canisius isn't the threat they were 10 or 20...or 40 years ago. Expect a Syracuse blowout.

So, in an effort to broaden your horizons, I've left out the Top 25 from my list.

Now I know many of you won't be torn away from the GameChannel presentation of Ecclesia at Central Arkansas (yes, that's a real name and a real game tonight), but if you so choose to divert your attention, I offer up these five diamonds-in-the-rough that may just make a difference some three months down the road.

5. Nicholls State (6-3) at LSU (7-0)

Just how bad is the SEC?  Well, enough that LSU might not want to be too confident in overlooking the Colonels. Neither team is as good as their record, and both have spent the majority of their season thus far beating up on SWAC opponents.

Nicholls State has taken it so far as to play (and beat) 0-8 Southern University twice. LSU's toughest competition has been Cal State-Fullerton, which isn't saying much, considering that UCSF has already lost to both Texas State and Montana State.

The pick: LSU 76, Nicholls St. 66

4. Mercer (6-3) at Oklahoma State (6-3)

Mercer has defeated Alabama and Auburn, and all three of their losses are to quality teams (Dayton, Georgia Tech by just six, and an East Tennessee State team picked by many to win the Atlantic Sun). 

Oklahoma State's only questionable loss was an 18-point blowout at the hands of Washington, a team not expected to compete in a weak Pac-10 this year.  The Cowboys' other losses were to Top 25 teams Gonzaga and Michigan State, and they notched wins against Tulsa and Siena.

This game may mean more to the Bears, who must do all they can with their non-conference schedule.  UCLA is on tap after this game.

The pick: Mercer 74, Oklahoma State 73

3. St. Mary's (7-1) at Oregon (4-5)

Well, I asked about the SEC, but just how bad is the Pac-10?  St. Mary's will be the heavy favorite despite a loss to UTEP earlier in the season.  The Ducks have looked incredibly inconsistent in crushing Alabama and easing past Kansas State, but losing to Oakland, Utah, and most recently San Diego.  It looks like another embarrassing loss for the Pac-10 at home.

With the West Coast Conference looking weaker this year, the Gaels can't afford a letdown if they want to be secure come March.

The pick: St. Mary's 88, Oregon 74

2. Jacksonville State (6-1) at UAB (5-3)

This is better than it sounds. UAB was expected to be the primary contender opposite Memphis in Conference USA but may face better than expected competition in East Carolina, UTEP, and Houston.  The Blazers have already defeated Arizona but struggled with Big East doormat South Florida and the WCC's Santa Clara.  None of their losses were awful, coming at the hands of Cincinnati, Oklahoma, and Boston College.

Jacksonville State has generally dominated its competition and has a win against the upstart Minutemen of Massachusetts.  The Gamecocks' only loss came in their opening game against the, yes, Gamecocks (of South Carolina).  Since then, they have handled all comers.  This should be a great game.

The pick: UAB 75, Jacksonville State 73

1. East Carolina (8-1) at N.C. State (5-1)

These teams may both be NIT-bound by the time March rolls around, but both are feeling pretty good right now and badly need this in-state rivalry win.  The Pirates haven't faced much competition to this point, and three of their next four games will be against ACC foes.  ECU's only loss this year was a six-pointer to George Mason. 

N.C. State got a pass out of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge but fought Davidson tooth and nail before finally losing 72-67.  Sidney Lowe knows he can't afford key out-of-conference losses if he has any hopes of being discussed by the Selection Committee come March.  Next Monday, the Wolfpack take on Big East foe Marquette at home, and State can't be caught looking ahead.

The pick: N.C. State 69, East Carolina 64

One bonus game for you: Texas Tech (7-2) plays in-state foe UTEP (4-4), a team that handed St. Mary's their only loss of the season and took Wake Forest to the wire before losing 82-79. 

The Miners hope to be a Conference USA bubble team come March, and after early-season losses to UNLV and New Mexico State, they'll need to defeat the Red Raiders tonight to have any hopes of being in the discussion. 

Texas Tech is just hoping to stay in the top half of the Big XII, something that won't be an easy task if they have any more efforts like Saturday's loss to Lamar. 

The bonus pick: UTEP 70, Texas Tech 68

In my opinion, these games beat the likely blowouts the Top 25 teams will be engaged in, even if I do have to follow them online or by Internet radio. 

Now hurry!  The games are about to begin!

When the Big East raided Conference USA for some of the league's best teams after the 2005 season, the raid left Conference USA in a state of disarray.

