The Rockets are suddenly winning on the road, even though leading scorer Martin (18.0) has been having his problems. This game marks the FIFTH of a six-game road trip for Houston, a team which opened the trip with a 100-91 loss at Minnesota back on Feb 4. That loss dropped the Rockets to 3-8 SU on the road TY with all wins coming over sub-.500 teams. However, the Rockets have won and covered their last three games of this trip, winning at Denver, Portland and Phoenix. All this, despite the fact that Martin has ben held to a combined 16 points in the team’s last four games (4.0 per), shooting 19.2 percent from the floor overall, including missing all NINE of his three-point attempts. Martin isn’t the only starter struggling, as center Samuel Dalembert entered Feb averaging 11.7 PPG and 11.5 RPG over the team's previous 11 games but in the team's six games this month, has averaged just 3.3 and 3.8! However, the Rockets reserves have picked up the slack. They outscored their Suns counterparts 57-13 on Thursday, led by 14 points from Patrick Patterson and 12 from Chase Budinger. Goran Dragic (8.1-3.8 APG) added 11 points and matched a career high with 11 assists. The night before, in a win at Portland, Houston’s bench provided 66 points! In fact, Budinger (9.3-3.9) is averaging 16.7 points and 5.3 rebounds during the team’s three-game winning streak (10-of-19 on threes) while Patterson (7.3-3.8) has 25 points and 13 rebounds over the last two games while shooting 11-of-15 from the floor. Guard Courtney Lee (9.9) has been the team’s leading scorer off the bench all season and has scored in double figures in a season-high three straight games (12.0 PPG). Houston has won 12 of 13 against Golden State (including six of seven at Oracle Arena) but here’s why I believe it will be different, tonight. The Warriors are beginning to get their act together, now that Curry is back healthy. He had his best game of the season with a season-high 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting in the team's 109-101 win at Denver on Thursday. Curry’s line reads 17.7-4.4-6.8 and along with Ellis (22.2-6.1 APG) forms a great backcourt duo. Nate Robinson was a great pickup (signed with Curry on the shelf), as the ‘sparkplug’ has averaged 10.4-4.6 APG in his 16 games with the Warriors. More good news comes in that Wright, who struggled badly to open the season (coming off a breakout season in which he averaged 16.4 PPG), is back on track, scoring in double digits in 11 of his last 13 games (14.2 PPG in that stretch). Rush (9.1-3.3) is a solid producer on the perimeter plus rookie Klay Thompson (7.3) is beginning to make his presence felt, shooting 71.4 percent (15 of 21) from the floor in February. David Lee (18.4-9.9) needs more help inside but let me note that the Warriors have beaten Chicago and Miami here at home. I’m not ‘sold’ on the Rockets away from home and I expect the Ellis/Curry duo to ‘trump’ that of Martin/Lowry and for that to be the difference in a game which won’t be nearly as close as the pointspread indicates.

Good luck...Larry

I feel a little like I’m “chasing” with this selection but I’m going to risk that. The Lakers are at the end of of a six-game, 10-day road trip and this is a team which has allowed 96.1 PPG on the road this year, as opposed to just 85.2 PPG at home. However, they also seem to be running out of gas on offense, as their longest road trip of the season winds down. The Lakers needed OT to reach 88 points in a one-point win over the Celtics on Friday and then Friday night vs the Knicks and their current “Lin-sanity tour,” shot 34.2 percent in the first half and 37.5% for the game in a 95-82 loss. LA’s three-point shooting woes continued, as they were just 6-of-24 from beyond the arc. LA shoots 28.4% on threes for the year, the worst percentage of any team in the league. The Raptors will be without their top-scorer Bargnani (23.5) and more bad news comes in that Bayless, who was averaging 16.1 PPG over his previous seven games, missed Friday's game against the Celtics after leaving Wednesday's game against the Bucks with a sore left ankle. He’s listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Lakers. Does this mean under? Here’s why I say N-O! Note that in the two meetings between these teams last year, the final scores were 108-103 and 120-110, both LA wins. That’s not exactly news, as the Lakers are 24-6 all-time against the Raptors. That includes LA having won SEVEN of the last eight in the series while averaging 113.4 PPG and scoring no fewer than 105 in any one of those games. Let me add here that the Raptors lost 100-64 on Feb 1 at Boston but in the five games since, have averaged 97.6 PPG, a pretty hefty average in the NBA these days. Yes, the team played an OT game in there but scored just THREE points in that lone extra period, hardly helping the cause very much. This total is ‘teasingly low’ and I’m ‘biting!’

