The Alley-Oop

I apologize to you, my loyal readers. I will not be able to provide the in-depth analysis you are used to as I have far too many things due on Monday at the job that gives me a paycheck. However, below you will still find predictions for all of the Top 25 games this weekend.

Saturday

#1 Pittsburgh (25-3, 12-3) at Seton Hall (15-12, 6-9)

Prediction: Pittsburgh 76, Seton Hall 67

Notre Dame (16-11, 7-8) at #2 Connecticut (26-2, 14-2)

Prediction: Connecticut 80, Notre Dame 70

#3 Oklahoma (25-3, 11-2) at Texas Tech (12-16, 2-11)

Prediction: Oklahoma 79, Texas Tech 77

Southern Miss (14-13, 4-9) at #4 Memphis (25-3, 13-0)

Prediction: Memphis 75, Southern Miss 51

Georgia Tech (10-16, 1-12) at #5 North Carolina (24-3, 10-3)

Prediction: North Carolina 92, Georgia Tech 73

#7 Duke (23-5, 9-4) at Virginia Tech (17-10, 7-6)

Prediction: Duke 78, Virginia Tech 75

#11 Arizona State (21-6, 10-5) at Washington State (15-13, 7-9)

Prediction: Washington State 63, Arizona State 59

Georgetown (14-12, 5-10) at #12 Villanova (23-5, 11-4)

Prediction: Villanova 77, Georgetown 65

#13 Clemson (22-5, 8-5) at #25 Florida State (21-7, 8-5)

Prediction: Florida State 75, Clemson 74

#14 Wake Forest (21-5, 8-5) at Virginia (9-15, 3-10)

Prediction: Wake Forest 83, Virginia 74

Ohio State (18-8, 8-7) at #16 Purdue (21-7, 10-5)

Prediction: Purdue 66, Ohio State 56

#17 Gonzaga (22-5, 13-0) at San Diego (15-14, 6-7)

Prediction: Gonzaga 68, San Diego 64

#18 LSU (24-4, 12-1) at Kentucky (19-9, 8-5)

Prediction: Kentucky 79, LSU 76

#19 UCLA (21-7, 10-5) at California (21-7, 10-5)

Prediction: California 70, UCLA 63

Arizona (18-10, 8-7) at #21 Washington (21-7, 12-4)

Prediction: Washington 88, Arizona 80

Cleveland State (21-9, 12-5) at #23 Butler (24-4, 14-3)

Prediction: Butler 63, Cleveland State 58

#24 Texas (19-8, 8-5) at Oklahoma State (18-9, 7-6)

Prediction: Oklahoma State 79, Texas 73

Sunday

#10 Marquette (23-5, 12-3) at #6 Louisville (22-5, 13-2)

Prediction: Louisville 82, Marquette 77

#8 Missouri (24-4, 11-2) at #15 Kansas (23-5, 12-1)

Prediction: Kansas 69, Missouri 66

#9 Michigan State (22-5, 12-3) at #20 Illinois (23-6, 11-5)

Prediction: Michigan State 60, Illinois 59

Record: 59-20

GMU What!?!?

Saturday

Towson (10-20, 5-12) at George Mason (19-9, 12-5)

George Mason closes the regular season with Senior night against a sorry Towson team. Four seniors will be celebrated, John Vaughan, Dre Smith, Daryl Monroe, and Chris Fleming. Of the four, only Vaughan has really made much of an impact. Smith played 3 seasons but has struggled shooting wise all three years, Monroe played 2 seasons for Mason and Fleming has been an infrequent contributor, mostly bench player in his 4 years.

With their unimpressive win over UNCW on Wednesday, Mason clinched at least a first round bye. Mason can finish the regular season no worse than fourth, and no better than second. When Mason wins (seriously, no chance they are losing at home to Towson), if Northeastern loses to Old Dominion then Mason will finish second. If Northeastern defeats ODU, then Mason will finish third no matter what. If Mason does somehow lose and ODU beats Northeastern then Mason will finish fourth. It would be nice to be able to potentially avoid VCU until the championship game, which getting a second or third seed would guarantee. VCU scares me much more than Northeastern does.

As for this game, Mason can finish the season undefeated at home with a win. They beat Towson earlier this year at Towson, 71-59. I really hope Mason routs Towson in this one like they should so they can feel good about themselves heading into the conference tournament next Saturday.

I think Vaughan, Monroe, and Smith will play one of their better games in the year, and exit the Patriot Center in style. I think Coach Jim Larranaga will give Fleming the start and even Flem will do some damage. I expect a great night of celebration and an impressive win headed into the make or break part of Mason's season.

Prediction: George Mason 75, Towson 53

GMU What!?!?

George Mason (18-9, 11-5) at UNC-Wilmington (7-22, 3-13)

Mason closes up their road schedule tonight at UNCW. This should be an easy win for Mason, but Mason has proved that nothing will come easy for them on the road. They have lost 5 in a row on the road, with their last road win coming against lowly William & Mary way back on January 14.

Mason destroyed UNCW in their first meeting, 101-60. Every Mason player scored in that game, with John Vaughan leading the way with 20 points.

Wilmington hasn't had much go their way this year. Usually tough to beat at home they are just 5-8. That being said, they did beat first place VCU at home so when sufficiently motivated they can hang with the best at home. Wilmington is led by guards Chad Tomko and Johnny Wolf, while F Dominique Lacy controls the inside. Wilmington has scorers, averaging a very good 71.8 points a game but they have been a sieve on defense, allowing 84.6 a game.

Mason has had its fair share of problems winning at Wilmington. Even when UNCW has had down years like this year, Mason hasn't been able to pull out a win. Their last win at Wilmington came in 2004 and they desperately need that streak to end tonight. The conference tournament starts in just 9 days and with a win tonight Mason can just about assure themselves a first round bye.

Despite their problems on the road Mason sits just one game behind first place VCU, and tied for second with fading Northeastern. VCU has a tough game tonight at James Madison, while Northeastern has a tough game at Drexel tonight and then at home against Old Dominion to close the season. Mason can't just worry about those two teams though because they are just a game ahead of Hofstra, ODU, and Drexel. A loss tonight could be disastrous if those teams win.

Mason needs to get this road hex removed before the conference tournament where they will exclusively play on the road. They can't go in like they did at Delaware and only have Daryl Monroe scoring, missing all of their 3 pointers and foul shots. That means Dre Smith should shoot as little as possible. I like Mason to win tonight, they won't let it be as easy as it should, but they will escape with a win.

Prediction: George Mason 78, UNC-Wilmington 72

The Week That Was

If that picture looks a little fuzzy it isn't because the AP hired a 7-year old to take the picture. It is because it is a live shot from Saturday's Maryland/North Carolina game at Comcast Center. For those that don't know today is my birthday and on Saturday my girlfriend surprised me with tickets to the game. I am a huge North Carolina fan and this was my first chance to see them live and in person.

Upon first finding out that I would be attending the game my excitement was slightly tempered by anxiety. Maryland fans don't have the best reputations and I planned on proudly wearing my North Carolina Michael Jordan jersey in enemy territory.

My hatred for Maryland basketball grew a few years ago when I was attending the BB&T Classic. George Mason was in the field as was Maryland. This was pre Final Four for Mason so no one really knew who we were at the time. Unfortunately for me I was sitting next to an obnoxious Maryland fan who took great joy in denigrating Mason for hours, while pumping up his Terps. There wasn't much I could say, Maryland was just a few years removed from a national title and Mason was just a lowly CAA school. I got some minor retribution later that night when Maryland lost to George Washington, but otherwise it was an argument I couldn't win.

