JEFF ALLEN GAME PREVIEW: LONG BEACH STATE at WASHINGTON
Tournament action gets into full swing today with the NCAA “don’t call me a Play-In Game” First Round, NIT, CIT and CBI tournaments all playing tonight. One of the more intriguing matchups off the Tuesday card comes from the NIT where the Long Beach State 49ers travel to Washington to face the Pac12 Huskies. LBS (20-14, 12-4) was third best in the Big West but did beat conference champion Hawaii twice during the regular season. The 49ers couldn’t pull the trick a third time on Saturday night, losing the tournament final to the Rainbow Warriors in one of the best played and hardest fought games of last week. Washington (18-14, 9-9) started the year as the sixth youngest team in the nation (No.346) in terms of experience but quickly developed into one of the most electric and exciting teams country. This team is ultra-talented and will be force in the coming years if Lorenzo Romar is able to keep this group together. The line opened at Washington -9 with the total set
at 162. The number has moved slightly with the nine points now costing you .15 cents. The total has been shot out of a cannon to 168 and may not be done yet.
Long Beach State’s non-conference schedule included UCLA, Arizona, Oregon, Virginia, Seton Hall, Duke and San Diego State … all on the road or on a neutral court so don’t look down at the 49ers won loss record. The 49ers play eight with three players averaging in double figures led by 6’6″ senior guard Nick Faust 17.1, 6.1, 2.2), a transfer from Maryland. Justin Bibbins (11.8, 3.2, 5.0) is a 5’8 sophomore PG who pushes the pace and decent floor general.
Washington’s play is sort of like a fun style organized chaos. The Huskies are a guard oriented, run and gun, get the ball up the court type team that looks to outscore you. Senior guard Andrew Andrews (20.9, 5.9, 4.8) is the only UWub player with any type of experience and he runs the show. Dejounte Murray (15.6 ppg.) and Marquese Chriss (13.2) are two very talented freshmen that can play. Chriss is also solid on the boards.
As we saw from the LBS non-conference schedule, the 49ers will not be impressed by anything they see here. The 49ers are 0-3 against the Pac12 this year but a lot of teams would have that membership card if they were to play at Pauley, Eugene and Tuscon. Washington last played Thursday night in Las Vegas so they’ve had almost a full week off. At face, this number looks to be high until you consider that the Pac12 is 13-1 (9-5 ATS) against the Big West this year. Long Beach is not inept offensively but wouldn’t seem to be able to match UWubs scoring. If Washington comes out flying and hits a couple of baskets early, this one almost can’t help but becoming a track meet making the big move on the total justified.