College Hoops Thread '09-'10

[The Poet]

So do you know what happened last night, guys? Not such big news as the night before, but a few things worth noticing:

Charlotte 74 - Temple 64 = I told you those '49ers are dangerous. Guess the Owls didn't believe me.

Duke 70 - Florida State 56 = OK, so this one you had down in pencil before the tip-off. Me, I had it inked.

Florida 87 - Georgia 71 = Decent win for the Gators, who are trying to regain some balance. They started off with a string of Ws, then lost 3, won 3, lost 2, and now have won 4. As for the Bulldogs, they have good wins against Ga. Tech and UT, plus gave UK, Ole Miss, and Miss. State good games, but didn't show it last night. Hey, I guess they are who they are, no more and no less.

Ohio State 65 - Iowa 57 = I can't truly class this as a "bad" win for the Buckeyes, but I did expect a bigger margin . . . even in Iowa City.

Memphis 75 - Marshall 72 = Did I not tell you this would be a game?

New Mexico 76 - BYU 72 = I still don't much care, but give the Lobos some credit for putting the fear of God into those Mormons. New Mexico has a good team, yet were never as good as their proir ranking. Same goes for the Cougars. The Mountain West may be better than the Pac-10 this season, but that does not make them one of the Big Boys.

Oklahoma State 76 - Texas A&M 69 = And here's a good W for Oak State. Those Aggies haven't beaten any team better than "meh" since the end of November, and here have lost to one.

Providence 81 - U. Conn 66 = So maybe this is the shocker of the night, though I did say that the Friars are better than you think. But this good? Hey, 15 points is damn close to a spanking.

Vanderbilt 85 - Tennessee 76 = So maybe this is another shock, albeit a minor one. Both teams have had good and bad games, and so perhaps the biggest part of the "shock" is that 9-point margin . . . in Knoxville, not Nashville.

Texas 95 - Texas Tech 83 = So maybe this is a third minor shock, though not that the 'Horns got off their mini-slide but because they only beat this so-so squad by a dozen . . . in Austin.

And what do we have in store tonight? Well, I see a handful with some potential:

Pittsburgh vs. St. John's = The Panthers have not been as good as they should, and the Johnnies have snuck up on a few people this year. I wouldn't bet it, but I wouldn't have a stroke if this one was fairly close.

Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest = Just your typical ACC slugfest, as is:

Virginia Tech vs. Virginia = The Cavs are the surprise of the conference so far. That may last the night, but it will not last until March.

Wisconsin vs. Purdue = And here's your Big Ten battle. Better alert the rescue squad.

Stanford vs. Arizona = This Pac-10 fiasco is fascinating. Both these teams are 10-9 overall, and 4-3 in conference play. And speaking of 4-3 in conference:

California vs. Arizona State = The Sun Devils are also 4-3, whereas the Bears have a commanding Pac-10 lead . . . at 5-2. But getting back to that 4-3 thing:

USC vs. Oregon State = The Trojans are also 4-3, as are:

UCLA vs. Oregon = Their crosstown rivals, the Bruins. Jesus, just close your eyes and throw a dart, why don'tcha?

Miss. State vs. Arkansas = The Razorbacks have been Piglets this year, so go with the OTHER Bulldogs in the SEC.

Mississippi vs. Auburn = Again, my heart's with Lebo's boys, but my head's with the Ole Miss Rebels.

Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara = This should be no contest. THESE Bulldogs, meaning the 'Zags (to distinguish them from all the other Dogs, Cats, Bears, or Birds out there), are not the only decent team in the WCC . . . but Santa Clara is not one of the others.

And as always, enjoy.

[Col. Kurtz]

Congrats to your 'heels Thomas. Go ahead and fire 'em up :D

[The Poet]

Congrats to your 'heels Thomas. Go ahead and fire 'em up :D

Not yet, Jerry. I am presently 1-0 in the head-to-head, and you're 1-0 in the tiebreaker. As both these games were in Rahlee, I have the homecourt edge 2-1 to your 0-2. Advantage, Poet . . . but the fat lady ain't even on stage already. :ss

[The Poet]

No big shockers in last night's action, though there were a few items of some note:

Arizona 76 - Stanford 68 = After jerking around for the first half of the season, the Wildcats have started to play better, moving themselves into contention in the Pac-10 with:

California 78 - Arizona State 70 = And after playing pretty well for the most part of this month, the Sun Devils have dropped two inna row to fall into a 5-way tie for 3rd place in conference play. That's right . . . half of the Pac-10 is 4-4 now.

Arkansas 67 - Mississippi State 62 = Now here's a bit of a surprise, since the 'Backs have not played well this year. This is a good win for them . . . in a conference where they've got that snowball's chance of winning.

Mississippi 84 - Auburn 74 = Unlike the Rebels, who have a good shot at winning the West half of the SEC.

Georgia Tech 79 - Wake Forest 58 = It's getting so the ACC's as confusing as the Pac-10, albeit at a somewhat higher level. Both these teams have had great wins and crappy losses, and nobody knows who's gonna show up for the next game.

Oregon 71 - UCLA 66 (OT) = This loss by the Bruins put them in that 4-4 logjam previously mentioned, while the Ducks' victory jump them into a 3-way tie for 8th . . . at 3-5 in Pac-10 play.

Oregon State 51 - USC 45 = Same exact story here, only different teams in the same states, literal and figurative.

Pittsburgh 63 - St. John's 53 = Pretty much what one should have expected. Johnnies did OK, Panthers did OK enough to win.

Purdue 60 - Wisconsin 57 = And pretty much the same expectations met here too . . . a war until the end.

Virginia Tech 76 - Virginia 71 (OT) = And pretty much the same here too . . . the Cavs slip back into the pack, starting on their way down the basement steps of the ACC.

Gonzaga 71 - Santa Clara 64 = And pretty much a "WTF were they doing here?" for the 'Zags, who should have totally outclassed this sub .500 squad. Yet it took a 12-0 run by Gonzaga in the last 5:55 to pull this one out of the fire. Sheesh. I don't wanna hear no whinin' from them come March that they didn't get seeded high enough. Know what I mean?

Xavier 86 - Duquesne 50 = And pretty much the kind of game I normally ignore, except for the fact that I've become fascinated with this X-Men team. Who are they? Sometimes they play like world-beaters, and sometimes like scrubs. Guess they had their Wheaties yesterday.

There really not much to keep your attention tonight, as usual on mid-winter Fridays, unless you're really into the Ivy League race. In fact, the only game which piqued my noodle is the Butler/Wisc. Green Bay matchup, and it could be a good one. But as usual, there are a buttload of games on Saturday, so as usual I shall mention some that tip off early tomorrow:

U. Conn vs. Marquette = Wow. I mean, wow. Both these teams are good, and neither has been great except in spurts. Here's an early toss-up.

Temple vs. LaSalle = Here . . . not so much. The Owls are coming off their loss to Charlotte, so should be focused. And LaSalle has not been much of a challenge this year. Don't plan on any classic Big 5 magic in this one.

West Virginia vs. Louisville = The Mountaineers have a better team, yet the Cardinals have managed to show up for a few games so far, and do have some talent. Go with WVA, but not as heavy as one might think from the simple stats.

Georgetown vs. Duke = Again . . . wow. As has become the custom, once again all the pundits are lauding the Big East and dissing the ACC, and shall continue to do so . . .until the ACC once again escorts the Big East out of the NCAAs. :r This one should be a real battle, as both are quite good. Me, I cannot wait.

George Washington vs. Rhode Island = And why the hell would I bring this turkey up? Well, here's the thing. RI is 16-3, so may be better than you might believe. And GWU? They may only be a so-so 12-7, but they are an impressive 6-3 on the road. It's games like this one that can sneak up on you, if you're not paying attention.

Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky . . . State = Kentucky STATE?? Who are they? Where are they, save I presume somewhere in Kentucky? And most importantly, why are the Yellow Jackets playing a November game at the end of January? Ramblin' Wreck, indeed!


I'll give you more tomorrow afternoon. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Maybe by the time I finish this breakdown of upcoming action, I'll have some meaningful scores to report. Until then, you can look forward to this additional action today:

Syracuse vs. DePaul = But don't expect a lot of it here. The 'Cuse is 7-1 in conference, while DePaul is 1-7. That ratio will only increase.

Indiana vs. Illinois = OK, neither one is the power they have been in the paast, but that does not mean this won't be fun to watch.

LSU vs. Mississippi State = Unlike this one, which should not be fun at all. MS is pretty decent, and LSU pretty much sucks.

N.C. State vs. N.C. Central = Hey, what's with these November games in January? Do you reckon the Wolfpack will bounce back from their loss to the Tar Heels today?

Oklahoma State vs. Missouri = This one should be a blast, from start to finish.

Boston College vs. Florida State = This one could be OK too. The Seminoles are a bit better than the Eagles, but the game's in chilly Chestnut Hill. May go down to the end.

Arkansas vs. Mississippi = PPD until tomorrow, due to a dusting of winter weather in the Delta. Despite the 'Hogs big win over Miss. State earlier this week, they'd probably prefer it to be postponed even longer.

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt = That loss to the Gamecocks may have focused the Wildcats, so this has the potential to get real ugly real quickly in Rupp this afternoon. However, the Comms are better than the Cocks, and have been preparing for this one . . . and if Vandy holds any edge against UK, it's in the study hall.

Stanford vs. Arizona State = Remember me telling you about all those 4-4 squads in the Pac-10 race? After this game, one of these won't be in that group. Expect a fight.

Auburn vs. Alabama = What's the motivation here? Well, Auburn is 10-11 overall and wants to reach .500, whereas 'Bama is 3-3 in conference, and wants to STAY at .500 there. Besides, they don't much like each other either. Shields up.

ODU vs. Northeastern = And here we have one of those mid-major clashes that most ignore, at the peril of missing one hell of a game.

Texas vs. Baylor = The Longhorns have slipped a bit of late, and the Bears are trying to hang tough. Rick Barnes may convince his guys to show up today, and if so the 'Horns have the decided edge. However, first someone has to convince Barnes himself to show up also.

Iowa vs. Michigan = Just like that Hoosier/Illini game above, here are two Big 10 teams that ain't all that good . . . but the game itself just might be, due to that very fact.

USC vs. Oregon = And just like EVERY Pac-10 game, this one can put a squad either into or out of contention.

New Mexico vs. TCU = After hitting a holiday slump, the Lobos have won 5 inna row. Make that six.

Michigan State vs. Northwestern = The Spartans are playing better and better, while the Brainiacs have come to the realization that basketball is not an academic endeavor. The Spartans take over in the 2nd half to win by 2 handfuls.

Kansas vs Kansas State = This one is in that slightly smaller Manhattan, so one has to give K-State a shot here . . . they are fairly good, most nights. But the Jayhawks are, to be fair, both better and more experienced. It may be a 1 or 2 possession game late, yet I'd go with KU.

Georgia vs. South Carolina = Here are two teams with good, or even great, wins . . . and some pretty crappy losses too. Should be fun, since we don't know who'll show up on either side.

UCLA vs. Oregon State = And we're back into that Pac-10 clusterfark again.

Providence vs. Cincinnati = Furthermore, there's a bunch of Big East teams fighting to stay in the hunt. Here's a pair of them, and both are good.

UAB vs. UTEP = And come to think of it, so's the CUSA, and here's the fight for the lead.

Oklahoma vs. Nebraska = And come to think of it, this would be a good football game . . . but not so much in hoops. The Sooners are OK, but the Huskers not so much.

BYU vs. Utah = An in-state rivalry? Don't count on it.

Gonzaga vs. San Francisco = If Bill Russell's there for the alumni game and suits up for SF, they have a shot. Otherwise, NFW.

Then on Sunday we have a decent number of good games also. Aside from that Arkansas/Mississippi make-up, there is:

Pittsburgh vs. South Florida = Alright, so maybe not this one. Pitt has not been great, but they should be good enough to take this one fairly easily.

Virginia Tech vs. Miami = And the Hokies should take this one too, since the 'Canes can't do much of anything this year.

Tennessee vs. Florida = But here, if the Gators show up . . . like they do about every other game . . . we could have a war.

Ohio State vs. Minnesota = Here too, though I'd lean towards the Buckeyes.

Purdue vs. Penn State = Pleeze. The Nuttin'ly Lions remain "perfect" in the Big 10, and will go to 0-9.

California vs. Arizona = This one likely will not decide the Pac-10 for good, but it will determine if Cal will stay on top, or if 'Zona can add another tie to the league.

Maryland vs. Clemson = The Terps find themselves atop the ACC. The Tigers will end this in Littlejohn.

UNC vs. UVA = Can the Tar Heels finally get on a roll? Can the Cavaliers get back on one? Beats the livin' crap outta me.

This has taken much too long, so let me go see if I have some finals to report yet. I'll be back, so until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Temple 64 - LaSalle 52 = An OK win for the Owls, though I thought the margin might be higher.

Louisville is up 10 over WVA second half, and G'town even more over Dook late first. Marquette is giving U.Conn a real fight, like I expected.

[The Poet]

Marquette 70 - U. Conn 68 = That "early toss-up" was just that.

West Virginia by 2 with 5.8 ticks left, Hoyas still have Dook in hand, and DePaul up big over the Orange . . . but it's real early there.

[The Poet]

West Virginia 77 - Louisville 74 = Yeah, like I said . . . go with WVA, but not by much.

Blue Devils cutting into Hoya lead, and Blue Demons kicking Orange butt . . . but it's STILL early.

[The Poet]

Hoyas survive Dook push, and open it up to 15 with 7 1/2 left. Still time, but none to waste. Syracuse comes back strong to be down only 35-31 at the break.

[The Poet]

It's not over, but it really is - Georgetown has Duke down big late. Syracuse cuts it to one stinkin' point. In other action, Rhode Island takes George Washington 72-66 . . . I told you it would be a good one. Indiana/Illinois tied at 36 at the break . . . I told you that too.

[The Poet]

Georgetown 89 - Duke 77 = Hope you enjoyed the game, Mr. President, as I'm sure Coach K didn't. Oh, and Georgia Tech did not double-up on Kentucky State, only winning 98-50. N.C. State up double-digits in their "November" matchup with N.C. Central, and Miss. State in control over LSU. Plus, the 'Cuse falls back asleep, letting DePaul jump ahead again.

[The Poet]

The Orange finally tie it, with 4+ minutes left.

[The Poet]

Syracuse narrowly escapes one embarassing defeat, coming on late to take a crappy DePaul team 59-57. The W goes to the Orange, but the credit should go to the Blue.

[The Poet]

Hoosiers/Illini a total war, tied at 66 with 2 1/2 left, and tight all game long.

[The Poet]

BC/Fla. St. a one-point game with just under 17 to play. The weather may be cold outside, but there's plenty of hot action indoors!

[The Poet]

Illinois takes Indiana 72-70. Kentucky up 5 points early on Vandy, which doesn't mean much . . . yet. There's about a dozen 1-point games in action at the moment, but I've had enough for today. Talk to you Monday evening, and we'll catch up then. Until then then . . . enjoy.

[The Poet]

Brother, brothers, there were a few that snuck up on us this weekend, as well as a few that followed form. Tossing out those expected blowouts, here's the ones that caught my eye:

Baylor 80 - Texas 77 (OT) = Aside from one hell of a game, the collapse of the 'Horns is notable. After going 17-0 and grabbing their first #1 ranking, they have lost 3 of 4. But give the Bears credit . . . they are not typically the class in this conference.

