Butler sits alone atop to the Horizon League and UIC is lingering at the bottom. So why is this a game worth checking out? Well, first of all the Bulldogs have played some tough games on the road in conference. They barely survived against Loyola on Thursday night. Then there is the matter of UIC playing much better at home. The Flames’ lone conference win came at the Pavilion, against Detroit, and UIC also stunned Oregon State. No matter where Butler goes the Bulldogs bring a crowd, and an interested audience, and surely this game will be no exception. Come read along as we see if Matt Howard can finally get on track or if Gordon Hayward shows off his NBA-quality skills against the overmatched Flames. Robo Kreps is the man for the Flames, but he can’t keep it interesting by himself. Stop by and see what happens early Saturday afternoon on RTC Live.

Read the rest of this entry »

The St. John’s Red Storm host the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The #4 ranked Wildcats travel to NYC for the 102^nd meeting of the two programs, in a rivalry that predates the Big East Conference and numbers more games than any of Villanova’s Big 5 rivalries.  The Red Storm will be led by a brace of juniors who joined the program in 2007 and have logged three Big East seasons together.  Justin Burrell may be the most recognized name in the junior class, but DJ Kennedy and Sean Evans have paired to provide St. John’s with an athletic and physical set  of guard/forwards, while off guard Paris Horne has evolved from a set shooter to a solid perimeter defender. The Wildcats are led by a quintet of upperclassmen, starting with Wooden Award nominee senior Scottie Reynolds and his classmate Reggie Redding. The juniors are led by “the two Coreys”, Fisher and Stokes who have developed along with their classmate and low post player Antonio Pena. Both squads are deep and talented.  St. John’s leads the series 58-43, but Villanova has won five straight, going back to 2004. Will Villanova extend their winning streak, or will St. John’s get back on the winning track? Join us Saturday at noon on RTC Live.

Read the rest of this entry »

RTC Live will be stopping at the Kohl Center tonight for a matchup between two teams still looking for an identity in the middle of the season.  Jon Leuer broke his left wrist against Purdue, and the Badgers have struggled in his absence.  Michigan has won two games in a row since an early stretch in which they went 3-6.  With Purdue and Michigan State coming up in the next two weeks for both teams, tonight’s contest could serve as an important opportunity to solidify their new style of play.  Look for an intense Badger crowd to help the shorthanded Badgers in this tightly contested game.

Read the rest of this entry »

Headed into this bout between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12-4, 2-2 ACC) and the #24 North Carolina Tar Heels (12-6, 1-2 ACC), both teams are in need of a win to reverse what has been a tough January. Wake Forest is 2-2 in the month, while North Carolina is lucky to come into this Wednesday matchup at 1-3. The Deacs aren’t playing great on the road, but that might change against the Heels, who have yet to use the Dean E. Smith Center as much of an advantage in ACC play. Add to that the recent news that sophomore forward Ed Davis (14.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg) will be a game-time decision due to an injured left ankle, and basketball fans must wonder how Roy Williams will combat WFU’s star forward, Al-Farouq Aminu (17.6 ppg, 11.6 rpg). A Carolina frontcourt that was once thought of as the deepest in America may now consist of Deon Thompson (14.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and three freshman who combine to average less than 10 points per game. The 2004 season was the last time the Tar Heels dropped three games in a row, and also the last time a WFU team won in Chapel Hill. Will lightning strike again? Join us here for RTC Live tonight and find out.

Read the rest of this entry »

RTC Live will be coming to you this afternoon from cloudy Bloomington, Indiana, where the Gophers from Minnesota will visit the Indiana Hoosiers at historic Assembly Hall. While Indiana is in the 2nd year of a re-building campaign under Coach Tom Crean, Minnesota is looking to crack into the top echelon of the Big 10 under Coach Tubby Smith. Minnesota is led by Lawrence Westbrook with 13.7/2.6/1.6 asst and Blake Hoffarber with 11.8/3.5/1.6 assts. The Gophers were making more news earlier in the season with their off the court exploits, but have since compiled a 12-5 overall record and 3-2 in the Big Ten. Minnesota has lost to Purdue and Michigan State, both highly ranked nationally. Indiana has struggled with a 7-9 overall record and 1-3 in the Big Ten, having dropped 3 in a row. Indiana is led statistically by Verdell Jones and Christian Watford with 12.8 apiece.  Minnesota doesn’t play well on the road (1-3 on the year), but Indiana has struggled to deliver consistency even at home. This is RTC Live’s first (and hopefully the first of many to come) trip to historic Assembly Hall, and we expect it to be a great one.  Join us on a cloudy day in Bloomington…

Read the rest of this entry »

Whether it is for home court advantage (Georgetown is 4-3 on Villanova’s home court; Villanova is 5-1 at the Verizon Center), a Big East Championship (1982) or a National Championship (1985), the games are almost always close and always hard fought. Coach John Thompson, III, brings his Georgetown Hoyas into the Center in downtown Philadelphia on Sunday January 17 at noon to play the Villanova Wildcats. Between them, the teams have 28 wins against only 3 losses, and each brings a John Wooden Award nominee to the tilt. The Hoyas’ Greg Monroe of Georgetown will anchor their front court, while Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds leads the Wildcat backcourt. Georgetown has swept the last five games, winning four by five points or less. Join us on RTC Live for the 67^th meeting of these two Big East powers, in what should be another great one.

