By Phillip Whitten<\/p>\n
ATLANTA, March 24. WHAT a difference a day makes!<\/p>\n
After last night\u2019s finals, the Auburn juggernaut had opened up a 42-point lead over second place Arizona and appeared to be unstoppable. Some coaches on deck were predicting the Tigers would win the men\u2019s Div. I NCAA crown by a record margin.<\/p>\n
Then, in this morning\u2019s prelims, Arizona soared, with Stanford not far behind, while Auburn had only a so-so session. The result is that, with a performance tonight that equals this morning\u2019s prelims, the Arizona Wildcats could actually take the lead. In fact, our projections show the second day of competition ending with Arizona likely to hold a small margin over Auburn — I'm thinking three to six points. Stanford is a much more iffy proposition, but if things fall the Cardinal's way, they can pull within striking distance \u2013 perhaps 20 or so points behind Auburn. On the other hand, they're just as likely to end Day Two 40 or 50 points back.<\/p>\n
One thing is certain: Never underestimate Auburn coach David Marsh \u2013 who is not only a superb coach, but also a master motivator. Few can match his ability to squeeze every last ounce of effort and capability out of his athletes. The Tigers want to take home their fourth consecutive crown and they will be very hard to dislodge.<\/p>\n
On top of that, Day 3 looks to be Auburn\u2019s best day.<\/p>\n
For tonight, here\u2019s how things shape up.<\/p>\n
200 medley relay<\/b>
\nNorthwestern qualified first with Arizona a close second. Stanford is fifth, Auburn sixth.<\/p>\n
400 IM<\/b>
\nStanford has one swimmer in the A final and one in the B. Auburn has one in the A, while Arizona did not have anyone entered in this event.<\/p>\n
100 fly<\/b>
\nArizona should gain on the leader here with two swimmers\u2014including top qualifier Albert Subirats — in the A final to Auburn\u2019s one in the A and one in the B and Stanford\u2019s two in the B.<\/p>\n
200 free<\/b>
\nGive Stanford and Arizona a slight edge here. Both teams have two up (A final), while Auburn has one up and two down (B final). Arizona\u2019s Simon Burnett is a slight favorite to win this one.<\/p>\n
100 breast<\/b>
\nBoth Arizona and Stanford can make major moves in this event, as Auburn failed to qualify anyone. Arizona boasts the top qualifier, Dave Rollins, and one swimmer in the B final. Stanford has two swimmers in the A final.<\/p>\n
100 back<\/b>
\nThis can be another big point-getter for the Wildcats, who have two swimmers in the A final. Auburn has one up and one down, while Stanford has one up.<\/p>\n
800 free relay<\/b>
\nArizona is seeded first, Stanford fourth, Auburn ninth.<\/p>\n
This should be an exciting evening. Hang on for a wild ride\u2026..!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Phillip Whitten ATLANTA, March 24. WHAT a difference a day makes! After last night\u2019s finals, the Auburn juggernaut had opened up a 42-point lead over second place Arizona and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-college","category-zzzzzzzzz"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n