Kansas 81 - Kansas State 79 (OT) = What, does the Big 12 suddenly think that 40 minutes of basketball isn't enough? Give the Jayhawks some credit for pulling out the W in Manhattan against K-State. Yet I may have to do some reassessment here . . . maybe KU's not at good as I thought, or K-State is better.

Kentucky 85 - Vanderbilt 72 = I pretty much expected UK to bounce back, but I thought Vandy might keed it a little closer. Shows what I know.

San Francisco 81 - Gonzaga 78 (OT) = Everybody has a bad loss every now and then, and this is not the worst in living memory . . . hey, to this day citing Chaminade in Charlottesville's like bringing up Bucky in Beantown. But this one's pretty damn bad. The 'Zags are not just better than SF, they should have so totally outclassed them as to chase them into the Bay. Don't blame me for this one . . . blame them.

UTEP 74 - UAB 65 (2OT) = Well, here was your battle to remain in the CUSA hunt . . . now that Memphis doesn't get the automatic.

Arizona State 88 - Stanford 70 = And here was one to remain in the Pac-10 chase . . . along with everybody else. Like:

UCLA 62 - Oregon State 52 = Ain't this a kicker? The Bruins are 10-11 overall, yet tied for 3rd in conference play at 5-4, along with the aforementioned Sun Devils. Meanwhile, OSU was kicked into the basement alone, at 3-6, with 5 teams now tied for 5th at 4-5.

Auburn 58 - Alabama 57 = Here's just what I expected from two "meh" teams fighting for some self-respect . . . and bragging rights. Hope my man Jeff Lebo enjoyed this one, as he hasn't had much to cheer about this season, and isn't likely to have much more either.

Florida State 61 - Boston College 57 = Again, this ran pretty much to form.

BYU 82 - Utah 69 = And this one too.

Cincinnati 92 - Providence 88 = Ditto. Two decent teams fighting for their lives.

Michigan State 79 - Northwestern 70 = Dit-three. The Spartans are about 10 points better than N'western, and proved it.

South Carolina 78 - Georgia 77 = Dit-four. Neither team is really consistent, but either can be good on any given night.

Cornell 86 - Harvard 50 = And why toss this one into the mix? Well, you may recall that Harvard got a bit of national buzz earlier this season for making their first run at an NCAA bid in a looooooong time. And Cornell's the other class of the Ivy this year, so their W's no big shock. But Big Red beating the vaunted Crimson by such a huge margin? Who'd a thunk. Hell, who'd a thunk they could even score that many points!

As for the games on Sunday, we had:

Arizona 76 - California 72 = And I put this first as this Wildcat win put them tied in first with the Cal Bears . . . at an eminently "mountable" 6-3. Thus ends our Pac-10 summary.

Clemson 62 - Maryland 53 = And this Terp loss helped Duke grab a 1/2 game lead in the ACC.

Miami 82 - Virginia Tech 75 = OK, so this Hokie loss isn't as bad as the 'Zags one, but it should never have happened either.

Arkansas 80 - Mississippi 73 = And this one's a pretty nasty slip by Ole Miss. Ain't no way the Razorbacks should have taken this. Maybe they should postpone ALL their games due to snow.

South Florida 70 - Pittsburgh 61 = And here's even more of the same old crap. "Pitt" is right, since they played that way.

Virginia 75 - UNC 60 = Speaking of playing like the pits, my Heels did it again, letting the Cavs score 18 unanswered as they disappeared once more. It's too damn bad that The Eleven don't allow stronger cusswords here.

Tennessee 61 - Florida 60 = Now this was the best game on Sunday, though I doubt the Gators feel that way. They had the win, then gave it up, then got it back, then gave it up again. But give the Vols some props here, as they never gave up.

There are only two games tonight of any true note:

U. Conn vs. Louisville = It's getting so these two are like too many others this year, in that you never know whether or not they will show up to play. If both do, the Huskies will prevail.

Texas vs. Oklahoma State = In Stillwater, no less, so don't be too shocked if the Cowboys bulldog the Longhorns.

Enjoy.

[Resipsa]

Syracuse narrowly escapes one embarassing defeat, coming on late to take a crappy DePaul team 59-57. The W goes to the Orange, but the credit should go to the Blue.
The truth he speaks. But sometimes, just sometimes, chance smiles on a team.:banger

[The Poet]

The truth he speaks. But sometimes, just sometimes, chance smiles on a team.:banger

Yes indeed, my brother. Everybody get one for free. :r

In the two big games last night, we had two surprises that weren't, really:

Texas 72 - Oklahoma State 60 = OK, you can't say the win is a shock, and not even the margin, as the Longhorns have better talent than they have shown of late. The surprise is that their hero, the freshman who pulled their bacon out of the Cowboys' campfire, was the same Jordan Hamilton who played only 2 minutes against Baylor in that 'Horn loss. Last night he scored 27 of those points, or nearly 40% of them.

Louisville 82 - U. Conn 69 = And you can't really say the Cardinals win is a shock either, since they have played well at times while the Huskies had lost 5 of their last 7 going into this one, with only their stunner against the aforementioned Longhorns plus a spanking of St. John's easing their collapse. What is the surprise is the margin, which was due to U. Conn's 38% shooting woes and their 18 TOs.


There are not a lot of games this evening, yet there are a handful worth noting:

Miami vs. Wake Forest = The 'Canes have started to play a little better, and the Deacs are all over the map. Give WF the nod, as they have both an edge in talent and the home court.

Syracuse vs. Providence = The Friars aren't terrible, but they have only one quality win (if one against the sinking U. Conn squad qualifies). Don't expect them to get their second one tonight. The Orange is turning into a really decent team, the game is in their Dome, and Boeheim likely ran their butts off to purge them of that DePaul scare.

Villanova vs. Seton Hall = And this one is at 'Nova, but it could be up the Turnpike or on Mars for all the diff it will make. Wildcats by a bunch.

Michigan vs. Northwestern = And as for these Wildcats . . . well, they may beat the Wolverines, but it's getting to the point where it's pointless either way this one goes. The Logans are a .500 team, and though N'western is 14-7 overall they are 3-6 in Big Ten play.

Kentucky vs. Mississippi = And as for THESE Wildcats, I'd guess it's possible that Ole Miss may give them some trouble in Rupp, at least for a half or so, but I don't count on the upset.

Kansas State vs. Nebraska = And as for THESE Wildcats . . . holy crud, you'd think college kids would have a bit more imagination, or at least a bigger vocabulary . . . they should totally shuck the Huskers. Honestly, Nebraska stinks. They lost 5 inna row before their big win over Oklahoma on Saturday, and this will start their next string of Ls . . . after this game, they are @ Kansas, Baylor, @ Texas, @ K-State, and then Missou.

BYU vs. TCU = NC.

Michigan State vs. Wisconsin = The Spartans seem to be the class of the Big Ten, but the Badgers ain't half-bad either. Plus, the game's in Madison (no, not MY Madison, theirs), so I'd expect this to be a good one.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Well, the two "no contest" contests last night were exactly that, what with big wins by BYU and K-State. As for other action, where there actually was some:

Kentucky 85 - Mississippi 75 = But it wasn't really even that close, though Ole Miss did pull to within 3 with 14 minutes left. However, UK was pretty much in control all night, what with John Wall trying to play his way out of Cal's doghouse and into the NBA in front of 20 pro scouts.

Northwestern 67 - Michigan 52 = And these Wildcats . . . oh, yeah, I already did that . . . played themselves to a 4-6 Big 10 standing.

Syracuse 85 - Providence 68 = I told you the Friars didn't have a prayer, didn't I?

Villanova 81 - Seton Hall 71 = Yet it seems these piratical preachers did, until they ran out of gas anyway. Their 50% shooting helped them to a 58-56 lead over the . . . what else? Wildcats . . . but then they hit the wall and went 6-21 the rest of the way.

Wake Forest 62 - Miami 53 = Yeah, OK . . . the Deacs use their better squad and home court to get the 9-point victory. No big shock here.

Wisconsin 67 - Michigan State 47 = One big shock here. No, not that the Badgers won, as the Spartans haven't won in Madison since 2001. Yet for them to score only 47 points? That's pretty par for Wisconsin's plodding play (in fact, they themselves scored 47 in their loss to MSU back on Jan. 6th), but it's pretty poor for a running Spartan team.

In tonight's action we have the following:

Ohio State vs. Penn State = The Nuttin'ly Lions attempt to keep their perfect conference record by going 0-10. I expect that will be no problem.

William & Mary vs. Old Dominion = Yeah, another of my good mid-major contest picks, to go along with:

George Washington vs. Charlotte = GW's fairly decent, and the 49ers are even better, with wins over Louisville, Richmond, and Temple.

Maine vs. Vermont = And although this one sounds more like a good hockey game, take note that they are fighting with Stony Brook for the lead in the American East conference. OK, so I don't care either, but no doubt somebody does.

N.C. State vs. Virginia = The Wolfpack's trying to get back on track and stay relevant in the ACC, and the Cavs are trying to build on their win in Chapel Hill and challenge for the top of it. Could be a real battle.

Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia = Here too, though it's the Big East instead.

Temple vs. Duquesne = Here, not so much. The Owls are pissed, and Duquesne pretty much reeks.

Georgetown vs. South Florida = On the surface you may not think this one worth noting, especially after the Hoyas dismantled Dook Saturday. However, they will not shoot 71% from the field . . . maybe ever again . . . and the Bulls were fairly good even before their victory over Pitt. G'town should win, but it may be closer than you'd believe.

Baylor vs. Iowa State = Hey, this could be that very same deal too. The Bears may be ranked in the top 20, but they are only 7th in the Big 12. Plus, there may be a hangover from their W over the Longhorns.

Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi State = And here we have two SEC squads trying to stay in the hunt, so it's another potential war.

UAB vs. Memphis = And the hits just keep on coming. UAB's in a 3-way tie at 6-1 for 1st in the CUSA, while perennial master Memphis is on their heels at 5-2. You think they both want the win?

Northern Iowa vs. Wichita State = And here's another of those great games nobody will watch. These two teams match up well, and will fight to the finish.

Texas A&M vs. Missouri = And these two . . . well, just because the national ranking hype has long gone does not mean we don't have a pair of good teams going head-to-head, just trying to keep their own above water in the Big 12.

Kansas vs. Colorado = And these two teams . . . well, not so much. If the Jayhawks win by less than 20, Self should pluck them all.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Kansas vs. Colorado = And these two teams . . . well, not so much. If the Jayhawks win by less than 20, Self should pluck them all.

I hate to quote myself here, but what the pluck? It takes the Jayhawks overtime to beat Colorado 72-66? Bill Self said after the game that he did not want to say his boys played badly because that would not give the Buffaloes enough credit. Well, I respectfully disagree. I give Colorado all the credit in the world, and KU played like crap in regulation, and barely enough better in OT to survive against the team with the worst record in the Big 12. There's no damn excuse for this.

In other action we had a few other interesting things happen, such as:

South Florida 72 - Georgetown 64 = OK, the Bulls are not nearly as bad as the Buffs, and I knew the Hoyas had shot their shooting wad against Dook, so this isn't like the above. Just chalk it up as a great win for South Florida, and a pretty bad loss for G'town in their hometown.

West Virginia 70 - Pittsburgh 51 = And OK, I expected the Mountaineers would win this one anyway, but I figured Pitt would keep it fairly respectable. Yet even though this was in Morgantown, a losing margin just shy of 20 is 10 points too many.

Charlotte 72 - George Washington 68 = And OK, I'm just showing my @$$ here, since I told you this would be a good game.

Texas A&M 77 - Missouri 74 = And more of the same mooning here.

Northern Iowa 59 - Wichita State 56 = This would go quicker if we had a "moon" smiley icon here.

Vanderbilt 75 - Mississippi State 72 = :tpd: :D

Virginia 59 - N.C. State 47 = And this one was one hell of a fight too . . . for the first half. In fact, the Wolfpack went into the lockerroom at the half with a 3-point lead . . . then only scored 19 more in the second.

Memphis 85 - UAB 75 = And here the Tigers creep closer back to their traditional spot atop the CUSA by tying UAB at 6-2, just one behind Tulsa's and UTEP's 7-1.

There are a lot of games tonight between also-rans and never-weres, but scattered amongst them we do have:

Butler vs. Detroit = Should be a real good one.

Purdue vs. Indiana = Should be a slaughter.

Florida vs. Alabama = Should be a Gator win, but they are not consistent enough for one to bet on that.

Duke vs. Georgia Tech = The Blue Devils want some revenge for their earlier loss in Atlanta, not to mention that they want to get the nasty taste of the Hoya whuppin' out of their mouths, and I'd expect that to happen in Cameron tonight.

Cincinnati vs. Notre Dame = Seems like we have three or four of these "fighting for respect" games each night now, and most of them are real battles. This should be another.

Maryland vs. Florida State = And here's another.

Tennessee vs. LSU = And here . . . not so much, in that the Vols already have some respect and the Tigers don't warrant any.

UNC vs Virginia Tech = And speaking of not warranting any respect, take my Heels . . . please. If they do not start finding their baby blue @$$e$ soon, they'll have none left to find.

Gonzaga vs. Portland = And here's your mid-major battle of the Great Northwest. And while we're out on the Left Coast, take note of these:

Arizona State vs. Washington State
Arizona vs. Washington
California vs. USC
Stanford vs. UCLA

I've lumped all these together because that's exactly the way the Pac-10 is . . . all lumped together. Of these 8 of the 10 in action tonight, they are all squeezed between 6-3 and 4-5 in conference play. You can throw idle Oregon into that pot as well, since they're in that moshpit at 4-5 themselves. Only Oregon State is completely out of it . . . at 3-6. :r

Well, as always, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Sorry, I can't deal with this today . . . and no, not because my Heels spit the bit again. I walked into work and into the middle of a total clusterfark, with yelling and screaming and all that $#!+, and I'm just too damn stressed. Sorry again, and I'll catch up tomorrow.

I'm gonna go outside and have a cigar now, before the blizzard starts, and before I shoot somebody. :ss

[The Poet]

OK, time to play a little catch-up. By the time I finish this I might even have some finals to report on the early games, and I can get to the BIG Arizona story that just developed. Until then, then.

On Thursday 2/4:

Florida 66 - Alabama 65 = One hell of a fight here. I said it should go to the Gators, but don't bet the farm, boys. Yep.

Butler 63 - Detroit 58 = And I said this should be a good one, and it was.

Duke 86 - Georgia Tech 67 = And Dook got their revenge, and then some.

Maryland 71 - Florida State 67 = And here they both fought for respect.

Purdue 78 - Indiana 75 = And here . . . what the hell? Purdue should have beaten the Hoosiers into the hardwood like carpet tacks, but instead it was more like coated 10-penny nails. The Boilermakers got the win, but Indiana deserves some props.

Tennessee 59 - LSU 54 = And it's pretty much the same story here. LSU got the L, but earned a bit of respect for keeping it this close.

Notre Dame 83 - Cincinnati 65 = And I expected the Bearcats to make a real game of this one. They didn't, and the Irish had all the fight.

