THE GOLD SHEET
★★★ KEY RELEASES ★★★
NEBRASKA by 9 over Minnesota (Sunday, January 26)
Day Games
MASSACHUSETTS over Fordham by 13 to 16—12-Mass -4' 77-73
NORTH CAROLINA ST. 66 - Georgia Tech 64—Some ACC observers
believe NC State’s midweek late rally against Maryland might have temporarily
saved the Wolfpack’s season and could trigger a revival for the stretch run.
Others are not so sure, citing ongoing struggles beyond the arc (only 28.8%
triples) and the status of top scorer G T.J. Warren (22.2 ppg), who missed that
win over the Terps with ankle problems. The unpredictable nature of NCS is
reflected in their gutsy showing minus Warren vs. Maryland! However, might
rather take a chance with combative GT side, feeling a bit more confident after
its midweek win at BC and fueled by recent efforts of Tennessee transfer G Trae
Golden, who scored 24 vs. the Eagles and has notched 20 or more in three of
last his four outings. 12-NCS -9' 83-70, Ncs -3' 70-57 CABLE TV—ESPNU
MEMPHIS 81 - South Florida 59—With MSU mentor Josh Pastner
continuing to feel the heat from some disgruntled Tiger supporters, don’t believe
he’ll call off the Tigers vs. a hurting USF squad showing no signs it can
overcome the prolonged knee injury to floor general Anthony Collins, who has
missed the last nine games (Bulls 3-6 vs. the spread in his absence). As it did
in its earlier 88-73 triumph in Tampa, Memphis’ high-pressure defense should
help fuel its transition game vs. the downtrodden Bulls, who had a whopping 23
TOs in their 86-47 home blowout to Louisville on Wednesday. 13-Mem -7' 88-
73; 12-DNP
WIS.-GREEN BAY over Detroit by 13 to 16—12-DET -8 84-76, WGB +1 68-59
WESTERN MICHIGAN over Ball St. by 5 to 7—12-BSU +5 65-62, Bsu +9' 89-85
EVANSVILLE over Bradley by 6 to 8—12-EVA -7' 66-56, BRAD -1 76-70
Smu over HOUSTON by 5 to 7—12-HOU -3 78-67, Hou +7 84-80 (OT)CABLE TV—ESPNU
INDIANA 78 - Illinois 65—After taking Illinois to an extra period in its 83-80
OT loss at Illinois despite a season-high 22 TOs in their Big Ten opener on New
Year’s Eve, believe Indiana holds serve in Bloomington vs. the laboring Illini,
who have managed a paltry 54 ppg over their last three outings. Won’t be
surprised if Illinois’ excessively-excitable 2nd-year HC John Groce, who has
recently apologized for his embarrassing tirades, loses his cool once again vs.
the revenge-minded Hoosiers, who’re encouraged by their combative 71-66
loss at undefeated Michigan State on Wednesday. Following that setback to
the Spartans, Indiana mentor Tom Crean exclaimed, “I’m proud of my team
because I think we did a great job the last couple days of establishing even more
togetherness.” 13-ILL -3 83-80 (OT); 12-ILL +7 74-72, Ind -10 80-64 (CT-neut.)
Cincinnati 70 - TEMPLE 57—It’s apparent that this was a bad year for
Temple to make the step up to the American, as Fran Dunphy’s rebuilt roster
would probably have had problems competing even in its old A-10
neighborhood despite its six straight NCAA Tourney invitations. Sources have
reported for a while that Dunphy lacks depth on his current roster and has not
been getting the consistent production from his guards that graduated Khalif
Wyatt provided in recent seasons. After mostly going through the motions in its
earlier 69-58 yawner vs. the Owls, expect Mick Cronin’s Cincy to be a bit more
focused for the road rematch. 13-CIN -14' 69-58; 12-DNP
Harvard over DARTMOUTH by 8 to 11—13-HAR -14 61-45; 12-Har -10'75-65, HAR -16 82-77 (OT)
Stanford over SOUTHERN CAL by 4 to 6—12-USC +3 71-69, Usc +9' 65-64
★★★NEBRASKA 78 - Minnesota 69—Nebraska confirmed its progress
under 2nd-year HC Tim Miles with its recent home win over Ohio State,
suggesting that the Huskers are not going to be an easy touch in Lincoln. Also,
prefer NU’s psychology against a Minnesota side off a its rousing midweek win
over Wisconsin and going back-and-forth in a recent W-L-W-L results pattern.
The current Huskers have more firepower than the team that upset a then Tubby
Smith-coached Minnesota quintet last season (in the old Devaney Center), as
Texas Tech transfer F Terran Petteway (17.4 ppg) has added a much-sharper
edge to Nebraska on the attack end. Gophers also likely to be without top scorer
G Andre Hollins (15.5 ppg; ankle). 12-MIN -18 84-65, NEB +8 53-51
Night Games
TOLEDO 74 - Kent St. 71—KSU has been competitive in virtually every
game this season, with 5 of 6 losses by 8 pts. or fewer (the other by 11 at tough
Buffalo). So, would be attracted to taking more than 3 hoops vs. instate rival UT,
which has been lax on the stop end, allowing 46.7% from the field (ranking300th). Thus, it’s a good bet the Golden Flashes’ balanced attack (five players
between 12.6 ppg & 8.4 ppg) should be able to trade virtually all the way with the
Rockets, who let talent-shy Northern Illinois hang around in non-covering a 77-
68 win on Wednesday. 12-Tol +8 70-58
NORTH CAROLINA 72 - Clemson 59—We can’t remember the last time
UNC was buried near the bottom of the ACC table at this stage of the season in
late January. No wonder, too, as Roy Williams still can’t locate any reliable
shooters (especially from long range, where the Heels are hitting just 30%
beyond the arc) or free-throwers (Carolina only 61.5% from the charity stripe),
all of which is severely jeopardizing Carolina’s Big Dance prospects. But it will
really be time to sound the alarms if the Heels lose to a Clemson side that has
dropped 57 straight games in Chapel Hill! 12-Unc -3' 68-59 CABLE TV—ESPNU
Oregon over WASHINGTON ST. by 3 to 5—12-ORE -10' 68-61, Ore -4 79-77 (OT)
ARIZONA 74 - Utah 62—Is Arizona the No. 1 team in the country because
it is so dominant, or more because it has remained among the undefeated so
long? That is a question that will continually arise in the second half of the
season. One thing is sure, the Wildcats are being asked to cover some hefty
pointspread as a result of their lofty ranking. Utah was undaunted in two
meetings vs. the Wildcats last season. The Utes lack U of A’s depth, but Utah
is solidly coached, has three useful big men, and is getting a big boost TY from
6-5 juco Deion Wright (15.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg). 12-ARI -19 60-57, Ari -10 68-64
UCLA 82 - California 73—With UCLA on alert after recent loss at Utah and
Cal stumbling at Pac-12 bottom-feeder USC on Wednesday, prefer to stick with
the home team, as a glance at LY’s results reveals. The Bruins are deep in
firepower, but not necessarily in defense. And even though the Bears started
fast on the Pac-12 road with wins at Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State,
Washington, and Washington State, most of those victories are not looking so
impressive in retrospect. With this the last visit to the Southland for L.A. product
PG Justin Cobbs of Cal (15.3 ppg), is the “over” worth a look in this Sunday
affair? 12-UCLA -7' 79-65, CAL -2 76-63 CABLE TV—ESPNU
