It\u2019s underway:<\/b> Xavier, 7-1, won its fourth straight game with an 88-55 The UIC<\/span> men\u2019s basketball team Tech is 2-2 away from home this season, having defeated That No. 6 ranking is the highest in Texas Last season in The Aces have won four straight at Roberts Stadium against Duquesne (2-5), coming off a 73-56 loss at #2 (AP) Pitt on <\/body> Saturday, December 9, 2006 It\u2019s underway: Joe Duffy is CEO of OffshoreInsiders.com, which is offering a premium version of the advanced news and notes, computer trends, weather information and more for the entire bowl season. Much of the information is compiled from hometown newspapers and the team\u2019s own press releases. The entire bowl … Continue reading Saturday Advanced News and Notes<\/span>
\n2006<\/st1:date><\/p>\n
\nJoe Duffy is CEO of
\n<\/span><\/b>which is offering
\npremium version<\/a> of the advanced news and notes, computer trends, weather
\ninformation and more for the entire bowl season.
\nhometown newspapers and the team\u2019s own press releases. The entire bowl season
\nversion of the
\nis $69CBB<\/span>
Xavier-Creighton<\/h2>\n
Press Notes <\/h3>\n
\nthrashing of former Midwestern Collegiate Conference rival
\non Tuesday in Throwback Jersey Night at
\nXavier shot a season-high 59.3 percent from the field in the win over
\nmarking the fourth straight game that Xavier has shot over 50.0 percent from
\nthe field. This is the first time XU has shot 50 percent or better in four
\nstraight games since the 2003-04 \u201cElite Eight\u201d season. Xavier is ranked 24th<\/sup>
\nin this week\u2019s Associated Press Poll. The last time Xavier was ranked in the
\nAssociated Press \u201cTop 25\u201d was when it finished 12th<\/sup> in the 2002-03
\nfinal regular season poll. XU was ranked as high as 10th<\/sup> that season
\nby AP, including the preseason poll and the March 5th<\/sup> poll. Xavier,
\nat the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, tonight is playing its first
\nroad game on an opponent\u2019s home court. Joe Duffy\u2019s sports betting selections
\nare at www.GodsTips.com<\/a>Press Notes <\/h3>\n
\nrenews its rivalry with Illinois on Saturday afternoon as the Flames (5-4)
\nsquare off with the Fighting Illini<\/span> (8-2) at the
\nUnited Center at 1 p.m. UIC<\/span> enters the contest riding
\na three-game winning streak and has won four of its last five games. Saturday\u2019s
\nmatinee is the 13th<\/sup> all-time meeting between UIC<\/span>
\nand
\nsecond time the two schools have squared off at the
\n
\nwinning the last meeting in the arena, 75-60, on
\nconvincing 71-48 win at
\nUIC\u2019s<\/span> defense has been especially stingy of late,
\nlimiting opponents to just 38 percent field goal shooting in
\nits last three games<\/span>. UIC\u2019s<\/span> recent surge has
\ncoincided with the insertion of freshman Spencer Stewart into the starting
\nlineup. The rookie point guard is averaging 10.0 points and 5.2 assists per
\nouting and shooting 50 percent from three-point range as a starter. Stewart is
\nnow the team leader in assists (3.3 apg<\/span>) and ranks
\nfirst in the Horizon League in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3-to-1).<\/p>\nGA Tech-Vanderbilt<\/h2>\n
Press Notes <\/h3>\n
\nPurdue (79-61) and No. 11 Memphis (92-85) before dropping an 88-73 decision to
\nNo. 5 UCLA in the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational. The Yellow Jackets are 20-48 on
\nthe road overall under head coach Paul Hewitt. The Yellow Jackets remain No. 2
\nin the ACC in scoring offense (86.1 ppg), lead the ACC in field goal percentage
\n(51.4 pct.) and rank second in three-point field foal percentage (39.0 pct.).
