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Weekly Wrap: Pitt's a peach
This was clear as day as we rang in 2009:
Hoops Hysteria
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Championship — Detroit, Ford Field
FOXSports.com analysis
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THE GOODS (Player or Team of the Week): Boston College — This one isn't even up for debate. The Eagles ended any speculation early about whether North Carolina would run the table after knocking off the top-ranked Tar Heels in Chapel Hill on Sunday night. Tyrese Rice led BC with 25 points, but this one was a total team effort all the way around for a BC team that was picked to finish near the bottom of the ACC.
REAL DEAL: Pittsburgh — The Panthers were somewhat unproven in the first six weeks or so, but they showed they are legit with a road win against a Georgetown club that had just routed UConn. Jamie Dixon's club has toughness, experience and will move into the top spot now that UNC has been dropped from the list of unbeatens.
THE IMPOSTER: Tennessee — The Vols remain the favorite in the SEC, but they will need to become much tougher if they want to go anywhere down the road. It wasn't just the fact that they lost at Kansas, but how they lost at Kansas. Tennessee looked soft in the setback.
MID-MAJOR TEAM OF THE WEEK: Drake — New coach Mark Phelps took his team into Southern Illinois and knocked off the Salukis in Carbondale for the first time since 1996.
BETTER THAN ADVERTISED: Arkansas. No one figured that a young Razorbacks squad would be able to get a victory against the former No. 4 team in the land, the Oklahoma Sooners, and the probable No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft — Blake Griffin. But that's exactly what happened with junior big man Michael Washington and a frosh backcourt of Courtney Fortson and Rotnei Clarke.
SIGNATURE WIN: There were plenty to choose from, but I'm going with Illinois' road win at Purdue early in the week. The Illini were unable to follow it up with another road win at Michigan, but Bruce Weber's club got a resume victory against the Boilermakers that should help secure a bid come March.
STINKER: Gonzaga's loss to Utah. I'm not really sure what's going on out in Spokane these days, but this certainly doesn't look like the same team that appeared to be a legitimate Final Four contender a few weeks back.
STATEMENT: Wake Forest went on the road and ended BYU's home winning streak at 53 games. The Demon Deacons needed a win like this one going into ACC play to solidify the fact they are for real.
PRETENDER: Stanford — I know the Cardinal rebounded with a win against Arizona, but Johnny Dawkins' team was blasted at home by Arizona State earlier this week. I'm not saying they won't win their share of games in the Pac-10 this season, but it won't be enough to get into the Big Dance.
SHOCKER: Boston College's win ranks first, but St. John's victory against Notre Dame isn't all that far off. The Red Storm have been decimated by injuries, but found a way to contain Kyle McAlarney and came up with arguably the biggest win of Norm Roberts' tenure in N.Y.
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| Mike Montgomery has Cal at the top of the Pac-10 standings after leading the Bears to home wins against Arizona and Arizona State over the weekend. (Ben Margot / Associated Press) |
HE'S BACK: Cal's Mike Montgomery may make his way back on the national scene earlier than anyone anticipated after the Golden Bears held court at home this past week with wins against nationally ranked Arizona State and Arizona.
MR. VERSATILITY: This honor is shared by Memphis' Antonio Anderson and Western Kentucky's Orlando Mendez-Valdez — both of whom put up triple-doubles this past week. Anderson went for 12 points, 13 assists and 10 boards against Lamar while Mendez-Valdez recorded the school's first-ever triple-double in a win over Troy.
TOUGHEST LOSS: USC losing on the road to Oregon State in overtime. The Trojans have as much talent as anyone in the Pac-10.
STILL ROLLING: Illinois State hasn't exactly played a loaded schedule, but give Tim Jankovich and his team credit for the best start in school history at 14-0. The Redbirds ended Creighton's winning streak with a 86-64 victory at home.
CREDIT: Interim Loyola Marymount coach Max Good, who took over for Bill Bayno, got his first win of the season against Cal State Bakersfield after an 0-15 start. Bayno took a leave of absence earlier in the season and isn't likely to return this season.
WEEK TO FORGET: George Washington — Karl Hobbs has gone from a coach who ran the table in the A-10 a few years back to one who just lost at Longwood for the Colonials' fourth consecutive setback.
Six-pack on tap
1. Georgetown at Notre Dame, Monday at 7 p.m. ET — Both teams are coming off losses and the loser of this one will be 1-2 in Big East play.
2. Davidson at Duke, Wednesday at 7 p.m. — Stephen Curry invades Cameron Indoor Stadium. Will he put on a Jimmy Baron-esque show?
3. Gonzaga at Tennessee, Wednesday at 9 p.m. — A rematch of the Old Spice Classic title game last month — which was the last time the 'Zags looked like a Final Four-caliber team.
4. Kansas at Michigan State, Saturday at 1 p.m. — The Jayhawks could use a road win like this one to help secure an NCAA tournament bid.
5. Texas at Arkansas, Tuesday at 9 p.m. — Can the Razorbacks take down Oklahoma and Texas in Fayetteville?
6. UConn at West Virginia, Tuesday at 7 p.m. — The Huskies are still trying to work their way back from a tough home loss to Georgetown while a win against UConn would be huge for the Mountaineers.
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