Virginia Tech 74 - UNC 70 = And I really don't know what to say anymore. Good win for the Hokies, and another bad loss for the Heels.

USC 66 - California 63
UCLA 77 - Stanford 73
Arizona State 81 - Washington State 70
Washington 81 - Arizona 75

And these, aside from being some competitive games, just further added to the logjam in the Pac-10. As things stand now, before the games scheduled today (Saturday), there are 4 teams tied for first place with 6-4 records, with 2 more just behind at 5-5. Whoa.


I only saw one game of any interest on Friday, the lightest day of the roundball week:

Princeton 56 - Harvard 53 = And what's so interesting about this? Well, early on there was a bunch of hype about Tommy Amaker getting the Crimson into the NCAA field for the first time in . . . nearly forever. With the Tiger win last night it puts them at 3-0 in Ivy play, behind Cornell at 5-0, whereas Hahvaad is now 3-2. And the Ivy ain't gettin' no at-large bids, my brothers.

In today's action, quickly, we have:

Georgetown vs. Villanova
Xavier vs. Dayton
West Virginia vs. St. John's
Wake Forest vs. Virginia
Marquette vs. Providence
Mississippi State vs. Florida
Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech
Auburn vs. Alabama
Temple vs Richmond
Kansas State vs. Iowa State
Duke vs. Boston College
Baylor vs. Texas A&M
Clemson vs. Virginia Tech
ODU vs. VCU
Gonzaga vs. Memphis
Wisconsin vs. Michigan
N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech
Texas vs. Oklahoma
Kentucky vs. LSU
BYU vs. UNLV
California vs. UCLA
New Mexico vs. San Diego State
Mississippi vs. Alabama
Kansas vs. Nebraska
Pittsburgh vs. Seton Hall
Tennessee vs. South Carolina
Miami vs. Florida State
Butler vs. Wright State
Vanderbilt vs. Georgia
Arizona vs. Washington State
Michigan State vs. Illinois
Tulsa vs. UTEP
Arizona State vs. Washington

And those are just the games of note, for one reason or another. As for Sunday, we have:

Ohio State vs. Iowa
Notre Dame vs. South Florida
Syracuse vs. Cincinnati
UNC vs Maryland

I'll be right back with some updates. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

While I'm waiting for a few of the early games to go final, let's deal with the news out of the desert.

Arizona has announced it has placed itself on probation for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons due to violations by former coach Lute Olson involving an offseason AAU tournament, as well as involvement of a boosters club in this activity. They will give up one scholarship next season, and limit recruiting and campus visits for the next two seasons, and they have disbanded that said boosters club. The NCAA has announced that it will withhold the right to revisit and modify these self-imposed sanctions.

Hey, do you think they may reduce them? :r

[The Poet]

Finals:

West Virginia 79 - St. John's 60 - About what you'd expect, except that the Johnnies held an 11-point lead at the break. WVA scored 57 of their 79 points in the 2nd half.

Marquette 82 - Providence 79 = Again, what you'd expect from two well-matched teams.

Wake and UVA have gone into OT, and Dayton is kicking Xavier's butt late. The others are still too close to call.

[The Poet]

Dayton 90 - Xavier 65.

Villanova's been trying to dig itself out of it's 19-point halftime hole against the Hoyas, but it doesn't look like it gonna happen. Deacs/Cavs still a battle.

[The Poet]

Wake Forest 64 - Virginia 61. Georgetown a minute from beating 'Nova.

[The Poet]

Georgetown 103 - Villanova 90 = A real defensive struggle here.

[The Poet]

The Temple must be infested - Spiders are all over the Owls at the half, 44-26.

[The Poet]

Florida 69 - Mississippi State 62. Auburn/Arkansas going into OT. Some others holding tough against better competition, like BC/Dook and PSU/Minn, while Fordham - Fordham, by gawd, still leads Charlotte late in the 2nd.

[The Poet]

Oh, and Iowa State is only 4 behind K-State, with over 5 minutes left.

[The Poet]

Texas Tech 81 - Oklahoma State 74. Arkansas 82 - Auburn 79 (OT). And Richmond Spiders 8 seconds from biting Temple Owls badly.

[The Poet]

Richmond 71 - Temple 54 = The win does not shock me, but the margin's a surprise.
Minnesota 66 - Penn State 64 = The win does not surprise me, but the margin's a shock.

And Dook/BC a 2-point game with 26 ticks left.

[The Poet]

Blue Devils hold on to edge Eagles 66-63, in one tough fight. And speaking of tough fights, Charlotte had to battle all afternoon to best the 2-19 Fordam Rams 77-72, in a game that was much closer than that final.

[The Poet]

And another one that was closer than it prolly should have been:

Kansas State 79 - Iowa State 75.

I'm going away soon, so you take care, and take care of your own updates too. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

OK, since it has gotten to that point in the season where fewer things truly matter, although they may matter more, I'll just hit the highlights of the weekend action. On the balance of the games from Saturday 2/6:

Georgia 72 - Vanderbilt 58 = The fact that the Bulldogs won does not surprise me all that much, as they have proven they can, on occasion anyway, play a good game. But that large a margin over what should have been a superior Commodore team does puzzle me a bit.

Georgia Tech 73 - N.C. State 71 = And here's just one more tough loss for the Wolfpack.

Illinois 78 - Michigan State 73 = After winning 10 inna row, the Spartans have now lost 2 straight without Kalin Lucas on the floor. Since they have Purdue tomorrow, it may just get worse for them.

Oklahoma 80 - Texas 71 = And after reaching the #1 ranking for the first time in school history, the Longhorns have lost 4 of their last 6 games. It might get even worse for them also, tonight, as you will see below.

Texas A&M 78 - Baylor 71 = This does not make up for the Aggie losses to K-State and Texas, and certainly not the one to Oak State, but it doesn't hurt them in the least.

California 72 - UCLA 58 = And this is the only Pac-10 score I'll mention today, as it's the one that matters. It put the Bears back on top of the league at 7-4, with only 5 other teams on their short fuzzy tails with 6-5 records.

UNLV 73 - BYU 74 = And I've tried to tell you earlier that I did not BUY into BYU. Sure they have only 3 losses, but that makes 2 in the last 2 weeks. Furthermore, they just edged the Runnin' Rebels their first meeting, and just squeeked by Fresno State, UTEP, and San Diego State also. Finally, their schedule has more cupcakes than a kid's birthday party. And speaking of UTEP . . .

UTEP 73 - Tulsa 59 = Not only did the Miners spank their conference rivals, but it puts them in sole possession of the CUSA league lead . . . though Tulsa, UAB, and Memphis are still in the hunt.

On Sunday there were a few marquee games, including another stinker by my Heels, but only one with any real significance:

Syracuse 71 - Cincinnati 54 = Although neither the game nor the score was any shock at all, the win did move the Orange up to #2 in today's polls, right behind the Jayhawks. This is their highest ranking in a decade. Let's see now how long they can hold onto it.

There are only a few games to take note of tonight. To finish the point I started to make above:

Kansas vs. Texas = Like I said, it gets no easier for the 'Horns. Back on 2/1 Rick Barnes was quoted as saying that "sometimes adversity is good." That being the case, it will likely get even better for Texas this evening.

Villanova vs. West Virginia = And the Big East isn't totally Orange yet. Both these teams are still very much in the hunt, and 'Nova even gets to host the 'Cuse late this month.

Siena vs. Fairfield = And here's a key part of the race for the MAAC lead, as these two . . . along with Iona and St. Peter's . . . are the class of this conference.

As always, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Sorry that I've missed a few days, but Tuesday I had too much work to complete before I had too much snow to work at all on Wednesday. Well, the world's a bit back to normal now, so lemme catch you up on my notable highlights. And hey, if you have any of your own to add, don't by shy.

On Monday 2/8:

Kansas 80 - Texas 68 = If I remember correctly, I said things would just get worse for the Longhorns.

Villanova 82 - West Virginia 75 = Just the tight tough battle one would expect.

Siena 69 - Fairfield 67 = For those of you who have yet to pay attention, there's some hellacious good mid-major games played.

On Tuesday 2/9:

Kentucky 66 - Alabama 55 = A decent enough margin of victory, I guess, though not the stomping one might have expected.

Purdue 76 - Michigan State 64 = The Boilermakers seem to have gotten over their earlier slump, while the Spartans have fallen into a funk.

Georgetown 79 - Providence 70 = OK, as the Friars are about the same level as the aforementioned Tide, this can be considered an so-so win by the Hoyas, but no more.

Vanderbilt 90 - Tennessee 71 = You want your good win? Well, here the Comms gave you one.

Illinois 63 - Wisconsin 56 - And here might be a better one. The Illini have gotten a bit warm, and this makes 5 Ws inna row now . . . and they preceeded this one with their besting of the Spartans.

On Wednesday 2/10:

Miami 64 - Georgia Tech 62 = Seems like this Yellow Jacket team only shows up for every other game. Well, I guess that's better than:

Duke 64 - UNC 54 = At this point the score is no surprise to anyone . . . except maybe that the Heels kept it this close. But it is THE GAME, so one has to report on it.

Syracuse 72 - U. Conn 67 = Under normal circumstances, I'd call this one a great win for the Orange. However, circumstances are not so normal this season, as 'Cuse has been hot while the Huskies have been dogging it. A five-point victory is better than a one-point loss, yet I'd have thought it should be more. Shows what I know.

Tonight there are a fair number of contests, including a slew of Pac-10 games, which will probably just add to the clumping of these lumpkins. Yet I only spotted two games which piqued my jones:

Mississippi vs. Mississippi State = Here are two pretty good and well-matched in-state conference rivals. What the hell else would you want?

Gonzaga vs. St. Mary's = You want some more? Well, here's some more! You all have likely heard of Gonzaga, and they are still ranked, as they have been most (if not all) of the season . . . for years now. But their overall record is 19-4, and they are 7-1 in the West Coast Conference. St. Mary's? The are 21-3, and 8-1 in the WCC. Think this ain't a big game?

As always, enjoy.

[BryanB]

A win is a win. Go Duke :D

[The Poet]

A win is a win. Go Duke :D

And you know precisely where you can go, don't you? That way. :td :r

Sorry that I again had too much work to update yesterday, but I'll start working on it now and be back to youse guys ASAP.

[The Poet]

OK, here we go with updates on the action that wiggled my noodle.

On Thursday 2/11:

California 93 - Washington 81 = Alright, so not so much a national wiggle here, but it does keep the Golden Bears atop the Pac-10 . . . for what that's worth.

Gonzaga 80 - St. Mary's 61 = The 'Zags laid a pretty good spanking on the Gaels up in Spokane.

Michigan 71 - Minnesota 63 = And the Wolverines have started to play a little bit better. They still stink, but they no longer totally suck.

Mississippi State 71 - Mississippi 63 = The win keeps MS in their division hunt.

St. John's 74 - Louisville 55 = "Back when" this score would not shock anybody, but in today's world this is pretty hard to believe. Hey, I know the Cardinals fairly reek, but I didn't think they were that bad.

Butler 68 - Youngstown State 57 = And why this one? Well, on the surface it may look just like another W for this ranked team. But look deeper and note that YS is only 2-12 in the Horizon Conference, and 8-16 overall, and then that 11-point bulge does not look as nice as it first appears.

On Friday 2/12:

Niagara 87 - Siena 74 = Maybe it's a good thing I had no chance to update yesterday, as I'd have given Niagara that same no chance. They are a so-so .500 mid-major team, whereas Siena should maybe have come into this game as a ranked opponent. But that's why they play the games. Not only did this end Siena's 15-game winning streak, it also gave them their first MAAC loss.

Pennsylvania 79 - Cornell 64 = And here we have some more of the same. Penn is 4-15 overall, and Cornell 20-4, so who'd have picked them to be 15 points better than the Red?

Pittsburgh 98 - West Virginia 95 (3 OT) = Wow. OK, Pitt is better than both Niagara and Penn, but WVA should have been better than Pitt also. Plus, 3 OTs? I repeat . . . wow.

Today's action is already underway, and I'll be back soon with some scores. Until then, here's a quick rundown of some of the matchups:

U. Conn vs. Cincinnati = Both teams are in need of a win for a bit of respect, and Calhoun is back. So far it's a pretty good game, and we'll see if it stays that way.

Michigan State vs. Penn State = And this one, shockingly, is a one-point game well into the second stanza. Stay tuned.

Duke vs. Maryland = It's in Cameron, so I'd expect the Blue Devils to hold onto their ACC lead.

Vanderbilt vs. LSU = On paper, it's no contest. Yet the Commodores have failed to show up on occasion, so who knows?

Baylor vs. Missouri = And this one should be a war from start to finish.

Wisconsin vs. Indiana = And this one should not be.

Villanova vs. Providence = 'Nova has a decided edge, yet it may be tighter than they'd prefer.

UNC vs. N.C. State = OK, so nobody but me and Jerry (Col. Kurtz) cares about this one, but it is a battle to stay out of the cellar. And it is in Chapel Hill, so the Heels won't have a long busride, win or lose.

Texas vs. Nebraska = I foresee the 'Horns getting off their recent snide today. If they don't, somebody should shoot them.

UNLV vs. San Diego State = And I foresee this one being one close fight.

Temple vs. Rhode Island = Here too. The Owls get all the press, but RI's got a decent team too.

Purdue vs. Iowa = Speaking of decent teams, there is one in this game too. :D

Florida vs. Xavier = You want you some good non-conference action today? Well, here you go.

Memphis vs. Tulsa = If the Tigers want any shot at retaining their CUSA crown by keeping in reach of not only Tulsa but UTEP and UAB also, they need this win badly. Let's see if they get it, as it won't be easy.

Virginia vs. Virginia Tech = The Cavs not only want to prove they are for real, they also want revenge on the Hokies. May be a lotta fun here.

Kansas vs. Iowa State = But don't expect much fun here . . . unless you're a complete Jayhawk homer.

Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech = The Jackets have the ranking, but the Deacs have the better record. The gloves will be off.

Marquette vs. South Florida = And here's your two good teams nobody talks about.

Kentucky vs. Tennessee = And here's your two good teams nobody shuts up about. It's in Rupp, so I wouldn't bet on the Wildcats getting their 2nd loss . . . today.

As for tomorrow, Sunday's game include:

Syracuse vs. Louisville = The Orange will likely take it with some ease, but Pitino may still have a trick or three for Boeheim.

Ohio State vs. Illinois = The Illini have been playing much better, so give them a chance against the Buckeyes. I don't expect is, but it could happen.

Georgetown vs. Rutgers = And give the Scarlet Knights no chance in hell against the Hoyas.

Boston College vs. Florida State = OK, at last, here we have a game that's pretty evenly matched.

USC vs. UCLA = Hey, and here's another . . . if it really matters.

I'll be back with some early scores. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

With 4 minutes left in the game, Cincy has scored only 49 total points. However, U. Conn's only scored 35. Jeez.

[Col. Kurtz]

...
UNC vs. N.C. State = OK, so nobody but me and Jerry (Col. Kurtz) cares about this one, but it is a battle to stay out of the cellar. And it is in Chapel Hill, so the Heels won't have a long busride, win or lose.
....

May the not-so-worse team not lose :tu

But who knows? This should be a low scoring turnover fest :tu

[The Poet]

With 1:14 left, the Spartans have a 10-point edge over Penn State.

