The Bum's Top 25 College Basketball Previews For Saturday 02/11/16 !

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s six-pack

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

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

— Wisconsin Badgers won their last seven overtime games.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[StarDust Bum]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Make that two bold moves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

An impressive resume.

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

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

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

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

But Cooley has talent on his roster.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do the Seminoles have another answer?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"We have to guard the ball."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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