C-USA had routinely put four teams in the NCAA Tournament since its inception in 1995, but the NCAA Tournament stalwarts from the conference were Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, and Memphis.

Suddenly, three of the teams Conference USA hung its hat on were gone.

After three years of receiving a total of four NCAA Tournament berths (three of which belong to Memphis), Conference USA is making a comeback in the 2008-2009 season.

The league is arguably the strongest it's been since the Big East went pillaging three years ago.

As many as four different teams have legitimate NCAA Tournament hopes, while several more should be planning to go dancing in the NIT.

Teams That Could be Headed to a Four-Letter Tournament

Memphis

The Tigers have dominated Conference USA since Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, and South Florida bailed on the league. Memphis has won 42 consecutive league games and has lost only one game against C-USA competition in the past three years.

John Calipari's program is a pipeline for professional talent, sending three players to the NBA last year alone.

This year, things are a bit different for Calipari. He's got the weapons to run his dribble-drive motion offense, but those weapons aren't nearly as deadly as years past.

Memphis lacks depth in the frontcourt and can't really hit free throws again, but that doesn't mean this team won't be very good.

The Tigers have one of the best freshmen in the country in Tyreke Evans, super senior Antonio Anderson, who flirted with the NBA draft last year, and two stud big men in Shawn Taggart and Robert Dozier.

Memphis is the best team in Conference USA, but just barely. The Tigers will win the conference and head to the NCAA Tournament as a five seed.

UAB

Mike Davis finally has the Blazers ready to compete with Memphis. It's taken him two years since he took over the program from Mike Anderson before the 2006 season.

The Blazers have an extremely talented nucleus of players, headlined by one of the best streak shooters in the country, Robert Vaden. Just ask Kentucky what he can do when he gets hot.

Vaden won't have to do it all himself.

Fifth-year senior Paul Delaney III can really score. After blowing out his knee last year, Delaney is back, healthy, and scoring. Delaney is averaging 17 points per game and knocking down six free throws per game so far.

Forward Lawrence Kinnard is averaging almost a double-double, but can also step out and hit a three.

UAB isn't quite as talented as Memphis, at least on paper, but the Blazers should challenge the Tigers for the league crown.

UAB should make it into the NCAA Tournament as a seven or eight seed.

UTEP

Stefon Jackson can score—he can really score. The reigning Conference USA scoring champion is back for another season and will lead the Miners into contention for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Two other starters return, as well as the league's best sixth man, Randy Culpepper.

Scoring will rarely be a problem for UTEP, but coach Tony Barbee needs to get his team to play defense. The Miners ranked last in the conference in scoring defense.

UTEP will likely just miss out on the NCAA Tournament, but will be a very high seed in the NIT.

Southern Mississippi

The Golden Eagles haven't been relevant in almost two decades, but that could change in 2009. Larry Eustachy returns all five of his starters from a team that finished tied for fourth last year.

Jeremy Wise, A.L. Horton, and Courtney Beasley all average double figures, and sixth man Craig Craft is a capable three-point shooter off the bench.

Southern Miss will be walking a fine line like UTEP between the NCAA Tournament and the NIT.

The Golden Eagles will likely fall into the NIT, but receive a high seed.

Going to a Three-Letter Tournament

Tulsa

The Golden Hurricanes should by logic be able to make the NIT. After winning the inaugural College Basketball Invitational and losing only two role players, the Hurricanes should be in contention to make the NIT.

One of the conference's best inside-outside combinations belongs to coach Doug Wojcik. Guard Ben Uzah (15 ppg in 2008) and 7'0" center Jerome Jordan (10.5 ppg in 2008) should put points on the board with ease.

Tulsa should peak as an NIT team, but has the potential to go to the Big Dance if Jerome Jordan continues to improve and show off his potential to be a professional prospect.

Houston

The Cougars lost a lot of scoring with the departure of Robert McKiver, who shared the scoring title with Stefon Jackson. Only one starter returns to Tom Penders' team, but freshman Aubrey Coleman and transfer Qa'rraan Calhoun should make this team competitive enough to win a few games during the conference schedule.

Houston is off to a decent start, and it should continue through the New Year. The Cougars should be a borderline NIT/CBI team.

The Rest of the Conference Isn't Very Good

Outside of Marshall, there really isn't another team in the conference that can remotely challenge Houston for sixth.

The Thundering Herd returns three starters, brings in three transfers from major programs, and welcomes three freshmen to a 16-14 team. The talent is there, but the results are not. Marshall is off to a bad start at 1-3.