They should be ashamed of themselves.

[The Poet]

This should be a low scoring turnover fest :tu

What makes you think so? You think maybe Roy's bringing back the Four Corners? :r

[The Poet]

Final: Michigan State 65 - Penn State 54 = I don't care that it was at State College, this is NOT an impressive win.

Dook kicking the Terps shelled butts all over Durham at the half.

[The Poet]

Cincinnati 60 - U. Conn 48 = Look at it this way: Although there wasn't a lot of scoring, the game was offensive in one way at least.

[The Poet]

Clemson 74 - Miami 66. Duke starts off 2nd half just building on their lead. Oh, and late in the first, LSU has a 5-point edge over Vandy . . hey, I told you they don't always know when to show up!

[The Poet]

Dook 1 1/2 from beating Terps by 20+. Vandy shows up for 2nd half ant takes lead from LSU. Baylor/Missou tight in the 2nd, and 'Nova took only a 5-point bulge over Friars into lockerroom at the break.

[The Poet]

Duke 77 - Maryland 56 = No surprise, thought I felt it should be closer. Also, #18 Butler (22-4) is ahead of Cleveland State (13-12) at the half . . . by a whole bucket, 29-27.

[The Poet]

Vandy/LSU and 'Nova/Providence both tied at the moment, late & early 2nd half respt.

[The Poet]

And for those who care, Badgers kicking Hoosier heinie as badly as Dook kicked Terps.

[The Poet]

Vandy and 'Nova both up 3 late, and Baylor/Missou tied with 48 ticks left. Three real battles here.

[The Poet]

Vanderbilt 77 - LSU 69 = But don't be fooled, it was closer than that.

Baylor 64 - Missouri 62 = But don't be fooled, it was closer than THAT!

'Nova up 7 over Friars, but there's time left. There's a little time left in Wisconsin/Indiana too, but Badgers up 30 so there's not enough . . . or still too much, for the embarrased Hoosiers.

[The Poet]

Wisconsin 83 - Indiana 55 = But don't be fooled, it wasn't even that close.

Oklahoma State 97 - Oklahoma 76 = A whuppin' for the Sooners.

Butler 70 - Cleveland State 59 = Still too damn close, but I guess they'll take it.

And Villanova's finally got a double-digit lead, with 3+ minutes to go.

[The Poet]

With under a minute, 'Nova up 14. Oh, and Heels score the first bucket in Chapel Hill . . . time to go Four Corners!

[Col. Kurtz]

With under a minute, 'Nova up 14. Oh, and Heels score the first bucket in Chapel Hill . . . time to go Four Corners!


:r

[The Poet]

Villanova 92 - Providence 81. And if anybody cares, American/Colgate going into 2nd OT.

I'm gonna leave you with it now, as nothing else of note is likely to end before I split. So until Monday, enjoy.

[The Poet]

:r

:ss

[BryanB]

Well the ACC is pretty much wrapped up. Once the tourny starts I'll have to keep my mouth shut.

Hopefully the Heels will make the NIT. :D

[The Poet]

Well the ACC is pretty much wrapped up. Once the tourny starts I'll have to keep my mouth shut.

Hopefully the Heels will make the NIT. :D

Bite me, ya nit! :r

I have a trector trailer out in front of the shop at the moment, holding a pallet or three of crap for me. I won't be able to update today, but I'll be back tomorrow - if we don't get a second blizzard. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

"Trector trailer"? Didn't he play for the Wolverines a few years back? :r

OK. let's turn up the pressure and play a little catch-up here, hitting some highlights from the past few days. In the balance of the action Saturday 2/13:

Memphis 93 - Tulsa 86 = This win by the Tigers, coupled with the loss to Marshall by UAB, has put them into 2nd in the CUSA by 1/2-game, and only 1 1/2 behind UTEP. Further, both Memphis and UTEP have to play UAB and Tulsa again before the season ends, so this could get real interesting.

Mississippi State 85 - Auburn 75 (OT) = This one twigged my button for several reasons. Imprimis, MS is atop their SEC division, and should not have needed an extra 5 minutes against this "meh" Auburn squad. Secundus, I have a Tar Heel's rooting interest in seeing Jeff Lebo's team do as well as possible, so I'm glad they forced the OT, even though they didn't get the W. And tertius, I found it notable that the 10-point margin happened because these particular Tigers scored only 1 stinkin' point the that extra 5 minutes.

Xavier 76 - Florida 64 = And this piqued me because here are two teams that have yet to figure out if they are good or bad, so nobody knows what the hell's gonna happen with even one on the court, much less both.

Bradley 68 - Northern Iowa 59 = And thank sweet Hayzeus, not only did this victory put the Braves over .500, in conference and overall, but it finally knocked these previously-ranked Panthers out of the Top 25. Hey, I got nuttin' against them presonally, but let's get real . . . if you look at their schedule, they beat a few decent teams, a few so-so teams, and a bunch of who-the-fark-cares. And speaking of that:

UNC 74 - N.C. State 61 = Well, what do you know? The Tar Heels do still know how to win a game, every now and then. And best of all, now Jerry doesn't have to smoke any of the dog-rockets I'd have sent him had State won. :ss

On Sunday 2/14, which was some sort of holiday or other:

Louisville 66 - Syracuse 60 = OK, seems like I said something about mebbe Pitino having a trick or three for Boeheim, yet I really didn't expect this. The Orange has played fairly consistent good ball, while the Cardinals have been like a bipolar woman going through The Change. But if you think that was an upset, what did you think of:

Rutgers 71 - Georgetown 68 = Hey, I can't see any excuse the Hoyas have for this loss to the absolutely crappy Scarlet Knights, even if the game was in Piscataway (and no, that is NOT a pet-training technique). Yet it did happen nonetheless, and coupled with wins by Seton Hall over DePaul and St. John's over Notre Dame it made for the best college hoops day the NYC Metro area's had in many a year.

On Monday 2/15, some other holiday or something:

Maryland 85 - Virginia 66 = The Terps respond to their whuppin' by Dook by whuppin' up on the Cavs. As for Virginia, they will have a bit of a struggle making it into the basement of the ACC this late in the season, but their 3 Ls inna row is a good start.

Kansas 59 - Texas A&M 54 = Bill Self Him Self called this game a "muddy, ugly" offensive effort on the part of his Jayhawks, so who am I to argue with the coach? And at the risk of having you Rock Chalkheads argue with me, I've got to say it . . . KU dodged a BU-llet here.

U. Conn 84 - Villanova 75 = Wow, what a weekend for the Big Mouth Conference. First the Huskies get upset by Cincinnati, then the Orange fall to Loo'ville, plus the Hoyas drop one to Rutgers, and then UC bounces right back to best 'Nova? What, did Vegas decide it needed to recoup some Superbowl action it lost?

There are a few noteworthy games tonight, plus one that really isn't:

Wake Forest vs. Virginia Tech = Neither team is likely to catch Dook for the regular season lead, but both are likely to have some success come tournament time.

Michigan State vs. Indiana = And one of these teams is also, while the other is the Poseurs . . . uh, Hoosiers.

Cincinnati vs. South Florida = Sort of like that Xavier/Florida game above, you can never tell who's gonna be on the court. Could be a lot of fun.

Baylor vs. Texas Tech = And this has the po' for a good matchup also.

Kentucky vs. Mississippi State = And this one does too, believe it or not. Yeah, the smart money will be on UK, but this won't be a walkover here.

UNC vs. Georgia Tech = But this might. It may be too late for the Heels to salvage anything much from this season, especially with half their frontcourt out now. Yet they have to play out the games anyway, so what the hell . . . might as well win. :tu

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Sean Sutton, former head coach of Oklahoma State and son of Eddie Sutton (former head coach of Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, and his alma-mater the aforementioned OSU), has pleaded not guilty to four felony drug counts following his arrest last week.

I do not know what daddy Eddie pleaded after his drunk-driving crash back in 2006. :D

[The Poet]

Dana Kirk, former head coach of Memphis State University, has died at the age of 74. He coached that school, now knows as the University of Memphis, for seven years and ammassed a respectable 158-58 record during that tenure. What is less respectable, and what he is best known for, is that his team's 1985 Final Four appearance was later voided by the NCAA for violations, and for his spending four months in a Federal prison in Montgomery AL for tax evasion.

[Col. Kurtz]

....

UNC 74 - N.C. State 61 = Well, what do you know? The Tar Heels do still know how to win a game, every now and then. And best of all, now Jerry doesn't have to smoke any of the dog-rockets I'd have sent him had State won. :ss

.....




Cremosas would be sublime, if they were the fruit of a Wolfpack butt-whoopin'. :tu

Enjoyed the wager, friend.

[The Poet]

Cremosas would be sublime, if they were the fruit of a Wolfpack butt-whoopin'. :tu

Enjoyed the wager, friend.

Cremosas, never. Consuegras, maybe. :r And we both would have enjoyed it more had our boys been fighting for the ACC lead, not the cellar. Well, wait 'til next year.

So let's see if I get this in in a hurry here, now that I've finally finished all my work. Last night:

Kentucky 81 - Mississippi State 75 (OT) = I pretty much said that this could be a lot closer than one would think, but as any Wildcat fan can tell you, I don't know squat about hoops. And as they will certainly tell you, they had this one in total control from the get-go. Props to the team from Starkville for their effort, and shame on those fans of theirs who threw crap onto the court at the buzzer. Sorry, there's no place for that garbage.

Michigan 80 - Iowa 78 (OT) = Well, neither one of these two teams are going much of anywhere, barring some miracle, but they at least put on one hell of a show.

Virginia Tech 87 - Wake Forest 83 = And both these teams have the chance to make a little noise come March (albeit not a full-blown racket), so they too gave you some thrills.

As none of the other games were either shocks nor of much significance, let's move on to tonight's schedule:

Purdue vs. Ohio State = Two pretty good teams, and should be a real battle.

Duke vs. Miami = Not so much here, but you never know . . . Dook sometimes comes out cold from outside, and they ain't got no inside to speak of.

Virginia vs. Florida State = A fairly even matchup, though I'd give the Semi-holes an edge in positive momentum.

Notre Dame vs. Louisville = And despite the recent bad loss by one and good win by the other, these match up closely also.

Tulsa vs. Marshall = I've talked earlier about other teams in contention for the CUSA, and Marshall is not totally out of it either, being 5th with their 6-4 record, whereas Tulsa is 3rd at 8-3. There's plenty of reason for both teams to show up for this one, and if both do it will be a war.

Seton Hall vs. St. John's = Well, these may be the also-rans of the Big East, but they too are well-matched, and both are coming off nice wins.

Texas vs. Missouri = And although the Longhorns have gotten much more press, both these teams are 6-4 in the Big 12 race, so here's another with a lotta juice.

Rhode Island vs. St. Louis = Another of my good mid-majors contests, and both teams can play some pretty decent ball . . . at that level, anyway.


Well, there it is, quick and dirty. Enjoy.

[BryanB]

Duke vs. Miami = Not so much here, but you never know . . . Dook sometimes comes out cold from outside, and they ain't got no inside to speak of.

Our inside game isn't bad. We're picking it up. :D

[The Poet]

So what happened last night, you ask? Lemme tell you:

Purdue 60 - Ohio State 57 = What did I tell you? Two pretty good teams, and a real battle.

Duke 81 - Miami 74 = And what else did I tell you? Dook came out icy, hitting only 31% in the first half, and found themselves in a 12-point hole. If not for their D, and 22 'Cane turnovers, this would have been a loss for the Devils.

Florida State 69 - Virginia 50 = And what else? The Cavs are heading in the wrong direction, losing 6 of their last 8 games. I doesn't get any easier for them as they wind up the regular season . . . what with Clemson, Miami, Dook, BC, and Maryland left, they may get one of these.

Louisville 91 - Notre Dame 89 (2OT) = And did I not say these two matched up closely. Hell, if they matched any closer they might still be playing!

Marshall 64 - Tulsa 58 = And did I not tell you that the Thundering Herd was not completely out of CUSA contention? Well, to be honest, they have no shot of leapfrogging all 4 teams above them, yet they have tightened up the race for second place.

Missouri 82 - Texas 77 = And did I not say that the Longhorns had the press, but Missou would bring them game? After winning their first 17 games and reaching No. 1 for the first time in school history, the 'Horns continue to get hooked, now going 3 & 6 in their last 9.

Kansas State 91 - Nebraska 87 = And while we're talking about the over-ranked Big 12, what about this one? The boys from that other Manhattan reached their highest ranking at #7 since 1962, then promptly tried their damndest to drop one to the worst team in the conference. Sheesh.

As for tonight's action, we have several notable contests:

Syracuse vs. Georgetown = Both teams are coming off conference upsets. I predict one of them will bounce back tonight, while the other will continue to slide.

Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi = If the Commodores can take both this game and their next one, they will give Kentucky a serious challenge for the SEC East. However, Vandy plays like that other Southern Ivy team at times (i.e., Dook), plus Ole Miss is not half-bad themselves, plus that next game is in Rupp Arena, so it won't be a cakewalk.

South Alabama vs. Western Kentucky = OK, I don't care much, and you likely don't care at all, but this is an important game in the Sun Belt East between two fairly even squads.

Pittsburgh vs. Marquette = And neither of these teams are likely to get in the way of 'Cuse and 'Nova in the Big Mouth conference, but it does promise to be a good fight.

Wisconsin vs. Minnesota = The Badgers are better than the Golden Gophers, yet with these two you can never tell. Hell, this could be one of those 43-36 games!

California vs. Oregon State = Cal has the slimmest edge in the Pac-10 over Arizona State and USC, so need this one to maintain it . . . as if it really matters. :D

OK, there you have the highlights. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Our inside game isn't bad. We're picking it up. :D

And that's their problem, Bryan . . . they'e picking it up, off the floor, instead of taking it off the glass! :r

[BryanB]

And that's their problem, Bryan . . . they'e picking it up, off the floor, instead of taking it off the glass! :r

Yea Yea :fu2 Coming from a UNC fan

[The Poet]

Yea Yea :fu2 Coming from a UNC fan

Hey, it is what it is, bro. :ss

(For you others out there, you will never understand the love/hate relationship between the 4 NC ACC teams, and especially Dook/UNC, so don't even try.)

[BryanB]

Hey, it is what it is, bro. :ss

(For you others out there, you will never understand the love/hate relationship between the 4 NC ACC teams, and especially Dook/UNC, so don't even try.)

This is true. Kickin' em when their down is the best part. :r

[Col. Kurtz]

Yeah, well. We still own 1983.

:fu

[The Poet]

Yeah, well. We still own 1983.

:fu

And Derek Wittenberg still claims that was a pass to LoRilla, not a shot. :r

Update to follow.

[The Poet]

There were a few good notable games last night, and half of them upsets:

Syracuse 75 - Georgetown 71 = Before tipoff, one could pick this one either way. By halftime, one would have said The Orange in a walkover. But then they went totally dead from the field and blew all but one point of what was once a 23-point bulge, and the Hoyas even had a shot to take a late lead . . . which they clunked.

Pittsburgh 58 - Marquette 51 = This is just about what I expected here, with Pitt taking a close one over a pretty good, and largely overlooked, Golden Eagles squad.

