6:00 PM EST-ESPNU
16-8 (7-4) Kent State
at 16-8 (8-3) Toledo
PW's MAC Game of the Night
PW's Game of the Hour
16-8 (7-4) Kent State
Solid Wins:
-Southern Illinois 74-51 (Home)
-North Dakota State 53-52 (in El Paso, Texas)
-Eastern Michigan 65-59 (Home)
-Ohio 69-59 (Home)
-Toledo 67-60 (Home)
-Central Michigan 63-53 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Bowling Green 66-64 (Home)
-Buffalo 80-55 (Road)
-Western Michigan 67-66 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To Akron 61-52 (Road)
Key Players:
---#35 Jimmy Hall (SO) (DNP in last three as he has Mononucleosis)
-15.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, & 1.0 BPG.
---#0 Devareaux Manley (SR)
-12.8 PPG & 2.6 RPG.
---#1 Kris Brewer (SR)
-10.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG, & 2.9 APG.
---#23 Derek Jackson (SR)
-9.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, & 1.9 SPG.
---#4 Chris Ortiz (JR)
-6.3 PPG & 4.0 RPG.
16-8 (8-3) Toledo
Solid Wins:
-Northern Arizona 71-58 (Home)
-Bucknell 92-65 (Home)
-Cleveland State 59-54 (Road)
-Robert Morris 83-57 (Home)
-Akron 84-67 (Home)
-Ohio 80-73 (Road)
-Bowling Green 71-67 (Home)
-Eastern Michigan 74-60 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Central Michigan 65-62 (Road)
-Western Michigan 81-78 in Overtime (Home)
-Kent State 67-60 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Buffalo 92-88 (Home)
Key Players:
---#20 Julius Brown (SR)
-16.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG, & 4.4 APG.
---#4 Justin Drummond (SR)
-13.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, & 1.8 APG.
---#24 J.D. Weatherspoon (SR)
-12.3 PPG & 7.8 RPG.
---#1 Jonathan Williams (SO)
-11.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, & 1.9 APG.
---#53 Nathan Boothe (JR)
-9.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, & 1.2 BPG.
Prediction:
Game one of ESPNU's Triple-Header of NCAA Men's Basketball is sure to make a difference in the Mid-American Confernce Championship race. The Kent State Flashes, who are one game behind the leaders in the East Division, have had a very good season thus far. After losing their conference opener to Bowling Green, Kent State went on a six-game winning streak with one of their wins coming against the leader in the West Division and tonight's opponent, the Toledo Rockets. The Flashes were dominating the conference until Buffalo destroyed Kent State 80-55. On top of the loss, "Stud Sophomore" Jimmy Hall contracted mono causing him to miss the last three games coming into tonight. Hall was playing like a Player of the Year canidate and his absence led to two losses and one close win for his team. Without Hall, points have been hard to come by for the Flashes despite second leading scorer Devareaux Manley stepping up and averaging 13.3 points per game. This evening Manley will need much more than his average against a high-scoring Toledo team. The Toledo Rockets are finally blasting off at the right time of the season. Toledo, commanded by Senior Julius Brown, may be remembered this season as a team that gave Duke a little bit of a challenge prior to New Years, but by the end of the season, they could be remembered as a team that wins the 2015 MAC Conference Tournament and possibly upsets a high ranked team. In the cockpit with Brown, are four other good players in Justin Drummond, J.D. Weatherspoon, Jonathan Williams, and Nathan Boothe, who present options to score the basketball for the second highest scoring team in the conference. With Kent State's Jimmy Hall, most likely out again, I do not see where the points will come from for the Flashes besides Manley. Manley simply cannot score as much as the five on Toledo and that is being said even if his teammates, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson score more than their normal amount. Lastly, with the game being played in Toledo, the Rockets should win comfortably unless their defense plays worse than usual.
