Bruce's Picks (2 Live)
Billy Gillispie has eventually worn thin throughout his coaching career and the same seems to be happening at Tarleton. A current six-game skid suggests the Texans have had enough of him, as home losses last week vs. Utah Valley and Utah Tech were the latest indicators the season can't end soon enough. Top scorer Dior Johnson (23.6 ppg) has missed the last two games but Tarleton was losing with him in the lineup anyway, even as he scored 40 vs. Southern Utah and 33 against Abilene Christian. Revenge for CBU after losing in OT at Tarleton on January 3, and Rick Croy has the Lancers on the move, winning six straight as G Dominique Daniels Jr has hit overdrive (34 ppg last three!). Play CBU
Tough times for the Roadrunners, playing for an interim coach (Mike Scott) and their season having jumped the rails. Bakersfield has also been shorthanded lately, with key contributor Gs CJ Hardy (14 ppg) and Jaden Alexander (efforts of 35 and 29 points earlier in January) having missed recent action, with the losing streak reaching six, and no spread covers the last five, as hopes to qualify for the Big West Tourney are fading. Expect UCI to be on alert after escaping with a narrow 81-77 win over the Roadrunners on New Year's in front of 305 fans when Bakersfield was playing better, as the Anteaters find themselves atop the league table despite playing just two loop games at the Bren Center into tonight. Play UCI
Expect Phoenix to have a different look very soon when Devin Booker returns to active duty and trade additions like Cole Anthony become available. Still, enough Suns (like Dillon Brooks) remained in place thru the deadline for Phoenix to continue its surprise playoff push. Collin Gillespie is another who figures into the mix and his 30 points proved valuable in Tuesday's win at Portland after the poor effort vs. the Clippers. We are hardly bullish on the Warriors, who exited the trade deadline down another wing performer (Jonathan Kuminga) and having to wait for trade addition Kristaps Porzingis to resume active duty. It looks like no immediate help, and maybe a downgrade at the deadline, for the Dubs. Play Suns
The Golden Knights are notorious for playing in streaks and we wonder if last night's 5-2 win over the Canucks is at least the start of a mini-uptick before the Olympic break. Vegas had almost perfected to narrow loss in its recent five-game skid, the last four of those all one-goal defeats, two of those OTs/shootouts, and it's about time for Adin Hill to start showing some stuff in goal after so-so efforts since his return from active duty last month. He might get well vs. the Kings, who are hoping just-added Artemi Panarin will add some spark (though he won't feature until after the Olympic break) to an offense that misfired again in last night's 4-2 loss to the Kraken. Play VGK on ML
Rest assured, UCSB has this return date vs. Davis circled. The last game the Gauchos lost came four weeks ago at the Thunderdome vs. these same Aggies. Since then, it's been a straight ascent for Joe Pasternack's troops, with seven wins on the trot. UCSB has buckled down on defense, allowing a tick above 65 ppg during the win streak, while former St. Mary's/UConn Aidan Mahaney and ex-Baylor/Utah Miro Little have emerged as one of the best backcourt tandems in the Big West. Meanwhile, Jim Les and his UCD will be hard-pressed to match one of their best efforts in the first meeting, when six scored in double-digits and the Aggies shot 52% from the floor in a mild 93-86 upset. Play UCSB.
