Game #155.  Texas travels to Boulder to take on a team fighting for its NCAA Tournament life — will it be another road nightmare for the Horns like last week?

Colorado enters Saturday’s contest against No. 5 Texas with a lot to prove, considering they 1-4 against the conference’s top four teams this season. With the win, the Buffs can improve to 7-7 in conference play and earn its second big victory in Big 12 play. As for the Longhorns, they can improve to 25-4 with a win, but must contain the Buffs star, guard Alec Burks. The sophomore has been was dominant as any player in the conference from Jan. 8 to Feb. 9. Although he has cooled off, UT cannot afford to let him get comfortable at home. Playing at a higher elevation could hurt the Longhorns, who should be looking to use their bench more than usual. The team’s best players are apparent, but they will need to win with a solid team effort today as the Buffs want to play the upset card against the top team in conference. The match-up today boils down to the Longhorns defense, No. 14 in the nation, versus the fast-paced Buffalo offense, No. 15 in the nation with 79 points per game.

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Game #153.  It’s all come down to this single game for the MVC regular season championship for 2010-11.

Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 1990, there’s one thing Missouri State has never done: win a regular season title. That’s why Saturday’s contest with Wichita State, a six-time MVC champion, at the sparkling JQH Arena is one of the most important games in program history. The two teams are tied at the top of the standings at 14-3, so the city of Springfield is effectively hosting the Missouri Valley regular season championship game this weekend. MSU won at Koch Arena in January, a stunning result at the time because the Shockers are traditionally so dominant in that building. Wichita State has since lost three more home games, but it’s looked more comfortable on the road– the Shockers’ only road loss this season came at San Diego State. Saturday’s game is all about toughness. Wichita State thinks it’s tougher than you, and it wins by crashing the offensive glass and feeding the paint. That doesn’t intimidate Missouri State, because former Purdue assistant Cuonzo Martin takes a tough-nosed approach with his program, too. As far as individual match-ups go, WSU’s J.T. Durley may be the Valley’s best back-to-the-basket scorer. He’ll have his hands full with the Bears’ frontcourt tandem, which consists of POY candidate Kyle Weems and the fiery Will Creekmore. Gregg Marshall has a deeper roster with more athleticism, and he has the ability to pressure teams full court whenever he likes. Without consistent point guard play, though, his team’s been prone to offensive droughts in the half-court, and he’ll need more out of guard Toure’ Murry, who made just one shot in that January meeting. The two teams are long shots for at-large bids, so Arch Madness next week is the more important event, but a conference championship is on the line Saturday. How’s that for some drama?

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Game #152.  A timeless classic reconvenes in the District on a Saturday afternoon.  We’re pleased to be there.

Game #151.  RTC Live is back to cover one of its favorite mid-major rivalries, Gonzaga visiting St. Mary’s in Moraga this evening.

At the mid-point of the WCC season, it appeared that this annual second clash between the two best teams in the conference may not mean much.  At the time, St. Mary’s was on a roll, having started off 5-0 in league play before taking down the Zags in their own building for the first time in fifteen long, wrenching seasons.  Since that time, SMC has dropped games at Portland in a letdown, at home in a second-half disaster to Utah State in the BracketBusters, and an inexplicable road loss at horrible San Diego that still has people scratching their heads.  Gonzaga, on the other hand, hasn’t exactly hit its stride, but since the loss to the Gaels, they’re trending much better.  Other than a home loss to Memphis, the Zags have won six WCC games in a row and currently only sit one game back from St. Mary’s in the standings.  With a win tonight, the two teams would effectively be tied heading into the last conference game of the season (SMC vs. Portland; Gonzaga at San Diego), setting up an interesting scenario for the weekend and making tonight’s game especially important.  It should be a competitive and intense battle tonight on a cold night in Moraga.  Join us on RTC Live for all of the action.

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Game #150.  RTC Live brings you a look at the Summit League, as UMKC looks to pull an upset over Oakland, who has clinched the conference crown with two games remaining.