Vanderbilt 82 - Mississippi 78 = And this too is pretty much what you'd think too, with the Commodores juuuuust slightly better than Ole Miss.

Minnesota 68 - Wisconsin 52 = But not this one. Hey, the Badgers have not been great this year, but they have been better than their fellow Northern brothers. OK, so maybe you picked the Gophers, but not by deep double-digits I betcha.

Oregon State 80 - California 64 = And here the Pac-10 gets repacked again. The Bears could have grabbed the conference race by the throat, but they let the so-so Beavers spank them, and thus opened the door for the Sun Devils to steal the crown. Yes, those two WILL go head-to-head soon.

Loyola Marymount 74 - Gonzaga 66 = Now, this one isn't just an upset, it's a total stunner. LM's victory moved them up to .500 with a 13-13 record (and that's a SOFT 13 wins they have too), while it dropped the ranked 'Zags to 21-4 (which, to be honest, is a fairly soft 21 Ws for them too, as their schedule has NOT been a killer). And, much like that upset of the Hoyas by Rutgers last weekend, I don't care that the game was in LA and not Spokane . . . there's no excuse for Gonzaga to drop this particular popfly.

As with most Friday nights, there is light action this evening. Unlike most Friday nights, there are a few key games to be played:

Cornell vs. Harvard = The Big Red is 7-1 in the Ivy, and the Crimson is 6-2. Along with Princeton at 6-1, who should stomp Yale tonight in Jadwin, here is you Brainiac Conference race right here.

ODU vs. Northern Iowa = And here is a key non-conference game late in the season between two 20+ win schools, though perhaps more for ODU than NI. The latter seems to be the class of the Missouri Valley, and what's that worth? Well, an automatic bid, that's what! But if ODU can't take the Colonial, they will need every "quality" win they can get in order to score an at-large. Much the same can be said for . . .

William & Mary vs. Iona = . . . with the exception being that here BOTH teams (both with 19 wins) need that quality W to help their at-large hopes. This being given, both these games should be a total war.

As has become my usual, I shall only mention now those Saturday games which tip off early tomorrow:

Siena vs. Butler = If you enjoy good old-timey basketball between two damn decent programs, both of whom do a superior job year-after-year WITHOUT the benefit of NBA-bound talent, then this is the game for you to catch.

Florida vs. Mississippi = Neither of these teams are great, but both are capable of playing a good game, so it should be competitive.

UNC vs. Boston College = And this one should be competitive also . . . both teams pretty much suck. Yet it may have some bigger significance, since if the Tar Heels expect to have the slightest chance of getting a shot to defend their national championship they will need a few more wins to receive even a sympathy at-large bid. Here is one of their best opportunities left to get one.

A more complete weekend forecast will follow tomorrow. Until then, enjoy.

[Col. Kurtz]

And Derek Wittenberg still claims that was a pass to LoRilla, not a shot. :r

Update to follow.


It worked. :tu

Sorry for the thread-jack. Maybe we need an ACC hoops '09-'10 thread :D

[The Poet]

It worked. :tu

Sorry for the thread-jack. Maybe we need an ACC hoops '09-'10 thread :D

Yes indeed, Jerry . . . it did work. And nobody's stopping any other conference fans from jumping in, so if they don't like it, screw 'em. :ss

[Col. Kurtz]

Yes indeed, Jerry . . . it did work. And nobody's stopping any other conference fans from jumping in, so if they don't like it, screw 'em. :ss

And for the record, I think it was a lousy shot that got helped along; not a pass. That's how the Cardiac Pack rolled back then.

[The Poet]

And for the record, I think it was a lousy shot that got helped along; not a pass. That's how the Cardiac Pack rolled back then.

There were a string of weird games back then. The year before there was Fred Brown's pass to James Worthy, then two years after the Cardiac Kids was 'Nova's near-perfect game against the Hoyas. There was three of the NCAA's most memorable ten championship games, all within four years.

[The Poet]

First, let's get last night's action out of the way:

Cornell 79 - Harvard 70 // Princeton 82 - Yale 58 = I put these two together because they belong there. The Big Red holds a slim 1/2-game lead over the Tigers for the Ivy, with Princeton having the game-in-hand, and they will go head-to-head next week. Meanwhile, the Crimson's hopes for reaching the Tourney for the first time since Naismith was a pup took a fatal hit.

Iona 69 - William & Mary 53 // Northern Iowa 71 - ODU 62 = And I put these two together because the losers most likely also lost their at-large hopes here . . . but hey, we won't know that for sure until Selection Sunday.

As is always the case, there are a slew of games today. And as is the case this time of year, many of them have little significance save for their fans, as they have no meaningful impact, win or lose, or they are likely blowouts by one of those teams involved. So I won't talk about games such as Wake/NC State, Stanford/Oregon State, or Kansas/Colorado. Of those games I feel DO have some juice, we have later today:

Baylor vs. Oklahoma State = Two pretty good teams, and a key game for the "also-rans" in the Big 12.

Texas vs. Texas Tech = What I just said, with the added spark that Rick Barnes really needs to get his boys' horns out of their hindquarters if he expects them to make much noise come March.

Xavier vs. Charlotte = As neither of these two are likely to jump over both Richmond and Temple in the A-10, here's the first of several more key "at-large" matchups.

Georgia Tech vs. Maryland = These two teams don't need any more victories for their at-large, but the Terps still have some hope that Dook will stumble and let them steal the ACC.

Fairfield vs. Vermont = Although Vermont will likely take their conference, Fairfield needs this one for a shot at their bid.

Purdue vs. Illinois = The casual fan may overlook this one, but take note: Purdue is ranked #4 in the nation, but at 10-3 are #2 in the Big 10 behind the Spartans. The unranked Illini are #4 just below the Buckeyes, yet at 9-4 still do have a prayer. This one should be fun.

UTEP vs. Tulsa = UTEP wants this one to grab the CUSA by the throat. Tulsa NEEDS this one to stay alive. Should be fun also.

Akron vs. VCU = Here's another of those key "at-large" games, for VCU anyway.

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt = This is the marquee matchup of the day, and it's not an easy one to call, believe it or not. UK has only lost once all year, but they have pulled a number of wins out of the fire at the end. They are talented, but undisciplined at times. Vandy is disciplined, yet they sometimes don't show up to play. The Wildcats could blow the Commodores off the court, but Vandy could also edge them in a tight contest. Should be interesting.

Wichita State vs. Utah State = The last of those key "at-large" games of the day, for the boys from Wichita anyway. It's in Logan, so it won't be easy, but I think they will take it.

The schedule for Sunday is quite a bit slimmer, but it is nearly as heavy in big games:

Villanova vs. Pittsburgh = You'd have to give 'Nova the edge here, but the Panthers are totally capable of beating anyone on any given Sunday. Plus, 'Nova has proved they can lay the occasional rotten egg themselves. Don't put this down in ink already.

Ohio State vs. Michigan State = The Spartans have been more consistently good, but the Buckeyes have seemed to put their struggles behind them. I see a tight one.

Wisconsin vs. Northwestern = The Badgers are coming off a terrible loss to Minnesota, and want to recoup. Northwestern has fallen off the map after their over-hyped start, but still have a pretty good squad. Here's another tight one.

Arizona vs. Arizona State = And there's more than desert bragging rights at stake here, for the Sun Devils anyway. They want to remain in the hunt with California for the Pac-10, and Sendek will have them focused. Devils by 10.

Duke vs. Virginia Tech = This might be Devils by 10 also, though as I've noted before, they do struggle when their outside shots won't fall. Give them the advantage, but give the Hokies a boxer's chance to put a kink in Dook's plans for the ACC regular season crown. Of course, as any true ACC fan knows, that don't mean squat . . . it's the ACC Tournament, the gran'daddy of them all, that really matters.

I'll be back shortly with some scores. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Final: Butler 70 - Siena 53 = Not surprised Butler takes it, but the blowout is a bit of a shock. Speaking of blowouts, at present both St. John's and West Virginia are blowing out South Florida and Seton Hall, respt. Temple/St. Joe's, Fla/Ole Miss and UNC/BC all too tight to call, with plenty of time left in all these games.

[The Poet]

Florida and Temple finally get some working margin, but it's still too early to call. South Florida making a move on the Johnnies, and UNC/BC still trying to figure out who sucks least.

[The Poet]

BC up 8 with just under 8 left, and Gators holding slim 3 over Ole Miss with 6+ to go.

[The Poet]

Whoa. Temple only up 2 over a crappy St. Joe's team, with 4 1/2 left. That's Philly ball for you!

[The Poet]

Whoa. Temple only up 2 over a crappy St. Joe's team, with 4 1/2 left. That's Philly ball for you!

Now it's tied @ 50 with 2 to play.

Heels and Ole Miss both need a trey to tie it up, with 3+ to go.

[The Poet]

Whoa # 2 = Seton Hall only 4 behind WVA with 3+ left.

[The Poet]

Boston College 71 - UNC 67 = And the hits just keep on coming.

Florida/Ole Miss a 1-point game with the clock running out, and Temple/St. Joe's going into OT.

[The Poet]

St. John's 74 - South Florida 58. WVA 75 - Seton Hall 63. Florida 64 - Mississippi 61. Well, one of them was an exciting game.

Temple trying to take charge in OT, and about damn time. And Oak State all over Baylor early - it was 22-11 last time I checked.

[The Poet]

Temple 75 - St. Joseph's 67 (OT) = Props to the Hawks for scaring the Owls.

Baylor has cut into Cowboys' lead. Other games too early to note any trends yet.

[The Poet]

Right off the bat in the 2nd half, Baylor has at last managed to catch Oak State. Texas looking to take double-digit lead into the break over Texas Tech, and N.C.State/Xavier looking to take a slimmer lead to the lockerromm against Wake/Charlotte, respt.

[The Poet]

Terps 2 points better than the Jackets at the break, and early second half Gamecocks holding tough against Volunteers.

[The Poet]

A few real wars going on now: Tenn/S.Caro., Baylor/Ok.St, L'ville/DePaul, and M'land/Ga.Tech all razor-close. NCSU holding on to working lead over Wake, as is Texas over TTech.

[The Poet]

Tennessee 63 - South Carolina 55 = It took a while for the Vols to get their hands on the 'Cocks, but they finally found it.

Oak State trying to hold off Baylor with a few ticks left, and the Wolfpack up double-digits on the Deacs.

[The Poet]

Oklahoma State 82 - Baylor 75.

[The Poet]

Louisville 68 - DePaul 59. NCSU 11 seconds from upseting Wake, Ga. Tech 9/10ths from edging M'land, and Battle of Texas down to one possession with a minute left.

[The Poet]

Wow. Maryland 76 - Georgia Tech 74 = I haven't found a recap yet, but that means somebody had to have hit a three at the buzzer. Wow.

Wow. N.C. State 68 - Wake Forest 54 = It's a shock that this crappy (no offense, Jerry) Wolfpack team won at all, but this qualifies as a spanking to boot. Wow.

Texas 71 - Texas Tech 67 = No wow here for any reason. It's an OK win for the Longhorns, but proves little regarding their recent problems.

[Mr.Erskine]

I think that this year's tournament is going to be a good one. Even the top teams have real chinks in their armor.

[The Poet]

I think that this year's tournament is going to be a good one. Even the top teams have real chinks in their armor.

Yeah, I don't see any really dominant team out there myself. Even leaving out the darkhorses, I could give you a dozen or more schools that could make the Final Four.

[The Poet]

Late early and last update: Kansas kicking Colorado's butts, and no surprise there. Illinois hanging tough with Purdue, and no surprise there either.

See you Monday, fellas. Enjoy.

[BryanB]

Boston College 71 - UNC 67 = And the hits just keep on coming.

That is a tough one. :D

sorry couldn't resist.

[Col. Kurtz]

...
Wow. N.C. State 68 - Wake Forest 54 = It's a shock that this crappy (no offense, Jerry) Wolfpack team won at all, but this qualifies as a spanking to boot. Wow.

....

None taken. This is why we still watch the games.

BTW, NC State is a .25% favorite to win the ACC tourney!

Just .75% worse than UNC :D

[BryanB]

None taken. This is why we still watch the games.

BTW, NC State is a .25% favorite to win the ACC tourney!

Just .75% worse than UNC :D

I'd put a few bucks on State. Long shot but the ACC has not been the ACC this year.

[ripper]

My oldest daughter Theresa has worked on U of Washington football & basketball stats crew since 1999. She and the UW crew also do stats for the Rose Bowl game - and they worked the BCS championship game in January at the Rose Bowl.
Here is Theresa at UW-UCLA basketball game Saturday evening with the ESPN GameDay crew in the background.
Mrs Ripper and I were there, too. Huskies are schizo squad - they can beat anyone in the country and can lose to a high school jayvee team.

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/qq302/bartripp/UW-UCLA1.jpg

[The Poet]

. . . the ACC has not been the ACC this year.

Like it or not, guys, but without the Heels in it, it simply cannot be. :D

Thanks for the photo of your daughter, Ripper. Best of luck to her, and the team too . . . they need it. And don't feel lonely about that schizo squad of yours: This year, you are far from alone there, as teams from Alabama-Birmingham to the 'Zags have been the same.

Weekend update to follow shortly.

[The Poet]

First off, to finish something from Saturday, yes indeed, Cliff Tucker hit a trey for Maryland at the buzzer to steal a W from the 'reck. We have seen this stuff before, but rarely from a backup guard who never takes the shot. Good for him . . . he now has at least one thing to tell his grandchildren.

Alright already, let's get to the balance of the meaningful action this weekend. For the rest of Saturday we saw:

Kansas 94 - Colorado 74 = Sorry, I said "meaningful" didn't I, and this has damn little. It's a good enough win for the Jayhawks, I reckon, but totally expected, and unlikely to affect their NCAA seeding one dang bit, one way or the other.

Mississippi State 60 - LSU 59 = Speaking of schizo teams, Ripper, what about these Bulldogs? They are tied atop the SEC West with the Razorbacks, yet eek out this game against the Tigers . . . who remain perfect in conference play, at 0-12.

Memphis 76 - SMU 63 = The meaningful thing here is that these Tigers are still in the hunt for the CUSA, just one back of UTEP. The meaningless thing here was Coach Doherty going postal on the Memphis fans behind the visitor's bench. My take? STFU, Matt.

Penn State 55 - Michigan 51 = Now here's a real shock to me. For a while there I thought the Logans were getting their act together, but I was obviously wrong. Or maybe the Nuttin'ly Lions are finally getting theirs instead. Hey, after losing 12 inna row, this gives them a two-game winning streak, against Northwestern and now UM . . . both on the road. ON THE ROAD!!

New Mexico 59 - Air Force 56 = Well, at least this ranked team edged out a win against this lousy Falcons team. How lousy? Well, they are now 1-11 in the Mountain West, and 9-16 overall. Yet somehow the AP voters seemed to think this squeeker warranted moving the Lobos UP in the rankings. Hey, not if I had a vote, you betcha!

California 64 - Oregon 49 = Coupled with that Battle of the Desert, coming up below, this keeps a few people interested in the Pac-10 anyway.

Brown 57 - Princeton 54 = And had the Tigers mauled the Bears, as I expected, this would have done much the same for the Ivy . . . i.e., kept the race interesting for another conference that won't do squat come March. But now Cornell has their fate totally in their own hands.