The last few years the tide has shifted, Mason made their run to the Final Four and Maryland has become an almost yearly competitor in the NIT. I think of that guy often and how fun it would be to talk to him now about the state of the Maryland and Mason basketball programs.

I am getting off topic though, back to the game. As much as I would like to I can't hate on Comcast Center. It is a very nice building and the atmosphere for Saturday's game was off the charts. Our seats were near the top, which was fine, could see everything perfect, plus I was surrounded by Carolina fans. There was one Maryland fan sitting close to us and he despised Tyler Hansbrough. Every time Hansbrough screwed up, which was often in this game, he would go on and on about how Hansbrough won't be a good pro. I can't say I disagree with him but it really wasn't relevant to the game we were watching, as I really don't care whether Hansbrough is good or not in the NBA. Plus, I wanted to ask this Maryland fan how many current Maryland players were even going to make a pro team, but him being about 100 pounds heavier than me dissuaded me from that.

The first half went exactly as I hoped as Carolina pretty much dominated. I was nervous that Grievis Vasquez was having such a good game. As I pointed out in the Alley-Oop Friday, he had to have an amazing game for Maryland to have any chance. Vasquez scored their first sixteen points and it was a sign that Carolina would have no answer for him on this day.

In the second half the Tar Heels extended their lead to 16 and the Comcast Center was pretty dead. Maryland began cutting away at the lead but I never lost confidence that Carolina would hold on to win the game. Carolina was still up six with a minute to go when everything imploded for them. They started turning the ball over, rushed possessions for no reason, considering they were up and the clock was their friend at this point, and Vasquez couldn't miss from three point land. Before I knew it, the game was tied and we were going to overtime.

Maryland had all the momentum at that point and it was becoming increasingly obvious that they were going to spring the upset. Carolina didn't help themselves when down by one late, they allowed Maryland to take the clock from 35 to 11 seconds as Carolina seemed to be trying to foul one of Maryland's bad foul shooters. A good idea in theory but once it was obvious they weren't going to be able to do that, they should have just fouled anyone. It become even worse when they ended up fouling Vasquez anyway.

Down three, Carolina had one last chance to force a second overtime but couldn't get off a shot and their chance to be #1 in the nation evaporated. I sat there shell shocked, oblivious to the fact that a girl behind us, who was actually a pretty obnoxious Carolina fan, was getting into a fight with the Maryland fan I mentioned before. I hate to see Carolina lose, but losing to Maryland, at the one chance I had to see them live was an especially bitter pill to swallow.

All in all the Maryland fans I encountered weren't too bad. I actually didn't receive much grief from any of them, even after the loss, when frankly they had every right to give me crap. However, don't get me wrong, I still hate Maryland just as much.

On this one day the Terps were better. However, come March, when Carolina is a number one seed and the Terps are playing in the NIT, the sting of this loss won't hurt anymore.

The Alley-Oop

The ACC takes center stage this weekend. #3 North Carolina travels to Maryland, while Wake Forest travels to Duke, where the Dookies will be looking for revenge. Oklahoma will also look to get one more win so they can ensure themselves the top spot in the polls next week. Problem is, they have to go on the road to their hated rivals, Texas.

Saturday

South Florida (8-17, 3-10) at #1 Connecticut (24-2, 12-2)

UCONN will be losing their #1 spot on Monday, after their loss to Pittsburgh, but South Florida will provide a nice bounce back opponent.

Prediction: Connecticut 81, South Florida 60

#2 Oklahoma (25-1, 11-0) at Texas (17-8, 6-5)

Oklahoma has stayed under the radar just about all season. Blake Griffin has drawn plenty of attention but the team itself is not often brought up as a true national championship contender. Texas has been completely disappointing this year. This is ESPN's prime time game so the building will be electrified. G AJ Abrams and G-F Damion James will do their best but it won't be enough.

Prediction: Oklahoma 76, Texas 73

#3 North Carolina (24-2, 10-2) at Maryland (16-9, 5-6)

The Tar Heels are one of the hottest teams in the country right now, ripping off 10 straight wins. Maryland just got blasted by Clemson and it is beginning to look like another NIT year for the Terps. Carolina crushed Maryland in Chapel Hill about a month ago but I expect a better effort out of Maryland in front of their insane fans. This Carolina team is filled with experience and has a made a living out of winning in hostile buildings. There is just one key to beating Maryland, maintain Greivis Vasquez and hope the rest of their team plays to their mediocre talent level.

Prediction: North Carolina 88, Maryland 78

DePaul (8-18, 0-13) at #4 Pittsburgh (24-2, 11-2)

The Panthers are coming off a huge win at Connecticut where F DeJuan Blair became a national name after embarrassing Hasheem Thabeet. They will definitely feel a letdown playing the dregs of the league in DePaul, shouldn't be a problem.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 84, DePaul 63

#6 Memphis (23-3, 11-0) at UTEP (16-9, 7-4)

Memphis has won 53 straight games in Conference USA, an unbelievable streak, no matter how weak the competition is. UTEP should give them a slight challenge but they struggle far too much on defense, giving up 72.2 points a game, to spring the upset.

Prediction: Memphis 81, UTEP 71

#7 Louisville (20-5, 11-2) at Cincinnati (17-9, 7-6)

Last time Louisville hit the road they were blasted by Notre Dame by 33 points. Cincinnati is playing for their tournament lives and a win over Louisville might be enough to seal a berth for them. I'll call the upset.

Prediction: Cincinnati 71, Louisville 69

#10 Missouri (22-4, 9-2) at Colorado (9-16, 1-10)

The Tigers have been on fire and jumped all the way to tenth in the polls. They killed Colorado in the first meeting 107-62. The Buffaloes will have some extra motivation and it will be closer this time, but not enough to get the upset.

Prediction: Missouri 84, Colorado 62

#11 Marquette (22-4, 11-2) at Georgetown (14-10, 5-8)

The Hoyas have been a huge disappointment this year, especially after they earned impressive early season wins against Memphis and Connecticut. People are still saying they have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament but they better start winning some games. Marquette has dropped two in a row on the road, including an embarrassing loss at South Florida. Guards Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews will be too much for the Hoyas.

Prediction: Marquette 84, Georgetown 79

Washington State (13-13, 5-9) at #15 UCLA (20-6, 9-4)

UCLA just barely got by the Cougars in their visit to Pullman, but they are a completely different team at home. Bruins roll.

Prediction: UCLA 64, Washington State 53

Nebraska (16-8, 6-5) at #18 Kansas (21-5, 10-1)

The Cornhuskers are scratching and clawing their way into making the NCAA Tournament field, so they can finally win an NCAA Tournament game. Going to Kansas won't help their cause as the Jayhawks are 15-0 at home. The Jayhawks have a huge game against Oklahoma on Monday, but I believe coach Bill Self will have them focused.

Prediction: Kansas 75, Nebraska 56

#19 Washington (19-7, 10-4) at USC (16-9, 7-6)

The Huskies are in a five-way dog fight for the regular season Pac-10 crown. The Trojans are basically out of that race but still in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth. USC has dropped just one home game all season. Trojans guards Dwight Lewis and Daniel Hackett will need to slow down Huskies G Isaiah Thomas. The Huskies just aren't a good enough road team to win this one.

Prediction: USC 74, Washington 68

Pepperdine (8-19, 5-6) at #20 Gonzaga (20-5, 11-0)

The Zags have been demolishing conference opponents at home.

