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The Week at a Glance

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Posted: Wednesday January 27, 1999 10:15 AM

AP Men's Top 25  1. UConn  2. Duke  3. Stanford  4. Maryland  5. Cincinnati  6. Kentucky  7. Auburn  8. Michigan St.  9. St. John's 10. N. Carolina 11. UCLA 12. Wisconsin 13. Arizona 14. Purdue 15. Ohio St. 16. Iowa 17. Syracuse 18. New Mexico 19. Minnesota 20. Indiana 21. Arkansas 22. Kansas 23. Miami (Fla.) 24. TCU 25. Florida

By Dan Shanoff, CNN/SI

Midseason awards

Who needs the Golden Globes? The envelopes please ...

Biggest surprise: Auburn
Punishing inside play and a confidence-building non-conference schedule are the keys.

Biggest dud: South Carolina's 5-13 start
Star senior guard BJ McKie came back for this?

Impact import: Chris Porter, Auburn
The juco transfer who likes to bang edges out Maryland's electrifying Steve Francis.

Hot coach: Jim O'Brien, Ohio State
A program that was dead two years ago is this week's AP No. 15.

Top freshman: Quentin Richardson, DePaul
Averages 11.4 rebounds per game as a guard.

O-ver-ra-ted! (clap! clap! clap-clap-clap!): North Carolina
Hanging around the Top 10 thanks to smoke and mirrors and a rep.

Best game: Duke 92, St. John's 88 (OT)
If you missed it, take heart. Similar intensity might be found in late March.

Midseason All-America team:
C Elton Brand, Duke
C Evan Eschmeyer, Northwestern
G Steve Francis, Maryland
G Richard Hamilton, UConn
F Chris Porter, Auburn
Also receiving consideration: Ron Artest, St. John's; Khalid El-Amin, UConn; Arthur Lee, Stanford; Melvin Levett, Cincinnati; Quincy Lewis, Minnesota; Sean Mason, Wisconsin; Luke Recker, Indiana; Wally Szczerbiak, Miami (Ohio); Jason Terry, Arizona; Kenny Thomas, New Mexico

Unheralded teams to watch: College of Charleston, Gonzaga, Miami (Ohio)
File this away: Two of those three will win NCAA first-round games.

"Hot" conference: Big Ten
But don't let anyone fool you: Eight teams in the NCAAs? No chance. Six, at best.

"Not" conference: Big 12
Perennial power Kansas looks rattled, but no one's there for the putaway.

Fundamentals count

The Glance took a road trip Saturday to the suburbs of Hartford, Conn., stopping by Detrick Gymnasium on the campus of Central Connecticut State to catch a Northeast Conference game between the CCSU Blue Devils (11-9) and Long Island (5-12), as recently as last season the toast of the NEC.

An ugly, low-scoring matchup turned interesting a fraction of a second before the final horn. With LIU up 57-56, CCSU guard Bryan Finley was fouled and sent to the free-throw line for two shots that could win the game. LIU coach Ray Haskins took a timeout to freeze Finley, but the junior -- with the LIU cheerleading squad creating havoc under the basket -- calmly sank the first shot, then the second, inciting celebration usually reserved for March.

A set play or a "Hail Mary" to win at the buzzer is picturesque, but is as many parts luck as strategy. Two perfect winning free throws -- achieved only through tireless practice and discipline -- is a beautiful thing.

 

The Games to Watch North Carolina at Duke, Jan. 27 Why you should care: The best hoops rivalry in the country loses luster this round because the Tar Heels just ain't what they used to be. Still, a matchup between two Top 10 teams. Players to Watch: Duke PG William Avery, UNC PG Ed Cota, Duke SG Trajan Langdon, UNC C Brendan Haywood Ohio State at Michigan State, Jan. 27 Why you should care: Big Ten supremacy is on the line between the reigning champs (MSU) and the unlikely upstarts. Players to Watch: MSU PG Mateen Cleaves, OSU PG Scoonie Penn, MSU SF Morris Peterson, OSU SG Michael Redd Connecticut at St. John's, Jan. 30 Why you should care: No. 1 Connecticut's most likely scenario to lose: on the road against an aggressive opponent who likes to run as much as the Huskies do. Players to Watch: St. John's SF Ron Artest, St. John's PG Erick Barkley, UConn PG Khalid El-Amin, UConn SG Richard Hamilton

 

The Story Lines Barkley, Bootsy and Co. The Glance will claim a moral victory after predicting a St. John's upset of Duke in last week's edition. The actual loss (92-88 in OT, the year's best game) doesn't tell the tale: SJU freshman PG Erick Barkley outplayed Duke counterpart William Avery; SJU SG Bootsy Thornton put on a 40-point show; without starting C Tyrone Grant, the undermanned Red Storm showed they'll be a force in March if healthy -- and highlighted Duke's problems with physical opponents. UCan't Connecticut's women's team, at one point this season looking unstoppable, appeared painfully mortal Saturday in a 78-66 loss to Boston College -- the Eagles' first win over UConn in 17 games. With four regulars out with injury, will the healthy Huskies step up?

 

The Bandwagon Ohio State Flyin' with O'Brien Missouri On road, beat Kansas Bootsy Thornton Dropped 40 on Duke Oklahoma Thud

 

The William Avery Watch Todd Warshaw/Allsport If Duke is to capitalize on its talent and return to the Final Four for the first time since 1994, the sophomore point guard -- an erratic reserve last season -- will have to mature into the starting lead guard. Can he abandon his trigger-happy tendencies and be the assist man that the Blue Devils need him to be? CNN/SI charts his progress throughout the season. Stats: Last game: Jan. 24 at St. John's Assists: 3 (Season: 110, 5.8 apg) Turnovers: 7 (Season: 46) FGs Made-Attempted: 4-8 (Season: 96-191, 50.3%) Result: Duke wins, 92-88 OT (Season record: 19-1) This Week: Jan. 27 vs. UNC, Jan. 30 at N.C. State

CNN/SI Week at a Glance is released every Tuesday throughout the college basketball season.

 

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