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The Secondary Break: Wednesday’s Links

Tyler Haws, Damyean Dotson

BYU’s Tyler Haws, right, shots over Oregon’s Damyean Dotson during the first half in an NCAA collage basketball game in Eugene, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)

AP

Cougars get another shot at a ranked team on Thursday (Deseret News)
BYU is one of many teams looking to play their way into the NCAA tournament in these final weeks of the regular season. With that being the case they have to take advantage of the quality opportunities in front of them, with Thursday’s home game against No. 25 Gonzaga being one.

Transfers get a new school, and an extra year (The Virginian-Pilot)
While the focus this time of year is on the college game, high school programs across the country are also approaching the stretch run. And in some cases players who have moved from one school to another and reclassified, repeating a year of school in order to enhance their chances of receiving a college scholarship, are leading the charge.

Duke scary in more ways than one (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Remember when much of the country was under the assumption that No. 5 Duke wouldn’t be a threat to win the national title? Thanks to the Blue Devils’ improved play that’s no longer the case, with their win over Georgia Tech revealing some reasons why Duke can win it all.

As points pile up, Russ Smith is passing into legend (WDRB Louisville)
Louisville senior guard Russ Smith may be one of the most entertaining players to watch in college basketball, but to be fair the focus on the “extras” tends to overshadow how well he’s played this season. And the difference between Smith now and Smith as a freshman is incredible, with few expecting him to put together the career he’s enjoyed to this point.

Ex-student manager Cross living the dream as Vandy hoops player (Fox Sports Tennessee)
For some college basketball teams the task of finishing the season can become a difficult one thanks to player injuries. That’s been the case for Vanderbilt, which was down to seven scholarship players thanks to injuries and transfers/disciplinary reasons. That’s resulted in Rob Cross, who was a team manager for the last two seasons, suiting up for the team for the last ten games.

Utes eyeing NCAA tournament run (Salt Lake Tribune)
Due to a poor stretch at the start of the second half on Saturday afternoon at UCLA, Utah missed out on what would have been a valuable win for they resume. That sets up the Utes for a critical game against No. 4 Arizona on Wednesday night, with the game being the first of five to end the regular season. And thanks to their weak non-conference slate, Larry Krystkowiak’s team needs to get hot.

Boston College brings good offense, suspect defense to Syracuse rematch (Syracuse Post-Standard)
No. 1 Syracuse hosts Boston College on Wednesday night, with the Eagles looking to pull off a win that would temporarily brighten a season that has failed to meet preseason expectations. Offensively BC has some quality options, but it’s the defense that has been an issue all season long.

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