Prediction: Gonzaga 86, Pepperdine 60

Indiana (6-19, 1-12) at #21 Purdue (20-6, 9-4)

The battle of Indiana, without any of the luster of years past.

Prediction: Purdue 70, Indiana 55

#22 Butler (22-4) at Davidson (22-5)

Some BracketBuster goodness. Both these teams are strugg a ling. Davidson may be without superstar G Stephen Curry, which led to them getting demolished at home by The Citadel on Wednesday. Butler has dropped two in a row and is desperate for a win. This is a tough game to predict without knowing Curry's status but even if he does play I think he will be limited.

Prediction: Butler 65, Davidson 62

#23 Utah State (25-2) at St. Mary's (21-5)

Utah State suffered their first loss in the WAC last Saturday at Boise State, an upset I wanted to predict but was too wimpy to do so. St. Mary's is still without star guard Patrick Mills and has struggled without him, losing 4 of 7.

Prediction: Utah State 62, St. Mary's 60

Auburn (17-9, 6-5) at #24 LSU (22-4, 10-1)

Hey, look at that! I finally get to predict an SEC team, as one of their teams has finally made it into the Top 25. What a garbage conference.

Prediction: LSU 77, Auburn 65

Sunday

Wisconsin (17-9, 8-6) at #5 Michigan State (20-5, 10-3)

After losing six in a row and having a very rough start to Big 10 play, the Badgers have recovered to win five in a row and are in the driver's seat for an NCAA Tournament berth. Michigan State has had some curious home losses this year, and received a beat down at the hands of Purdue on Tuesday. I think the Badgers are catching the Spartans at the right time.

Prediction: Wisconsin 59, Michigan State 57

#8 Wake Forest (20-4, 7-4) at #9 Duke (21-5, 7-4)

Both teams, who despite recent struggles, have somehow stayed in the Top 10, meet in a rematch at Cameron. These two are in the midst of a huge log jam between second and fifth place. Wake took the first game, nearly blowing a double digit lead before getting a late basket to win 70-68. Duke is a much different team at home, their shooters, such as Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson shoot much better at home. Unfortunately, the Dookies will get their revenge.

Prediction: Duke 78, Wake Forest 70

Arizona (18-8, 8-5) at #11 Arizona State (20-5, 9-4)

Arizona will be playing their first game in 8 days, since crushing UCLA to extend their winning streak to 7 games. The Sun Devils come in hot as well, winners of 4 in a row. The Sun Devils took the first game in a low scoring affair 53-47. Much of the Wildcats winning streak has come at home, as they are a sorry 2-6 on the road. The Sun Devils end their winning streak on the back of G James Harden.

Prediction: Arizona State 64, Arizona 52

#13 Clemson (21-4, 7-4) at Georgia Tech (10-15, 1-11)

Clemson had a bad loss at Virginia last weekend, a loss to Georgia Tech would be even worse.

Prediction: Clemson 77, Georgia Tech 72

#14 Villanova (21-5, 9-4) at #25 Syracuse (19-7, 7-6)

Villanova crushed Syracuse in the first game, as the Cuse decided to play no defense, and lost 102-85. However, the Wildcats have had problems beating good teams on the road in Big East play, including getting trounced at West Virginia last Friday. I like Devendorf, Flynn and the Cuse in this one.

Prediction: Syracuse 87, Villanova 81

#16 Illinois (21-6, 9-5) at Ohio State (17-7, 7-6)

Illinois had an embarrassing performance their last time out against Penn State. They held the Nittany Lions to 38 points, but that wasn't enough to earn a win, as they only scored 33. The Buckeyes have dropped two in a row, both of those losses coming on the road. I think Illinois will break 40 this time, but alas they will lose again.

Prediction: Ohio State 45, Illinois 41

George Washington (8-15, 2-9) at #17 Xavier (21-5, 9-3)

George Washington has fallen hard and fast. They did earn a blowout win over St. Bonaventure in their last game, while the Musketeers were upset by Charlotte. I sense a reversal of fortunes in this one.

Prediction: Xavier 75, George Washington 58

Record: 43-11

GMU What!?!?

Saturday

George Mason (18-8) at Creighton (22-6)

It is the mid-majors time to shine as George Mason travels to Nebraska to take on the Missouri Valley's Creighton Bluejays in the annual BracketBusters.

The Bluejays enter this game on a roll, winners of 7 straight. They have slight at-large hopes but mostly likely will have to win the Missouri Valley, where they are currently tied for first with Northern Iowa. The Bluejays are 13-2 at home and are led by their guards Booker Woodfox and P'Allen Stinnett. Daryl Monroe, Louis Birdsong, Mike Morrison, and Ryan Pearson will have to deal with G-F Justin Carter and C Kenny Lawson Jr.

Creighton can score with the best of them, averaging 75.1 points per game. Their defense isn't bad, giving up 65.4 points a game. Mason will have to play their best defense possible to have any chance in this game.

Honestly, Mason will have to play their best game of the season. They have lost 5 in a row on the road and that has mostly been at less than hostile arenas in the CAA. I am guessing the Bluejays will have a packed house tomorrow night, something Mason hasn't seen much of on the road this year.

In the grand scheme of things this game doesn't mean anything to Mason. They have no shot at an at-large bid, the story of their season will be written in the CAA Tournament. However, confidence wise, a win at Creighton would be huge as it would take the lift of the road losing streak off of Mason's shoulders. I just don't see it happening.

Prediction: Creighton 74, George Mason 67

GMU What!?!?

Drexel (14-10, 10-5) at George Mason (17-8, 10-5)

This is a huge game for Mason. As I have said before Mason's goal for the remainder of the year is to finish in the top 4 in the CAA. That would guarantee them a first round bye in the CAA Tournament and give them one less day they would have to play to win the championship. Mason enters this game in third, tied with their opponent for tonight, the Drexel Dragons. The loser of this game will fall to fourth and possibly further, with three teams (ODU, JMU, and Hofstra) sitting just a game back of these two.

This is the rematch from their game against each other in early December. Looking back now based on how the season has transpired, it is amazing that Mason went to Drexel and won. Imagine that, beating a quality team on the road. It was a tight game that came right down to the buzzer, as Mason survived with a 56-55 win. Mason won the game on the back of its defense, as their leading scorers on offense were Cam Long, John Vaughan, and Daryl Monroe, each with just 9 points.

Like most CAA teams Drexel is guard heavy. They are led in scoring by G Scott Rodgers, averaging 13.5 points a game. They are similar to Mason in how balanced they are on the offensive end. G Gerald Colds, G Tremayne Hawthorne, G Jamie Harris, and F Evan Neisler all average at least 8 points a game. The Dragons struggle to score and if Mason can jump on them early, like they did with Hofstra a few weeks ago, it could get ugly for the Dragons.

In the first game, Mason held Drexel to just 2-12 shooting from the 3 point line. It has become apparent that when Mason can guard the three well, they win. Although the win over Northeastern on Saturday righted the ship somewhat for Mason, Drexel comes into this one with more confidence. They have won 9 of 11 and beat first place Northeastern on the road in their last road game.

I have incorrectly predicted three straight Mason games, showing just how hard they are to figure out. Mason is now 12-0 at home and although I am nervous about jinxing them, I believe they get a key win tonight.

Prediction: George Mason 63, Drexel 54

Carolina Blue

North Carolina State (14-9, 4-6) at #3 North Carolina (23-2, 9-2)

A week after taking down their biggest rival, the Tar Heels face their secondary rival, the North Carolina State Wolfpack. NC State definitely gets more hyped for this game than Carolina does because Carolina is always better than NC State. The Wolfpack come into the game having won two in a row and pretty much need to win the rest of their games to even sniff the NCAA Tournament.