---Toledo 72, Kent State 62
6:00 PM EST
11-9 (3-3) Columbia
at 15-5 (5-1) Harvard
PW's Ivy League Game of the Night
11-9 (3-3) Columbia
Solid Wins:
-Lehigh 54-44 (Road)
-American 52-43 (Home)
-Bucknell 62-39 (Home)
-Cornell 48-45 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Cornell 57-47 (Home)
-Yale 63-59 (Home)
-Princeton 74-62 (Home)
Last Game:
-Win Against Pennsylvania 83-56 (Home)
Key Players:
---#12 Maodo Lo (JR)
-16.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.2 APG, & 1.5 SPG.
---#0 Kyle Castlin (FR)
-10.3 PPG & 4.1 RPG.
---#5 Steve Frankoski (SR)
-8.0 PPG & 1.9 RPG.
---#23 Cory Osetkowski (SR)
-6.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, & 2.1 APG.
15-5 (5-1) Harvard
Lunardi's Bracketology: 12 Seed
#10 Best Mid-Major According to CollegeInsider.com
Solid Wins:
-Houston 84-63 (Home)
-Massachusetts 75-73 (Home)
-Northeastern 60-46 (Home)
-Vermont 64-52 in Double Overtime (Road)
-Grand Canyon 72-59 (Road)
-Bryant 66-57 (Road)
-Princeton 75-72 (Road)
-Yale 52-50 (Road)
"Never Shoulda Happened" Losses:
-Holy Cross 58-57 (in Boston)
-Dartmouth 70-61 (Home)
Last Game:
-Win Against Yale 52-50 (Road)
Key Players:
---#23 Wesley Saunders (SR)
-16.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.0 APG, & 2.1 SPG.
---#15 Corbin Miller (SO)
-9.3 PPG & 1.7 RPG.
---#1 Siyani Chambers (JR)
-9.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 4.5 RPG, & 1.4 SPG.
---#14 Steve Moundou-Missi (SR)
-8.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, & 1.7 BPG.
Prediction:
---Harvard 62, Columbia 50
7:00 PM EST
16-9 (10-4) Rider
at 12-11 (7-7) Canisius
16-9 (10-4) Rider
Solid Wins:
-Lehigh 78-74 (Home)
-Siena 80-68 (Home)
-Quinnipiac 56-53 (Road)
-Manhattan 82-79 in Overtime (Road)
-Canisius 59-46 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Iona 77-64 (Road)
-Monmouth 55-54 (Home)
-Iona 78-68 (Home)
-Siena 79-72 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Manhattan 85-77 in Overtime (Home)
Key Players:
---#35 Matt Lopez (JR)
-12.8 PPG & 7.9 RPG.
---#5 Teddy Okereafor (JR)
-10.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, & 1.8 SPG.
---#3 Jimmie Taylor (SO)
-10.0 PPG & 4.6 RPG.
---#2 Zedric Sadler (JR)
-8.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, & 1.6 SPG.
12-11 (7-7) Canisius
Solid Wins:
-Vermont 64-60 (Home)
-Saint Peter's 60-57 (Road)
-Niagara 77-64 (Road)
-Stony Brook 60-59 in Overtime (Home)
-Siena 83-49 (Home)
-Iona 78-74 (Home)
-Quinnipiac 63-57 (Home)
Single-Digit Conference Losses:
-Monmouth 73-68 (Home)
-Manhattan 63-60 (Home)
-Iona 79-76 (Road)
-Marist 75-67 (Home)
-Manhattan 78-69 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To Monmouth 44-40 (Road)
Key Players:
---#1 Zach Lewis (SO)
-14.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, & 1.7 SPG.
---#22 Phil Valenti (SO) (DNP in last 3 as he has an ankle injury)
-10.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#50 Josiah Heath (SR)
-7.8 PPG & 6.1 RPG.
---#2 Jermaine Crumpton (FR)
-7.3 PPG & 2.2 RPG.
Prediction:
---Rider 67, Canisius 62
7:00 PM EST-ESPN2
20-5 (9-2) Green Bay
at 22-4 (9-2) Valparaiso
PW's Game of the Night
PW's Horizon League Game of the Night
PW's Game of the Hour
20-5 (9-2) Green Bay
Lunardi's Bracketology: 13 Seed
#7 Best Mid-Major According to CollegeInsider.com
Solid Wins:
-Evansville 64-62 in Semi-Final of Gulf Coast Showcase.
