Larry Ness

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on St Mary's at 11:00 ET.

The BYU Cougars and Saint Mary's Gaels meet Thursday in WCC action in Moraga, Ca. ALL schools in the WCC play in the 'shadow' of Gonzaga but the Cougars and Gaels each have a long history of excellent basketball teams. Both enter with 9-3 records on the season.

Mark Pope had an excellent first season at BYU (came from Utah Valley St), going 24-8. However, gone are PF Childs (22.2 & 9.0) plus guards Toolson (15.2-4.8-3.9) and Haws (14.0 & 5.8 APG). Guard Barcello (9.3 PPG last season) is leading the way in averaging 16.3-4.7-4.8  and the 7-3 Haarms (Purdue graduate transfer) has chipped in 11,2 & 3.7. BYU has a ton of depth, as EIGHT more players are averaging between 11 and 26 MPG. Guard Averette leads in scoring (10.2 in that group, while 6-9 Lohner (6.5) and the 6-11 Harvard (4.6) are the best rebounders. Randy Bennett has been head coach at St Mary's since the 2001-02 season and entered this season with a 440-182 (.707) record. The Gaels posted their 13th season of 20-plus wins last year, as they were 26-8 when COVID shut things down. Would the Gaels have gotten an NCAA bid? Bennett and his various teams know all about NCAA snubs, as SIX times in the previous 12 seasons, his team had been denied an NCAA bid despite seasons of 28, 25, 23, 21, 29 and 30 wins.

Gone from last year are guard Ford (21.9), forward Fitts (16.5 & 7.1) and guard Krebs (9.1). However, after dropping their season opener, 73-56, to Memphis at Sioux Falls, SD back on Nov 25, St Mary's won EIGHT in a row before losing to SD State. Senior Guard Kushe, who averaged just 5.9 PPG last season, is averaging 14.8-4.0-5.7 so far this season. Junior guard Johnson (1.4 PPG last season) is averaging 11.0 & 3.6, while returning players like the 6-10 Tass (10.1 & 5.3) and the 6-7 Fotu (7.3 & 4.4) are holding up their ends. Aussie guard Ducas averaged just 3.6 PPG last season but adds 10.9 & 5.3.

BYU was 9-2 when it ran into some postponements due to COVID plus Gonzaga was facing the same issues. The schools both decided to play each other a month early back last Thursday but BYU's long layoff (previous games was Dec 23) was evident early, as the Cougars committed five turnovers in the first four minutes to fall behind 16-2. Gonzaga made seven of its first nine shots, while Cougars made only two of their first 12 shots to trail 30-7 with just over nine minutes gone in the first half (would lose 86-69). This trip to St Mary's is BYU's first game since the Gonzaga contest and will take on a St Mary's team in need of a win after losing TWO of their last three games. However, stealing a line from Broadway's Annie Get Your Gun, "Anything BYU can do, St Mary's can do better!" St Mary's Gaels has won SEVEN of the last 10 meetings against BYU and makes it EIGHT of 11 here!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Rivalry Game of the Month is on Indiana at 7:00 ET.

The Indiana Hoosiers football team and the Purdue Boilermakers football team play annually for The Old Oaken Bucket. There is no trophy in basketball but that doesn't mean an Indiana/Purdue basketball game is not a bitter rivalry. Both schools play solid defense with Purdue allowing 66.2 PPG and Indiana 66.6 PPG. Indiana ranks 14th nationally per KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency, while Purdue ranks 36th. Purdue is 8-5 (3-3 in the Big Ten) and Indiana  has the exact same record overall and in Big Ten play.

Purdue head coach Matt Painter's lone loss of note from last season's team was the 7-3 Haarms (8.6 & 4.6), who went to BYU as a graduate transfer. The team's "Big Three" are all returning players, senior PG Hunter (10.3 & 3.4 APG) plus juniors like the 6-10 Williams (15.0 & 9.5) and SG Stefanovic (10.7). 7-4 freshman Edey (8.8 & 4.0) has made all forget about Haarms plus freshman guard Newman (9.3) gives Purdue five players averaging between 8.8 and 15.0 PPG. Depth is provided by four players chipping in a combined 21 PPG.

