College Basketball: Weekly Mailbag
Each week, CHN college basketball expert Joel Welser opens up his mailbag to answer
fan questions. At the end, Joel also includes
some timely college basketball tidbits. If you'd like to ask Joel a
question or if you'd like to read past editions, check out the
Monday Mailbag archive.
- Check out Joel's new daily
Broadcast Basketball
Blog.
Joel,
I’m really looking forward to Akron taking on Nevada
in the Bracket Buster. Do the Zips have a chance at pulling off the upset?
From Mike,
Ohio
There’s always a chance, but it isn’t a good one. Let’s
take a look at what Akron has done thus far this season. Their only losses
are on the road or a neutral court against Cal, Louisville, Clemson, Ohio
and Kent State. None of those are bad losses by any means. There best road
win is against, well Western Michigan I guess. I believe I was at that
game, despite the absence of Bubba Walther. The point is they haven’t won a
big road game all season. It’s enough to be one of the best teams in the
MAC, but Nevada is a level above that. To be fair, Akron did beat
Mississippi State on a neutral court, but that’s a lot different than
heading into Reno.
It will be a fun game, and the
return trip next year will be great for the Zips, but Nick Fazekas and
company should get the victory. The Wolf Pack have only lost one home game
all year. They do tend to lose in groups of two though, so watch tonight’s
game against Louisiana Tech. If they lose that one, it might be looking
good for the Zips on Friday.
Joel,
I watched the first half of the UCLA and Washington
game and was unimpressed. This was supposed to be the top two teams from
the Pac-10 who can run the ball and score. 28-24 was not a very fun or
impressive first half. Is it going to get any better for the conference?
From Larry,
California
How about the 26-12 UCLA/Washington
half-time score on Thursday? That one was fun, but that is what we expect
from the Cougars. I had the same thought watching the Bruins take on the
Huskies. The Pac-10 isn’t having a great season, which has been well
documented, yet there is some talent out there and anybody could make a run
at the Staples Center. UCLA is still the best of the bunch, but it isn’t a
conference the big boys will be worried about seeing in their bracket come
March.
Have a
question? Ask them on the easy form at the
Monday Mailbag Homepage. We’ll post and answer as many as possible.
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Joel’s
Thoughts of the Week
Davidson
was expected to waltz through the Southern Conference but find themselves
7-4 and tied with Charleston for second in the South Division. However, if
they learned anything from last season, they’ll wait until March to pull
things together.
The
Hilltoppers deserve some more recognition than they are receiving. Western
Kentucky has only lost once since their overtime defeat at Arizona on
December 21st. In an amazingly balanced conference, Western
Kentucky is the only squad that is pulling away.
IUPUI is
causing a scene in the Mid-Con. The Jaguars are 12-1 and creating a very
interesting battle with expected conference power Oral Roberts, who they
slipped by 80-75 on Saturday.
I don’t
care what anybody says, curling is cool. I’m pretty close to Canada, but
I’ve spent four years trying to find some curling equipment to try out my
game. In a fit of insomnia, I also gained some new found respect for the
biathlon. Two hours of skiing and shooting things should have put me right
to sleep, but I guess it was just that exciting.
Check back each week for Joel Welser's Monday Mailbag. If
you'd like to ask Joel a question or if you'd like to read past editions,
check out the
Monday Mailbag Homepage.
