THE SPORTS REPORTER
Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
(5) NOTRE DAME vs. (12) GEORGE MASON -- George Mason won their
conference tournament with defense, allowing only 51 points per game. Mike Brey?s
Irish squad is offensively balanced and won?t be as easily subdued. Notre Dame will
look to push the pace of the game to get it in the 70?s. Look for Brey to focus on getting
the rock to his rock ? big man Luke Harangody. The Patriots rely heavily on center
Will Thomas for points, but if he?s battling the Big East player of the year on the defensive
end, he may not be as effective scoring the ball. Look for a close ball game through
the half, but with Notre Dame?s proficiency behind the arc and Harangody?s bulk in the
frontcourt, George Mason will be forced to play catch-up ? and that?s not their game.
NOTRE DAME, 73-64.
(4) WASHINGON ST. vs. (13) WINTHROP -- Both teams play floor-slapping
defense and want to limit their opponent?s possessions. Problem for Winthrop is
they aren?t as efficient offensively as Washington State and they shoot only 60% from
the foul line. The Cougars tend to take advantage of most scoring opportunities using
a balanced approach that spreads out the points. This Tony Bennett may not be able to
sing, but he can coach. Oh yeah ? he also has the better athletes here. If the Eagles are
not at the top of their offensive game, they will die a slow death at the hands of their
Pac-10 foe. WASHINGTON ST., 59-48.
(6) MARQUETTE vs. (11) KENTUCKY -- Two tradition-rich programs who
roll into California with as many questions as answers. After an 11-1 start (with a narrow
home loss to Duke the lone blemish), Marquette has endured sustained difficulties
against quality Big East foes on the road, though they handled Notre Dame well enough
in the tournament. Kentucky endured growing pains as Billy Gillispie fiddled with combinations
early ? then settled down to rack up a regular-season 12-4 SEC mark before
falling to Georgia. The loss of F Patrick Patterson makes eager embrace of the ?Cats difficult,
with Joe Crawford and turnover-prone Ramel Bradley left to pick up the scoring.
Dominic James has settled into his best shooting groove as Marquette?s most reliable
scorer? and his ball control is excellent. Tough call at the number, but suspect ?Cats
vulnerable to greater downside potential than are the favorites from Wisconsin. MARQUETTE,
68-62.
(3) STANFORD vs. (14) CORNELL -- This is where we came in! Cardinal
opened the season by drilling out-manned Harvard by 55 and proceed to prevail over
underachieving Yale by eleven, eleven days later. Big Red?s the cream of the Ivys, rolling
through the Ancient Eight undefeated, on merit, laying waste to two decades of domination
by Princeton and Penn. But the Ivy ATS record in the Dance has deteriorated
markedly in recent years, and even the casual viewer can discern the most-recent,
spreading talent gap vis a vis genuine national power teams ? of which the Cardinal?s
certainly one. Cornell is the best free-throw shooting team in the country, but that skill
provides scant comfort against tall Trees Brook and Robin Lopez, Lawrence Hill and
Fred Washington, who should lay waste to the likes of 6?6? Ryan Wittman on the boards.
Stan doesn?t have a history of sadistic beatings, but spread fails to reflect prevailing
matchup realities. STANFORD, 81, CORNELL 57.
1) KANSAS vs. (16) PORTLAND STATE -- Kansas is bigger, stronger
and faster ? and, oh yeah ? better. The Jayhawks will enjoy the pace, as Portland St.
likes to push the ball. They have only two guys who play decent minutes that are taller
than 6?8? and their best player is 5?6? point guard Dominguez. Not exactly Big 12 caliber.
Bill Self?s frontcourt of Jackson, Arthur, and Kahn will have a field day in the
paint as they move on to Saturday. KANSAS, 79-55.
(8) UNLV vs. (9) KENT STATE -- On paper ? these teams look very similar.
We?ll see how that translates to the court. Both teams max out height-wise at the 6?8
level and rely on athleticism to play hard-nosed defense. Kent St. guard Mincy may
be the best on-ball defender in the country and he?ll get a crack at the Rebel?s Wink
Adams, who lit up BYU in the Mountain West tournament final. He has the ability to
disrupt a team?s offensive flow. If UNLV can keep Kent St. off of the offensive glass
(no easy chore) ? they have a great shot. If Kent St. can keep the turnovers to a minimum
? the pendulum swings to the MAC champ. The Golden Flashes have been playing
really well of late, so we?ll give them the slight edge. KENT STATE, 64-62.
(6) USC vs. (11) KANSAS STATE -- Our hopes fulfilled, we get a legitimate
shot at the ego-swollen Wildcats, at a competitive price. Even the lesser lights of the
Big XII eventually figured out that to slow the almighty Michael Beasley and his frosh
running mate, Bill Walker, you overplayed ?em, and dared the other Little Manhattans
to shoot. Voila! Dominant core of Tim Floyd?s team are all frosh/sophs as well, but
O. J. Mayo has matured in a big hurry, and with a healthy Daniel Hackett, Trojans play
beyond their years. And defensively, Taj Gibson is instrumental in foes shooting below
39% from the field. This is a team game, and K-State?s infant backcourt is likely to
implode, under the pressure. Ballgame! USC, 74-63.