Read the rest of this entry »

RTC Live will be coming to you this afternoon from rainy Eugene, Oregon, where the desert dwellars from Arizona will visit the Oregon Ducks at historic McArthur Court.  While neither team is having a great season this year, the value this year is that anything can happen in the Pac-10 this year and it would surprise absolutely nobody.  Would you be shocked if either Arizona or Oregon won today by 25 points?  Neither would we.  The visiting Wildcats are trying to find some consistency under first-year coach Sean Miller, and Nic Wise is the show for Arizona.  He brings 15/3/4 assts to each game with his shooting and leadership, but it’s also freshman star Derrick Williams who has been a big part of the UA offense this year (15/7).  Oregon counters with the inside/outside tandem of senior guard Tajuan Porter (13 ppg) and sophomore center Michael Dunigan (12/6).  This is RTC Live’s first (and last) trip to the 73-year old arena, and we expect it to be a great one.  Join us on a rainy day in Eugene…

Read the rest of this entry »

Northwestern and Purdue meet up in this key Big Ten battle with the Wildcats and Boilermakers looking for answers after key Big Ten losses. Northwestern played a tight game against a Jon Leuer-less Wisconsin squad on Wednesday, but ultimately gave up too many rebounds and open threes. After being led by a hot-shooting Robbie Hummel for a half Purdue lost its second straight Big Ten game at home against Ohio State on Tuesday. Hummel missed part of the second half with a dislocated finger, but he should be ready to go this evening in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northwestern’s NCAA hopes hang on this current stretch of games and if the Wildcats lose this one they’ll have to upset the Buckeyes on the road. Last season both of these games were extremely close as each team won on the opposition’s home court. This is the only meeting between the two this season, so expect it to be an intense Big Ten match-up. The game is on Big Ten Network, but the instant analysis is here on Rush The Court.

Read the rest of this entry »

Saint Mary’s (2-1) and Portland (1-1), both with one loss in the WCC and needing a win to stay close to high-flying Gonzaga, square off on the Gaels’ intimate playground in Moraga tonight at 7 p.m. Pacific. Saint Mary’s needs to rebound from a deflating 89-82 home loss to the Zags Thursday night, while Portland needs to prove it can win consecutive tough games on the road after its 63-54 victory over San Diego the same night. This is a crucial early-season clash in the WCC, and RTC Live will once again be there to provide commentary and analysis on all of the action.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s already time for the first Gonzaga vs. St. Mary’s game that will establish conference supremacy in the WCC.  For the past several seasons, SMC has set its sights squarely on the Zags with the knowledge that breaking through in the WCC would be the first step toward consistent national recognition for the tiny school from Moraga, California.  The Gaels have gotten close, finishing second in the league (behind the Zags) in five of the last six seasons, including twice (2005 and 2008) where they finished a mere one game behind Gonzaga in the regular season standings.  Last year was thought to be the year, as SMC held a working margin in the first half of the Spokane game when superstar Patty Mills went down with a wrist injury, effectively ending the team’s hopes to catch the Zags last season.  There’s a similar buzz this year, though, even without the mercurial Mills running the show.  With center Omar Samhan coming into his own as a dominant big man (21/11/3 blks), and three-point bombers Matthew Dellavedova (13/3/4 assts; 42% 3FG) and Mickey McConnell (13/2/6 assts; 53% 3FG) torching the nets if left open, Gonzaga’s defense — its worst since 2006-07 — is going to have its hands full tonight.  The Zags are not the nine-time defending WCC regular season champs for nothing, though, and they have been known to step up in big road games a time or two under Mark Few’s direction.  There will be a lot of pressure on Robert Sacre and Elias Harris to handle Samhan inside, but if they’re up to the task and Matt Bouldin (15/5/4 assts) gets his stroke going again (he averaged 17.3 PPG in three games against SMC last year), then we could be looking at another close one.  The combined scoring of the last four games between these two teams in Moraga results in Gonzaga +1, as they have split the last four, all relatively close games.  Join us tonight for another great one!

Read the rest of this entry »