-Florida Gulf Coast 59-45 in Championship of Gulf Coast Showcase.
-#15 Miami (FL) 68-55 (Road)
-Morehead State 66-50 (Home)
-Georgia State 78-61 (Home)
-Detroit 70-64 (Road)
-Valparaiso 51-50 (Home)
Losses to Unranked Opposition:
-Georgia State 72-48 (Road)
-UC Irvine 73-70 in Championship of Holiday Hoops Classic.
-Oakland 69-66 (Road)
-Cleveland State 76-62 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Youngstown State 63-62 (Road)
Key Players:
---#24 Keifer Sykes (SR)
-18.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.0 APG, & 1.7 SPG.
---#15 Greg Mays (SR)
-11.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, & 1.3 BPG.
---#12 Carrington Love (JR)
-11.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, & 1.6 SPG.
---#34 Alfonzo McKinnie (SR)
-8.0 PPG & 5.1 RPG.
---#4 Jordan Fouse (JR)
-7.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.1 APG, 2.0 SPG, & 1.1 BPG.
22-4 (9-2) Valparaiso
#6 Best Mid-Major According to CollegeInsider.com
Solid Wins:
-East Tennessee State 90-75 (Home)
-Murray State 93-58 (Home)
-Portland 70-55 in Championship of the Challenge in Music City.
-Eastern Kentucky 72-66 (Road)
-James Madison 79-52 (Road)
-Cleveland State 58-56 (Home)
-Oakland 82-76 (Home)
Losses:
-Missouri 56-41 (Road)
-New Mexico 63-46 (Home)
-Oakland 89-75 in Overtime (Road)
-Green Bay 51-50 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Oakland 82-76 (Home)
Key Players:
---#25 Alec Peters (SO)
-17.3 PPG & 6.2 RPG.
---#2 Tevonn Walker (FR)
-11.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, & 1.2 SPG.
---#5 Darien Walker (JR)
-10.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG & 1.9 APG.
---#14 Vashil Fernandez (SR)
-7.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, & 3.0 BPG.
Prediction:
Two first-place teams enter, one will leave victorous. If you are a fan of mid-major basketball you cannot miss Green Bay at Valparaiso. Both teams have been very dominant this season with at least twenty wins already at this point in the season. When someone is talking Green Bay Phoenix basketball, it cannot be discussed without mentioning star Senior Keifer Sykes. Sykes, who is already a thousand point scorer and is 64 points away from becoming a two-thousand point scorer, is currently tied for the first in the Horizon League's points per game statistic at eighteen points per game. No doubt Sykes is an NBA Talent, but I must note that he has not scored over twenty points in his last six games and has really struggled by shooting 32.9% while averaging only 12.8 points per game. Those are not Keifer Sykes-like numbers! With that being said, Sykes will need a huge game to get the win tonight against Alec Peters and the Valparaiso Crusaders. Valparaiso may have the next Keifer Sykes talent on their team with young "Sophomore Stud" Alex Peters. Peters has been phenomnal since stepping on campus at Valpo and the scary part is that he is only a Sophomore. He has even dropped thirty-one points in a game! Crazy right? Like Green Bay, Valparaiso has some quality players around their stars as the Crusaders have Tevonn Walker and Darien Walker to counter the Phoenix's Greg Mays and Carrington Love. But the "one-on-one" matchup is between who else? Keifer Sykes and Alec Peters. In the first matchup of the season, both guards had very pedestrian outtings as Sykes shot four for seventeen from the field for eleven points while Peters shot four for eleven from the perimeter for nine points. So really, Sykes only played a little bit better than Peters in a 51-50 Phoenix win. The big star in the game was not Sykes though, it was Green Bay's defense, which held their opponent to zero points after taking the lead with 1:51 left in the game. But who cares about the January 23rd meeting, we have a more important one to focus on. Obviously for tonight the scenery has changed as the game is not being played in Wisconsin but in Indiana. I expect both stars to play much better this time around, which will cause the score to be much higher. This game is truly a hard matchup to pick as both are coming in hot, but I am going to go with Valparaiso in a very close matchup, that will give them at least a tie with Cleveland State for first place in the Conference.