In the first meeting between these teams this year, Carolina won 93-76, with Tyler Hansbrough having his best game of the season, as he finished with 31 points. That dominant aspect of Hansbrough's game was noticeably absent in last week's games against Duke and Miami. Last week it was all about Ty Lawson taking the team on his back. While for this game it isn't necessary for Hansbrough to have a huge game it would be nice to see him get more active on the offensive end.

F Brandon Costner, F-C Ben McCauley, and G-F Courtney Fells are the players to watch on NC State. McCauley disappeared in the first game, forcing Fells and Costner to pull most of the weight. For NC State to have any chance tonight they will need all three to shoot and rebound well. Carolina had trouble with Miami's zone on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if the Wolfpack try to play zone too, and if so how Carolina adjusts.

The Wolfpack have a few good wins but those have come at home. They will be outmatched in this one.

Prediction: North Carolina 90, North Carolina State 67

The Week That Was

The NBA held its All Star festivities this past weekend. I wish I could give you some great recount of all of the skills competitions and the game itself but I watched very little. I have the dunk contest DVR'd but it was on Valentine's Day so there was no chance to watch it. I saw Nate Robinson sorta jump over Dwight Howard's back but haven't seen the whole thing. Nate is now being called Krytptonate, which is a lame nickname anyway but I also don't remember the real Superman willingly allowing Krytponite to be forced on him so the nickname makes no sense.

The West beat the East last night by a lot of points. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were named Co-MVPs. Both had good numbers but the whole thing seemed contrived to me, like the media just collaborated to name them co-MVP's so they could have a somewhat interesting story to write about today. I used to get excited for the NBA All Star Game but it just isn't the same to me anymore. They usually show some of those All Star Games from the late 80's and early 90's and the guys actually played somewhat hard in those. In this one with about 2 minutes left everyone decided to stop playing defense and let guys try to show off. It was entertaining to watch LeBron audition for next year's dunk contest but it's hard to get excited about something that the players themselves don't really care about.

Brett Favre retired again and is promising that this is really the end. I actually believe him this time as he ended the season so miserably, much different than the year before where he was a win away from the Super Bowl. For much of my younger life I hated Favre, because he played for the Packers and was responsible for eliminating my favorite team, the 49ers, from the playoffs on countless occasions. Later in his career, as the Niners faded I grew to like Favre. I always liked the passion he played the game with and also the reckless abandon he displayed. As a fan I care, and I like watching the guys care as much as I do. My biggest pet peeve is guys laughing after a loss or generally looking disinterested. You never got that out of Favre and for that I appreciated him.

North Carolina asserted their ACC dominance this week, crushing Duke at Cameron Indoor, and then holding off a game Miami team last night. Ty Lawson was the story all week for Carolina, he was unstoppable Wednesday at Duke and then last night, despite being very ill, nailed huge 3 pointer after 3 pointer to give the Tar Heels their ninth straight win. Unless Carolina goes into a complete swoon in the last few weeks they should have a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament all but locked up.

George Mason is consistent in their inconsistency. Namely, the are an atrocious team on the road, and a team that looks like it could compete with anyone at home. Thursday night, Mason was dominated by lowly Delaware, then on Homecoming on Saturday they dominated the first place team in the CAA, Northeastern. Mason is tied for third in the CAA with Drexel, whom they play at home Wednesday. They are within one game of first place VCU and Northeastern. Mason could finish first, or they could finish as low as seventh. It will be a critical few weeks for Mason, as the goal is to finish in the top four and get a first round bye in the CAA Tournament.

The Alley-Oop

Last week I showed my college basketball prowess as I called all the right upsets. I will try to continue that string this week. Another weekend with no real marquee games but the closer we move to March the more important these games become for some of the bubble teams as they try to fight their way into the NCAA Tournament.

Friday

#13 Villanova (20-4, 8-3) at West Virginia (16-9, 5-6)

Villanova is merely playing for seeding at this point for the NCAA Tournament, while West Virginia sits squarely on the bubble. The Mountaineers have had some road troubles lately but have been a different team at home. Home court means so much in college basketball, it will be evident in this one.

Prediction: West Virginia 68, Villanova 62

Illinois-Chicago (11-13, 4-10) at #15 Butler (21-2, 12-1)

Butler rolls.

Prediction: Butler 66, Illinois-Chicago 52

Saturday

#1 Connecticut (23-1, 11-1) at Seton Hall (14-9, 5-6)

The Huskies 2nd leading scorer Jerome Dyson is out indefinitely. Seton Hall will pose some problems for the Huskies early but UCONN is just too good.

Prediction: Connecticut 78, Seton Hall 65

Texas Tech (12-12, 2-7) at #2 Oklahoma (24-1, 10-0)

The Sooners might be the quietest 24-1 team ever. Bob Knight's plan to get his son Pat a head start on the coaching job last year at Texas Tech doesn't seem to be paying dividends.

Prediction: Oklahoma 83, Texas Tech 65

Cincinnati (17-8, 7-5) at #4 Pittsburgh (22-2, 9-2)

The Bearcats could give Pittsburgh some problems. Not much was expected of Cincinnati before the season started but they have fought their way into contention for a tournament berth. Pittsburgh needs to keep winning if they hope to get a #1 seed in March. They have a huge game at Connecticut on Monday and could be caught looking ahead here.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 73, Cincinnati 69

#6 UCLA (19-5, 8-3) at Arizona (17-8, 7-5)

UCLA crushed Arizona in their first meeting in Cali but that was a different Wildcats team. The Wildcats come into this one having won six in a row. The Bruins dropped one to Arizona State last night and will try to avoid the Arizona sweep. I think momentum and Chase Buddinger carries the Wildcats to victory.

Prediction: Arizona 71, UCLA 68

#25 Florida State (19-5, 6-3) at #8 Wake Forest (18-4, 5-4)

Wake Forest has really struggled since victories at home against North Carolina and Duke. Most of their troubles have come on the road. Florida State finally got into the Top 25 as they upset Clemson as I predicted. Even though Wake is strugg a ling that is a tough place to win and I think Jeff Teague will outplay his counterpart Toney Douglas.

Prediction: Wake Forest 78, Florida State 74

#10 Memphis (21-3, 9-0) at Southern Miss (13-10, 3-6)

Memphis doesn't lose in Conference USA.

Prediction: Memphis 80, Southern Miss 63

St. John's (12-12, 3-9) at #12 Marquette (20-4, 9-2)

Marquette has lost two in a row after a 9-0 start to Big East play. St. Johns will cure those ails.

Prediction: Marquette 86, St. John's 70

Fordham (3-18, 1-8) at #14 Xavier (20-4, 8-2)

Mismatch. Much like Marquette, Xavier gets exactly the opponent they need to end a 2 game losing streak.

Prediction: Xavier 81, Fordham 55

#16 Kansas (19-5, 8-1) at Kansas State (17-7, 6-4)

Kansas State comes in as the hot team in this in state rivalry. They have won six in a row after starting 0-4 in the Big 12. Kansas choked away a win against Missouri on Monday, their first Big 12 loss of the season. Wildcats G Denis Clemente will help them spring the upset.

Prediction: Kansas State 79, Kansas 78

#17 Utah State (24-1, 12-0) at Boise State (16-7, 6-4)

Utah State brings their 19 game winning streak into Boise. Boise has been very tough at home where they are 11-1. Utah State plays stingy defense, only allowing 59.6 a game and is undefeated on the road. The Broncos have a balanced attack, led by F Mark Sanchez. Want to pick the upset.... but won't.