(3) WISCONSIN vs. (14) CAL-STATE FULLERTON -- Bo Ryan?s
Badgers have long been renowned for not beating themselves, and don?t anticipate
an implosion in the opener. Fullerton shot the lights out in winning the Big West tourney
in what devolved into an easy path to the crown. They lost to familiar conference
foes on the road by small margins (3, to UCSB; 6, to St. Mary?s) but got drilled by 26
by the ?Cats of Tucson. They?ll try to run, and ex-Washington Stater Josh Akognon is
a stone-cold shooter, but Badgers are solid, and Brian Butch has evolved into something
special. So long as Trevon Hughes stays healthy, this opponent?s controllable,
though wouldn?t risk my life on Wisky surviving the weekend. WISCONSIN, 75-65
(1) UCLA vs. (16) MISSISSIPPI VALLEY ST. -- Those Bruin injuries
should be concerning to the Westwood faithful, but it won?t matter here. The Delta
Devils shoot right around 40% from the field and give up closer to 50%. Not a good
ratio ? but hey ? they made the tournament so what do they care. Ben Howland will
rest Kevin Love, and his other starters for that matter, as much as possible. His team
is laying 30+, so if the southerners get to 40 they may cover. That said ? we won?t
touch it. UCLA, 70-39.
(8) BYU vs. (9) TEXAS A&M -- The Cougars are a strong club that nobody
is talking about. Perfect. The three-headed monster of Cummard/Plaisted/Tavernari
account for 45 points per contest and fuel the Cougars. The Aggies like to play tough
defense but it won?t be easy to defend BYU. The Cougars scorers have size and skill,
and can hit from inside and out. A&M must keep the game close due to their offensive
issues. They have only two kids averaging double digits and the leading scorer
is Carter at 12 per game. The Cougars are keeping opponents below the 40% shooting
mark on the season, so scoring could be as dry as the Sahara for A&M. Close
game early, with BYU pulling away in the final 10. BYU, 69-57.
(6) PURDUE vs. (11) BAYLOR -- A pair of feel-good stories out of power
conferences, leaning to the dog whose program has risen from the ultimate depths,
emerging from the deeper conference. This year?s Bears have responded gamely to
bad losses, and a one-and-done performance against Colorado in the Big XII tournament
qualifies as a bad loss. So we anticipate guards Curtis Jerrells and Lace Darius
Dunn will rebound with fire in their eyes. Boilers are a resourceful team which has
largely-camouflaged backcourt deficiencies all season, but that?s a challenging situation
for a Madness favorite. Bears should win turnover battle, and the game. BAYLOR,
71-70.
(3) XAVIER vs. (14) GEORGIA -- Bulldogs? miracle run through the SEC
tournament structure has salvaged Dennis Felton?s job. Rendered shorthanded with
injuries and personal considerations through much of the season, UGA surprised by
turning on their tourney jets, winding up with three wins in two days (including that
improbable, storm-induced Saturday doubleheader). It?s a tribute to Felton that Billy Humphrey, Terrance Woodbury and the rest of the Dawgs responded so strongly to the
pressure. But now, they?re facing a seasoned Dance regular who essentially dominated
the lion?s share of their A-10 schedule and was good enough to beat Kent State,
UMass, Charlotte and Rhode Island on the road. The health of G Drew Lavender is a
concern, which prevents a step-out, but fully expect X to advance behind Josh
Duncan and friends. XAVIER, 69-61.
7) WEST VIRGINIA vs. (10) ARIZONA -- Lame-duck Cats coach Kevin
O?Neil likes to just roll the ball out and let his kids play. They look great in pick-up
games, but rarely put together a solid 40 minutes straight. Point guard Nic Wise is
back to form after missing most of the season with an injury ? that helps. Question is
not whether Wise, Bayless, Budinger and crew can score ? but it?s whether they can
play defense and rebound for a full game. If they can?t, budding Mountaineer star Joe
Alexander (27 ppg in last 6) will eat their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Alexander?s
team does not defend the 3 well, so if the B-Boys from ?Zona can get hot, they can
pull the mild upset. Talent is there. Execution is not. WEST VIRGINIA, 74-69.
(2) DUKE vs. (15) BELMONT -- Coach K would love to see a similar match
up for the next three weeks ? small team, weak on the boards, all offense, no
defense. Sorry coach ? you can play Belmont only once. Duke will get their fair share
of open 3?s in this one. They?ve hit 10-plus 3-pointers 15 times this season and they?ll
likely push the total to 16. Duke implemented a new substitution pattern in the ACC
tourney to rest players, so don?t look for the Dukie starters to log big minutes. This
will be a track meet without the photo finish. DUKE, 90-68.
NBA:
BEST BET
BOSTON over *DALLAS by 7
The Celtics play the fourth game of their five-game road trip against the Dallas Mavericks, a
team desperately trying to find their identity before the playoffs commence. The results since
their massive trade for Jason Kidd have been mixed, with doses of terrifying, as the Mavericks
have managed to beat every non-playoff team they?ve faced while succumbing to those
squads they may match up against during the more important second season. Boston has not
had such issues, but spent this week playing Texas? other two teams ? now they?ll try to knock
off the Mavericks in Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki and company have improved their play with Jason
Kidd, but have yet to prove they can hang with the real big boys ? indeed, they had failed to
do so before Kidd?s arrival. Look at this game as an opportunity to take the Celtics with a relatively small spread.
BOSTON 97-90
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*UTAH over L.A. LAKERS by 8
The Lakers received a scare when Pau Gasol injured his ankle last Friday ? luckily, Gasol is
only expected to miss a week to ten days, and should be ready for the playoffs. With the tenuous status of the injured Andrew Bynum, not having Gasol would torpedo the hopes of a team who has so dramatically improved their play. While the long term isn?t so bleak, Gasol is widely expected to miss this entire week at the least, and the Lakers will be facing a rested Utah squad that has the bulk and size to bully around the Lakers in the paint. With Ronny Turiaf andLamar Odom expected to receive the majority of the frontcourt minutes, the Lakers should
prove susceptible to the power basketball stylings that Jerry Sloan prefers. Being on national
television should elicit a strong effort from both squads, but this might be one of those games
where Kobe jacks up 30+ shots to poor results while superior team play takes down the purple
and gold. UTAH 115-107