Kentucky 58 - Vanderbilt 56 = I put this last since, as usual, the Wildcats completely outclassed and dominated their hapless opponent from the tip-off to the final horn, and the issue was never in doubt. Why, it's men against boys, each and every time they take the court.


On Sunday, we had the following:

Arizona State 73 - Arizona 69 = A tight and well-fought battle, with the Sun Devils keeping that one lone one-half step behind Cal for the Pac-10, and one step ahead of the Trojans. If nothing else, the next few games will be meaningful, if not notable.

Marquette 79 - Cincinnati 76 - Another tight one, between two more of those bi-polar programs.

Duke 67 - Virginia Tech 55 = I thought this one might be a bit closer, and had the game not been held in that ramshackled stinky old tobacco barn in Durham, it may have been so. But it's awfully hard for a visiting team to concentrate with all those fruitbats and poultry flying about. :tf

Ohio State 74 - Michigan State 67 = And another tough fight between a pair of teams with Final Four aspirations.

Pittsburgh 70 - Villanova 65 = Pretty much the same as above, save that I'd have thought 'Nova could best the Panthers . . . and likely would, 3 outta 5.

Wisconsin 70 - Northwestern 63 = Hey, am I correct in thinking Northwestern was actually in the rankings earlier this year? Or was I dreaming that? Nah . . . I must have been dreaming, or drunk.

Tonight has very little going on at all, but there are two games for you to watch:

West Virginia vs. U. Conn = The Mountaineers are not as good as they want you to believe, and the Huskies are not as bad as they have played too often this season. Could be fairly close.

Kansas vs. Oklahoma = This one's in the House of Phog, so I wouldn't expect an upset. Truth be told, I wouldn't expect any sort of contest at all.

Though that's some mighty slim pickin's, I urge you, as always, enjoy.

[Resipsa]

upcoming 'Nova-'Cuse game shaping up to be molto importante

[The Poet]

upcoming 'Nova-'Cuse game shaping up to be molto importante

Hey, ya think? :r For those of you not paying attention, the Orange (12-2) and the Wildcats (11-3) are fighting for the Big East regular season crown, and will bang heads Saturday night in the Dome. With both teams suffering some bad losses of late, I'm not certain either will receive a #1 NCAA seed, and with so many other teams in the hunt for the two spots remaining (assuming Kentucky and Kansas don't falter too badly), I'm not certain either one will deserve it. But it's overrated anyway, and boots you nothing but bragging rights past that first weekend. And speaking of the race for the Big East crown:

U. Conn 73 - West Virginia 62 = The Huskies don't have a shot at it, and the Mountaineers may have shot themselves out of it also with this loss. They both will need a good finish, plus a good run in MSG come tourney time, to have any hope of better than a 3 or 4-seed.

Kansas 81 - Oklahoma 68 = Just another day at the office for the Jayhawks, and that's about all you can say about it.


Tonight there are several games of some note, for various reasons:

Georgetown vs. Louisville = And speaking even more Big Mouth Conference, what about this one? The Hoyas are ranked, and have been all season, but did you realize the up-and-down Cardinals are actually ahead of them in conference play, 9-5 to 8-6? Plus, the game's in Freedom Hall. If Pitino wins, I won't consider it an upset, no matter what the "experts" say.

Virginia vs. Miami = It seems impossible now for the Cavaliars to claim their righful spot in the ACC basement, but the Hurricanes still have a good chance - if UNC and NCSU give them an opening.

Illinois vs. Michigan = After beating two ranked teams above them in the Big Ten standings, the Illini have now lost to the other two. I expect them to turn their slide around against the Logans, and solidify an at-large shortly.

Seton Hall vs. Rutgers = The Battle of New Jersey at The Rock tonight won't do the Scarlet Knights much practical good, but the Pirates could get a bid if they can add a few more wins to their 15-10 record.

Syracuse vs. Providence = Although the Friars, on a given night, are capable of beating the Orange, I wouldn't bet on it. Since they beat U. Conn back on Jan. 27th, they have lost 6 inna row. Make that 7, after tonight.

Kansas State vs. Texas Tech = The money will likely be on K-State, but take Tech and the points. :D Not only is the game in Lubbock, but in my eyes there's only one team for real in Kansas, and those guys ain't it.

Tennessee vs. Florida = And here's another matchup between one team with all the press and one just as capable, on a given night. Tennessee has stayed within the ranked all year, but both the Vols and the Gators are 8-4 in the SEC East, just one back of Vandy for second place. None of them are going to catch Kentucky, but it does add a bit of juice.

Enjoy, my brothers.

[The Poet]

A story popped up briefly last week, one that was baffling and confused, and which seemed both contradictory and incomplete. I considered reporting it then, but decided to wait a few days to see if any additional clarification would come forth - which to date has not. So in the interest of full disclosure, I will give you what little "they" gave me:

For a few hours last Thursday it looked like Ed Davis, a sophomore forward for UNC-CH, had signed with PTA Sports Management, a Chicago-based sports agency. Davis' photo and stats appeared on their website. However, Vincent Porter, the agency's head, quickly made it understood that this was not the case, and that his company had had absolutely no contact with Ed Davis, and that he was not even certain that Davis would be declaring for the draft, given both his underclass status and his recent hand injury which has cost him and the Tar Heels the balance of his season. Porter stated that he believes some outside party hacked into his website, since the information was not only false but because said information looked to have been a cut-and-paste job from a UNC media guide. Porter did admit that, though he hadn't had contact with Davis, he had talked to his family, principally his father Terry Davis, a former college player (Virginia Union) and NBA journeyman who played in 480 pro games between 1989 and 2001 (for Miami, Dallas, and Washington). According to the NCAA, there is no rule against an agent contacting the family of a college prospect, as long as no tangible benefits accrue to that family (travel, hotel, other compensations, whatever), and Porter and Terry Davis both stated that they violated no such regulations, just as both assured Ed Davis himself had not had contact, and certainly had made no signing agreement with this agency, either oral or written.

LIke I said, the story is puzzling, and may be a whole lotta nuttin'. If that is the case, then it is understandable that there seems to be no further word on it, and it should rightly go away. However, if there is even the slightest bit of validity to the briefly-alleged signing, then the University has only one option: Ed Davis must immediately be dismissed from the team, and his scholarship should be revoked. Shoot, the Heels have enough problems this season . . . they don't need this crap to boot, and will not tolerate it.

If anyone knows any more on this story, please enlighten us. Thank you.

[The Poet]

Here's the scores that caught my eye last night:

Florida 75 - Tennessee 62 = Like I said above, on any given night the Gators can beat most anyone. And come to think on it, the Volunteers have not been much of anything of late. Since they upset Kansas and edged an over-ranked Ole Miss team 'way back in January, they really haven't beaten anyone of note, and lost to several who are.

Illinois 51 - Michigan 44 = This win was expected. The score was not. Hey, maybe if it's a Wisconsin/Minnesota game, I'd buy it . . . but for these two Big Ten programs to score 95 points between them? Sheesh. Compare that to:

Syracuse 99 - Providence 85 = And like I said above, again, the Friars are capable of winning, but don't. Hell, they held a 55-47 lead early in the 2nd frame. Then the Orange went on a 26-2 run, and it was lights out in the Carrier Dome.

Seton Hall 76 - Rutgers 70 = No, it is NOT because these are two NJ teams that I take note of this score. Crap, I don't give a fark about either of these schools. But the win does get the Pirates one step closer to a possible at-large bid, and they haven't danced in a while.

Kansas State 83 - Texas Tech 64 = OK, so maybe K-State can cover the points. And maybe they are a little more for real than I give them credit. Yet sorry . . . I'm still not buying that there's any team in the B-12 but the Jayhawks.

Evansville 55 - Northern Iowa 54 = What possible reason could I have for tossing this turkey into the stew? Well, you may recall that, back on 2/13 when these Panthers lost to a .500 Bradley squad, I marginally rejoiced that this would finally get this so-so team out of the national rankings. Seems I was wrong . . . again . . . since they did manage to hold onto it by the skin of their fangs. However, now that they have lost again, and this time to a completely crappy team, I hold out hope once more that I'll not have to hear any hype about them until they lose out in the first weekend of March Madness. And as for Evansville, the win improves their record to 8-20, and that's Aces with me.


There are a fair number of meaningful games tonight, such as:

Ohio State vs. Penn State = OK, so maybe this ain't one of them, as it should not be a contest after the first 5 minutes. If the 2-game winning streak of the Nuttin'ly Lions does not end tonight, then the Buckeyes' bus had a flat on the way to State College.

Temple vs. Dayton = Remember all those games above, with one school getting all the hype, while the other is easily capable of beating them? Well, here we go again.

Florida State vs. UNC = This game is important for the Seminoles because they want to end the ACC season with a record better than .500, to assure an at-large bid. As for the Tar Heels, they just want to end the ACC season.

Virginia Tech vs. Boston College = Ibid.

Pittsburgh vs. Notre Dame = At this point the Panthers are likely a 3 or 4 seed come March, with dreams of making a push for a 2. As for the Irish, they hope for a push just to get in. Could be a real war.

Marquette vs. St. John's = The Golden Eagles have likely already secured an at-large, especially considering their wins over Xavier, Michigan, Georgetown, U. Conn, and Cincinnati, but it's better safe than sorry. As for the Johnnies, with their 15-11 overall and 5-9 conference standing, they need all the help they can get, so they'd better show up tonight.

Xavier vs. Saint Louis = What is this, a Catholic Athletic League game? No, it's just one more of those "hyped/not hyped" contests that could go either way. Should be a real crusade.

Purdue vs. Minnesota = The Boilermakers seem to think they already have a # 1 seed in the bag for the NCAAs, but they need to get past this one, then Michigan State, before they skate by the Hosers and the Nuttin'lys to end their regular season.

Villanova vs. South Florida = And the Wildcats have dreams of sneaking into that # 1 slot themselves, but they'd better not be looking ahead to that Orange matchup this weekend. The Bulls ain't great, but they ain't pushovers either, and that's no bull.

Texas vs. Oklahoma State = To tell you the God's honest truth, I don't have a clue about this game. Both teams have played like world-beaters, and both have played like garbage. This could be a war, and could be a blowout . . . for either team. Guess we'll see.

Texas A&M vs. Baylor = See above . . . not only re the 'Horns and Cowboys, but re that comment about there being only one truly real team in this conference.

Clemson vs. Maryland = And here's much the same story, in the ACC this time. Either team could take this one, though it's not easy to beat the Terps in College Park.

BYU vs. San Diego State = I'm gonna go out on a limb and pick the Aztecs in this one, even though the game's in Provo. They are not going to catch New Mexico in the Mountain West, but they can overtake the Cougars . . . if they start tonight.

But regardless who win . . . enjoy.

[The Poet]

Some pretty interesting games, and scores, from last night:

Baylor 70 - Texas A&M 66 = This isn't one of them, as it's about what you'd expect from this "flip a coin" matchup.

Ohio State 75 - Penn State 67 = And this isn't much more interesting, and that only because the Buckeyes really should have won by double-digits.

Temple 49 - Dayton 41 = And neither is this one, save for the fact that neither team could spit into the ocean without getting their chins wet. Combined they shot a woeful 32 of 110 from the field, for a abysmal 29%.

BYU 82 - San Diego State 68 = And this one's only of note because I picked the Aztecs. However, just like their namesakes, they were not around.

Boston College 80 - Virginia Tech 60 = OK, now we're talking! The Hokies have been a fairly decent and consistent team in the ACC, while BC has been . . . well, a team in the ACC. For the Eagles to win this, even in Chestnut Hill, is notable. For them to win by 20 is a shock.

Houston 92 - Memphis 75 = And here's another one for you. Memphis was still in the hunt for the CUSA, whereas Houston . . . well, this ain't your daddy's Cougars, Guy Lewis is long gone from the game, and Phi Slamma Jamma is no longer in de house. This double-digit loss stings the Tigers, bad, and Houston beats them for the first time in a dozen straight tries.

LSU 65 - Arkansas 54 = And these Tigers' strive for perfection ends. LSU stops their 12-game losing streak and are now on the move, improving to 1-12 in conference play. Hey, better late than never. As for the Razorbacks, who are fighting Miss. State for the SEC West, this one's a briar in their snouts for sure.

Notre Dame 68 - Pittsburgh 53 = The Irish have been OK at times this year, but Pitt had supposedly gotten over its early struggles and finally found itself. Well, hell . . . look what they found last night!

Purdue 59 - Minnesota 58 = OK, I know the Gophers are not a bad team. I know the game was in the Twin Cities. I know the Boilermakers lost a key figure, Hummel (get it?), to a knee injury in the first stanza. And I know a win's a win. But hell, this is a team that thinks it rates an # 1 seed in the NCAAs! So, where were they? As for the Gophers, this is their 3rd 1-point loss this season. That's gotta hurt.

Maryland 88 - Clemson 79 = The Terps have been playing decent ball all season, and so far Gary Williams hasn't exploded. And shoot, they even have a shot of stealing the ACC regular season from Dook! Here's one of those teams nobody's paying much attention to who can make some noise come March . . . if Gary doesn't wig out, again.

Xavier 73 - Saint Louis 71 = This one was precisely the Holy War I expected it to be. See, even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then . . . but which am I, the ham or the nut?

UTEP 59 - Southern Mississippi 56 = The Miners pretty much have the CUSA sewn up already, while the Golden Eagles are merely "meh". So how does one explain this scare for UTEP? Hey, $#!+ happens.

Marquette 63 - St. John's 61 (OT) = Well, the Johnnies did show up for this key game, and missed it by thaaaaat much. Now they'll need one heck of a run in the Big East tourney to get themselves a bid.

Texas 69 - Oklahoma State 59 = I guess this is a good-enough win for the Longhorns, and may indicate that they are putting their mid-season swoon behind them. I still don't see them doing much come March, past that first weekend anyway, and Oak State may not even make it that far. But hey, you never know . . . that's why they play 'em.

Villanova 76 - South Florida 49 = OK, this win by itself has no significance, but it does keep 'Nova in the hunt for the Big East crown. What with them one game back of the Orange, that contest in the Carrier Dome Saturday is not big . . . it's HUGE!

VCU 76 - James Madison 62 = And what's so big about this one? Well, every March you hear about these mid-major bubble teams who do not get a bid. Consider if you will these Rams. VCU is 4th in the Colonial Athletic Conference, which ain't exactly one of the marquee leagues, with their 11-6 record, yet they are 20-7 overall. Furthermore, they have wins this season over Oklahoma, Nevada, Rhode Island, Richmond, and Akron, and there's some decent teams in that group. But today there RPI is listed at 63rd. That's tough.


There are a good number of key games tonight, but they are key only in races for the smaller conferences. For instances, we have Wofford/Charleston, Campbell/Jacksonville, and LA Lafayette/North Texas: all may have significance when it comes to who dances and who sits come March. But for the Big Boys, we have these this evening:

Duke vs. Tulsa = The Blue Devils take a break from ACC action, but if they want to steal a # 1 seed they had better not take a total break. Tulsa has a pretty good team. Yet this one's in Durham, and Dook's 15-0 in Cameron this season. Don't chalk it down, but pencil it in.

Vanderbilt vs. Georgia = Vandy's had a few bad losses, and the Bulldogs have had a few good wins. I'd expect the Commodores to win, but ya never know with these two.

