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Wednesday’s Pregame Shootaround: Pac-12 action heats up

Nick Johnson, Tyrone Wallace

California guard Tyrone Wallace, bottom scrambles for a loose ball against Arizona guard Nick Johnson during the first half on an NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

AP

GAME OF THE NIGHT: Cal at No. 3 Arizona, 9:00 p.m.

The last time these two got together, Cal ended Arizona’s undefeated regular season on the same night that Brandon Ashley broke his foot. I think that the Wildcats have some vengeance that they will be looking to exact. Cal, on the other hand, is playing for an NCAA tournament bid. They are in good shape as of now, but a sweep of Arizona would give them quite a bit of breathing room.

THE OTHER GAME OF THE NIGHT: Baylor at No. 24 Texas, 9:00 p.m.

Texas is coming off of a beat down at the hands of Kansas over the weekend. They lost by 31. Baylor, on the other hand, has won four straight games and, at this point, may have played their way out of the First Four. They still have some wins they need to get to ensure that they don’t end up back on the wrong side of the bubble, and a road win at Texas would help to make that happen.

WHO’S GETTING UPSET?: No. 19 North Carolina at N.C. State, 8:00 p.m.

This will be the last chance for the Wolfpack to get a truly good win this season. N.C. State isn’t completely out of the bubble picture yet, not if they can win out and make a run in the ACC tournament.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

1) West Virginia still has a chance to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament, but they are going to have to win a couple games to do so. Beating No. 15 Iowa State tonight would be a good start.

2) Pitt has been in a bit of a free fall of late. They’ll pay a visit to BC tonight. The Eagles picked off Syracuse last week.

3) Perhaps the most important game of the night will be between Stanford and Arizona State. The Sun Devils host the Cardinal in a matchup that suddenly has all kinds of bubble implications for Arizona State.

4) No. 16 Michigan will pay a visit to Purdue as they try to move closer to a Big Ten regular season title.

5) LSU (vs. Texas A&M), Ole Miss (vs. Alabama), and Tennessee (at Mississippi State) are all in action tonight. Losses would push the SEC just that much closer to being a two-bid conference.

NOTABLES:


  • Butler at No. 8 Villanova, 8:00 p.m.
  • Miami (FL) at No. 12 Virginia, 7:00 p.m.
  • UConn at South Florida, 7:00 p.m.
  • Richmond at George Mason, 7:00 p.m.
  • Rhode Island at UMass, 7:00 p.m.
  • VMI at High Point, 7:00 p.m.
  • Boston U. at Army, 7:00 p.m.
  • Delaware at UNC-Wilmington, 7:00 p.m.
  • Nebraska at Illinois, 9:00 p.m.