Prediction: Utah State 72, Boise State 69

Nebraska (15-7, 5-4) at #19 Missouri (21-4, 8-2)

Missouri is 15-0 at home and coming off an emotional come from behind win against Kansas. Nebraska is squarely on the bubble and knocked off Texas last Saturday. Both teams enter with winning streaks, Missouri has won four in a row, the Cornhuskers three. Nebraska took the first meeting in Lincoln 56-51, holding Missouri 32 points under their season average. I think the Tigers have a letdown.

Prediction: Nebraska 68, Missouri 65

#21 Gonzaga (18-5, 9-0) at San Francisco (9-16, 1-9)

The Zags with the blowout win.

Prediction: Gonzaga 83, San Francisco 67

Georgetown (13-9, 4-7) at #22 Syracuse (18-7, 6-6)

Huge game for both teams as they try to fight their way into the NCAA Tournament. Both teams haven't been playing well as of late, the Cuse have dropped 5 of 6, while the Hoyas have lost 6 of 7. Georgetown took the first meeting in DC, 88-74. F DaJuan Summers and C Greg Monroe will be the keys for the Hoyas. However, they have been awful on the road and the Carrier Dome isn't the place to get well.

Prediction: Syracuse 73, Georgetown 64

#23 Purdue (18-6, 7-4) at Iowa (13-12, 3-9)

Iowa has been absolutely dreadful on the road and stellar at home. That will allow them to keep it close with the Boilermakers. Purdue has dropped their last 2 on the road but does have some impressive road wins at Northwestern, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Purdue squeaks by.

Prediction: Purdue 64, Iowa 60

Oregon (6-18, 0-12) at #24 Washington (18-6, 9-3)

Oregon has taken Oregon State's place as the Pac 10 punching bag.

Prediction: Washington 83, Oregon 71

Sunday

#3 North Carolina (22-2, 8-2) at Miami (15-8, 4-6)

The Tar Heels decimated Duke in Cameron on Wednesday and have regained their swagger with 8 straight wins. Miami needs a win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive and has been playing better of late, with a blowout win over Wake and a close loss at Duke. In the first meeting Miami hung around in the first half, before Wayne Ellington exploded, and carried the Tar Heels to a blowout win. North Carolina will have to slow down G Jack McClinton, and if they don't hope for huge games from Ellington and Danny Green like last time. Miami can be a tough place to play and the Tar Heels have to avoid a letdown. It won't be easy but Carolina will get the W.

Prediction: North Carolina 85, Miami 81

#5 Duke (20-4, 7-3) at Boston College (18-8, 6-5)

The Eagles have dropped 2 in a row after a 5 game winning streak. Both teams average about the same on offense but Duke is significantly better on defense. Boston College will need G Tyrese Rice to have a great game in order for them to have a chance. On defense they have to limit Duke's outside shot, which as everyone knows is the blueprint to beating the Blue Devils. I think Duke is beginning their annual late season swoon.

Prediction: Boston College 79, Duke 77

DePaul (8-17, 0-12) at #7 Louisville (18-5, 9-2)

I feel sorry for DePaul, after the beat down Lousiville received at the hands of Notre Dame last night, they are going to be angry.

Prediction: Louisville 78, DePaul 54

#11 Clemson (20-3, 6-3) at Virginia (7-13, 1-8)

Man, the Cavaliers are terrible.

Prediction: Clemson 82, Virginia 68

Loyola (12-14, 4-10) at #15 Butler (21-2, 12-1)

Hey look, it's Butler again, and again they are playing another sorry team from the Horizon League.

Prediction: Butler 71, Loyola 53

USC (15-8, 6-5) at #18 Arizona State (19-5, 8-4)

Arizona State lost the first meeting between these two in So Cal. Time for revenge in Tucson.

Prediction: Arizona State 67, USC 58

#20 Illinois (20-5, 8-4) at Indiana (6-17, 1-10)

It just gets worse and worse for the Hoosiers.

Prediction: Illinois 68, Indiana 58

Record: 22-5

GMU What!?!?

Northeastern (16-8, 11-3) at George Mason (16-8, 9-5)

George Mason welcomes first place Northeastern to the Patriot Center for Homecoming. Usually the idea is to schedule an easier team on Homecoming but Mason apparently didn't get that memo. With that being said the atmosphere is already jacked up because of Homecoming and it will be even more so with a first place team facing Mason.

Mason comes into this game with zero momentum. They have dropped five in a row on the road, including an embarrassing loss last night at Delaware. The Patriots hallmark, defense, has been spotty at best lately, while the usual problem of terrible free throw shooting has been rearing its ugly head.

Luckily for Mason, Northeastern comes into this game strugg a ling a bit too. They have lost 2 of 3, including a very surprising loss at William and Mary last week. Mason is 11-0 at home, but Northeastern has proven that they can win at tough venues, as they have wins at Providence, Indiana and VCU this season.

The Huskies are led by G-F Matt Janning, who torched the Patriots in the first meeting between these teams, which Northeastern won 58-57. The key for Mason, much like it was last night against Delaware is try to limit the three point opportunities. Delaware had no inside presence, yet constantly got open looks from 3 point land, leading them to victory. The leading rebounder on Northeastern is G Chaisson Allen, and he averages just 5 rebounds a game.

Monroe has the opportunity to have a big game like he did last night, Mason will also need more consistent performances from John Vaughan and Cam Long. It would also be nice if Ryan Pearson could get more than 6 minutes playing time in this game.

Last night's loss really disgusted me and I am growing tired of picking Mason to win and then just watch them fall on their faces. Mason is a different team at home but I am hoping a reverse jinx can apply with my pick.

Prediction: Northeastern 65, George Mason 60

GMU What!?!?

George Mason (16-7, 9-4) at Delaware (10-15, 4-9)

George Mason tries to end a 4 game road losing streak as they travel to Delaware tonight. Mason has lost those 4 road games by a total of 10 points, highlighting the fact that the team has trouble closing games. The main reason for this problem seems to be that Mason has no go to guy at the end of games. For the last few seasons Mason was fortunate to have guys like Will Thomas, Folarin Campbell, Lamar Butler, Tony Skinn, and Jai Lewis, who didn't shy from those big game situations. This year, despite having seniors in John Vaughan, Dre Smith, and Daryl Monroe they are lacking that edge.

One bright spot is that Mason definitely hasn't been losing to scrubs on the road. All of their road losses during this streak have come against teams with winning records in conference. However, the sign of a truly good, even great team is to be able to beat tough competition on the road.

Tough competition on the the road doesn't exist tonight with Delaware. Delaware did earn an impressive win in their last home game, beating Drexel in overtime but they are just 6-6 at home. Mason crushed them earlier this season at Patriot Center 78-55. The Blue Hens are led by their guards, Jawan Carter, Marc Egerson, and Alphonso Dawson. Egerson even leads the team in rebounding with 10.3 a game. Delaware can score but is weak on defense. Tonight is definitely an opportunity for Monroe, Ryan Pearson, and Louis Birdsong to have big games.

Mason will have to limit the shot opportunities Delaware's guards are afforded, something that has been an issue as of late. Another worrisome factor is that in 2 days Mason has a huge Homecoming game against first place Northeastern and could be caught looking ahead. Hopefully coach Jim Larranaga has gotten it into their heads that it has been proven that wins on the road are hard to come by, no matter who the competition. From a confidence standpoint this is a must win game for Mason. The road losing streak ends tonight.

