LaSalle at Xavier
Insiders believe that Xavier has the depth and size to stop LaSalle's leading scoring Steve Smith.na at Maryland
The Terps are in a must-win scenario in this one as they have struggled mightily since the loss of senior guard Chris McCray to grades.na just embarrassed Maryland.
Maryland is extremely tough at home with an impressive 13-2 record, averaging 83 points a game.
The insertion of Sterling Ledbetter into the starting lineup likely signals the end of a largely unsuccessful experiment conducted by coach Gary Williams that had D.J. Strawberry running the point for the Terps. A converted small forward, Strawberry has had trouble much of the season protecting the ball against pressure, often picking up his dribble and committing turnovers. Junior college transfer Parrish Brown had been brought in to help out at the position this year, as well, but has been unreliable during important games thus far.
The Terrapins have been through a season of adapting through various issues. One area Maryland wants to change is perimeter defense. Maryland's struggles on perimeter defense is reflected by being 10th in the ACC in three-point field-goal percentage defense, holding conference opponents to 39.9 percent.
LSU at Florida
In what is perhaps the game of the week, the top team from the SEC East (Florida) meets the best of the SEC West (LSU).
Insiders believe the physical play of LSU might be to much for the crafty and quick Florida squad.
LSU has won 8 out their last 9, including an impressive 78-77 win over Arkansas in their last game.
Florida will not be able to intimidate LSU with its impressive 14-1 home court record since LSU has already played well at Ohio State, UConn and Arkansas. Plus, the Gators just had their school-record 20-game home winning streak snapped.
Oregon State at Arizona
As reported in Thursday's Scout Smarts report, Oregon State continues to struggle, having now lost 5 in a row and seven of eight.
Despite what players are telling reporters, insiders report Oregon State players feel the season is a lost cause. On the flip side, look for the Wildcats to play with tons of confidence, as they overcame a 5-point deficit with under a minute to play on Thursday to keep their tourney hopes alive.
Southern Illinois at Creighton
Insiders believe that this is a good spot to back the now avenging Creighton team that shot a miserable 7-for-24 from downtown when they lost the first meeting 62-48.
Buffalo at Central Michigan
Insiders reporting the Buffalo players are eager to erase the memory of its worst game of the season, losing at home to Central Michigan. The Chippewas played their best game of the season that day, shooting 55 percent from the field.
Buffalo is the better team and desperate for a win, riding a 4-game losing streak.
Rice at Tulsa
Tulsa is not one of the better home teams in the nation checking in with a 5-5 mark at home, and Rice swept both meetings last season (82-70 and 71-64).
George Washington at St. Joseph's
George Washington has won 11 straight since losing to North Carolina State a few weeks back and continues to reign supreme in A-10 conference play, remaining undefeated.
GW won the first meeting of the year 82-70, out-shooting the Hawks 60 percent to 42 percent.
NC-Wilmington at Georgia State
Only one of these teams plays defense, so it could be a long night for Georgia State.
NC Wilmington started 10-3 in the Colonial in second place, just behind George Mason, while Georgia State started 3-10 in its first season in the CAA.
Villanova at DePaul
Although insiders believe that that DePaul is completely overmatched against Villanova's fast-paced attack, they believe this is a very dangerous spot to back the Wildcats, who are in a classic "look-ahead" spot with a home game vs. UConn in two days.
Utah at San Diego State
SDSU beat the Utes on both the offensive and defensive glass, at the 3-point line and got more steals when the Aztecs won in Salt Lake City.
Utah's confidence also appears to be at an all-time low this point in the season after losing 6 of its last 9 games.
San Diego State is the hottest team in the Mountain West, winning 8 in a row and riding a 9-2 ATS run.
Alabama at Mississippi
Now that Alabama is back in SEC West race with a recent upset over frontrunner LSU, insiders expect the Tide to go on a winning streak.
Alabama is also playing with revenge following a stunning 71-61 home upset in its conference opener. In that defeat, Alabama blew a 10-point lead when F Chuck Davis (the team's best player) went down with a season-ending knee injury early in the 1st half.
Kentucky at Vanderbilt
Insiders are shocked to see that Vanderbilt is favored in this contest, even considering the poor play of Kentucky as of late. Betting 101: Do not lay points with a mediocre chalk team, against a traditionally prideful basketball powerhouse, especially one that has revenge.
Insiders are reporting the possibility of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith jumping to the NBA at the end of the year may explain the recent poor play of Kentucky players.
Since beating Kentucky in the first game, Vanderbilt has lost 6 of their last 7 and 4 in a row.
NC-Charlotte at Wake Forest
Perhaps the trends tell us all we need to know in this contest. Wake Forest comes into this contest 1-8-1 as a home favorite, while Charlotte, which is excited about the opportunity to play an instate foe from the prestigious ACC, is a perfect 5-0 as a road dog.
Tennessee at Georgia
When a team plays as quick as the Vols have (Top 15 in possessions per game) and shoot as well as they do (outstanding 53.3 FG percentage, which factors in three-pointers) and turns it over as little as they do (seventh-fewest in the nation), they'll make money for their backers.
Iowa State at Kansas
Insiders believe that ISU's Curtis Stinson should be able carry his team to a big upset try against a Kansas team that enjoyed "too big" of a field-goal percentage margin (58 percent to 38 percent) in a 10-point road win the first time around.
Northeastern at Hofstra
This is one of Northeastern's most difficult two-game assignments, going from Drexel on Thursday night to Hofstra this afternoon, both times with the home team having revenge.
UTEP at Southern Miss
Insiders believe that this is a matchup nightmare for a UTEP team which is already short on players and depth. Meanwhile, the very deep Southern Miss squad has been playing 10 players at least 10 minutes per game, so fatigue will never be an issue.
Old Dominion at VCU
Tough spot for ODU, with health issues in the guard rotation and playing on the road.
Old Dominion's Isiah Hunter scored 23 points in his team's 78-75 win against VCU last month, but he is out with a stress fracture in his foot.
VCU was also knocked out of the CAA Tourney in the title game by ODU last season, so look for an inspired effort in front of the team's home fans.
Missouri State at Northern Iowa
Road dog Missouri State has revenge for a 10-point home loss last month, when the team suffered a bad shooting night and Northern Iowa's Erik Crawford complemented Eric Jacobsen's 21 points with 15 of his own. Crawford is out and Jacobsen has been in a shooting slump since then.
Stanford at Gonzaga
Gonzaga has been able to outscore all but three of its first 21 foes thanks mainly to the nation's leading scorer in Adam Morrison (28.8 points per game).
Stanford's NCAA Tournament chances might rest on center Matt Haryasz. With a swollen eye that has caused double vision, he will wear goggles for a 2nd straight game on Saturday. Insiders report the goggles did bother Haryasz on Thursday, and he eventually gave up trying to find ones that were comfortable after trying on three pairs.