Postseason Predictions

Conference Tournament

Memphis barely squeaks out its fourth straight conference title over UAB.

NCAA Tournament

Memphis will go with the automatic berth from winning the Conference USA Tournament and enter the NCAA Tournament as a five seed.

UAB will also make the NCAA Tournament as a seven seed.

NIT

Southern Mississippi will barely miss the NCAA Tournament and go to the NIT as a one seed.

UTEP will also barely miss out and go to the NIT as a two seed.

Tulsa will barely get an NIT berth as a six seed.

CBI

Houston will just miss the NIT and go into the CBI as a top seed.

The UAB Blazers for only the third time in their history have now started the season 4-0. The first time since the 2004-2005 season.  What is most impressive about the fast start is that none of the games have been played at Bartow Arena where UAB has an all time .822 winning percentage. 

The four wins have came at Troy, vs Santa Clara in Tucson, at Arizona and at Old Dominion.  After the two wins at Arizona in the Pre-Season NIT, UAB will face Oklahoma on Wednesday night and either Purdue or Boston College on Friday.  If UAB can manage to get two wins in New York this week this would really help out on the tournament resume, as playing in C-USA big time wins are hard to come by besides Memphis.

Another factor in the fast start for UAB is they are getting scoring from more than one player. Where Robert Vaden, Paul Delaney, and Lawrence Kinnard are all averaging double digit points a game. Newcomer to the Blazers Terrence Rodderick is playing a huge role as the team's sixth man where he is getting 8.3 points and five rebounds a game. 

The lack of size down low has not hurt UAB as much as most thought it would early on with the great guard play and being able to double team down low and still covering the perimeter.  That all could change this week, with probably the best big man in the country waiting on them at the Garden in Blake Griffin where in four games he is averaging 26 points and 20 rebounds a game. 

For UAB to come home from New York 6-0, its pretty simple on what has to be done they must contain the big man from Oklahoma and make their outside shots. Its going to be impossible to stop him, Griffin will get his. The question is how many will he get?

Oklahoma is not very deep on the bench so getting OU in foul trouble early and into the Sooner bench could help UAB take advantage of the mismatches there.  Kinnard and Delaney could cause fits for Oklahoma players trying to go man against them. If Vaden can continue his hot shooting from Saturdays game UAB could earn a huge victory and a real boost in the national scene and an early big time RPI win.

Are the basketball hoops not 10' high in Puerto Rico? Are the courts not 94' long and 50' wide? Are the official balls not spherical?

As far as I know, the basic elements of the game are the same in Puerto Rico as they are in the United States. Which begs the question: Why is No. 12 Memphis only a 23-point favorite over winless Chattanooga this afternoon in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off?

The Tigers did play at midnight on Monday, but they have enough depth to overcome a little fatigue. In that game, against UMass, Memphis only shot 39 percent, including an abysmal 2-of-19 from behind the arc. The Tigers still won by 22, as nine different players saw at least nine minutes of action.

Chattanooga, on the other hand, is on the opposite side of two early season blowouts. The Mocs were crushed 114-75 by Tennessee in their opener and lost 103-75 to Missouri on Monday. Ten Tennessee Volunteers and 11 Missouri Tigers played double-digit minutes against Chattanooga, and Memphis figures to employ a similar strategy.

With its aggressive pressure defense, Memphis should be able to force a bunch of turnovers against the sloppy Mocs.

In my opinion, even a somewhat travel-weary, potentially sloppy Memphis team wins this game (4:30 ET, ESPN2) by at least 30.

In Other Memphis News:

It was announced yesterday that Memphis snagged another big-time player: ESPN's top-rated recruit in the country, Xavier Henry. Nothing against the shooting guard from Oklahoma State, as one obviously does not ascend to the top of one's class without being ridiculously good at basketball, but his recruiting video is lame. Really lame. Check it out here.

I'm sorry, but they could've made a video of me doing that stuff. The entire video is a compilation of wide-open threes and a couple fast-break lay-ups, mostly against the same team. Also, most of the time the defense appears to be hoping the ball will go in the hoop, just because they seem too lazy to get a rebound if it missed. The way Henry trots back on D -- which I'll call the "Henry Hobble" -- is reminiscent of Willis Reed in his twilight years, or anyone over 40 who plays pick-up at your local gym.

Calapari must have seen a different video.

Today's pick: Memphis -23; 2 units.

Season Record: 2-0 (100%), +3 units