Weekend of Jan. 2nd - Preview

Hope everyone had a great beginning to 2010! I know I did. When I thought of how the Purdue-West Virginia game could go down, I really never considered the scenario that actually happened. The first 10 minutes were fairly even, and there was a short stretch at the end of the 1st half where West Virginia pulled closer, but the rest of the game was dominated by Purdue. The Mountaineers could do nothing offensively for most of the game, as Purdue's pressure man-to-man controlled the tempo. On the other side, JaJuan Johnson was outstanding, with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and WVU had no answer for him. Once the outside shots started falling for Purdue, they put away the #6 team in the nation in convincing fashion.

So where does that put my Boilers? Well, for one, I think we can beat anyone in the country, especially in Mackey. Their weaknesses are lack of depth at the 5 and lack of elite quickness on the perimeter, both things a tired WVU team was unable to exploit. Could Kansas, Texas, and Kentucky exploit those? Certainly. What about Syracuse? Probably. But they also have not faced the kind of defense we bring to the table. I'm convinced we're one of the three best defensive teams in the country. Either way, we've got the fast track to a #1 seed, which is the ultimate goal. Things are looking very good for my Boilers.

The other major game was New Mexico holding off a furious late charge by Dayton to pick up another solid non-conference win. The battle between the Lobos and a very underrated BYU team should highlight Mountain West conference play. Here's what's up for this weekend:

Saturday, Jan. 2nd:

Game of the Night:

Kansas @ Temple: Those who have been complaining Kansas has been playing an easy schedule get their wish. They pay a visit to the Owls, who have already taken down Villanova and have been outstanding defensively this year. After the Nova upset, this game moved from trap game to marquee matchup. Kansas has played decent opponents, such as Memphis, Michigan, and Cal, but they haven't played anyone quite as good as this. However, their offense has improved every game since the disastrous performance vs. Memphis. Plus, this is the #1 team in the country, and they need to win games like this. I think Kansas will surprise some people with how well they'll play.

Pick: Kansas 72, Temple 60

Others:

Louisville @ Kentucky: Other major upset possibility of the day, although I don't see UK going down at home to a team that lost to Western Carolina.

Pitt @ Syracuse: Probably not an upset in the Carrier Dome, but the Orange cannot take the Panthers lightly.

Villanova @ Marquette: Marquette missed a big opportunity when they let it slip away at WVU. Here's another chance to get that marquee win.

Notre Dame @ UConn: The Huskies looking to recover after falling @ Cincinnati.

Michigan St. @ Northwestern: I always hate playing Northwestern. I imagine after last year, Michigan St would probably agree.

Oregon @ Washington: The Ducks got a good win at Washington state in OT, and now they get the other Washington school.

Gonzaga @ Illinois: Illinois has been a mixed bag this year. If they can win this one, they'll jump back into my "underrated" pool of teams (by the way, this still includes Kansas State. Why is nobody talking about the Wildcats?)

Baylor @ South Carolina: The Bears just overwhelmed Arkansas with their height inside. But they didn't have to deal with a guy like Devan Downey.

Oklahoma St. @ Rhode Island: The A-10 is as good as it's ever been. Dayton, Temple, Xavier, and a bunch of good mid-level teams... Like the Rams. Oklahoma St. needs to be wary.

Seton Hall @ Virginia Tech: The Governor's Cup. Whatever that means.

Arizona St. @ USC: The nightcap should be competitive, if slightly slow and boring.