---Valparaiso 66, Green Bay 63
8:00 PM EST-ESPNU
15-10 (9-2) Cleveland State
at 11-15 (4-7) Detroit
PW's Game of the Hour
15-10 (9-2) Cleveland State
Solid Wins:
-San Francisco 69-65 in Overtime (Home)
-Oakland 65-61 (Home)
-Detroit 70-66 (Home)
-Green Bay 76-62 (Home)
"Never Shoulda Happened" Losses:
-Savannah State 87-83 in Overtime (Road)
-Eastern Illinois 67-65 (Home)
Last Game:
-Win Against Wright State 88-72 (Home)
Key Players:
---#3 Trey Lewis (JR)
-16.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, & 1.3 SPG.
---#15 Anton Grady (JR)
-13.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.2 BPG, & 1.6 SPG.
---#42 Marlin Mason (SR)
-8.0 PPG & 4.7 RPG.
11-15 (4-7) Detroit
Solid Wins:
-Maryland-Eastern Shore 69-55 in Semi-Final of Progressive Legends Classic.
-Toledo 82-79 in Championship of Progressive Legends Classic (Road).
-South Florida 67-57 (Home)
-Milwaukee 83-67 (Home)
-Oakland 74-54 (Home)
-Northeastern 81-69 in Overtime (Road)
Single-Digit Conference Losses:
-Green Bay 70-64 (Home)
-Cleveland State 70-66 (Road)
-Valparaiso 78-70 (Road)
Last Game:
-Lost To Illinois-Chicago 83-73 (Home)
Key Players:
---#2 Juwan Howard Jr. (SR)
-18.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#35 Paris Bass (FR)
-12.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 BPG, & 1.2 SPG.
---#1 Anton Wilson (JR)
-9.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, & 1.8 APG.
---#12 Brandan Kearney (SR)
-6.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG, & 1.8 APG.
Prediction:
Hey, Valparaiso and Green Bay are not the only teams tied for first in the Horizon League! Cleveland State is also tied with the other two teams. In fact, if the Vikings can win tonight at Detroit and Green Bay wins at Valparaiso, Cleveland State would technically be first since they hold the tie-breaker over the Phoneix because of their 76-62 win over Green Bay on January 31. The Vikings are generaled by Junior Guard Trey Lewis. Lewis, who is has scored thirty plus points twice this season and is shooting 42.6% from the beyond the arc, is more than just a scorer as he can pass and rebound the basketball. But Lewis is not the only player that can contribute for Cleveland State. Fellow Junior Anton Grandy, who is a top five leader in the conference in rebounds and blocks per game, has been a force in the paint since arriving at Cleveland State as a Freshman. Grandy and Lewis provide a great guard/post duo that gives most teams trouble but, a player that will challenge Lewis, Grandy, and the Vikings defense is Detroit's Juwan Howard Jr. In case the name Juwan Howard rings a bell from your past, it is because the Detroit star is the son of former member of the Michigan's "Fab Five", Juwan Howard. The scary part is that Howard Jr. may be a better scorer than his father as he is tied with Kiefer Sykes for leading scorer in the conference at eighteen points per game. But even with Howard, success for the Titans has not came since former Titan and current Sacramento Kings' guard Ray McCallum was in college. Walking into the building tonight, Detroit is on a three game slide while Cleveland State is flying high on a three game winning streak. So Cleveland State is an easy winner right? Not so fast my friend! I feel like Howard Jr. and Freshman Paris Bass could surprise Cleveland State's Trey Lewis and Anton Grandy, if the Vikings do not come to play this eveing. But the way Detroit's defense has been playing of late, I am going to make them prove to me that they can handle Cleveland State's offense and upset the conference contender.