Prediction: George Mason 72, Delaware 63

Carolina Blue

#3 North Carolina (21-2, 7-2) at #5 Duke (20-3, 7-2)

To the right you will see one of my proudest moments as a sports fan. I made the trip to the hallowed grounds of Cameron Indoor Stadium to see my alma mater George Mason play Duke in 2006. Long before I attended George Mason the North Carolina Tar Heels had been my favorite team. I came to the stadium in my Mason jersey but underneath I had on my Carolina jersey. One cool thing at Cameron was that after the game you could walk on the court. I immediately took advantage of this and sat on the Duke bench with my Carolina colors on.

Not many rivalries would inspire such behavior out of me but Duke/Carolina is special. Despite having two Grandfather's that graduated from Duke I have always hated them. I think my hatred of Duke led to my love of Carolina. If you're going to hate a team, why not love their most hated rival? As a Carolina fan I have enjoyed mocking Duke and their fans for many of their NBA flameouts (while quickly dismissing Joe Forte), and also recently for their lack of success in the NCAA Tournament. Even sweeter is when Carolina wins in Cameron. I won't soon forget Carolina making JJ Redick cry on Senior night as an unheralded Carolina team beat Duke, or last season when Carolina withstood Duke's best and pulled away for a win, silencing the Cameron Crazies.

As is usually the case both teams are highly ranked coming into this one. Carolina has won 7 in a row after a rough start to the ACC schedule, while Duke has struggled a bit of late. They were completley embarrassed at Clemson a week ago and needed a furious rally to beat an unranked Miami team at home. The winner of this game will be all alone in first place in the ACC.

The key player for Carolina tonight will of course be F Tyler Hansbrough. His senior class can finish 4-0 at Cameron with a win tonight, a feat that hasn't been accomplished by many classes. His job will be to help contain Duke F Kyle Singler, who leads Duke in scoring and rebounding averaging 15.8 points and 8.2 rebounds. Carolina wins by outscoring teams, while Duke primarily relies on the 3 point shot. If Duke's 3 pointers aren't falling they turn into quite frankly a medicore team. I don't anticipate Carolina using their defense to cause Duke to struggle from 3 tonight but Duke's shooters, including guards Jon Scheyer and Greg Paulus can be spotty on their own. If those two struggle and G Ty Lawson and G-F Danny Green can have a productive game there is no doubt that Carolina will win. However, this is easier said than done as Duke plays relentless defense, only giving up 61 points a game.

The crowd at Cameron Indoor will be a factor early, Carolina can't fall behind by too much or the atmosphere may be to tough to overcome. The key in Carolina's three straight wins at Cameron has been they have hung around early and then pulled away at the end. These players won't be as intimated as others are at Cameron but to completely disregard the crowd would be silly.

I think tonight's game will be another classic in this storied rivalry, I think Hansbrough will play one of his better games, in his final chance to perform at Cameron and I believe Duke's shooting will fail them when they need it most, towards the end of the game. Of course, I am biased but I think it is safe to say that if Duke wins tonight it will be an upset.

Prediction: North Carolina 80, Duke 77

The Week That Was

The Los Angeles Lakers had quite the week. It started off with the seemingly disastrous news that C Andrew Bynum would be out 8-10 weeks with an injured kneecap. People immediately began writing off the Lakers as title contenders, using last year as a template, as the team showed they could dominate the West without him, but couldn't overcome the Boston Celtics in the Finals. Then the games kicked into gear and the Lakers showed that they aren't going anywhere. It started Monday as Kobe Bryant lit up the New York Knicks with 61 points, including going 20-20 from the free throw line. Wednesday, they held off the Toronto Raptors, then turned around the next night and defeated the Celtics in overtime in Boston. Yesterday, Bryant was sick with the flu and not his usual dominant self. The Lakers went into the half down 10 and it looked like the Cleveland Cavaliers would remain unbeaten at home. Then Lamar Odom hearkened back to his Rhode Island days and completely took over the game. Odom finished with 28 points and 17 rebounds and Bryant hit a beautiful floater over LeCrab James in the final minutes to give the Lakers a 101-91 victory. Of course you can't take too much out of a regular season game but this road trip definitely had to give the Lakers some confidence.

In college basketball, I proved over the weekend that The Alley-Oop will be essential reading for anyone that watches college basketball as I called upsets by both Nebraska over Texas and Florida State over Clemson. I wasn't so fortunate in believing that George Mason could actually win a road game against a half decent team, as they fell again on the road, this time to "rival" James Madison. Mason trailed 44-30 early in the second half, then clawed their way back to take the lead, before giving it up again and losing 68-66. Dre Smith and Cam Long were non-existent and once again there was no clutch player for Mason to turn to with the game on the line. Tough loss to swallow but really at this point they are just playing out the string, as their only hope for an NCAA Tournament berth is to win the CAA Tournament. Mason travels to Delaware on Thursday in a game televised by ESPNU. Delaware is atrocious but it is on the road so it definitely can't be taken for granted.

North Carolina spent the week beating up on Maryland and Virginia at home. They renew one of the greatest rivalries in American sports on Wednesday when they travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to meet Duke. I will be back Wednesday with an extensive preview of that game.

Baseball was in the headlines as it was revealed that Alex Rodriguez, now better known as A-Roid, tested positive for steroids in 2003. The positive test result was never supposed to be public, the tests were merely a survey to see if mandatory performance enhancing drug testing was needed in baseball. Someone didn't do their job, the tests were never destroyed and now Rodriguez will be known as a cheater for the rest of his career. A-Roid was seen as the person who could take the home run record from Barry Bonds and bring dignity back to it, with the news that came out Saturday those hopes are dashed. I was initially surprised when I heard the news than remembered that Jose Canseco said that A-Roid took steroids and realized that anytime Canseco says someone has done steroids it has turned out to be true. I come down somewhere in the middle on this topic. Technically, none of these guys were cheating as there weren't any rules against steroid use. However, I can see how it is a slap in the face to the guys of years past who played the game completely clean, and have seen most of their records wiped out. After 6 years of this steroids story dominating headlines I am ready for it to go away, but with this revelation about Rodriguez and the prospect of 103 other names being leaked at some point we are in for more of this story.

The other big news was American hero Michael Phelps being photographed taking a massive bong hit at a South Carolina party. Some people were dismayed to see a 23 year old being dumb, while others saw it for what it was, a guy doing what a lot of other people at that age have done. It is always fascinating to me to watch the media throw stones at people, and then flip out when their misdeeds or even their daily actions are captured and dissected by sports blogs. Phelps was an idiot for being so brazen about his marijuana use but it doesn't diminish any of his accomplishments from over the summer. He also came out and took responsibility right away, instead of trying to hide from it, which is the best thing he could have done. If anything I gained some respect for him from this ordeal, as I had grown tired of seeing him and his social awkwardness the last few months as he was clearly trying to be something he was not.

The Alley-Oop

Welcome to the Alley-Oop. Each Friday until the major conference tournaments kick into action I will preview and predict the Top 25 action for the weekend. There a few games between ranked teams this weekend but no colossal matchups. However, that doesn't stop me from writing about it and shouldn't stop you from reading. Come March Madness when you are filling out your bracket for your pools and you actually know more than the Top 10 teams you will be happy you followed The Alley Oop.

Friday

#8 Marquette (20-2, 9-0) at South Florida (7-14, 2-7)

Despite losing coach Tom Crean to Indiana, Marquette has roared to a 9-0 start in the tough Big East. It will be 10-0 after they dispose of the Bulls.