Kentucky vs. South Carolina = The Gamecocks gave the Wildcats their first loss of the season, and their last one . . . so far. Do not expect it to happen again tonight in Lexington.

Wisconsin vs. Indiana = You may have noticed a bunch of games lately with scores more seemly of football than hoops. This may be another, since Wisconsin is glacial in more ways than one, and the Posers are . . . well, crap.

California vs. Arizona = The Bears host this .500 team from the desert while holding a slim 1/2-game lead for the Pac-10 over the other one, who visit sub.-500 Stanford not too far away from Berkeley. If these northern bruins (as opposed to those Southland ones in LA) and the Sun Devils both win . . . or lose, come to think of it . . . their head-to-head Saturday could be for all the marbles.

So there you go. As always, enjoy.

[BryanB]

There are a good number of key games tonight, but they are key only in races for the smaller conferences. For instances, we have Wofford/Charleston, Campbell/Jacksonville, and LA Lafayette/North Texas: all may have significance when it comes to who dances and who sits come March.

Go Campbell. I hope they make it. See not just a Duke fan. ;)

[The Poet]

Go Campbell. I hope they make it. See not just a Duke fan. ;)

Ah, hump the Camels. :ss

[BryanB]

Ah, hump the Camels. :ss

They could hang with UNC. :D

[Col. Kurtz]

They could hang with UNC. :D

or State :td

[The Poet]

They could hang with UNC. :D

And your point being? :r

[BryanB]

And your point being? :r

Well, ummmmmm, I got nothing. Not really a good point.

[The Poet]

Well, ummmmmm, I got nothing. Not really a good point.

Is that you, Bryan? Or is that Larry Drew posting?

[The Poet]

So what happened last night, you ask? Well, here's a few examples:

California 95 - Arizona 71 // Arizona State 68 - Stanford 60 = If you've been paying attention, you know not only why these two scores are together but also why they are first on this list. With the Golden Bears just 1/2-game ahead of the Sun Devils in the Pac-10, and with them meeting head-to-head tomorrow, and with the fact that most "experts" seem to feel only one team from the Left Coast will make it into the Big Dance . . . well, add that all up and you know why this was huge, for both schools.

Gonzaga 88 - Santa Clara 51 = And while we're on the Left Coast, what about this? OK, the game itself didn't mean jack, but it does mean the 'Zags clinch at least a tie for their 10th consecutive WCC title. All props to Mark Few and his program, but let's be honest here for a second . . . it takes two to tango, and nobody else in that conference ever seems to want to dance with the 'Zags.

Duke 70 - Tulsa 52 = This one comes 3rd on my list due to the Blue Devils' . . . slim? . . . hopes of stealing a # 1 seed a few weeks from now. It could happen, but they will probably need some help from other schools, in other conferences, for that to happen.

Vanderbilt 96 - Georgia 94 (OT) = Like I said in my preview of this game, you can never tell which of these two teams will show up . . . the good one or the stinker. I'd guess the good Bulldogs showed up in Nashville, and the Commodores were partying down in Printers Alley instead. But a win's a win, just as a stripper is a stripper.

Kentucky 82 - South Carolina 61 = Did you really think the Gamecocks would skin the 'Cats twice? Not in their house, no way.

Wisconsin 78 - Indiana 46 = Nothing to see here . . . move along. But you loyal Hoosier fans can take some consolation in the fact that your team is moving in the right direction anyway. They scored 22 points in the first half. In the second, they scored 24.

Jacksonville 65 - Campbell 52 = Like I said, "Hump the Camels". :D


It's Friday night tonight, in case you didn't know. That means there's pretty much just a little bit of nothing on tap. Well, the Butler/Valpo game means something to Butler, since with a win they can finish a perfect season in the Horizon. And the Iona/Fairfield matchup is a battle for second in the MAAC, but as Siena already has it in hand, do you really care yourselves? Didn't think so. And even that Princeton/Cornell game has a bit of juice, since it is still mathematically possible for the Tigers to take the Ivy, being only 1 1/2 back with games to play. However, had they not dropped that stinker to Brown last week, the game would be much juicier. So let me jump ahead to the bigger games with an early tip-off time on Saturday:

Pittsburgh vs. St. John's = Big game for the Panthers, as they try to improve their seeding in the NCAAs. Bigger game for the Redmen, as they try to swipe a bid for themselves late. I'd expect both teams to be focused, at the least.

Georgetown vs. Notre Dame = Same conference as above, same story as above.

Ohio State vs. Michigan = Different conference, halfway a different story. I can't even see the Wolverines getting a NIT ticket . . . unless it's just in hopes of a big gate with a game or two in Ann Arbor.

Georgia Tech vs. Boston College = Another different conference, yet another similar story. Some think the Wreck won't even get a bid (I do, but what do I know?), and most know that BC won't either, since they cannot run the table in the ACC Tourney.

Kentucky vs. Tennessee = We all pretty much know what UK is by now. We all are still pretty clueless as to what the Vols are . . . and so are they. This might be the Wildcats last real regular season test, and it is in Knoxville. But I'd not advise you to put any money on it.

We'll know more about it tomorrow. Until then, enjoy.

[Resipsa]

In some weird scheduling twist, there seems to be only one game tomorrow.......................................... ...........-(P-(P:r

[The Poet]

In some weird scheduling twist, there seems to be only one game tomorrow.......................................... ...........-(P-(P:r

You are absolutely right, there's only one game . . . in the Carrier Dome.


Enjoy it while you can, since you KNOW they're gonna choke come Tourney time. :r

[The Poet]

Action's already begun in the games mentioned above, but before I update them let's get this other crap outta the way. I saw only two scores to note in last night's:

Cornell 50 - Princeton 47 = OK, it is still mathematically possible for the Tigers to steal the Ivy from Big Red, but it ain't gonna happen. Cornell closes out its season with several cupcakes, and the won't give Princeton that big an opening, so pencil them into you bracket today.

Butler 74 - Valpariaso 47 = The game itself meant nothing, but for this supposedly Top 25 team to beat a .500 squad by only a coupla buckets . . . well, it does not bode well for their chances in the Dance.

As is normal, there's tons of games this Saturday. And as is also normal this late in the season, most of them don't mean squat, as both teams are merely playing out the string. Further, a number of them are only meaningful for one of the two teams involved, since the outcome will effect either their seeding or their shot at even receiving a bid at all. So a lot of the contests below are of this nature, such as:

Baylor vs Oklahoma = The Bears are in, but where? The Sooners are out.

Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas = Same story for the Comms and Hogs.

Texas vs. Texas A&M = Now we're talking, and more than bragging rights. Both are in, but this one will go a loooong way towards determining where.

Mississippi vs. Alabama = 'Bama's out for sure, but Ole Miss is solidly on the bubble. They need this one bad.

Wake Forest vs. UNC = It's "Wait 'til LAST year" for the Heels, and the Deacs SHOULD be in . . . but hey, you never know. As much as I'd like my Heels to win, Wake needs it more.

West Virginia vs. Cincinnati = If the Mountaineers want a 2-seed, they need this. If Cincy wants to dance, they need this. Could be fun.

Arizona State vs. California = And here's another conference up for grabs, aside from Vic's game coming up below. It's in Berkeley, but that's the only edge I'd give the Bears. As for the Sun Devils . . . I've said it before, and will repeat it here: Herb Sendek is the most underrated coach in America, no doubt about it. Is it because he's such a quiet little nebbish? Is it because he runs a system instead of depending upon superior athletics to win? Beats me, just as he beats more people than he probably should. Know this: He'll have his team ready to play.

Kansas vs. Oklahoma State = Oak State may be on the bubble, being a hair above .500 in the Big 12. KU's on nobody's bubble, but need to finish the way they started to secure their 1-seed.

New Mexico vs. BYU = And here's your Mountain West regular season right here.

Minnesota vs. Illinois = The Illini should not be on the bubble, particularly since they've played better lately. But again, who knows? The Gophers need to go for every W they can to get off the bubble. Should also be fun.

Maryland vs. Virginia Tech = I wouldn't have either of these guys on my bubble, but the ACC's not gotten much respect this season, so again . . . who knows. That especially goes for the Terps, who are likely the most underrated TEAM in the nation at this time. More to follow on that, below.

VCU vs. ODU = Old Dominion is in, or should be. But the Rams are tied for 4th in the Colonial Athletic, and will that mid-major get 4 bids? Big game for them, for sure.

Florida vs. Georgia = The Gators should not be on anybody's bubble list, but they need to finish strong before it's a layup. And Georgia has shown it is capable of beating anybody, given the shot. The Bulldogs aren't dancing next month, but they could spoil someone else's fun.

Mississippi State vs. South Carolina = And it's pretty much the same story here, and in the same conference to boot. The 'Cocks will be holding their own alone next month, but they can put a kink in THESE Bulldogs' chain.

Kansas State vs. Missouri = Both teams are in, and K-State likely a 2-seed . . . unless they blow it late. Here's a good chance for them to do so.

Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State = I don't know how many bids the Missouri Valley will get . . . two? Three maybe? They don't deserve four, IMHO. These two, along with Wichita State, have the best shots. But quiz me this one: How does Northern Iowa, at 14-3 in the MVC, deserve a Top 25 ranking, whereas the Maryland Terrepins, 10-3 in the ACC, get no stinkin' love at all? And no, I am most decidedly NOT a Maryland fan, and actually have hated them ever since the old Lefthander stole Tom McMillen from Dean 'way back in 1970! But hey, what's right is right . . . right, Mr. Congressman?

Oh yeah, I also understand they will be playing some game or other up in the Carrier Dome tonight too. :D Right, Vic?

Sunday's games have a few more of the same old slop too:

Marquette vs. Seton Hall = The Pirates are stuck on a reef, but Marquette can grab a slot with a few more Ws. Here's one chance.

Richmond vs. Xavier = The Spiders are good. The Musketeers are hit-and-miss. I would have no problem with both getting a decent seeding . . . 5 thru 7, let's say . . . but they don't count my vote.

Louisville vs. U. Conn = Both these squads will finish above .500 in the Big East, so I guess you can't put them on the bubble. But neither one is all that great, so don't expect them to get more than one check out of it.

Michigan State vs. Purdue = The Boilermakers have their visors set on a 1-seed. The Spartans would like to convince people they deserve nothing worse that a 3. Should be interesting.

Florida State vs. Clemson = The Seminoles are not on my bubble, but again, I don't get a vote. The Tigers are decidely on the backside of one, and will need some help to climb over it. Here's a place where they could help themselves.

Duke vs. Virginia = And here's the 5th or 6th team looking for a 1-seed. They cannot earn one with a win here, but they can most certainly lose one. Yet I don't expect that to happen . . . here.


I'll check on the scores and come back with some results. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Two noteworthy notes: Late in the second, Notre Dame has a working lead over Georgetown . . . and Tennessee leads Kentucky by 3 or 4 possessions.

[The Poet]

Final: Ohio State 66 - Michigan 55 = An OK win, and keeps the Buckeyes on track for a 3-seed.

Looks like the Irish are gonna beat the Hoyas, good. And Vols need to hold off UK another 3 1/2 minutes to give them their 2nd loss.

[The Poet]

Notre Dame 78 - Georgetown 64 = A shock to me, and in DC to boot!

Vols still up 2 possessions, but time enough left to blow it.

[The Poet]

Georgia Tech 73 - Boston College 68 = Will this get Tech off the bubble? Maybe not by itself.

Vols up a bucket with just over a minute left.

[The Poet]

Vols up 5 with 38 ticks.

[The Poet]

Up 7 with 24 ticks.

[The Poet]

Up 9 with 13 ticks. Oh, my!

[The Poet]

3 ticks.

[The Poet]

Tennessee 74 - Kentucky 65 = Well, John Calipari said before the game that the SEC championship meant nothing, so I guess his boys were listening. Does this cost them the 1-seed? Not in itself, but it does open the door a crack.

Vandy all over Arkansas early, and Oklahoma giving Baylor all they can handle, so far.

[The Poet]

Pittsburgh 71 - St. John's 64 = OK, so what if it was in MSG? It's still not a very impressive win for the Panthers.

[The Poet]

I checked the box score on that Kentucky loss: They shot .350 from the field, and only .09 from outside the arc, hitting but 2 of 22. There's your game.

[The Poet]

Texas down 8 at the break to A&M, and Cincy up 6 over WVA.

[The Poet]

Vandy all over the Hogs. A&M 10 better than Horns, and getting a little late. Sooners still giving Bears all they want, and Bearcats giving WVA a bit more than that. Oh, and my Heels hanging with Deacs . . . so far.

[The Poet]

Wichita State 76 - Southern Illinois 55 = This helps their at-large chance some.

Alabama is giving Ole Miss a tussle, which won't help the Rebels chance at all. And speaking of such, Heels now up 10 over Wake.

[The Poet]

Baylor 70 - Oklahoma 63 = It was a struggle, but they do what they need to do, sort of. Not very impressive, however.

Vanderbilt 89 - Arkansas 72 = Like the Commodores did here.

[The Poet]

West Virginia gets up by one over Cincy, but still about 8 left. Ariz. St./Cal a tight one at the half. Heels still haven't blown it, but there's 5 left, so there's time for that too.

[The Poet]

Longhorns down 10 with 6 left. 'Bama up 2 with 2 1/2 to go. Heels up 9, 4 minutes.

[The Poet]

UAB 76 - Tulane 55 = Here's one of your "at-large" . . . but not because of this one.

[The Poet]

Mississippi 76 - Alabama 73 = Yes, it was in Tuscaloosa, but it should not have been this hard.

Heels STILL haven't blown it, and they only have 1 1/2 left to do so.

[Resipsa]

Oh yeah, I also understand they will be playing some game or other up in the Carrier Dome tonight too. :D Right, Vic?

even bigger with the Kentucky loss Thomas:banger

Kentucky may be out of the running for a #1 seed depending on what happens at the Dome. If the 'Cuse win they should be a lock for a #1,

[The Poet]

Texas A&M 74 - Texas 58 = That's quite a spanking. Now maybe you're starting to understand why I had little faith in the Longhorns earlier in this thread.

West Virginia 74 - Cincinnati 68 = Pretty much the fight I expected, and puts a hole in Cincy's hopes for a bid. Speaking of that:

UNC 77 - Wake Forest 68 = What was that? What did you say? Though the Heels tried to give it away, missing too many dang free throws in an ugly finish, the Deacs could not capitalize. This hurts them, and only helps UNC by keeping them with a winning record . . . for now.

I'm worn out. I'll talk to you Monday. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

even bigger with the Kentucky loss Thomas:banger

Kentucky may be out of the running for a #1 seed depending on what happens at the Dome. If the 'Cuse win they should be a lock for a #1,

As I said above, my brother, I don't think the loss takes a #1 from UK . . . yet. It does open the door a bit for someone else, but it has to be one of the right someones, and the Wildcats may need another L too.

Besides, worry about beating YOUR Wildcats, not what happened to these ones. If you don't, it's all moot anyway. :ss

[gettysburgfreak]

LETS GO SYRACUSE! Big game tonight from The Dome on ESPN

[Resipsa]

Well...that was just a good old fashioned ass whooping.....

[The Poet]

Well...that was just a good old fashioned ass whooping.....

Yeah, pretty much so. More to follow ASAP.