Tough schedule stretch here for the Mavs, who have dropped five straight, though making a decent account of themselves in the process. Especially Cooper Flagg, on a sensational heater, scoring at a 40 pg clip the past three. Now, we'll see what Dallas looks like when the smoke clears from the trade deadline (Khris Middleton and other parts due to arrive), and no more AD, though he hadn't played in a month before his trade to the Wiz. Meanwhile the Spurs have been a bit back-and-forth the past two weeks, but won't be seeing the same Mavs they blew out on opening night, when Wemby scored 40 in a 125-92 romp. Play Mavs
It looks like no reason to back off of Charlotte, which should exit the trade deadline in better shape once ex-Bulls G Coby White assumes active duty (he'll likely be held out thru the All-Star break to tend to his right calf). In the meantime what the Hornets have been doing is just fine, winning seven straight, showing spunk mettle on Monday when rallying from 22 down to beat the Pelicans in an early Monday tip-off, when LaMelo Ball scored 24. Usually in the win streak, it's been Brandon Miller, who led Charlotte in scoring in eight of nine game before Monday. As for the Rockets, they've been a money-burner the past month, dropping 13 of their last 17 vs. the spread. Play Hornets
Tough season for Bill Coen's Northeastern, perhaps because being displaced from longtime home court Matthews Arena, being cleared away for a new facility. In the meantime the Huskies (6-15) have been playing in a makeshift Cabot Center on campus while they await the new arena. So Northeastern might not mind being on the road like tonight, but the Huskies are going down swinging nonetheless, scoring nearly 80 pg in the current four-game losing streak. Coen's side has battled various injuries, which has opened the door for Swedish G William Kermoury, who scored 36 last Saturday vs. Charleston. Meanwhile Speedy Claxton's Hofstra is looking to better position itself for the CAA Tourney as it rides explosive ex-St John's G Cruz Davis (21.4 ppg). Play Northeastern-Hofstra Over
The Bears have really hit overdrive the past few weeks as they have moved into SoCon contention with wins in seven of eight. Ryan Ridder's go-go offense is scoring points in a hurry, scoring at a near 94 pg pace across the past eight games while cracking the century mark three times. The hottest scorer has been Memphis transfer G Baraka Okojie (18.8 ppg), who's scored 24 or more in four of the past seven games. As no one has been slowing down Mercer lately, not sure the Movin' Mocs will be able to, either, and might think they can simply outscore the Bears as they did to Samford a few weeks ago in Chattanooga. Play Mercer-UTC Over
These days, there's something besides Strat-o-Matic headquarters to get them interested in this part of Long Island. Local Stony Brook has them talking at the diners and coffee shops as it has become one of the hottest teams in the Coastal. Five wins on the spin (the last three on the road) have moved the Seawolves up to third place in the loop, with Milwaukee transfer G Erik Pratt (19.;5 ppg) emerging as a CAA star with recent back-to-back efforts of 31 and 39 points. Meanwhile, less consistency from King Rice's Monmouth, which fluctuates too much based upon top scorer Jason Rivera-Torres (15.6 ppg), twice scoring in single digits in recent Hawks losses. Play Stony Brook.
For those who didn't know better, it would be easy to confuse the current Drexel with Zach Spiker's previous Army editions. That's because Spiker has instilled that same, no-holds-barred West Point style on his Dragons, whose defensive mindset more resembles hand-to-hand combat. Only once in Drexel's last seven games has a CAA foe scored more than 60 points, and it's working well for Spiker, with the Dragons winning 6 of those 7, and 6-5 jr. wing Shane Blakeney scoring as much as needed on the other end (he had 19 last Saturday vs NC A&T). Meanwhile the Camels have been playing in some tough luck and might be due a turnaround, but it won't be easy speeding up the deliberate Dragons. Play Drexel-Campbell Under
Neither of these sides has offered great value this season as each looks forward to hosting a new-look Pac-12 next fall. In the meantime, however, some stirring lately from WSU, which has three impressive double-digit wins in a row, including a 104-74 blowout of a capable Portland on the weekend. Everything clicked for the Cougs, with five double-digit scorers led by ex-Texas Tech F Eemeli Yalaho with 26 points. Meanwhile, the Beavs are on a mild uptick themselves, but narrow escapes vs. struggling USD and LMU don't necessarily impress. Play Washington State
Might we be looking at a preview of the Mountain West Tourney title game next month in Las Vegas? Utah State isn't the overwhelming choice it once was, proving a bit vulnerable in recent losses to Grand Canyon and UNLV, plus a narrow escape at Colorado State, and the Utags had to grind on the weekend vs. the Aztces, surviving despite hitting only 41% from the floor and 23% beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Eric Olen's Lobos have been one of the storylines of the season in the Mountain and have yet to lose at The Pit this season, with Olen getting superb balance from four double-digit scorers led by frosh wing Jake Hall (scored 27 in Saturday's win at San Jose State). Play New Mexico