Analyst William Whelan breaks down five of this weekend’s most intriguing conference games, and gives you his Picks to Click.
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Starting in the Mountain West, we take a look at the big-time matchup between San Diego State and Colorado State in Moby Arena. Steve Fisher’s Aztecs are one of the nation’s very best defensive teams, and are also starting to pick up the pace on the offensive side of the ball as of late. Will it be enough, however, to edge out J.J. Avila and the Rams on the road?
Then, in the Big 12, there are two marquee games that could go a long way into deciding the conference race. First, No. 11 Kansas travels to Austin to take on the surging, 17th-ranked Texas Longhorns. Coach Rick Barnes is in dire need of some memorable wins to keep his job, and nothing would be bigger than a “W” over perennial conference champ Kansas.
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Also in the Big 12, Bruce Weber and Kansas State host the Oklahoma State Cowboys. LeBryan Nash and Phil Forte look to go into the Octagon of Doom to knock off the streaking Wildcats, who are playing much better despite the recent loss to Big 12 front-runner Iowa State.
Elsewhere, Jim Larranaga’s Hurricanes take on Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange in a battle of ACC tournament contenders. Miami’s deadly backcourt duo of Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez matches up well with Syracuse’s two-three zone. Miami already has a big win over Duke, and could get another crucial road win if they can stop Rakeem Christmas inside.
Back in the Mountain West, the New Mexico Lobos travel to Laramie, Wyo. to take on the Wyoming Cowboys, who have one of the best home court advantages in the nation. However, coach Larry Shyatt and company lost their last game in the Arena-Auditorium when San Diego State knocked them off last week. With Larry Nance Jr. inside, the Cowboys should be able to get the key conference win and head back into the top 25 rankings.
