Today's college basketball games

2/19/2005

• When: 1 p.m.

• TV/Radio: BCSN/99.1

• Records: Arkansas-Little Rock is 16-8, 8-4 Sun Belt; BG is 15-7, 9-5 MAC.

• Last game: Arkansas-Little Rock d. Western Kentucky

55-53; BG d. Ball State 70-69.

• Outlook: The Falcons got no break from this Bracket Buster contest, as the Trojans come to Bowling Green having won four straight after a fi ve-overtime loss at Florida International Jan. 30. What s more, three of those four wins are on the road. UALR is led by guard Brandon Freeman (16.3 points per game) and forward

Richard Hardman (10.1) and 7.3 rebounds . The Trojans are a good shooting team, making 45.9 percent of their shots overall and 37.7 percent from behind the arc. BG ranks ninth in Division I at 49.9 percent from the floor.

• When: 3 p.m.

• TV/Radio: BCSN/1370.

• Records: Southern Methodist is 12-10; UT is 12-11.

• Last game: SMU defeated Louisiana Tech 73-70; UT lost 81-79 in OT at Akron.

• Outlook: The Mustangs are in sixth place in the WAC, but come to Savage Hall with a three-game winning streak and two fi ne players in guard Bryan Hopkins (17.5 ppg) and forward Eric Castro (14.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg). The teams are meeting for the fi rst time ever

in this Bracket Buster pairing, but they have a common opponent this season. SMU has lost twice to Nevada, a team the Rockets handled 83-75 at Savage Hall in December. UT is 34-3 at home in non-conference games under coach Stan Joplin, who again tries for career win No. 150.

• When: Noon.

• TV/Radio: FoxSports Ohio/1230.

• Records: Kent is 15-8, 8-4 in MAC; Toledo is 12-11, 8-4 .

• Last game: Kent won 76-34 at Buffalo; UT won 64-55 at Northern Illinois.

• Outlook: These traditional MAC heavyweights are again in the thick of a race. They are two of the three teams (joining Eastern Michigan) tied with the third-best conference records, and the squad that emerges from that scrum will get a fi rst-round bye in the MAC Tournament. Both teams have won three straight Kent has

captured fi ve of six and UT six of its last eight. Lindsay Shearer leads the Flashes with averages of 17.2 points and 7.2 rebounds. Danielle Bishop is averaging 16.4 points in league games for UT.

• When: 7 p.m.

• Radio: 88.1

• Records: Bowling Green is 17-6, 10-2 MAC; Eastern Michigan is 18-5, 8-4.

• Last game: BG d. Central Michigan 72-58; Eastern Michigan lost at Miami 73-55.

• Outlook: The Falcons have a chance to avenge one of their two league losses with a win over the Eagles. And should Toledo lose to Kent State, a BG victory would clinch a share of the MAC s West Division title. But beating Eastern won t be easy: The Eagles allow a league-low 55.7 points per game and outrebound opponents

by almost nine a game . EMU also has a four-game winning streak versus BG and has never lost to the Falcons at the Convocation Center. But Bowling Green has won five straight by an average of 21.6 points.