Prediction: Marquette 80, South Florida 62

Saturday

Michigan (15-8) at #1 Connecticut (21-1)

Michigan has earned some big wins this year over Duke and UCLA. However, they currently sit under .500 in the Big Ten and are definitely on the bubble when it comes to making the NCAA tournament. A win over UCONN would put them in great shape to make it in unless they have a total collapse afterwards. UCONN is led by F Jeff Adrien and C Hasheem Thabeet and since losing at home against Georgetown have been dominant, including a very impressive road win at Louisville on Monday. Michigan is just 1-5 on the road and it might get ugly for them in Storrs.

Prediction: Connecticut 77, Michigan 64

Colorado (9-12, 1-6) at #2 Oklahoma (22-1, 8-0)

Oklahoma has been led by stud F Blake Griffin and since an upset loss to Arkansas has won 10 in a row. They are undefeated at home while Colorado has yet to win a road game, pretty easy call here.

Prediction: Oklahoma 84, Colorado 57

Miami (15-7, 4-5) at #3 Duke (19-3, 6-2)

Duke is coming off an embarrassing loss at Clemson, while Miami blew out Wake Forest at home. Duke might be caught looking ahead to their game with North Carolina on Wednesday but I am sure Mike Kryzhisnameistoohardtospell will have the Blue Devils ready. Plus, Duke will be looking for revenge for last seasons loss at Miami. Duke will likely shoot much better in this one and the Cameron Crazies will be a factor.

Prediction: Duke 73, Miami 65

Virginia (7-11, 1-6) at #4 North Carolina (20-2, 6-2)

Now normally North Carolina would get their own post but really what is their to say about this one? Carolina could start their 5 bench players and would still beat the sorry Cavaliers. They could scout Duke and not spend a second on UVA and they would still crush, you get my drift.

Prediction: North Carolina 95, Virginia 60

#5 Pittsburgh (20-2, 7-2) at DePaul (8-15, 0-10)

DePaul has yet to find a way to win in the Big East and it get's even harder as the Panthers come to town. F Sam Young and G LeVance Fields carry the Panthers but expect some different contributors to get some action in this one as the Panthers roll.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 84, DePaul 69

#9 Xavier (20-2, 8-0) at Duquesne (14-7, 5-3)

Xavier has steamrolled through the Atlantic-10 thus far but could get a test from Duquesne. Duquesne's program was a mess after some of their players were shot a few years ago but it seems they are starting to turn a corner. Duquesne gives up 75 points a game so for them to spring the upset they will have to play much better defense. I am tempted to pick an upset but I think Xavier holds on.

Prediction: Xavier 78, Duquesne 75

Florida State (17-5, 4-3) at #10 Clemson (19-2, 5-2)

Clemson is coming off a huge victory over Duke. Florida State has quietly been having a good season. Wake Forest hasn't reacted well to their win over Duke and I think the same bug will befall Clemson.

Prediction: Florida State 74, Clemson 71

#11 Butler (20-2, 11-1) at Wright State (14-9, 8-4)

Butler was upset by Wisconsin Green Bay on Monday and their is potential for an upset here. Wright State has recovered from an 0-6 start to win 14 of 17 and is 7-2 at home. I think the loss to Green Bay will have Butler on notice for this one.

Prediction: Butler 62, Wright State 56

Notre Dame (12-9) at #12 UCLA (18-4)

Notre Dame has completely fallen apart, losing 6 in a row. If they don't start winning they will be headed to the NIT or worse the CBI. UCLA isn't quite playing the level of defense they have in recent years and may have some trouble shutting down F Luke Harangody. A win here for the Irish could awaken their NCAA Tournament hopes. I don't think the Irish have the horses on defense though to pull it out.

Prediction: UCLA 71, Notre Dame 64

Indiana (6-15, 1-8) at #14 Michigan State (18-4, 8-2)

Michigan State has had some surprising home losses in the Big Ten this year, if they lost this one it would be the mother load of surprising losses.

Prediction: Michigan State 79, Indiana 61

#15 Memphis (19-3) at #18 Gonzaga (17-4)

Both of these teams are taking a break from beating up on their conferences to try to beat up on each other. Memphis has won 13 in a row while Gonzaga has won 9 in a row. G Tyreke Evans has lived up to his billing, as he leads the Tigers in scoring with 16.8 a game. Gonzaga is led by forwards Josh "Shrooms" Heytvelt and Austin Daye. These two are about the same on defense while Gonzaga scores a little more than Memphis. I think this young Memphis squad is ready for a signature win.

Prediction: Memphis 84, Gonzaga 82

#20 Syracuse (18-5, 6-4) at #16 Villanova (18-4, 6-3)

Syracuse is led by flashy guards Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf. The Orange started off hot but have cooled recently, losing 3 of 4. Villanova is led by G Scottie Reynolds who has seemingly been there forever and F Dante Cunningham. Syracuse has had problems on the road while Villanova has been virtually unbeatable at home.

Prediction: Villanova 75, Syracuse 69

#17 Texas (15-6, 4-3) at Nebraska (14-7, 4-4)

Texas has hit some hard times recently, dropping 2 in a row at home to Kansas State and Missouri. G A.J. Abrams has struggled with his shooting and until he can get back on track the Longhorns will continue to struggle. I think the Cornhuskers smell blood and feast on the Longhorns.

Prediction: Nebraska 68, Texas 64

#19 Minnesota (18-4, 6-4) at Ohio State (16-5, 6-4)

Minnesota was just destroyed at Michigan State while Ohio State is coming off an impressive home win against Purdue. This is another game where home court will prevail.

Prediction: Ohio State 63, Minnesota 58

Louisiana Tech (9-14, 3-7) at #22 Utah State (22-1, 10-0)

Blowout city baby!

Prediction: Utah State 78, Louisiana Tech 53

#23 Arizona State (17-5, 6-4) at Oregon State (10-11, 4-6)

Oregon State, NO YOU CAN'T!

Prediction: Arizona State 65, Oregon State 61

Oklahoma State (14-7, 3-4) at #24 Kansas (18-4, 7-0)

Defending champion Kansas is putting together a nice season, despite losing the core of its national championship team. However, they haven't really faced the best of the Big 12 yet. Oklahoma State is decent but Kansas will be fine at home.

Prediction: Kansas 79, Oklahoma State 68

Sunday

Boston College (18-6, 6-3) at #6 Wake Forest (17-3, 4-3)

Wake has been strugg a ling recently, while Boston College has recovered from a 4 game losing streak with a 5 game winning streak. This looks to have all the makings of a BC victory but I think Wake coach Dino Gaudio will have his team ready, and G Jeff Teague will give Wake their second victory over the Eagles this season.

Prediction: Wake Forest 75, Boston College 66

#7 Louisville (17-4, 8-1) at St. John's (12-10, 3-7)

Easy pick.

Prediction: Louisville 75, St. John's 63

#13 Purdue (17-5, 6-3) at #21 Illinois (18-5, 6-4)

Another home court advantage game.

Prediction: Illinois 63, Purdue 59

#25 Washington (16-6, 7-3) at Stanford (14-6, 4-6)

Washington plays their fourth straight road game in Palo Alto. They will be excited to finally be home after they lose this one.

Prediction: Stanford 74, Washington 72

Record: 2-0

GMU What?!?!

