Top teams highlight tough weekend for hoops

By Brian Druchniak

For the Daily

No. 17 Arizona at No. 20 Southern Cal

Tomorrow, FOX Sports 10:30 p.m.

In a showdown between Pac-10 contenders, all the intangibles tip the scales towards the Wildcats. With both coach Lute Olson and senior leader Gene Edgerson returning today, the Wildcats should begin to resemble the team that Dick Vitale drooled over in the preseason.

Olson has been missing-in-action since the death of his wife of 47 years, Bobbi, and his return should stabilize the Arizona team.

Southern Cal is bolstered by the return of explosive scorer Jeff Trepagnier, who missed the first 12 games of the season due to an NCAA-imposed suspension.

Preseason All-American center Loren Woods is finally hitting his stride for the Wildcats, averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds during a two-game stretch last weekend. Add that to the return of Olson and Edgerson's superfly "fro", and Arizona runs away with this one.

Arizona 87, Southern Cal 72

Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan State

Sunday, CBS 1 p.m.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely that some higher power will decide to make the world a better place by smiting both teams at the Breslin Center on Sunday. There's always hope, but if the game goes on, here's the deal: With center/forward Andre Hutson battling pneumonia, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is unsure whether the solid senior, with 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds-per-game, will be able to play.

Ohio State's behemoth roster, with six players 6-foot-8 or taller, could put a strain on Michigan State freshman center Zack Randolph and sophomore Al Anagonye in Hutson's absence.

In the end, superior guard play, a raucous - and largely illiterate - Breslin crowd, and another big game from Jason Richardson will allow Michigan State to edge the Buckeyes on Sunday.

Michigan State 62, Ohio State 60

No. 2 Duke at Georgia Tech

Saturday, ESPN Noon

This matchup could turn out to be far more interesting than it looks at first glance. Georgia Tech, picked to be one of the worst teams in the ACC, has proven to be a dangerous, but schizophrenic team. Before a dismal offensive performance in a 72-60 loss to North Carolina State Jan. 11, the Yellow Jackets stunned No. 9 Virginia and No. 6 Wake Forest in consecutive ACC upsets.

The 'X' factor in this game is 3-point sniper Shaun "Sinn" Fein, whose long-range bombs have been hitting more nets than Orangemen - and I don't mean Syracuse - for a 42.6 percent clip this season. If he gets hot, the Blue Devils could find themselves in a dogfight.

That said, Duke showed it is not an easy team to upset Tuesday night, weathering a gutty first half by No. 25 Boston College before pulling away to a 97-75 win. Senior Shane Battier leads a talented Duke team with an offense run by the nation's premier point guard in Jason Williams.

In a shootout, giant-killers Georgia Tech will catch Duke off guard for another huge upset.

Georgia Tech 90, Duke 86

No. 9 Syracuse at No. 19 Seton Hall

Sunday, ABC 3:30 p.m.

The toughest conference in the nation right now is the Big East, and these two teams represent contenders for the conference crown.

Seton Hall has hit a rough stretch lately, dropping three of its last four games. Freshman Eddie Griffin is hands-down the best all-around freshman in the country, contributing 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds and five blocks per game. Andre Barrett and the Barkley-esque Darius Lane are also players to watch.

Syracuse also has solid offensive performers in junior shooting guard Preston Shumpert and senior Damone Brown.

Both teams share one thing in common - they have each only beaten one top 25 team this season, and in each case it was the overrated Notre Dame. But Seton Hall coach Tommy Amaker always finds a way to drop the big games, and he will do so again.

Syracuse 78, Seton Hall 70