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Pregame Shootaround 1.24.13: West Coast action heats up Thursday night

Solomon Hill, Chase Tapley

Arizona forward Solomon Hill (44) shoots a layup ahead of San Diego State guard Chase Tapley (22) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Diamond Head Classic, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

AP

Game of the Day: UCLA vs. No. 6 Arizona (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

In the night’s biggest game, the Bruins head down to Tucson to take on an Arizona team in a game that is crucial to UCLA’s hopes of winning the Pac-12 regular season title. Both the Bruins and the Wildcats have lost their only game against Oregon this season, and a loss on Thursday would drop them two games behind the Ducks in the league standings.

The good news for Arizona, however, is that the Wildcats match up very well with UCLA. They have the size on the wings -- with Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom -- to negate the advantages that Jordan Adams and Shabazz Muhammad have grown accustomed to. Specifically, Hill should be able to take away Muhammad’s post-up game. Arizona also has the kind of size up front that can overwhelm the Bruins. What cost UCLA against Oregon was the Wears’ inability to deal with Tony Woods and Oregon’s big front line.

That said, trusting Arizona at this point in the season is not the easiest thing to do. Hopefully, we’ll be able to watc this game while listening to Bill Walton rant about whatever is it that Bill Walton rants about.

Who’s Getting Upset?: No. 19 VCU at Richmond (7:00 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Net)

Richmond does not matchup all that well with VCU. They turn the ball over too much, and no one in the country is as good at forcing turnovers as VCU is. They don’t rebound the ball all that well defensively, and VCU can crash the offensive glass really well. One thing that Richmond does well, however, is chase their opponents off the three-point line. The Rams love to shoot threes. If the Spiders can keep Treveon Graham and Troy Daniels from getting hot, this is a rivalry game. The kind of game where you can throw the records out the window. We’ll see what happens.

Mid-Major Matchup of the Day: Belmont at Morehead State (7:00 p.m. ET)

Morehead State likes to press and press and press some more. They are coached by Sean Woods, who makes Frank Martin look docile and calm. Rick Byrd, on the other hand, isn’t afraid of getting up and down the floor and like to use a press as well. Bruins’ guard Ian Clark has been as hot as anyone in the country over the last two weeks, and Belmont enters this game undefeated in the OVC. Can it last?

Five Things to Watch For

1) UNLV hosts Wyoming at 9:15 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Net) tonight, after the Cowboys knocked off San Diego State on Saturday and UNLV lost to Colorado State on the road. The Pokes are trying to figure out how to play without Luke Martinez -- they previously lost to Boise State and Fresno State -- but the Rebels are not an easy team to beat in Vegas.

2) The WCC will provide some quality hoops on Thursday night, with a pair of games tipping off at 11:00 p.m. ET tonight. BYU visits No. 10 Gonzaga, a team that the Cougars actually matchup pretty well with. They have some size inside to matchup with with the Zags’ massive front line. St. Mary’s will also be taking on San Diego, two teams that are currently sitting at 4-1 in WCC play.

3) Colorado and Stanford are probably the two most disappointing teams in the Pac-12. Both were expected to compete for the league title; neither of them are above .500 in league play.

4) Bryant has been the nation’s biggest surprise this season, as they currently sit at 6-0 in the NEC this year. They will take on Sacred Heart tonight on the road.

5) Belmont-Morehead State isn’t the only good game tonight in the OVC. Tennessee State will be taking on Eastern Kentucky in a battle for second place in the Eastern Division.

The Top 25


  • Purdue at No. 2 Michigan (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
  • UCLA at No. 6 Arizona (9:00 p.m. ESPN2)
  • BYU at No. 10 Gonzaga (11:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
  • No. 19 VCU at Richmond (7:00 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Net)
  • Tennessee at No. 23 Ole Miss (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.