Thursday Trends

Thursday, February 1, 2007

Here are news and notes from OffshoreInsiders.com  private clipboard.  They are compiled from hometown newspapers and the team’s own press releases. The latest on the DOJ’s War on Gambling at CasinoBettingNews.com  

CBB

Old Dominion-Drexel

Press Notes

Dragons and Monarchs are tied for third place in the league with 8-3 records. Drexel is 16-5 on the season overall while the Monarchs begin play with a 15-7 record. This will be the second meeting of the year between the two schools. Old Dominion defeated the Dragons earlier this season in Norfolk, 84-57. ODU made 10 three-pointers in the game and shot 59 percent from the floor. Drexel committed 15 turnovers in the game and shot just 3-for-15 from behind the three-point arc. Old Dominion has won three straight games and five of its last seven. Drexel has won four of its last five, including a 68-59 win at Northeastern on Monday night.

South Alabama-New Orleans

Press Notes

It is Homecoming Week at the University of New Orleans, and the Privateer basketball team gets to celebrate by hosting one of the hottest teams in the Sun Belt Conference.
UNO will host Sun Belt Conference leader South Alabama. The game will feature a South Alabama team that has won eight straight games. The Jaguars (15-7, 9-2 Sun Belt) are coming off a 90-89 overtime win over North Texas after defeating Louisiana-Monroe two days earlier despite missing three suspended starters. USA has also been boosted by 6-9 forward Ernest Little. Little, who became eligible on Dec. 16 after transferring from UAB, has averaged 12.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He missed the North Texas game due to personal reasons, and his status for Thursday’s contest is unknown. For the Privateers (10-11, 6-4 Sun Belt), the game begins a busy February. UNO will play eight games during the month and will play four of the next five on the road. UNO has lost three straight to the Jaguars but has won five of the last six games in New Orleans.

 

St. Louis-St. Joseph’s

College Publisher

The Hawks are caught in a tough stretch of games and are finding themselves playing good teams night in and night out. Three of the four games were against conference opponents that were the preseason top three and the fourth game was an always tough city opponent. St. Joe’s had a very good win against Xavier, let one slip on the road to George Washington, had another big win against Big 5 adversary Penn, and now the Hawks must battle Saint Louis at the Alumni Fieldhouse. The Hawks lost four players from last year’s team, including the top three scorers. No excuses are being made for St. Joe’s, but the Billikens come in with an extreme edge in experience. Saint Louis comes into this game struggling inside the conference. To this day they have posted a below .500 record of 3-4 and are looking to even it out against the Hawks. Devastating losses to Temple, Fordham, St. Bonaventure, and Duquesne are what set back St. Louis.
Although the Billikens have dropped some games against a few of the weaker teams in the conference, they do have some impressive wins. Wins against Xavier and Rhode Island bolstered their record and showed that the Billikens do have the talent and ability to succeed. Also, Saint Louis has gone 13-7 in the season, three of those losses coming to top 25 teams in the country and the other four against Atlantic 10 conference teams.

 

Washington State-Arizona

LA Times

Despite losing a stunning five of their last seven games, the Wildcats’ Ratings Percentage Index ranking is still No. 6, so Lute Olson’s 22-year NCAA tournament appearance streak appears fine. Still, Arizona has rarely looked as bad as it has during its recent offensive funk, going one for 23 from three-point range against North Carolina, and shooting less than 40% from the field in three of the last four games. At 14-6, Arizona looks tired and beaten. You can blame the nonconference schedule Olson made, which is rated the most difficult in the country, just ahead of UCLA’s. Or you can blame the luck of the draw with the Pac-10 schedule, which already has taken Arizona to Washington, Washington State, USC and UCLA, handing the Wildcats three of their four Pac-10 losses on the road. Other factors seem to be at work too, though. There’s Arizona’s lack of depth: All five starters average more than 31 minutes a game, and point guard Mustafa Shakur averages more than 35. The emergence of freshman forward Jordan Hill, who logged major minutes and made a big contribution the last two games, could help, along with the return of forward Bret Brielmaier, who had been out after minor knee surgery. Leading scorer Marcus Williams is expected to play after being suspended for unspecified reasons for the Arizona State game and missing much of the North Carolina game because of a sprained ankle.

Duke-Virginia

Scout

The early season setbacks against Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech are now distant memories for this young Blue Devil team after reeling off five consecutive wins including decisions over Clemson and Boston College - two teams that were above Duke in the standings at tip off. Meanwhile the Cavaliers have surprised many with their run to a 5-2 start in ACC play. After all this was the same Virginia team that lost to Appalachian State in Puerto Rico in December. After losing to North Carolina and at Boston College, the Cavaliers have dispatched Maryland, Wake Forest, NC State, and Clemson by an average of 9.5 points per game. Duke enters the game with third year sophomore David McClure listed as questionable after the 6’6 wing fell to the ground with a hyper extended knee against Boston College on Sunday night. Meanwhile the Cavaliers are looking to get a shot in the arm with the return of 6’9 junior post player Ryan Pettinella, who suffered a dislocated knee cap in the San Juan Shootout during the team’s final game against the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. Pettinella was in uniform for UVa’s win at Clemson on Sunday, but did not play. On Wednesday, he looked good in practice, leading the way in sprints at the end of the session. He also looked good in controlled scrimmages according to the local UVa beat writers.