Larry Ness

My free play is on Iowa at 9:00 ET.

No. 6 Purdue (16-3, 5-3 Big Ten) is the highest-ranked team in the Big Ten but trails FOUR schools in the conference standings, 7-2 Illinois, 6-2 Michigan St and Wisconsin, plus 5-2 Ohio St. The Boilermakers lost heir most road game (a 68-65 decision against Indiana last Thursday) and will face another tough road test this Thursday against 14-5 (4-4) Iowa in Iowa City.

Matt Painter is in his 17th season at Purdue and the Boilermakers. 7-4 sophomore Edey (15.3 & 7.7) teams with 6-10 senior Williams (12.7 & 8.4), the 6-6 Gillis (7.6 & 3.6) and 6-10 freshman Furst (5.3 & 4.4 ) up front. The perimeter is led by Ivey (16.7 & 5.0) and Stefanovic (12.1), while Newman (5.6) and Thompson (5.7) add depth. Ivey's status is uncertain because of a hip flexor injury that forced him to sit out Sunday's 80-60 win over Northwestern. Painter said after Sunday's game that he did not know whether Ivey's absence would include the team's encounter against Iowa but he was listed as probable this morning..

Fran McCaffrey is in his 12th season at Iowa City and he's delivered seven, 20-win seasons in his first 11. Gone are consensus National Player-of-the-Year Garza (24.1 & 8.7) and Wieskamp (14.8 & 6.6) but the Hawkeyes opened 7-0, before dropping back-to-back Big Ten games to Purdue and Illinois, plus losing a third straight at Iowa St. However, the Hawkeyes have won SEVEN of their last nine to get to 14-5 but just 4-4 in the Big Ten. The 6-8 Murray twins (Keegan and Kris) were freshmen last season at Iowa. Keegan gained playing time as the year wound down but Kris was lost in the shuffle. This season, Keegan leads the team in scoring (22,8) and rebounding (8.4) while his brother Kris chips in 9.9 & 4.5. Returning players like the 6-9 Patrick McCaffrey (10.8 & 3.3) and returning guard Bohannon (10.6) have both played well. Guard Perkins (7.1), the 6-9 Rebraca (6.3 & 6.3), guard Toussaint (5.5 & 3.9 APG) and 6-7 freshman Sandfort (4.9) round out a deep group.

This is the second game of the regular season between Purdue and Iowa. In the first matchup back on Dec 3, the then-No. 2 Boilermakers held on for a 77-70 win on their home court. Purdue visits Iowa scoring 84.7 PPG on 50.1% shooting, ranking 4th in the nation in both categories. Iowa will counter with a lineup averaging 83.1 PPG (5th-best). Both teams will be dangerous come tourney time but for tonight, turnabout is fair play. I'm on the home team.

Good luck...Larry 

My 10* Weekly Wipeout is on the Phi 76ers at 7:40 ET.

The 76ers are 28-19, a record that leaves them with the East's sixth-best record (last guaranteed playoff spot). However, this year's Eastern Conference is currently a log-jam, as the 76ers find themselves just 2 1/2-games behind the top-seeded Bulls. The Lakers come to The City of Brotherly Love with just a 24-24 record, leaving them 9th in the West (would be part of the 7-10 play-in round). The good news is that the Lakers are just 2 1.2-game behind the No. 6 seed and are 5 1/2-games clear of the 11th-seed (last team out of the play-in round).

The Lakers have won two of their last three games and hope to maintain their momentum with the return of Anthony Davis (22.8 & 9.6). Davis had missed the previous 17 games (hadn't played since Dec 17) with a sprained left knee, but he provided a lift with eight points and four blocked shots in 25 minutes of a 106-96 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. The Lakers went 7-10 without Davis and he's expected to play here. "He really changed things for us defensively at the rim," Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said. "His anchor to our defense is something that has been sorely missed." LeBron James (29.1-7.7-6.3), even without Davis, has been consistently excellent. James scored 33 points against the Nets, the 18th straight game he has compiled at least 26 points. One wonders if Westbrook (18.5-8.0-7.7) will ever be the 'right fit' for LA but the Lakers have gotten solid play all season from Anthony (13.4 & 4.1), Monk (12.1) and Horton-Tucker (10.1 & 3.4).