Good luck...Larry

UMass is off a 15-15 season and lost the team's lone double digit scorer from last year in Gurley (18.7) but most believed that Derek Kellogg had plenty of talent this year and that position has proven correct. The Minutemen are 18-6 overall, including 13-0 at the Mullins Center in Amherst. Chaz Williams (15.8-3.9-5.9) is a Hofstra transfer and he’s been outstanding at PG. Joining him in the backcourt is Morgan (9.4) with the 6-8 Putney (10.3-5.7), the 6-7 Vinson (9.2-5.5) and the 6-9 Sean Carter (7.7-6.3) making up the frontcourt starters. UMass has overcome the losses of the 6-8 Sampson Carter (8.7-4.8 after 12 games) and the 6-8 Lelanne (6.7-5.6 after 14 games) to injury, which has been impressive. Guard Riley (7.5), swingman Farrell (5.9-2.5 APG) and 6-8 freshman Esho (4.5-3.2) are the top reserves. Phil Martelli had his youngest team in his tenure at St Joe’s last year and it resulted in an 11-22 season. However, this guy’s a basketball coach and I expected this year’s team to be “movin’ on up” in the Atlantic 10. Martelli’s an “old master” and this year’s team is 15-10 overall (5-5 in the A-10), including 10-2 at home. Guards Jones (15.9-3.5-3.4) and Galloway (15.4-4.5) comprise a dynamic backcourt duo. A pair of 6-8 players, Aiken (11.2-5.3) and Roberts (11.2-6.0) also score in double digits. Rounding out the group of contributors are 6-8 Hofstra transfer Kanaczvic (8.0-7.5), the 6-6 Quarles (4.7-2.3) and freshman guard Wilson (3.5-2.8-2.8). This ISN’T the Mullins Center and while St Joe’s lost at home to St Louis 72-60 this past Wednesday, I believe that makes the team even more dangerous. St Joe’s shot poorly Wednesday night (39.2% overall, including a woeful 4-of-16 on threes) while the Billikens made 10-of-20 three-pointers. UMass is right in the ‘hunt’ at 7-3 in the A-10 standings (tied with StL and Xavier, just behind 7-2 Temple) but the Minutemen will find the this trip to '”Hawk Hill,” very unpleasant. Lay it!

