Bruce's Picks (13 Live)
Duquesne's road trip to the Mountain West didn't start off too when absorbing an 86-64 beating at Boise on Wednesday. The Dukes' defensive issues were exploited by the Broncos, who hit 57% of their 3-balls, and Duquesne doesn't have much foot speed on defense with lumbering 6-11 John Hugley (on his fourth school!) often a liability vs. more-mobile bigs. Meanwhile, Steve Alford looks like he has the Wolf Pack in gear after three straight impressive wins, with 3-poitn shooting now up to near 37%. Alford hopes to have top scorer Corey Camper (15.9 ppg) available after missing the win over Washington State, though Evansville transfer PG Tayshawn Comer is off of a 24-point showcase vs. the Cougs. Play Nevada
It doesn't get much better than this as top-ranked Arizona challenges itself again in Birmingham vs. Bama. Though Michigan might argue, the Wildcats probably deserve their No.1 ranking by virtue of the November 19 win at UConn, but doing it again away from Tucson vs. the Tide won't be easy. Bama has taken on all comers, beating ranked St John's and Illinois, and close in losses to ranked Purdue and Gonzaga, so Nate Oats' squad not likely spooked by UA. The Tide, at 95.1 ppg, has ample firepower, with five DD scorers led by emerging soph G LaBaron Philon, Jr (21.4 ppg) among seven scoring 9 ppg or better. Play Bama (at Birmingham)