Speaking of OUTSTANDING play, Philly's Joel Embiid (29.0 & 10.8) continues to make a strong case for the Most Valuable Player award. He had 42 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots as the 76ers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 117-107 on Tuesday. It was his SIXTH game with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds this season. PF Harris (18.0 & 7.5) and PG Maxey (16.6-3.4-4.5) have missed a few games but generally, have been VERY good. Green (6.7), Curry (15.8-3.4-4.0) and Milton (10.5) are currently sidelined but Korkmaz (9.2) starts with Curry out plus SF Niang (9.5) and center Drummond (6.2 & 8.7 is just 18 minutes) have been important role players.

Philly enters this game 12-3 in 15 post-Christmas games and a "W" here almost assures an ATS win. AD is nowhere-near 100% and Embiid has at least 38 points and 12 rebounds in four straight games, the longest streak in franchise history. Philly wins "with room to spare!"

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Texas "2-Step" (Part 2) is on UT-Arlington at 8:00 ET.

The 12-5 Texas State Bobcats and the 8-11 UT Arlington Mavericks meet Thursday in SBC play at the College Park Center. The Bobcats come into the contest 3-3 in their last six games, while the Mavericks are looking to snap a three-game losing streak. Texas St is 3-2 in SBC games and UT Arlington sits 4-4. Texas St head coach is in his second season with the Bobcats, after going 18-7 last season, when the Bobcats won the regular season SBC title (12-3) but lost in the conference tourney. Greg Young had been an assistant at UT Arlington from 2009-21 but this is his first head coaching gig.

Guards Asberry (14.2 & 4.8), Harrell (10.3) and Adams (8.9 7 3.1) start for Texas St, while the 6-8 Small (11.5 & 7.0) and the 6-8 Martin (5.5 & 7.9) start up front. The 6-8 Caesar adds 9.0 & 5.2 off the bench. UT Arlington will own the best player on the floor in SG Azore (18.5 & 4.3), who is joined in the backcourt by Elame (7.7 & 3.0) and PG Levi (6.0-4.8-4.9). The 6-7 Mwamba (10.3 & 4.8) and the 6-9 Ehiogu (5.3 & 5.1) start up front, while 6-9 JC transfer Wilson adds 6.4 & 4.1 off the bench.

Texas St IS the better team but its play on the road this year has been shaky. Meanwhile, the Mavericks have consistently played their best at home, winning by an average of 11 points and allowing opponents to hit just 34.6 percent from the floor. The home dog 'barks' LODLY in this one!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on San Francisco at 10:00 ET.

No. 2 Gonzaga (15-2 / 4-0) has dominated the WCC for two decades but there are THREE more schools from the conference having terrific years this season. BYU is 17-4, St Mary's is 15-4 and San Francisco is 16-4. The Saint Mary’s Gaels (3-1) and San Francisco Dons (3-2) meet Thursday at the War Memorial at the Sobrato, both chasing 4-0 Gonzaga and 5-1 BYU.

Randy Bennett took over at St Mary's in 2001-02 and had his first 20-win season (25-9) in 2004-05. Starting in the 2007-08 season and going through the 2019-20 season, his Gaels won 20-plus games for 13 consecutive years. That streak ended with a 14-10 record last season but The Gaels are well on their way to 20 wins this season. San Francisco Todd Golden worked as an assistant under Kyle Smith and when Smith left for Washington St, took over as head coach. The Dons went 22-12 in his first season (2019-20) but last season's team, hurt by a 17-day stint away from the court due to COVID, finished just 11-14. However, the Dons are 16-4 as they welcome the Gaels to town.

The 6-10 Matthias Tass (12.3 & 6.4) leads in scoring, joined by two guards averaging double digits. That duo is Ducas (10.6 & 3.4) and Johnson (10.6 & 3.4). PG Kushe adds 9.9-3.6-3.2. The 6-8 Bowen (5.2 & 6.4) starts with Tass, while the 6-7 Dan Fotu, who comes off the bench to add 8.7 & 3.8. Defense keeps St Mary's in most games, as the Gaels are allowing just 58.0 points (8th). The Dons own an excellent backcourt, led by Bouyea (17.9-5.1-3.7), Shabazz (12.54) and Columbia transfer Stefanini (8.2). The 6-10 Massalski (13.8 & 8.4), the 6-10 Tape (4.7 & 4.6) start up front, while 6th-man, the 6-5 Rishswain, adds 7.6 off the bench. The Dons can't match St Mary's defensive numbers (see above) but they are a solid defensive team, allowing 65.1 PPG. On the offensive end, the Dons are averaging 76.3 PPG to the Gaels 68.8 points.

San Francisco is 12-1 at home (lone loss was by TWO points to BYU), while St Mary's is 5-4 in road and neutral games. I think offense (NOT defense) wins the day, so I'm "all over" San Francisco.

Good luck...Larry