\nsports service in their highest ranked sports.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span>Tech also ranks
\nsixth in rebound margin (plus-5.9), fifth in assists per game (16.5) and fifth
\nin offensive rebounds (14.5). Defensively, Tech has struggled in its last three
\ngames, allowing its opponents to shoot no worse than 51.7 percent in any one
\nhalf. And the Jackets have been outrebounded<\/span> for
\nthree straight games after beating its first five opponents on the boards by an
\naverage of more than 12 per game. The Yellow Jackets will be tested Saturday by
\na team that relies heavily on good three-point shooting. <\/p>\nUCLA-Texas A&M<\/h2>\n
LA Times
\nsuffered their first loss of the season Tuesday at No. 9 Louisiana State.<\/p>\nIndiana-Kentucky<\/h2>\n
Courier-Journal<\/h3>\n
\nIU<\/span> handed the Cats their worst loss in series
\nhistory, a 79-53 shellacking that snapped
\nfive-game winning streak in the series. The Hoosiers are coming off a 92-40 win
\nagainst Press Notes <\/h3>\n
\nthree-game winning steak snapped with a 60-57 loss at
\n
\nweek, the Utes defeated Weber State, 67-55, on Nov. 29 and previously unbeaten
\nWashington State, 69-55, on Dec. 2. Three of
\nfour losses have come by a combined seven points. Before its loss at
\n
\nhad won three in a row for the first time since it won its first four games of
\nthe 2005-06 season<\/span>. That followed up
\nfirst 0-3 start since 1970-71. The Utes have shot at least 50 percent from
\nthree-point range in five of the seven games and at least 50 percent from the
\nfield in five of the seven games this season. The Rams are 5-4 overall and 3-1
\nat home this season. During the past week,
\nlost at
\nSaturday and edged Brown, 72-68, at home on Tuesday night.<\/p>\nIllinois State-Evansville<\/h2>\n
Press Notes <\/h3>\n
\n
\nand
\nThat\u2019s the longest homecourt win streak for UE<\/span>
\nagainst MVC<\/span> opponents. Overall,
\ntrails in the series against
\n
\nagainst the Redbirds last season\u2013winning at home 54-47, losing at
\n65-57, and winning 52-45 in the first round of the State Farm
\nhas won four straight home games after defeating
\n69-64 at Roberts Stadium on Tuesday behind Matt Webster\u2019s career-high 30
\npoints. This is the Aces\u2019 longest homecourt win streak since they won eight in
\na row at home to begin the 2004-05 season<\/span>.
\nstreaks,
\nhas run off six straight after two losses to begin the season. The Redbirds
\npresent a much different look in 2006-07, with three junior college transfers
\nleading the team in scoring. Stevie Vincent\u2019s
\nhandicapping and part of
\n<\/span><\/b> <\/span>
\nJohnson (12.9) and Boo Richardson (12.8) are the top scorers, and 6-7 forward
\nAnthony Slack (11.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg) is third in scoring and first in rebounding.
\nThe Redbirds are 6-2 overall after Tuesday\u2019s 64-40 win over Miami of Ohio.<\/p>\nPress Notes <\/h3>\n
\nwill play outside of
\nfor the final time before Christmas when it visits
\n
\n
\nhas won the last two meetings in the series, including a 59-58 decision at
\nHinkle Fieldhouse<\/span> last year. The #15-ranked Bulldogs
\ndefeated Ball State, 65-41, on Wednesday (Dec. 6), recording their fourth
\nvictory over a school from
\nthis season.
\nhold the No. 1 spot in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI<\/span>)
\nand the Bulldogs have climbed to the top spot in the Sagarin basketball
\nratings. It marks the first time that
\nhas held the top spot in both national ratings at the same time!
\nfirst grabbed the top spot in the RPI<\/span> after beating
\nNotre Dame and Indiana on back-to-back nights in early November. The Bulldogs
\nhave played the seventh toughest schedule in the nation acccording<\/span>
\nto the RPI<\/span>.<\/p>\nWest Virginia-Duquesne<\/h2>\n
Press Notes
\nWednesday, completes its own version of \u201crivalry week\u201d by hosting West
\nin a week began with a 73-72 loss at Robert Morris last Saturday. The
\nVirginia<\/st1:place><\/st1:State> game is Duquesne\u2019s lone home game between Nov.
\n22 and Jan. 10. The Dukes, who dropped a 67-53 decision to
\non Nov. 22, won\u2019t play at home after the WVU<\/span> game
\nuntil conference play when
\nThat\u2019s eight of nine on the road if you\u2019re counting. Six of the past eight Duquesne
\nvs.
\nsingle-digit affairs with Duquesne winning four times. The past four games at
\nDuquesne have been decided by fewer than 10 points with the teams alternating
\nwins. Approved
\nsportsbooks are at <\/span><\/span>
\nKieron<\/span> Achara<\/span> played 18
\nminutes at Pitt on Wednesday. Achara<\/span>, who missed all
\nbut three games last season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, was
\ndiagnosed with three stress fractures in his left foot on Nov. 10.
\naddition for the Pitt game. It was Achara\u2019s<\/span> first
\ngame action since last Dec. 3 vs. Robert Morris (he underwent shoulder surgery
\nlast Dec. 15). Duquesne is currently competing with nine scholarship players. A
\nfreshman has led DU<\/span> in scoring in each of the team\u2019s
\nfirst seven games.
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