---Cleveland State 74, Detroit 71
9:00 PM EST-ESPN
20-3 (8-2) 7. Arizona
at 14-9 (3-8) Washington
PW's PAC-12 Game of the Night
PW's Game of the Hour
20-3 (8-2) 7. Arizona
Lunardi's Bracketology: 2 Seed
Solid Wins:
-Missouri 72-53 in Quarterfinal of Maui Invitational
-Kansas State 72-68 in Semi-Final of Maui Invitational
-#15 San Diego State 61-59 in Championship of Maul Invitational
-#9 Gonzaga 66-63 in Overtime (Home)
-Michigan 80-52 (Home)
-UTEP 60-55 (Road)
-Oregon 80-62 (Road)
-#8 Utah 69-51 (Home)
-Stanford 89-82 (Road)
-California 73-50 (Road)
-Oregon 90-56 (Home)
-Oregon State 57-34 (Home)
"Never Should Have Happened" Losses:
-UNLV 71-67 (Road)
-Oregon State 58-56 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To Arizona State 81-78 (Road)
Key Players:
---#5 Stanley Johnson (FR)
-14.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, & 1.5 SPG.
---#21 Brandon Ashley (JR)
-11.4 PPG & 5.3 RPG.
---#23 Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (SO)
-11.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.0 SPG, & 1.1 BPG.
---#4 T.J. McConnell (SR)
-9.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.7 APG, & 2.1 SPG.
---#1 Gabe York (JR)
-8.7 PPG.
---#35 Kaleb Tarczewski (JR)
-8.3 PPG & 5.0 RPG.
14-9 (3-8) Washington
Solid Wins:
-UTEP 68-65 in Championship of Wooden Legacy.
-#13 San Diego State 49-36 (Home)
-#15 Oklahoma 69-67 (in Las Vegas)
-Oregon State 56-43 (Home)
-Oregon 85-77 (Home)
-Colorado 52-50 (Road)
Losses in Last Five Games:
-#12 Utah 77-56 (Road)
-Stanford 84-74 (Home)
-California 90-88 (Home)
-Oregon 78-74 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To Oregon State 64-50 (Road)
Key Players:
---#5 Nigel Williams-Goss (SO)
-15.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.0 APG, & 1.2 SPG.
---#12 Andrew Andrews (JR)
-12.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, & 1.5 SPG.
---#40 Shawn Kemp Jr. (SR)
-10.1 PPG & 3.7 RPG.
---#11 Mike Anderson (SR)
-8.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG & 2.7 APG.
Prediction:
Wow...Washington fell quick and hard. The Washington Huskies were rolling going into Christmas as they were undefeated with big resumé victories at home against thirteenth ranked San Diego State and in Las Vegas against fifteenth ranked Oklahoma. Then Stony Brook happened. The Stony Brook Seawolves out of the America East Conference went to Seattle and shocked the PAC-12 and myself by defeating the Huskies. Now that is only one loss, what is the significance? The importance of the Stony Brook loss is that it sent Washington into a four game losing streak. Later star Point Guard Nigel Williams-Goss and Andrew Andrews would straighten out the problems with a three game winning streak against both Oregon schools, Oregon and Oregon State, and Colorado, but like a boomarang the struggles and losses came back. Tonight the Huskies are coming in on a five-game skid and besides the record heading South, the team's leading rebounder and shot blocker, Robert Upshaw, was dismissed from the team due to a violation of team rules less than three weeks ago. So Washington's opponent should be licking their chops ready to face a limping Huskies team. Washington's opponent tonight, the Arizona Wildcats, have had trouble against unranked teams this season. Currently, Arizona is 3-0 versus ranked teams while all three of their defeats have came to unranked opponents on the road. So maybe Washington does have a chance! The Wildcats last loss came in a shocking defeat at the hands of in-state rival, Arizona State last Saturday. The Sun Devils shot 50% on Arizona's defense in route to a 81-78 victory. The offense of the Wildcats really did not have a bad night though as starters T.J. McConnell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brandon Ashley, and Stanley Johnson all finished in double-figures. Surprisingly, Point Guard T.J. McConnell provided the big damage with a twenty-five point, five rebound, four assist performance. But obviously his effort was not enough. Personally, I do not see a team of Arizona's talent losing two games in a row, but if it were to happen, Nigel Williams-Gose, Andrew Andrews, and Shawn Kemp Jr. will need to combine for, probably, fifty points. Why fifty? Have you seen Arizona's offense with all those weapons? They are plain out deadly on most nights and I forsee the Wildcats rebounding from the Arizona State loss with a big blowout victory.
