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Thursday’s Pregame Shootaround: Three marquee games, and an Atlantic showdown

GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 1 Arizona at UCLA, 9:00 p.m.

While Arizona cruises along as the nation’s best team, UCLA has been somewhat ignored in the Pac-12 race. Maybe it’s their lack of a notable win and maybe it’s their issues on the defensive end of the floor, but it seems like the consensus has become that the Bruins are currently sitting fourth in the Pac-12 power rankings, behind Oregon and Colorado. Well, this is their chance to change that narrative, although it won’t be easy to do. A 6:00 p.m. tip local time means that there may not be many fans in seats at the tip, and Arizona has a kid by the name of Aaron Gordon who should be able to hold his own against Kyle Anderson.

THE OTHER GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 24 Memphis at No. 12 Louisville, 7:00 p.m.

Remember when these two were thought to be the two favorites in the American? That was before Chane Behanan was booted off the team and Memphis put forth a disastrous performance in a loss to Cincinnati at home. Both the Tigers and the Cardinals really could use the win tonight.

THE OTHER, OTHER GAME OF THE NIGHT: Cal at No. 17 Oregon, 11:00 p.m.

Remember how I said that UCLA is an afterthought in the Pac-12 race? Well, the Bears are basically non-existent in that race. The Ducks enter as one of the nation’s most-impressive teams this season while Cal has been just another team. It doesn’t help that they are banged up, playing without Jabari Bird and Ricky Kreklow.

MID-MAJOR MATCHUP OF THE NIGHT: UC-Irvine at Long Beach State, 11:00 p.m.

The Big West is going to be a fun race to follow, and these could end up being the two best teams. LBSU may be 4-10, but with Tyler Lamb eligible, they have beaten USC and won at Nevada, who is now 3-0 in the MWC. If you haven’t seen UC-Irvine’s 7-foot-6 center Mamadou N’Diaye, he’s worth watching.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

1) George Washington will be making the trip up to Philly to take on La Salle tonight. The game will tip at 8:00 p.m. on NBC Sports Network and can be streamed through the Live Extra app here.

2) No. 22 Gonzaga makes their first road trip in WCC play as they head down to Portland to take on the Pilots tonight at 11:00 p.m ET.

3) Northwestern pays a visit to No. 20 Iowa tonight, who tragically had to postpone Fran McCaffery bobble-head night when their head coach was suspended for a game for his tirade on Sunday.

4) You now who could really use a win tonight? Marquette. You know who else could really use a win? Xavier. They play in Cincinnati tonight at 9:00 p.m.

5) Might the two best teams in the Summit League be squaring off tonight as North Dakota State makes the trip to take on IPFW?

NOTABLES:


  • Florida State at Clemson, 7:00 p.m.
  • DePaul at Butler, 7:00 p.m.
  • George Mason at VCU, 7:00 p.m.
  • Manhattan at Quinnipiac, 7:30 p.m.
  • Arizona State at USC, 10:00 p.m.
  • Stanford at Oregon State, 10:00 p.m.