Archie Miller spent six years at Dayton, winning 20-plus games in five seasons. Over his final four at the school, the Flyers averaged 25.5 wins per season and went to four straight NCAA tourneys. He got the Indiana job beginning with the 2017-18 season and was just 16-15 and 19-16. However, last year's team was 20-12 before the season was "called off!" Gone from that team are Devontae Green (13.5 & 8.4) who graduated and the 6-7 Justin Smith (10.4 & 5.2), who transferred to Arkansas. This year's Indiana team is led by the 6-9 Jackson-Davis (20.1 & 9.3) and the 6-8 Thompson (9.5 & 6.6) up front plus in the backcourt, it's sophomore Franklin (12.7 & 4.2), senior Durham (11.1-3.8-3.3) and junior Phinisee (8.0). The bad news for the Hoosiers is that Franklin is out indefinitely with an ankle injury. That will give some extra minutes to the 6-7 Hunter (5.2 & 3.2) and guard Galloway (5.0), who started for Franklin in the last game.

Purdue has won SEVEN straight in the rivalry between the two schools but the Boilermakers are coming off a dramatic, 55-54 win at Michigan State. In that game, Purdue rallied from down 15 points at halftime to win on a short jumper by Trevion Williams with 4.5 seconds remaining. As for Indiana, it enters with THREE wins in its last four, losing only in double-OT at the-No. 8 Wisconsin. Jackson-Davis has posted double-doubles in three straight games (against Maryland, Wisconsin and Nebraska) and I expect that the Hoosiers are primed to end their SEVEN-game slide against the hated-Boilermakers, who have averaged just 59.6 PPG in five road games this season. That's the play!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekly Wipeout is on the Den Nuggets at 10:05 ET.

The Golden St Warriors lost K.D. to free agency last season and Klay Thompson to injury and went 15-50, the worst record in the league. Thompson again re-injured himself before the start of the current season (Achilles this time) and will miss a second straight season, All things considered, the Warriors' 6-5 start isn't bad. The Denver Nuggets have had an uneven start to this year, after coming out of the gates last season with a 12-2 record. Injuries and COVID-19 protocols have been a major  factor, as the Nuggets return home with a 5-6 record to host Golden St.

Without Thompson and with Durant in Brooklyn, teams are focused on stopping Curry but Steph has averaged 27.8-5.1-6.4. Wiggins (17.9 & 4.8), a former No. 1 overall pick, has found a home in San Francisco  plus James Wiseman (2nd pick of the 2020 Draft) has avenged 10.6 & 6.4). FA acquisition Oubre (10.8 & 5.5) has disappointed and after missing some early games, Green has returned to average a modest 4.4-5.1-6.6. He looks nowhere-near the 'force' he once was.

Denver center Jokic (24.3-10.9-10.6) has been great but Michael Porter Jr. (19.5 & 6.8) has missed SEVEN games due to issues with the coronavirus, and his return last week was delayed after sitting out three games. Hours before he was to return against Dallas he was ruled out with what coach Michael Malone said Tuesday was due to COVID. The Nuggets were also without Gary Harris (10.6) on Tuesday for personal reasons, a defensive presence that would have helped in the loss to the Nets. Denver had opened its road trip 2-0 but couldn't hold an 18-point lead at Brooklyn.

Obviously, Porter and Harris (team's best perimeter defender) are missed but the Nuggets still own excellent depth. Murray (19.7) was terrific in last year's 'bubble' and swingman Barton is back healthy averaging 11.6-4.3-2.8. The 6-8 Green comes off the bench to average 11.4 & 6.4 in about 20 minutes and backup PG Morris (11.4 & 3.2) is a quality reserve. Curry's been held to just 31 points combined in the last two games so watch out but Denver is a VERY good team, even with some missing starters. The Nuggets play their next three games at home and can kick-start their season with some good play. The Warriors are on the road for the FIRST time since Dec 29, coming off a SEVEN-game homestand! I say it's a Blowout Alert!

Good luck...Larry