OCR Text |
Show 10 lin Thursday, January 26, 20 0fe& DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE GAMES TO WATCH Blue Devils seek to reclaim top spot horns 84, Sooners 60 We're past the midway point in college basketball, and now that teams . are battling for conference titles rather than toying around with Division II teams, there are plenty of games to watch. No. 22 Louisville at No. 6 Villanova, Monday, 5 p.m. MST, ESPN No. 2 Duke at Virginia Tech, Thursday, 5 p.m. MST, ESPN Matt Patton The Blue Devils received a level once again this year. wake up call from Georgetown The Tar Heels barely eslast Saturday, joining Florida, caped their third straight loss Wisconsin and Pittsburgh as last Sunday by slipping past high-ranked teams that have Florida State, 81-80. been dealt surprise losses. The Wildcats went through Now that they've lost a a similar losing stretch earlier game, they have shown they're in the month, where they lost vulnerable and beatable, to UCLA, Oregon State and which should make this game Oregon over a 10-day span. interesting. This game could be the facThe last time these two tor that sends one team back teams met in December, on track and the other reelDuke's Sean Dockery hit a ing. half-court prayer at the buzz- . North Carolina is fortuer, helping the Blue Devils es- nate to be playing this one at cape a home upset by coming home. back and beating the Hokies, Patton's prediction: Tar Heels 80, Wildcats 78 77-75Now it's on Virginia Tech's No. 4 Texas at No. 24 floor, where the crowd and Oklahoma, Saturday, players must be foaming at the 7 p.m. MST, ESPN2 mouth in anticipation for this After losing to Duke and rematch. But the Blue Devils have Tennessee in early December, motivation to take back the the Longhorns have won eight straight, including wins over No. i spot. Patton's prediction; Blue then No. 4 Memphis and No. 3 Villanova. Devils 77, Hokies 6$ Meanwhile, the Sooners are Arizona at North Carolina, slowly falling apart. They recently lost to Nebraska and Saturday, Missouri and had ugly vic11 a.m. MST, CBS Both the Wildcats and the tories over Texas A&M and Tar Heels have struggled in Texas Tech. what has become a rebuilding Texas should win this one season for each team, but they easily. at about the same talent Patton's prediction: Long- BEATTY IS NO POSER continued from Page 9 Probably. But maybe they are actually fans of Kobe. Maybe they heard of the kid coming out of high school and were impressed that a hotshot basketball player could score 1100 on his SATs and still be a lottery pick. So go on. Give me a dirty, know-it-all gaze when you see me in my Hasslebeck jersey. Most of the people who wear them deserve it. But inside, I remember a 12-year-old kid who would sit glued to the Sunday evening Seahawk highlights, even while knowing full well that they had lost by 30. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I can live with the looks all the way to Super Bowl XL. j.beatty@ chronicle.utah.edu Carve your way to the home of award-winning gourmet burgers, delectable sandwiches, salads, and (of course) cheese friesl www.lh6tralnlnglable.com GEICO. A15-minutecall could save you 15% on car insurance. Louisville has gone 2-3 since ViJlanova handed them thensecond Io3ft!ftf the season back on Jan. 5. Of course, two of those losses came to UConn and Pittsburgh. But what it shows is that the Cardinals can't win the big games. The Wildcats are coming off a big game against Syracuse and still remain in the hunt for being a top-four team in the nation. Just like before, they shouldn't have any problem with Louisville. Patton's prediction: Wildcats 68, Cardinals 60 No. 8 Illinois at No. 23 Wisconsin, Tuesday, 5 p.m. MST, ESPN Last Saturday was filled with some great upsets, but I think the North Dakota State romp of the Badgers was the most shocking. Just two days after losing to Utah Valley State College (yeah, that little college down in Orem), the Bison outplayed Wisconsin to pull off the upset. It'll be interesting to see how the Badgers respond to such an embarrassing loss. The Illini, led by Dee Brown and James Augustine, know how to win and expect to win in every game they play. Patton's prediction: IlHni 72, Badgers 66. * m.patton@ chronicle.utah.edu Frank « Thomas '!# signs with A's OAKLAND, Calif.—Frank Thomas called Oakland general manager Billy Beane to reiterate how thrilled he would be to join the Athletics. The two clicked at last month's winter meetings, and it led to a contract for the free agent slugger. Thomas agreed to a $500,000, one-year deal with Oakland on Wednesday, giving the A's the big right-handed bat they've been searching for in the middle of thei^neup. _,* He will be formally introduced Thursday. "Frank Thomas is a presence," Beane said. "Not only would he be our type of offensive player, he would be everybody's type of offensive player. ...If Frank is healthy, he's been good against everybody." Thomas, a two-time American League MVP who has been slowed by injuries in recent years, can make an additional $2.6 million in bonuses based on plate appearances and not hurting his left foot. He played his first 16 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, who won their first World Series title since 1917 last season. "It's a good day," said Thomas' agent, Arn Tellem. "From the beginning, the A's were Frank's first choice if he wasn't going to go back to Chicago. Frank had a great meeting with Billy Beane in Dallas at the winter meetings and that created a lot of momentum to getting the deal done. I think there was an instant connection between the two. They have the same philosophy. Frank is very excited to come to Oakland and he thinks he can contribute to a good club and help the A's win." The low-budget A's have spent recent offseasons losing big-name players such as Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Johnny Damon, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. But aft missing the postseason for second straight year foil ing four consecutive trips the playoffs, Oakland gene! manager Billy Beane has add£ Thomas and Milton Bradley to a lineup that struggled to score runs at times last season—and done so without losing anyone of significance. Beane had been interested in acquiring Thomas for months and the dqal was reportedly in the works for some time. Thomas will be the A's primary designated hitter and join Eric Chavez and Bradley in the heart^of Oakland's order. The Associated Press |