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Pregame Shootaround 2.14.13: WCC rivals headline slate diehard hoops fans will love

Kelly Olynyk

Loyola Marymount’s defends Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk (13) as he drives to the basket in the first of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Jed Conklin)

AP

Game of the Night: No. 5 Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s (11:00 p.m.; ESPN2)

With BYU’s recent struggles the WCC has the look of a two-bid league with the Bulldogs and Gaels being the teams headed to the Big Dance. A Saint Mary’s win would not only go a long way towards making sure that is the case but also put the Gaels in position to win the WCC regular season title.

A key for Randy Bennett’s team: slowing down Kelly Olynyk, who has gone from being hailed as the nation’s most improved player to some national Player of the Year chatter. Brad Waldow has to hold his own in this matchup if the Gaels are to win, and the perimeter battle between Gonzaga’s Kevin Pangos and Saint Mary’s Matthew Dellavedova will be worth the price of admission as well.

Who’s Getting Upset? VCU (-11.5) vs. Massachusetts (9:00 p.m., CBS Sports Network)

UMass may have one of the best weapons in the Atlantic 10 when it comes to taking on VCU’s “HAVOC” defense: point guard Chaz Williams. Williams may not be the biggest player on the floor but he’s jet quick with the basketball, and how well he plays will ultimately determine the outcome. UMass has the bodies inside needed to combat VCU’s Juvonte Reddic, led by Terrell Vinson and Raphiael Putney, and if Williams and Freddie Riley take care of the basketball the Minutemen are more than capable of leaving the Siegel Center with a statement victory.

Mid-Major Matchup of the Night: Montana at Weber State (9:05 p.m.)

The Big Sky expanded its conference schedule to 20 games after adding North Dakota and Southern Utah, which works out to put the Grizzlies in position to pull off arguably the greatest season in the history of the league if they get past Weber State in Ogden. Montana’s won 24 straight conference games (regular season), which is a league record, and at 14-0 Wayne Tinkle’s team has a two-game lead on the Wildcats. Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar are one of the best perimeter tandems in the western United States and they’ll have to play at that level in order to knock off Weber State. Scott Bamforth and Kyle Tresnak lead the way for Weber State, who leads the Big Sky in most of the major statistical categories.

Five Things to Watch For

1) The slate on Valentine’s Day also offers up a rematch of the most controversial game of the season thus far, with No. 9 Arizona visiting Colorado. Sabatino Chen’s three-pointer at the end of regulation was waved off, unfairly in the eyes of many, and the Wildcats went on to win 92-83 in overtime. The Wildcats haven’t played their best basketball of late, and Sean Miller needs those young big men to have a greater impact on the action.

2) Big Ten rivals on opposite paths meet in Minneapolis, as Wisconsin looks to stay on track against a reeling Minnesota. Tubby Smith’s team has lost six of its last eight games, and while the Golden Gophers have a decent resume it would be in their best interest to get back to playing as they did for much of the 2012 portion of the year.

3) Two of the best teams in the Summit League, Western Illinois and North Dakota State, meet in Fargo with the Leathernecks leading the Bison by a half-game atop the league standings. NDSU is 10-0 at home this season, and the matchup between WIU’s Terrell Parks and NDSU’s Marshall Bjorklund won’t disappoint.

4) Two of the three teams just a game behind Niagara in the MAAC standings, Canisius and Loyola (MD) meet in Baltimore with the winner likely having the best chance of catching the Purple Eagles. Canisius won the first meeting, 91-79, as all five starters scored in double figures and Jordan Heath accounted for 21 points and 11 rebounds.

5) Will Thursday provide any clarity when it comes to the Pac-12 race? UCLA needs to improve its rebounding if they’re to beat Cal in Berkeley, while in Palo Alto Stanford looks to avoid what would be considered a bad loss against a rejuvenated USC.

The Top 25

No. 5 Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s (11:00 p.m.; ESPN2)

No. 9 Arizona at Colorado (10:00 p.m.; Pac-12 Networks)

St. John’s at No. 12 Louisville (9:00 p.m.; ESPN)

Northwestern at No. 13 Ohio State (7:00 p.m.; BTN)

No. 20 Wisconsin at Minnesota (7:00 p.m.; ESPN)

Other Notable Games

George Mason at Drexel (7:00 p.m.; CBS Sports Network)

Belmont at Tennessee State (7:00 p.m.; ESPNU)

Davidson at Charleston (7:30 p.m.)

Canisius at Loyola (MD) (7:30 p.m.)

Western Illinois at North Dakota St. (8:00 p.m.)

Arkansas-Little Rock at Arkansas St. (8:05 p.m.)

UCLA at California (9:00 p.m.; ESPN2)

San Diego at Santa Clara (10:00 p.m.)

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.