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LMU Basketball Top-10
Nov. 11, 2008
By Andrew Zivic, Sports Information Intern Another exciting season of LMU basketball tips off this weekend and there are definitely a number of premier games on both the men's and women's schedules. With that, we count down the top 10 (or so) games/events to circle on your calendar. 10. (MW) Opening Weekend Nothing says November basketball like non-conference tournaments and both the men's and women's will get their share of that early, heading in opposite directions across the U.S. A new era at LMU gets underway as Bill Bayno and the revamped men's program open up their season at the World Vision Classic. Nov. 14-16 in Ames, IA. They make their season debut on Friday against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a team that made it to the NCAA Tournament and lost to finalists Illinois in 2005 and to eventual champions Florida in 2006. Their second game is against host Iowa State, a team that went 12-6 at home last season. The men also play UC Davis in the three day round robin. Meanwhile, the women travel west to the Big Island of Hawai'i for the Bank of Hawai'i Invitational, where they will face hosts Hawai,i on Friday, followed by Arizona and Toledo. 9. (W) San Diego, January 17 This will be the only TV appearance for the LMU women and it comes at a crucial juncture of the WCC schedule. The Lions' conference tilt against the Toreros will be broadcast on ESPNU and closes out the WCC-opening homestand before the Lions head out on their first road trip. It is sure to be a tight game as LMU and San Diego finished with the same conference record of 7-7 last season, though the Toreros went on to win the WCC Tournament and represent the conference in the NCAAs. LMU was picked second in the WCC preseason poll while San Diego was third and looks to be strong again this season as their top three scorers are returning. 8. (M) Arizona/UCLA, December 2 and 17
Coach Bayno and the Lions won't get much breathing room this year as they play an extremely tough out-of-conference schedule. That includes games on the road against Pac 10 powers Arizona and UCLA. First up is Arizona, a team that had a whirlwind offseason that included legendary coach Lute Olson stepping down. Despite the change on the sidelines, the Wildcats will once again be strong as both juniors Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill decided to return after testing the NBA draft waters. Fifteen days later, things get even tougher as the Lions travel the less than 15 miles up the 405 to UCLA to face a team looking to make its fourth straight Final Four. UCLA ranks #4 in the nation in the AP Preseason poll. 7. (MW) Homecoming against UNLV/Wyoming, December 6 Homecoming is usually a time for alums and current students to unite in backing their school. This year, with a home doubleheader, fans have a great chance to come out and see both teams try to get out-of-conference wins. First up at 2 p.m. will be the women against UNLV, a team LMU defeated in Las Vegas last year on a layup by senior Amanda DeCoud at the buzzer. If this year's game is anything like last year's, it will be a must-see affair. On the primetime docket will be the men against Wyoming. In that game the Lions will be charged with stopping Cowboys' guard Brandon Ewing who was named a Preseason Honorable Mention All-American by CollegeHoops.net. 6. (MW) Pepperdine, February 7 This is another doubleheader, and this time it's rivalry night. There's never a good reason to miss the chance to see the Lions hand Pepperdine a loss two games in a row. The women will tip off first at 4:30 p.m. and the men will follow at 7:05 p.m. This game will undoubtedly be important for both the men's and women's teams since it's the start of the second half of the conference season. Both teams will be looking for a win to position them well going down the stretch in the West Coast Conference. 5. (W) Ayres Hotel Thanksgiving Classic, November 28-29 After gorging yourself on turkey and watching football all day, what better way to stretch your legs than to come to Gersten Pavilion to cheer on the Lions at their annual Thanksgiving Tournament? This year LMU will be looking to repeat as champions after claiming their fourth title last season. The road to a championship will be more difficult this season as they could possibly play Georgetown in the championship game, a strong Big East team that beat LMU last season. The Lions can't look ahead, though, as they must first take care of business against Idaho State in the first round. Georgetown faces North Dakota State in the other first round matchup. 4. (M) Saint Mary's, February 28 Saint Mary's is ranked in the preseason top 25 after making the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid last season, and there's no reason to believe the Gaels won't be in the top 25 when they meet the Lions in each team's regular season finale. Much of the hype surrounding Saint Mary's this season comes from sophomore point guard Patty Mills, who led the team in scoring as a freshman with 14.8 ppg. He became a well-known commodity, though, over the summer when he ran the point for Australia at the Olympics. He had his most impressive performance in the quarterfinals against the USA, scoring 20 points and dishing out three assists with no turnovers. LMU fans would love to send seniors Marko Deric, Corey Counts, and Chris Kanne out with a victory. 3. (W) Gonzaga, Breast Cancer Awareness Night, February 19 LMU will be looking for a repeat of last season when they face Gonzaga. The Lions faced the `Zags on Breast Cancer Awareness Night last season as well and they played their best game of the year, handing Gonzaga its only loss in West Coast Conference play, 75-60. The Lions will have to play just as well this season as last year's West Coast Conference Player of the Year, Heather Bowman, who averaged more than 20 ppg last season, is still there. This is the biggest can't-miss game of the women's season as it supports a great cause and could be a game that tilts the WCC standings. 2. (M) Gonzaga, January 24 The Gonzaga men have had a bullseye in the West Coast Conference for quite some time now. Yet every year they come back with a strong team ready to take on all-comers. A Gonzaga player has won the West Coast Conference Player of the Year award for eight straight seasons after Jeremy Pargo took the honor last year. Pargo, who considered entering the NBA draft but decided to return, once again makes Gonzaga the favorite in the WCC. Much of his supporting cast returns as well, players like Matt Bouldin, Austin Daye and Josh Heytvelt. The game is being broadcast on FSN, both in the Pacific and Northwest regions. There would not be many bigger wins in Bill Bayno's first season than if the Lions could defeat the Bulldogs. 1a. (M) Notre Dame, Novemeber 21 While Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, Arizona, etc. will all be difficult games for Bayno and the Lions, outside of playing on the road at UCLA, their toughest test may come in Lit's sadMU's home opener. After returning from Iowa, LMU opens up its home schedule at Gersten Pavilion by welcoming the AP Preseason #9 Notre Dame Fightin' Irish. Notre Dame returns the Big East Player of the Year and AP Preseason All-America in Luke Harangody, who averaged a double-double last season with 20.4 ppg and 10.6 rpg. With a new coach and new players on display, there would be no greater home debut than if the Lions could claim a top-10 victory. 1. WCC Tournament, March 6-9 After years of the West Coast Conference Tournament shuffling between member campuses, it finally has a neutral, permanent home. All WCC teams will head to Las Vegas in early March to decide which teams will get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The four-day tournament will be held in the beautiful Orleans Arena over the first weekend of spring break. Last year's tournament saw San Diego come through with upsets on both the men's and women's side to gain the automatic bids. If there's something to be learned from March Madness, it's that anything can happen, especially in Vegas. |