While the Oakland Grizzlies have already clinched the Summit League title, coach Greg Kampe is charged with keeping his team motivated to finish strong entering the conference tournament. They’re lead by 6’11 center Keith Benson, who has made waves as the Summit League’s first bona fide NBA prospect in a number of years. Averaging a double-double (17.6/10.0), Benson has helped guide the Grizzlies through conference play as well as through Oakland’s grueling slate of power conference foes. Confident that his team could handle the conference, Kampe sought out “big six” teams in an effort to get his team ready for the challenges they figure to face in the Big Dance. The result was an unenviable slate that included battles against West Virginia, Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State, Tennessee (who the Grizzlies upset) and Ohio State. Benson deservedly receives much attention, but he’s complemented by a pair of long-range assassins in freshman Travis Bader (45.3%) and 5’11 guard Reggie Hamilton (38.3%). On the other side of the scorer’s table, UMKC head coach Matt Brown (a John Beilein disciple) can improve his team’s seeding for the conference tournament with a win tonight. If they are to turn the trick, it will be behind the hot hand of senior Jay Couisnard, who has averaged 23.5 points per game in his last six outings. Senior Spencer Johnson, the heart and soul of UMKC, has the challenge of matching up with Benson on the glass. Despite his size, he became the school’s all-time leading rebounder recently, and has 695 career boards entering tonight’s game. Another card in the ‘Roos’ back pocket is their flawless 7-0 record at Swinney Recreation Center, one of their two home courts. IUPUI has been the only Summit League team to figure out Oakland, and their solution was simple – get Benson in foul trouble. Perhaps that’s not the only recipe, though so tune in at 8:00 EST to see if the Kangaroos can stun the Grizzlies.

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Game #149.  The Kemba Walker Show moves on at UConn tonight as the Huskies play their first game after getting hit with sanctions by the NCAA.

Although Joe Lunardi has Marquette slated as a #11 seed in his latest Bracketology (February 21^st), Buzz Williams and his squad will no doubt be treating their game with UConn, as well as their remainder of games in the regular season, as “play-in” games for the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. Standing at 16-11 overall and 7-7 in the Big East, the Golden Eagles are 5-7 in their last 12 games, but do have solid wins against Syracuse and Notre Dame during this stretch; a “W” versus Connecticut would certainly make them feel better about their standing heading into the Big East Tournament as this is their last chance to pick up a signature win against a top team. The Huskies—like Marquette—have had a rollercoaster ride in their past six games, going an even 3-3, but prior to that they were 17-2. While there is no doubt UConn is a tournament team, a win versus Marquette would definitely help their seed come selection time. Kemba Walker is back to his old ways of making the competition look like glorified AAU squads as he is averaging 23 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.7 rebounds over the past three games. Before these games he was in a mini slump—if you want to call it that—averaging just over a shade of 15 points a night. In the first meeting between these two squads, Marquette held Walker to a pedestrian 14 points, but it was the play of freshman Jeremy Lamb who poured in a career high 24 points that led UConn to the win. Buzz Williams and his troops are well aware how important this game is for their tournament hopes: win and you’re probably in, lose and the bubble becomes that much thinner. Join me on Thursday evening from the XL Center in Hartford, CT for a great night of Big East Hoops.

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Game #146.  One of the better BracketBuster games of the day is in SoCal, as Big Sky leader Montana visits Big West leader Long Beach State.

Finishing up BracketBusters Saturday, we’ve got a battle between two conference-leading teams, in an odd sort of matchup that is little more than a glorified exhibition. The outcome of this game will have no impact on either team’s NCAA Tournament resume, as both the 49ers and the Grizzlies will need to win their conference tournaments in order to advance to the Big Dance. And, this inter-conference game will also have no effect on the seeding of either team in their conference tourneys. However, the absence of any tangible importance to this game will have little effect on the players on these squads, getting a rare chance for each team to appear on national television in the form of an ESPN2 broadcast. And, the matchups between the two teams are enticing. The Niners come into the game riding a five-game winning streak and have a two-game lead in the Big West, while the Grizzlies have won three straight, including an important win over Northern Colorado a week ago tonight to give Montana a half-game lead in the Big Sky. For the 49ers, all five starters average double-figure scoring, junior point guard Casper Ware is the reigning Big West Player of the Week and junior forwards Larry Anderson and T.J. Robinson have also won that honor this season. On the other end of the court, sophomore guard Will Cherry should provide a good match for Ware, while the size in the middle of the Grizzly lineup (6’11 senior center Brian Qvale and 7’0 junior forward Derek Selvig) will challenge the 6’5 Anderson and 6’8 Robinson. Qvale just recently became the all-time leader in blocked shots in Big Sky history (he has 232 career blocks and a blocked shot on 11% of all opponents two-point field goals this season), and the combination of the great size in the middle of the defense and Cherry’s excellent defense on the perimeter (he adds a steal in over 5% of all defensive possessions, good for sixth in the nation) will undoubtedly give Long Beach trouble. But LBSU’s history of playing a tough schedule (they had the third toughest non-conference slate this year according to KenPom, with games against San Diego State, Washington and North Carolina, among others), combined with their athleticism should make this a fascinating matchup. We hope you’ll join us to wrap up your college basketball Saturday with an entertaining game and some good chat.

