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There are just four midweek Pac-12 games this week and none of which are terribly exciting. On paper. I fully expect something strange to happen and wouldn't be wildly surprised if it happened in the Galen Center. Just sayin'.
Wednesday
Utah @ Washington State, 8:30pm, P12N - I saw Silver Linings Playbook this week. It's a good movie, Oscar Nominated eight times. In the film, Bradley Cooper's bipolar character continually cites that if you work hard enough, if you believe and you work hard enough, you give yourself one chance, a shot, at your Silver Lining. He rambles that life is tough enough as it is but you've got to be positive and work hard and believe for that shot. "EXCELSIOR," he proclaims repeatedly. This game features two winless teams. The silver lining? Someone will wake up Thursday morning with one in the win column. Excelsior!
Colorado @ Washington, 8:30pm, P12N - Not unlike Jack Kerouac, it's been the road that has treated the Dawgs best to date and that's been most impressive to me. Conversely, things aren't quite going as expected in Boulder as the Buffs are out to an underwhelming 1-3 start and have never been much of a road team. But perhaps this game falls on opposite day? Either way, the Buffs are not to be taken lightly. After all, they're still projected as an eight seed in the latest bracketology. I'm not sold on UW but I have to imagine the fact that Washington is 3-0 and hasn't played at home since Dec 22 will have the Dawg Pound rocking.
Thursday
Oregon State @ UCLA, 6pm, ESPNU - The one shot I'm giving the Beavers here is the fact that they are this crazy enigmatic group of run and gun with little-to-no definition of what they're trying to accomplish from a team defense standpoint who can score in bunches. This recipe gives them one shot (I suppose our aforementioned silver lining) to win this ball game. Unfortunately, this is sort of what UCLA plays like these days and they're just a bit better at it. Eric Moreland has been suspended one more game (three total) by Craig Robinson and that doesn't bode well for the Beavers in Pauley.
Oregon @ USC, 8pm, ESPNU - If Kevin O'Neill can go 2-2 in the Pac then so Cantu, Bob! See what I did there? The Bob Cantu era begins in the Galen Center against a very good Oregon Ducks team potentially overlooking the Trojans with Saturday marking the FIRST GAME FEATURING TWO RANKED PAC-12 OPPONENTS SINCE MARCH 2009. This is a fact we'll revisit later in the week but needed to write that in all caps and bold face. Anyhow, in two words: Trap game.