NCAA Men’s Weekend Preview

CARLSBAD, California, February 2. The Pac-10 is bustling this weekend in Southern California, as Cal and Stanford travel south to take on a tough weekend. SEC schools are preparing themselves for what should be one of the closest SEC Championships in recent history. And Texas is looking for its first win of 2006.

1. Auburn: The top-ranked Tigers are tuning up for the SEC Championship this weekend by hosting the Orange and Blue Invitational. Some of the younger swimmers will look to prove they have earned a spot on the championship team with some fast swims. Some of the newcomers to the Plains could also dazzle spectators with a couple sub-20 fifties.

2. California: The second-ranked California men’s swimming and diving team (5-0, 2-0 Pac-10) has a busy week, competing in three road meets over three straight days this Thursday through Saturday. The Golden Bears take on host Cal State Bakersfield in a non-scoring meet at 2 p.m. on Thursday, clash with Pac-10 rival and ninth-ranked USC in a regular dual meet at 1 p.m. on Friday, and end their road trip with another non-scoring meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday at UC Santa Barbara.

3. Stanford: The Cardinal is also traveling to Southern California to take on Cal State Bakersfield on Friday, and then USC on Saturday. Will Ben Wildman-Tobriner and the rest of the Stanford swimmers be able to handle the distance corps of USC? This meet will showcase phenomenal swims from both teams in every event.

4. Florida: The Gators will be sending a few of their athletes to compete against Indian River Community College this weekend. The rest of the team in Gainesville will be prepping for the SEC Championships.

5. Texas: The Longhorns are on the road again this weekend after suffering a loss in Tucson. This time they are headed to College Station to battle the Aggies. Afterward, the Texas squad will take a quick trip to Dallas to take on Southern Methodist University. Eddie Reese and his swimmers are looking to gain some confidence after back-to-back losses as they head into conference-championship preparation.

6. Michigan: The University of Michigan men’s swimming and diving team (6-0, 4-0 Big Ten) will travel for its final dual meet of the season Saturday (Feb. 4) against No. 15 Northwestern at the Norris Aquatics Center in Evanston, Ill. Michigan enters the weekend having won 34 consecutive meets over Big Ten conference foes, including victories in 65 of the last 66 meets. U-M’s last Big Ten defeat came against Indiana 137-106 on Jan. 29, 1999, in Bloomington, Ind.

7. Arizona: Arizona has this weekend off.

8. Minnesota: In preparation for the Big Ten Championships, the Gophers are hosting the Minnesota Challenge this weekend at home. Competition will start at 6 p.m. Friday and noon on Saturday.

9. Southern California: The Trojans face their most challenging weekend to date. The Cal Bears will come to the McDonald’s Swim Stadium on Friday, then the Trojans have to refuel for powerhouse Stanford on Saturday. Both competitions start at 1 p.m. (PST). Ous Mellouli is the reigning Pac-10 swimmer of the month and will lead the Trojans as they attempt to knock off the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams.

10. Georgia: The Bulldogs have this weekend off.

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