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Game #147.  The Bracketbuster game of the day comes from tiny McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, California between the WCC and WAC leaders.

It’s being billed as the game of the day in the BracketBusters, and without question that assertion is true.  Both Utah State and St. Mary’s are currently ranked in the Top 25 polls (#23 and #25 in the RTC poll, respectively), and while both are presumptively into the NCAA Tournament as things stand right now, neither is an incontrovertible lock.  Utah State comes in at a gaudy 24-3, but the Aggies have zero top 100 wins and are trending in the lower reaches of the at-large pool as it stands today.  St. Mary’s is at 22-5, but the Gaels are coming off an incomprehensible loss at five-win San Diego Wednesday night, the worst team in the WCC.  The key point here?  Both of these perennial mid-major powers need tonight’s win to impress the NCAA Selection Committee.  The victor here tonight could arguably earn a full seed line bump given that their schedules will be relatively soft the rest of the way.  Expect a raucous crowd tonight in Moraga’s McKeon Pavilion, quickly becoming one of the toughest places to play on the west coast.

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Game #145.  St. John’s has established relevancy, but do they have what it takes to take down the Big East’s best team?

#4 Pittsburgh puts a 12-1 conference record, one that includes a five-game winning streak, on the line Saturday as the Panthers take on the Red Storm of St. John’s University in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Garden is Pitt’s self-proclaimed “home away from home.” The Panthers were named Madison Square Garden’s “Team of the Decade” last year and have played 37 games on the Garden floor since 2000-01. Pittsburgh has advanced to seven of the last 10 Big East Tournament Finals, winning the tournament twice in the decade (2003 and 2008). Thinking of the Garden as “home” however, may not work to Pittsburgh’s advantage, as the Panthers are a better road team in conference play (6-0) than home team (6-1). Pitt’s only two losses this season were “at home.” Sidelined point guard Ashton Gibbs has been cleared to play and will most likely get some court time, especially if the Panthers are in great need of long range shooting. St. John’s, 8-5 in conference play and 16-9 overall is looking for their first NCAA bid in nine postseasons. The Johnnies have compiled a resume that should give the Selection Committee a lot to chew on, as the members will have to balance losses to St. Mary’s, Fordham and St. Bonaventure against wins over (then #11) Georgetown, (#10) Notre Dame, (#2) Duke and (#10) Connecticut. Rookie Coach Steve Lavin and his band of seniors would love to bump their resume with a win over #4 Pittsburgh. Will it be “business as usual” for the Pitt Panthers, or will the St. John’s Giant Killers strike again? Join RTC Live noon on Saturday at Madison Square Garden as Pittsburgh visits St. John’s.

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Game #144.  Back in the Northeast for a Big East battle between two teams trending…  the only question is which way?

Connecticut and Georgetown are teams going in different directions.  Connecticut has lost three of its last five games; Georgetown has won its last eight.  However, the two teams are more similar than you might think.  Both teams have lost to Saint John’s, Notre Dame and Pitt.  Georgetown’s other two losses were at Temple and against West Virginia; Connecticut’s other two losses were against Louisville and Syracuse.  Georgetown’s success is predicated on the play of its outstanding, experienced backcourt.  Chris Wright, Austin Freeman and Jason Clark are the keys to the Hoya’s offense.  When Wright plays well, the Hoyas generally win.  Freeman is much more consistent and should probably getting some love fore Big East Player of the Year in a few weeks.  On Connecticut’s side you have Kemba Walker, Alex Oriakhi and three freshmen.  Walker has been struggling of late: that’s to be expected in tough conference games.  A little more surprising, for me, have been Oriakhi’s struggles: in Connecticut’s last six games, he’s only scored in double figures once and never had more than eight boards.  People rush to blame the Huskies’ troubles on Walker, as he was the national Player of the Year leader only a few weeks ago.  But I think Oriakhi is critical for forcing defenses to pack the middle and find the weak side on Walker’s drives for offensive boards or open dunks.  Just by being in the game, Walker is a huge factor: you can’t help off him; you have to send help when he gets into the lane; and you have to chase him off screens.  Adding Oriakhi’s presence should leave Jeremy Lamb and Roscoe Smith much more open on the wings while relieving some of the scoring burden on Walker.

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