Saturday

George Mason (16-6, 9-3) at James Madison (15-9, 7-5)

Mason travels to Harrisonburg to meet their fake rivals the James Madison Dukes. No one at either JMU or Mason seems to know why exactly we are considered rivals. I know that for Mason students they are told at freshman orientation that JMU is our rivals because they have girlie colors or something. When it has come to an actual on the court rivalry, there has been none. Mason has beaten JMU 10 times in a row and never really been tested in those games. Last year, Mason G Dre Smith set an NCAA record when he went 10/10 from the three point line. Anyone who watches Mason knows the chances of Smith hitting 10 three pointers on 10 attempts was a once in a lifetime accomplishment that probably only JMU would have allowed him to have.

Despite the past and despite Mason's 71-57 drubbing of JMU earlier this season at the Patriot Center this could be a tough game for the Patriots. JMU is 7-5 in conference and within striking distance of a top 4 finish, which would guarantee them a first round bye in the CAA Conference Tournament. Four of their players average double figures with their leading scorer also being their leading rebounder, F Juwann James. The Dukes put up a lot of points, averaging 70 a game but their defense is slightly weak as they give up 67 points a game. Mason's defense had slipped with the absence of G John Vaughan but his presence was on display Tuesday in the blowout win against Hofstra. Hostra scored just 54 points and was held to 28.8 percent shooting. If Mason can play even half that type of defense on Saturday they should earn another victory over the Dukes. I think the atmosphere will be electric as Mason is targeted by every CAA team when they come to their building, plus JMU actually has a decent squad this year. However, at the end of the day Mason is better and will finally get a half decent road win.

Prediction: George Mason 75, James Madison 66

GMU What?!?!

Hofstra (14-8, 6-5) at George Mason (15-6, 8-3)

Mason's recent run of tough games in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) continues tonight as they host the Pride of Hofstra. It's been a rough couple weeks for the Patriots. Mason was flying high two weeks ago at 7-0 in the conference but came crashing down with tough road losses to conference heavyweights Virgina Commonwealth (VCU) and Northeastern. Another tough road loss came on Saturday at the hands of Old Dominion, this one a little less forgivable considering Mason is a superior team to the Monarchs. Once at the top of the CAA, a loss tonight could drop Mason down to 4th, behind a fast charging Drexel.

The Pride, on the other hand, have been playing their best basketball as of late. Before dropping a home game to VCU on Saturday the Pride had won 4 in a row. They are led by G Charles Jenkins who averages 18.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a game. Mason has been burned recently by guards, Eric Maynor of VCU and Matt Janning of Northeastern both torched them. Another guard that could give Mason trouble tonight is Hofstra's Cornelius Vines, their second leading scorer. The Pride do have some bigs in F Dane Johnson and Mikos Szabo, so it will be F Daryl Monroe and F Louis Birdsong's jobs to contain them.

For Mason, this will be G John Vaughan's second game back since his scary collapse against Northeastern. Vaughan obviously wasn't himself against Old Dominion but hopefully that game shook the rust. They will need his best defensive effort to win this game. This will really come down to whose guards perform better. Mason is 10-0 at home, another key factor. I think this game comes down to the final minutes, with the Patriots squeaking out a win.

Prediction: George Mason 65, Hofstra 61

Carolina Blue

Maryland (14-7, 3-4) at #4 North Carolina (19-2, 5-2)

The North Carolina Tar Heels welcome the Maryland Terrapins into the Dean Dome tonight. Last year, the Terrapins came to Carolina unranked and shocked the #1 Heels. Maryland will once again be a heavy underdog this year, especially after their embarrassing effort at Duke a little over a week ago. The Terps did get a much needed win over Miami on Saturday that could give them a little confidence coming into this one. The Tar Heels have won 5 in a row after dropping their first 2 conference games. Last week they got a fight from an underrated Florida State team, winning at the buzzer on PG Ty Lawson's beautiful 3 pointer, then Saturday they went to Raleigh and blew out their "rivals" North Carolina State.

The Tar Heels are of course led by F Tyler Hansbrough and Lawson, other key players in tonight's game will be G Wayne Ellington, and G-F Danny Green.

The Terps will need a huge game by their statistical leader in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, G Grievis Vasquez. Obviously size will be a concern for Maryland, never a good sign if your point guard is your leading rebounder, and Vasquez will have to limit the turnovers. Another interesting stat is that only 3 of Maryland's 21 games have been on the road this year, where they currently stand at 0-3. The Heels definitely remember last year and will be sufficiently motivated. I sense a blowout.

Prediction: North Carolina 83, Maryland 67

The Week That Was

What a game. Maybe it was because of the atmosphere I was watching it in but I considered all of Super Bowl XLIII entertaining, rather than just the fourth quarter which seems to be the prevailing belief on the Internet today. The Pittsburgh Steelers had numerous opportunities to put the game away but the Arizona Cardinals defense kept rising to the occasion. Besides the amazing final quarter there were multiple moments in this game that will forever hold a place in Super Bowl lore. Firstly, there was James Harrison's amazing 100-yard interception return for a TD that completely swung the momentum at the time, turning what could have been a Cardinal lead at halftime into a 10 point deficit. Harrison first made a great play by reading exactly where Warner would be throwing and then with the help of some downfield blocking, and terrible tackling he scored the touchdown.

The Steelers led 20-7 heading into the 4th quarter. They had numerous chances to make it a 3 score deficit for the Cardinals in the 3rd quarter but were unable to get a TD despite 3 personal foul penalties on the Cardinals defense on one drive. The 4th quarter is when the game reached legendary status. The Cardinals offense finally settled into a groove and Larry Fitzgerald finally made his presence felt. Up until the 4th quarter Fitzgerald had one catch and I even commented how it was funny that two weeks of hype had been spent on him and he had done nothing. He then proceeded to shut me up as he made a great TD catch, physically dominating his defender and getting the ball, making the score Steelers 20, Cardinals 14. Each team then punted but the Cardinals pinned the Steelers at their own 1 with their punt. RB Willie Parker was nearly stuffed in the end zone for a safety. On 3rd down QB Ben Roethlisberger hit WR Santonio Holmes for a first down but holding was called in the end zone on the Steelers which is a safety and made the score 20-16 Steelers. Fitzgerald then made another tremendous play, catching a short pass from QB Kurt Warner over the middle and turning it into a 64 yard touchdown pass, giving the Cardinals their first lead of the game 23-20. Roethlisberger and Holmes then decided the Steelers weren't going to lose. The Steelers started the drive with a penalty but on the next play Roethlisberger was flushed out of the pocket and hit Holmes with a strike to avoid disaster. It was one of many instances on the drive where Roethlisberger evaded pressure and kept a play alive. Holmes had a long reception to set up first and goal for Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger just missed Holmes in the end zone on first and goal, but they atoned for it on second and goal as Roethlisberger threw a beautiful pass and Holmes made an even more beautiful catch giving the Steelers the lead and ultimately the 27-23 victory. The Cardinals had one last chance but a Warner fumble was recovered by Pittsburgh and inexplicably not reviewed by the replay booth despite possibly appearing to be an incompletion.


The win gives the Steelers their sixth Super Bowl championship, vaulting them ahead of the 49ers and Cowboys. Roethlisberger now has won 2 Super Bowls in just 5 seasons. He may not be the flashiest QB but he made plays and was just as vital to that game winning drive as Holmes was. Holmes went from drug dealer to Super Bowl MVP, not a bad career ascension.

With football officially over for the next six months it is time to focus on my other favorite sport, college basketball. Beginning tomorrow I will be posting game by game previews for both of my favorite teams, George Mason and North Carolina. Also, every Friday will be a new feature called "The Alley-Oop" where I will predict and preview the Top 25 action for that weekend's games. Hope you guys enjoy the changes.