Game Info 2/23

WCC Game of the Week

2:00 PM PST

Santa Clara Broncos at Portland Pilots

Chiles Center, Portland, Oregon.

Santa Clara is 19-9 on the season, 7-6 in WCC play and currently on a one game losing streak.

Portland is 11-18 on the season, 4-10 in WCC play and currently on a one game winning streak.

TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Comcast SportsNet California and ROOT Sports Northwest/Rocky Mountain.

Radio: KPDQ 800 AM in Portland and KDOW 1220 AM in the Bay Area.

Online: Live audio from KPDQ and KDOW.

ESPN BracketBusters

3:00 PM PST

Creighton Bluejays at Saint Mary's Gaels

McKeon Pavilion, Moraga, California.

Creighton hails from the Missouri Valley Conference, is 22-6 on the season, 11-5 in conference play and currently on a two game winning streak. The Bluejays are 6-4 on the road this season.

Saint Mary's is 23-5 on the season, 12-2 in WCC play and currently on a two game winning streak. The Gaels are 14-1 at home this season.

TV: ESPN

Radio: KXSP 590 AM in Omaha, Nebraska.

Online: Live audio from KXSP.

BracketBusters 2013

Two WCC teams are participating in BracketBusters this season. Unfortunately this is the last season of BracketBusters. The event has been so helpful to the good but all too often overlooked mid-major teams across the country. In past seasons teams like George Mason and VCU have utilized resume-improving BracketBusters games to do quite literally what the name of the event implies. In 2006 and 2011 respectively, George Mason and VCU, busted a ton of brackets by running to the Final Four. Both squads received at large berths in those years, thanks in large part to their victory in their BracketBusters game.

For the two WCC teams involved in this years' edition, only one has any shot at busting any brackets. Fortunately, that team, Saint Mary's drew the only other team in the event that can help them earn an at-large bid, Creighton. The WCC's other team? Loyola Marymount. The participating schools are chosen by the conferences before the start of the season, and coming off a strong 21 win campaign last year the Lions weren't a bad choice for the WCC's second participant. They sure will look out of place now however, sitting at 8-18. They will play Cal Poly, a team which has done nothing other than beat UCLA early in the season.

Countdown 9/26

43 days remain.

Highlights from LMU's win over Valpo in Bracket Busters last season. I'm hoping the Lions actually bust some brackets this year.

It's That Time of Year Again: Saint Mary's Late Season Woes Continue

About the only good news for Saint Mary's after stinking it up on national TV with a 51-65 loss at #16 Murray State was that Matthew Dellavedova was able to play. Dellavedova's ankle was certainly a problem for him, he wasn't as impressive at creating space as usual, but he still managed to lead the Gaels in scoring with 17 points. No other Gael scored more than 7 points. Murray State held the Gaels to a 37.7% shooting percentage and an even more disturbing 14.3% from three. Saint Mary's has the 26th best shooting percentage in the nation hitting 47.6% of their shots. Tonight was a completely different story.

Shorthanded Saint Mary's Visits Murray State

When announced this was the marquee match up of ESPN's Bracket Busters event. Since then Murray State has lost it's first game of the season and Saint Mary's lost two. On Wednesday the Gaels lost not just a game at home to Loyola Marymount, but two of their star players. Stephen Holt banged his knee going for a loose ball and left the game, he suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee. Holt isn't traveling with the team for this game. Matthew Dellavedova is traveling with the Gaels, but his injured ankle could keep him out of the game as well. Randy Bennett said Dellavedova's status is "day-to-day but doubtful."

Even if Dellavedova plays this won't be the exciting match up of two Cousy Award finalists that it looked to be. Isaiah Canaan, the star point guard for the Racers, will have a much easier time without Dellavedova and Holt hassling him.

Who will step up for the Gaels will be interesting to see play out in this game. Rob Jones and Brad Waldow will need to have big games up front to take pressure off the depleted back court. Clint Steindl is a fine replacement for Holt but he will have to keep up the intensity that he normally brings off the bench for a whole game.

TV: ESPN 3 PM

Loyola Marymount wins Bracket Busters Game

Horizon League leader Valparaiso went to L.A. and lost to LMU 53-61. The win brings the Lions to 18-10 on the year and puts them in good position to become the fourth WCC team to reach 20 wins this year. As recently as 2006 Gonzaga was the WCC's only 20 win team.

Anthony Ireland led the Lions and the game with 19 points and 8 rebounds and was tied for the game high with 5 assists. Loyola Marymount had the lead from the beginning and gave up not even a share of it. The Crusaders managed to fight to within one point on a few occasions but could do no better. Starting forward Kevin Van Wijk didn't make the trip to L.A. with the Crusaders. He bruised his knee in their game against the University of Illinois-Chicago on Tuesday. The Crusaders' coaching staff wisely played it safe with Van Wijk in resting him so they can be full strength for their final push through the Horizon League. That push somewhat strangely begins when they play another Loyola, this time Loyola Chicago, on the 21st. A conference tournament championship is their only hope for a NCAA bid.

Loyola Marymount has some time off before hosting the 11-15 Toreros of San Diego on Thursday. They finish the regular season at Santa Clara which is in the midst of a 14 game losing streak. The Lions took advantage of their opportunity to play on ESPN U when it is because of them, not because they're playing Gonzaga or Saint Mary's. This win will help improve their seeding in what looks to be a NIT berth this post season.

Bracket Busters Part 1: Valparaiso visits Loyola Marymount

The WCC is certainly a conference on the upswing. Loyola Marymount sits 4th in the WCC standings, two games behind the leader, with a 10-4 record in conference play, 17-10 overall. Valparaiso is first in the Horizon League with a 12-4 record, 19-9 overall.  These two teams have very similar records in conference and overall, yet the conferences they are in have put them in very different positions.

Valparaiso has absolutely no hope of an at large bid to the NCAA tournament, they have no good wins and a few bad losses, they have to win their conference tournament to get in. Which they should do considering a win in their next game against the 6-19 Loyola Chicago Ramblers gives them a #1 seed in the Horizon League tournament.
Loyola Marymount also has essentially no chance of an at large bid, but they aren't leading their conference but they have three good wins. Had they not battled injuries early in the season the Lions could, amazingly, be in the March mix. For the WCC to have a team of LMU's caliber, one that could quite easily beat the Horizon League's leader tonight (remember the Butler team that made the past two national championship games came from this very same Horizon League), sitting in 4th place is quite a boost for what was once a conference of Gonzaga and everybody else.

I really don't know anything about how the Crusaders of Valparaiso will match up with LMU so this is a short preview during a busy time for college basketball. Check back for a Recap.

Time: 6 PM Pacific
TV: ESPN U
Radio: KXLU 88.9 FM L.A. Area (Streaming free online at www.kxlu.com).

WCC Wednesday? Thanks Bracket Busters!

There is a rare Wednesday WCC game tonight at 7:30. Loyola Marymount (16-10, 9-4WCC) heads north to Moraga for a game against the 16th ranked Saint Mary's Gaels (23-3 12-1WCC). Both teams are participating in this year's Bracket Busters event.