---Arizona 73, Washington 52
10:00 PM EST-ESPNU
19-6 (12-2) Iona
at 12-11 (9-5) Manhattan
PW's MAAC Game of the Night
PW's Game of the Hour
19-6 (12-2) Iona
Lunardi's Bracketology: 13 Seed
Solid Wins:
-Cleveland State 78-73 (Home)
-Wake Forest 85-81 (Road)
-Rider 77-64 (Home)
-Indiana State 91-84 (Home)
-Florida Gulf Coast 86-67 (Home)
-Canisius 79-76 (Home)
-Rider 78-68 (Road)
Conference Losses:
-Monmouth 92-89 (Road)
-Canisius 78-74 (Road)
Key Players:
---#13 David Laury (SR)
-21.0 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, & 1.2 BPG.
---#5 A.J. English (JR)
-19.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 5.9 APG, & 1.3 SPG.
---#4 Schadrac Casimir (FR)
-15.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.2 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#1 Isaiah Williams (JR) (DNP in last 8 due to Foot Injury.)
-14.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.2 BPG, & 1.8 SPG.
---#2 Kelvin Amayo (JR)
-7.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, & 2.6 APG.
12-11 (9-5) Manhattan
Solid Conference Wins:
-Canisius 63-60 (Road)
-Monmouth 71-64 (Home)
-Siena 87-79 (Home)
-Monmouth 87-76 (Road)
-Canisius 78-69 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Fairfield 67-54 (Road)
-Niagara 73-61 (Road)
-Rider 82-79 in Overtime (Home)
-Quinnipiac 73-59 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To Rider 85-77 in Overtime (Road)
Key Players:
---#13 Emmy Andujar (SR)
-16.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, & 2.0 SPG.
---#0 Shane Richards (JR)
-13.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, & 1.7 APG.
---#1 Ashton Pankey (JR)
-12.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG, & 1.4 BPG.
Prediction:
If Green Bay at Valparaiso did not subside your craving for Mid-Major hoops turn into ESPNU at 10 P.M. Eastern Time as two of the best from the MAAC are facing off in Manhattan. The Iona Gaels survived a huge test a week ago today as they were without star A.J. English because of a suspension due to his involvement in a scrum against Saint Peter's the game prior. Siena, who was competing against the conference front runner all forty minutes, most likely would have won if it were not for the huge lift received by Iona from Freshman Schadrac Casimir and Junior Kelvin Amayo. Casimir and Amayo both topped their scoring averages as the Freshman had twenty-two points while Amayo had seventeen points. In addition, we cannot forget, leading scorer David Laury who put together a solid twenty-seven point performance. The whole team stepped up, and in the two games since English has been back, Iona has won by an average margin of 19.5 points per game. But tonight against the 2014 MAAC Conferece Tournament Champions, Iona should not worry about the margin of victory and instead just getting the victory. Althought, the Manhattan Jaspers' overall record does not suggest it, they are contending in the competive MAAC. Currently, Manhattan is tied for third in their conference and come into tonight's showdown winning four of their last five. The Jaspers, like Iona, have their own group of scorers that can fill up the scoreboard. ARP, not Address Resolution Protocol but Andujar, Richards, and Pankey, average more than half of their team's points at 42.2 per game. The Manhattan trio has once again been great this season but so has Iona's of Laury, English, and Casimir. Not one, not two, not three, but SIX of the conference's best scorers will be on the court tonight! You know I am not missing that. Simply, I feel whichever trio scores the most will win the game and despite the game being at home for Manhattan, I believe Iona's will. Maybe Laury, English, and Caismir will each score twenty! Who knows!