Good luck...Larry

Anthony Grant won 25 games with the Tide in his second season at Tuscaloosa last year, getting Alabama all the way to the NIT championship game (lost to Wichita St). Things have not gone smoothly for Alabama this year, as the team enters 16-7 and a modest 5-4 in SEC play. All season, the Tide has relied on three players, the 6-8 Green (14.1-7.2) and the 6-6 Mitchell (13.1-7.0) up front, plus guard Releford (12.4-3.1)0 in the backcourt. However, Grant has recently suspended Mitchell for “conduct detrimental to the team,” leaving the Tide woefully ‘short’ for this game at Baton Rogue. In comparison, the Tigers have seen the return to health of highly-touted 6-9 freshman Johnny O'Bryant (7.8-6.5). Joining O’Bryant up front is 7-0 Iowa St transfer Hamilton (13.4-7.5), who leads the team in scoring and rebounding. A trio of guards start, freshman Hickey (9.9-3.6-3.8), 5-9 ‘sparkplug’ Stringer (9.9-2.3-2.5) and Turner (9.1). Also contributing up front are the 6-7 Warren (8.3-4.9) and the 6-9 White (3.5-2.3). LSU opened the season 10-3 but has struggled since. The Tigers entered last Saturday’s home game with Arkansas having lost SIX of eight, including FIVE of its last six. However, I noted in taking LSU last Saturday that FOUR of those five losses have come on the road and the fifth was at home to No. 1 Kentucky. Head coach Trent Johnson is in his fourth season at Baton Rogue and after going 49-49 in his first three years, he could sure use a strong finish to this season. LSU beat Arkansas 71-65 last Saturday but then lost Wednesday at Vandy. That leaves the Tigers at 13-10 overall and just 3-6 in the SEC. With Mitchell out, the Tide just doesn’t have the ‘bodies’ that LSU does. Alabama is an excellent defensive team (57.9 PPG allowed on 37.7% shooting) but just doesn’t score enough (and now goes without Mitchell). The Tide shoots a woeful 27.2% on threes and LSU is not exactly a defensive sieve (allows 63.5 PPG on 40.9% shooting). LSU’s Trent Johnson was highly critical of his team's effort in its 69-53 setback in Tuscaloosa back on Jan 11 ("We didn't execute, missed open shots, and were surprisingly sluggish"), so expect a much more focused effort here against the Mitchell-less Tide. Let me also note that this will be Alabama’s first visit to Baton Rogue since the Tide football team beat LSU 21-0 in the BCS national championship game. Expect more than a little emotion from the Bengal fans in this one. We won’t need the points but let’s take them anyway.

Good luck...Larry

Mike Anderson is back at Arkansas, holding the job his mentor (Nolan Richardson) once held. He did excellent jobs at UAB and Missouri and his Razorbacks are 16-8 this (4-5 in the SEC). Not bad for a team which ended last year just 18-13 (7-9 in the SEC). Still, one wonders what “might have been” this year if the 6-7 Powell (10.8-4.5 LY and 19.5-6.0 in two games TY) was not lost to a season-ending injury so early? The Razorbacks frontcourt features two freshman in the 6-10 Mickelson (4.9-3.7) and the 6-7 Abron (5.3-4.5) plus 6-8 vets Sanchez (4.3-3.6) and 6-9 Waithe (5.9-3.1). However, the team's real strength is its perimeter group. Freshman guard Young (13.9-3.0-2.2) leads the team in scoring off the bench while the trio of Wade (11.1), Scott (10.1-3.8-2.6) and Nobles (9.0-3.8-3.3) start. Another freshman, Madden (7.4-3.5), is also contributing off the bench in the backcourt. Arkansas is 16-0 at home in Fayetteville this year ,although the team did lose a “home game” in Little Rock, 87-78 back on Nov 18 to a Houston team which is now just 11-12 (go figure?). Away from home, Arkansas is 0-7 in true road games this season, covering just once (as 11 1/2-point dogs at Alabama). Coming to Fayetteville Saturday is South Carolina and a coach on ‘the hot set,’ Darrin Horn. Horn started his career at Western Ky and after a modest 15-13 first season, ran off four consecutive 22-win (or better) seasons. His 2008 team won 29 games and reached the Sweet 16. That got him the South Carolina job to begin 2008-09 and that team went 21-10, although it was another NIT appearance for the Gamecocks. South Carolina went to back-to-back NCAA tourneys under Eddie Fogler in 1997 and 1998 but the team has been to just one NCAA tourney (2004), since. Back-to-back NIT titles in 2005 and 2006 might look nice but like most schools, it’s “NCAA or Bust!” Horn’s Gamecocks have gone 15-16 and 14-16 the last two seasons and this year’s team enters 9-14, including a woeful 1-8 in the SEC. One doesn’t need to be a BKB insider to see why Horn’s on the hot seat. The 6-9 Muldrow (11.4-7.3) and guard Galloway (10.7) are gone from LY’s team and this year’s group is lacking any real star. The 6-6 Cooke (12.2-4.9) is the leading scorer and football-playing guard Ellington the top backcourt scorer at mere a 10.1 PPG (he’s making only 35.3% from floor). Horn’s seat gets ‘hotter’ after this one, as the Razorbacks move to 17-0 in Bud Walton Arena this season with a win and COVER!

Good luck...Larry