7:00 PM PST
Brigham Young Cougars at Pepperdine Waves
Firestone Fieldhouse, Malibu, California.
BYU is 16-6 on the season, 6-2 in WCC play and currently on a one game winning streak.
Pepperdine is 10-10 on the season, 2-5 in WCC play and currently on a one game losing streak.
TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet and ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain and Northwest.
Radio: KSL 1160 AM & 102.7 FM along the Wasatch Front.
Satellite Radio: BYU Radio Sirius XM 143
Portland Pilots at Santa Clara Broncos
Leavey Center, Santa Clara, California.
Portland is 8-14 on the season, 1-6 in WCC play and on a four game losing streak.
Santa Clara is 16-6 on the season, 4-3 in WCC play and on a four game winning streak.
TV: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and Northwest.
Radio: KPDQ 800 AM in Portland, KDOW 1220 AM in the Bay Area.
Two games at once, which do you choose? Each game features a team that is in contention for the WCC title and one that is far from contention. Each features a team that needs to do nothing but keep winning for the rest of the season and a team that wants to win a few more times this season. Each features a team that is exceptional on offense and a team that isn't.
To that last point, the Portland at Santa Clara game features a team that is exceptional on offense and a team that is horrible on offense. The BYU at Pepperdine game features on team that is exceptional on offense and one that is okay on the offensive end. So, if you want to see a game with more scoring from both sides, that's the one to watch. If you want to see a potential blow out, it's Portland at Santa Clara.
Tune into either game, or both, and you'll be watching a team with very legitimate hopes of making the NCAA Tournament. That's what makes this hard choice easier to make.
8:00 PM PST
#7 Gonzaga Bulldogs at Loyola Marymount Lions
Gersten Pavilion, Los Angeles, California.
Gonzaga is 19-2 on the season, 6-0 in WCC play and currently on a two game winning streak.
Loyola Marymount is 8-11 on the season, 1-6 in WCC play and currently on a four game losing streak.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: KGA 1510 AM in the Inland Northwest, KXLU 88.9 FM in Los Angeles.
Here is another match up like the two that precede it. One team that is very good at offense and one that is not. Gonzaga is second in the nation in field goal percentage at 51.1%, Creighton leads at 52.1%. Loyola Marymount is pretty bad at defense on top of struggling on offense. The Lions rank 217th in the nation in opponent field goal percentage and 7th in the WCC. It's possible that the Zags jump into first in the nation in field goal percentage after tonight.
As is almost always the case when a WCC team plays a WCC team we will have two great floor generals go at it in this one. Anthony Ireland is one of my favorite players to watch. He's 5'10'' but pulls down 5.2 rebounds per game, good for 13th in the WCC. At 19.6 points per game he ranks 18th in the nation and second in the conference. It will be interesting to see if he can keep that pace with Gary Bell Jr. guarding him. The WCC's leading scorer, Tyler Haws of BYU, wasn't able to score from the field with that match up last week.
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