---Iona 77, Manhattan 72
11:00 PM EST-PAC-12 Network
12-11 (4-6) Arizona State
at 10-13 (4-7) Washington State
PW's Game of the Hour
12-11 (4-6) Arizona State
Solid Wins:
-Loyola Marymount 68-44 (Home)
-UNLV 77-55 (Home)
-Pepperdine 81-74 (Home)
-Detroit 93-54 (Home)
-Harvard 56-46 (Home)
-Colorado 78-72 (Home)
-California 79-44 (Road)
-Oregon State 73-55 (Home)
Single-Digit Conference Losses:
-Oregon State 55-47 (Road)
-Oregon 59-56 (Road)
-Oregon 68-67 in Overtime (Home)
Last Game:
-Win Against #6 Arizona 81-78 (Home)
Key Players:
---#40 Shaquielle McKissic (SR)
-11.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, & 1.6 SPG.
---#4 Gerry Blakes (JR)
-10.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, & 1.8 APG.
---#11 Savon Goodwin (SO)
-10.1 PPG & 5.9 RPG.
---#21 Eric Jacobsen (JR)
-9.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, & 1.3 BPG.
---#33 Bo Barnes (SR)
-7.2 PPG & 2.2 RPG.
---#31 Jonathan Gilling (SR)
-7.0 PPG & 2.7 RPG.
10-13 (4-7) Washington State
Solid Wins:
-UC Davis 90-83 (Home)
-California 69-66 (Road)
-Washington 80-77 (Road)
-Oregon 108-99 in Overtime (Home)
-Stanford 89-88 (Home)
"Never Should Have Happened" Losses:
-UC Santa Barabara 71-43 in Quarterfinal of Great Alaska Shootout.
-Idaho 77-71 (Home)
-Santa Clara 76-67 (Road)
Key Players:
---#25 DeVonte Lacy (SR)
-16.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, & 2.0 APG.
---#24 Josh Hawkinson (SO)
-15.1 PPG, 10.8 RPG, & 1.3 BPG.
---#0 Ike Iroegbu (SO)
-8.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, & 2.7 APG.
---#32 Que Johnson (SO)
-6.2 PPG & 2.6 RPG.
Prediction:
No "Curtain of Distraction" tonight to help the Arizona State Sun Devils at Washington State, but maybe ASU does not need any help considering their previous game. Last Saturday, Arizona State shocked the College Basketball world by defeating in-state rival and the sixth ranked Arizona Wildcats. While four of Arizona's starting five posted double-figure points, the Sun Devils also had four players scoring the double-digits. The leading scorer for the school from Tempe, was not Senior Shaquielle McKissic, but fellow Senior Bo Barnes, who doubled his scoring average by scoring eighteen points. Actually, McKissic had a tough outing and only scored five points on the night. McKissic will need more than five measly points to get the win on the road versus Washington State this evening. Sadly is the fact that the statement that DeVonte Lacy will not play in an NCAA Tournament during his career, is looking more and more like a reality. Lacy, a Senior from Tacoma, Washington, is finishing the last year of a terrific career at Washington State that has seen him score a thousand points in his career last season and 389 already this year. Lacy isn't the only player that has not been to an NCAA Tournament though. Sophomore Josh Hawkinson has also not been to "the Big Dance", but he is in a very different situation than his teammate Lacy since he has two more years of elgibility. So with a great big man and guard what is the Cougars problem? The issue is that Washington State has an absolutly awful defense that gives up 76 points per game. I feel like that will cause the loss tonight against Arizona State. The two best players are on Washington State, but the Sun Devils have a lot of depth and a quality defense. Tonight, I see the Cougars' defense hurting their chances at victory in a close Arizona State victory that makes the nation say "No 'Curtain of Distraction', No Problem."
---Arizona State 70, Washington State 68
PW's Prediction Record Coming into Today: 136-49 (51-14 in the MVC)
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