[BryanB]

Well...that was just a good old fashioned ass whooping.....

I think Cuse will be my NCAA Tourney pick. They look awesome. :sad

[The Poet]

Well, my friends, if nothing else, it was an interesting weekend. Aside from all the upsets already mentioned (Irish over Hoyas, Vols over 'Cats, Heels over Deacs) there were others, big and small, as well as some other notable items - such as:

Syracuse 95 - Villanova = I'll put this first for several reasons. Imprimis, it's already been brought up prevoiusly, by Vic and the 'Freak. Secundus, if I don't, they'll both be p!$$ed at me, and I have p!$$ed off enough others in this thread already. And tertius, the win, coupled with some losses, has put the Orange #1 in the polls for the first time in 20 years, and may have just won them a #1-seed come Selection Sunday . . . if they don't blow it before then. As for 'Nova, their dreams of stealing a #1 quickly became a hope not to drop to a #3.

Oklahoma State 85 - Kansas 77 = And here's 1/2 the reason for that, with the Tennnessee win being the other 1/2. For those of you who did not believe before that this year's tourney might be up for grabs, well, you have some more evidence for that possibility now.

Kansas State 63 - Missouri 53 = A good win for K-State, and one some people think will get them a #1-seed. It won't, unless Duke gives it to them first, for at this point the field is set . . . UK, KU, 'Cuse, Dook, not necessarily in that order.

New Mexico 83 - BYU 81 = One dang good game, which might get the Lobos a 3-seed. Of course, as in all cases, that is dependent upon them not spitting the bit first.

Minnesota 62 - Illinois = Did this get the Gophers a bid. Not necessarily. Did it cost the Illini one? Again, not necessarily. But it does complicate things for the Committee, I'd imagine.

Nebraska 83 - Texas Tech 79 (OT) = And does this get the Huskers in? No way in hell. However, it may keep Tech out, since their decline from the ranked to the rank hit bottom with this loss to a team that totally sucks.

Marshall 121 - UCF 115 (3OT) = Wow. Talk about your good team struggling with one that sucks! The Herd may be in, seeing as how they are a solid 4th in the fairly solid CUSA, but they didn't need this to improve their shot, even though they did get the W . . . finally.

Cornell 68 - Pennsylvania 48 = I told you this was coming. OK, the fat lady hasn't sung yet, but Big Red has a 2-game lead in the IVY with 2 to play . . . at both Brown and Yale, both of whom have identical 5-7 and 11-18 records. Cornell will be the first team in the nation officially in the Dance.

California 62 - Arizona State 46 = The Bears now have the Pac-10 within grasp, as they have clinched at least a tie for the regular season for the first time since Pete Newell led them there 50 years ago. As for the Sun Devils . . . well, I said above that Sendek would have them ready for the game, and he did, for the first half. But they stayed in the lockerroom after the break, and only scored 16 points in the 2nd. Sheesh.

Maryland 104 - Virginia Tech 100 (2OT) = The Hokies did not make it easy on the Terps, and I expected no less of them. But, wow. Terps finally beat them back, and guess what? They get ranked for it too! They are #22 in the AP. In the RPI, they are #25, with only about ten teams above them who are worse.

N.C. State 71 - Miami 66 = Here are two who are worse, but they are NOT above Maryland in the RPI. What they are after this game is 4-10 in the ACC, and in a 3-way tie with my Tar Heels for the cellar. But hey, I'm sure Jeff enjoyed it.

And all this was just on Saturday! The fun did not stop come Sunday:

Michigan State 53 - Purdue 44 = Did this win the Spartans a 3-seed? Maybe, if they don't stumble too badly. Did it cost the Boilermakers a 1-seed? Likely, unless Duke and K-State give it back. One thing for certain . . . that was one of the ugliest, most poorly-played games I have ever seen. If that game was any true judge, NEITHER team deserves ANY bid, AT ALL!

Duke 67 - Virginia 49 = The score was about what one might expect. What one could not expect was all the other crap that went down prior to this game, which made it so big when it comes to the Devils' possible seeding.

Louisville 78 - U. Conn 76 = Does this take the Cardinals off the bubble? Could be. Does it put the Huskies on it? Should be.

Clemson 53 - Florida State 50 = Another ugly game, and an ugly dilemma for the Selection Committee. Lessee . . . Dook and the Terps are gimmes, but there are 4 ACC teams tied with 8-6 conference records now. Who's a bubble squad, and who's not? Guess we'll find out.

Marquette 84 - Seton Hall 83 (OT) = You noticing a trend here? There was a lot of extra innings played, as there were a lot of teams on one side or the other of that dastardly bubble, and nobody wanted to throw in the towel. I think the Eagles are flying. I think the Pirates are sunk.

Xavier 78 - Richmond 76 (2OT) = See what I mean? Now, in a just world, both these are at-large locks. Yet who ever said the world was just?

Penn State 79 - Northwestern 60 = Penn State sucks, and has sucked all year. Northwestern was ranked for a time, believe it or not. I didn't then, and nobody does now. PSU would have to win the Big Ten tourney to make it to the Dance, and that ain't gonna happen. Northwestern will now also, since their present 7-10 conference record won't cut it . . . or shouldn't, anyway.


There are only a couple of games to note this evening:

Oklahoma vs. Texas = In the past six weeks, ever since they got that meaningless coveted #1 ranking, the 'Horns have lost 7 games and have fallen out of the ranked altogether. They will be dancing, but not in the front rows, so the balance of their games only changes their first partners. As for the Sooners . . . well, the sooner the season ends, the better.

Georgetown vs. West Virginia = The Hoyas lost some ground, and a lot of luster, with their recent losses to South Florida, Rutgers, and Notre Dame. They can go a long way to gaining some back, and improving their seeding to a solid #4, by taking the Mountaineers in Morgantown tonight.

AR Pine Bluff vs. Jackson State = OK, I can hear you now . . . "WTF?" Well, I agree, but the NCAA Selection Committee does not. See, they seem to think not only that the wanna-bes deserve at least one bid, but that the never-weres and never-will-bes do too. Jackson State leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference (sounds impressive, doesn't it?) with a 14-1 league mark . . . and a 16-11 overall record. AR Pine Bluff is chasing them for the coveted crown with their 13-2 conference record . . . and their 13-14 overall. So between them, they have won a total of 2 games out of conference. Yeah, they deserve to be invited to the Dance.


With that in mind, enjoy.

[Resipsa]

Syracuse 95 - Villanova = I'll put this first for several reasons. Imprimis, it's already been brought up prevoiusly, by Vic and the 'Freak. Secundus, if I don't, they'll both be p!$$ed at me, and I have p!$$ed off enough others in this thread already. And tertius, the win, coupled with some losses, has put the Orange #1 in the polls for the first time in 20 years, and may have just won them a #1-seed come Selection Sunday . . . if they don't blow it before then. As for 'Nova, their dreams of stealing a #1 quickly became a hope not to drop to a #3.

Don't sound so excited Thomas, but trust me I wouldn't get pissed. :r

Hey,number 1 is nice and all, but it's all about tourney time. What I liked a lot better is watching the talking heads on ESPN mention what I mentioned WEEKS ago in this very thread, what makes the 'Cuse tough is the balance on the team. They've got 7 essentially interchangable starters, who all post almost identical numbers. Concentrate on one, they just shift to another. Not to mention the 2-3 zone that's so hard to prepare for cause nobody ever sees it.

In contrast you've got Purdue who loses ONE freakin player and manages to score 16 points in an entire half......are you freaking kidding me? SIXTEEN POINTS????

[Resipsa]

I think Cuse will be my NCAA Tourney pick. They look awesome. :sad

Buck Up!!:banger:banger

[The Poet]

Well Vic (and Bryan, for that matter), I was gonna wait on this until the pairings came out, but lemme give you a preview now:

The Orange has sufficient talent and experience to make a good run in The Dance. Plus, Boeheim certainly has plenty of tourney experience himself - albeit too much of it negative to suit most 'Cuse fans - and has also become a better coach since he's gotten older, gotten the monkey off his back, and calmed down considerably. Syracuse will not be easy to knock out, but their biggest strength is also their biggest area of concern - that vaunted 2-3 Zone. True, many teams do not see that very often, at least not for more than a few possessions at a time, but a good coach will have his players ready for it because he will know exactly what to expect. And here's also where the potential pairings come into play too. A team that has good outside shooters (Duke, Vandy, Vols, New Mexico mebbe), or has a guard who can penetrate the seams and create havoc in the lane (Spartans, 'Nova, Kentucky, Terps) can quite quickly turn that "advantage" into a distinct liability. There's where problems can start for The Orange, for if the zone is NOT working, and they fall behind, they are not nearly as comfortable playing D any other way. If they fall 'way behind, or are down several possessions with the clock running out, they may not have the ability to force the action fullcourt to force necessary turnovers, or just merely to speed their opponent out of their preferred gameplan.

Hey, I've seen it before, and if you've been around as long as I have . . . well, pity on you, but more to the point, so have you. :D

Regular update to follow.

[The Poet]

But let me get this out of the way first:

N.C. State 71 - Miami 66 = But hey, I'm sure Jeff enjoyed it.

Jeff? JEFF?? Sorry, Jerry - I was so busy trying to get all that junk in yesterday that I had a momentary brainf@rt. Again, I'm sorry, my brother . . . but if your life's been anything like mine, I'm sure you've been called worse. :ss

[The Poet]

OK, enough post-whoring on my own thread, so let's get down to it now. Last night was truly light, full moon and all:

Texas 87 - Oklahoma 76 = As has been the case in most of the Longhorn wins of late, it's a decent enough showing, but nothing to write home about. An 11-point margin over a sub-.500 team, in Austin no less, doesn't impress me much.

West Virginia 81 - Georgetown 68 - And the freefall of the Hoyas continues. I realize they've had some illness problems, but $#!+ happens all over, and there's no point in crying about it. They have now lost 4 of their last 5, and despite their Top 20 ranking their 19-9 overall and 9-8 conference record is threatening to put them on somebody's bubble-list. As for the Mountaineers, they keep rolling along, and have some potential to upset a few teams come Madness-time . . . like Vic's Orange.

And speaking of Madness-time, do you realize that it actually starts tonight? This evening we'll see action kick of in conference tournaments . . . the Big South, Ohio Valley, and Horizon to be perzack. As this group will see few, if any, at-large bids, these games will be huge. Aside from this, we also have:

Minnesota vs. Michigan = The Logans are toast. The Gophers may not be, but they'd better get a few more Ws to avoid that notorious bubble.

Syracuse vs. St. John's = I wouldn't expect The Orange to blow their #1 . . . tonight.

Villanova vs. Cincinnati = 'Nova needs to do a little work to get their 2-seed back, and the Bearcats are on the backside of that bubble. This one could be fun.

UTEP vs. Marshall = Will the CUSA get 4 bids this year? The Miners are in, regardless. But the Herd better not depend upon that 4th invite, and thus need to help their cause tonight.

Vanderbilt vs. Florida = I don't think either of these guys need to worry about that invite, but Vandy sure could use a win to regain hopes for the 3-line. Plus, the Gators would like to remove all doubt from their equation, so expect a battle here.

Georgia Tech vs. Clemson = The Tigers have a better record, but the Wreck has more quality wins. Are these two bubble teams? One bubble team? None? Dang if I know what the Committee's thinking. As these guys don't either, both need the victory.

Missouri vs. Iowa State = These Tigers should be safely in, especially if the Big 12 gets as much respect as they brag that they deserve. As for the Cyclones, they will be blowin' inna wind come mid-March.

UNC vs. Miami = Since I don't believe either of these teams can run the table in the gran'daddy of the conference tourneys, this is a battle to get out of the basement of the ACC . . . and for the defending National Champions, to remain above .500.

Baylor vs. Texas Tech = The Bears are in, and would love to earn a 4-spot. The boys from Lubbock have gone from contenders to chum.

Ohio State vs. Illinois = A lot would have to happen for the Buckeyes to get a 1-seed, but not much for them to lose a 2-slot. A lot would have to happen for the Illini to lose an at-large. The game SHOULD mean more to OSU, but will it?

Louisville vs. Marquette = These two teams could not be much closer, in every regard, and it would take a fairly significant collapse for either to miss an at-large this late in the year. But both could sleep easier tonight with that extra W. This is another with great potential for fun.

Well, there you go. I'll leave the conference tourneys until there's something to actually report, so until tomorrow - enjoy.

[gettysburgfreak]

was at the Dome tonight for SU vs. St. Johns. SU had no trouble at all with St. Johns and I thought SU didn't play anywhere near their capability and still ended up winning by 19. Their game against Louisville should be a good one.

[The Poet]

was at the Dome tonight for SU vs. St. Johns. SU had no trouble at all with St. Johns and I thought SU didn't play anywhere near their capability and still ended up winning by 19. Their game against Louisville should be a good one.

With no offense intended to the loyal Johnnies fans - if there are any left after all these post-Carnesecca years - having no trouble with the Redmen ain't saying much. :r

I've a lot of work to do, so may not get to my update today - which is a shame, for there's a lot of good $#!+ tonight, like the Battle of Kansas and the Dook/Terps showdown. Oh well - it is what it is. So if I don't see you again before tomorrow - enjoy.

[MarioF]

Getting ready to head out to the University of Maryland to watch the Terps take on Duke. It's going to be a mad house, kids have been lining up since noon to get in. Should be a great game!! GO TERPS!

[JaKaacH]

Congrats to Sherron Collins--Great Senior Night..
From SI:
This was Collins's 125th win in a Kansas uniform, which is more than any player has amassed during this program's long and storied history. Those wins include four Big 12 regular-season titles, two conference tournament championships, two Final Fours and one NCAA title. And he is not through yet.

[The Poet]

Congrats to Sherron Collins--Great Senior Night..
From SI:
This was Collins's 125th win in a Kansas uniform, which is more than any player has amassed during this program's long and storied history. Those wins include four Big 12 regular-season titles, two conference tournament championships, two Final Fours and one NCAA title. And he is not through yet.


I'll second your congrats, and agree he's not through yet. He has a decent shot at a second ring.

And on a more personal note, I hope Collins has not had to deal with some of the nonsense I heard last year regarding Tyler Hansbrough, for foregoing the NBA Draft to finish his college career. What am I talking about? Well, many of you know that bassmouthed load of crap who works for The FAN here in New York, Mike Francesa. He was amongst many "experts" who predicted Tyler would have no pro career to speak of, despite his college rep. OK, that's an opinion, and we will see. But he also dissed both Tyler and the Tar Heels for his staying for four years, saying at one point that the UNC/Duke rivalry had lost all its juice because Hansbrough had been there "what, seven years now? He's been there so long his SON is playing for Carolina!"

Over the years, I have heard people praise a player for staying in school. I have heard them say an underclassman is ready to come out, or that one is not yet ready and should stay in school. But I have never - NEVER! - heard any commentator condemn a player for staying until graduation. That's just stupid. Furthermore, how could Mike say, in one breath, that Tyler would not be a pro, then in the second say he should not still be in school? Hell, what did he expect - did he want Tyler to drop out, move back to Missouri, and open a used-car lot?

Sorry about that, but it's been eating at me for a year now. Besides, I can jack my own thread if I want to, JaKaacH. :ss

Double-dip update to follow.

[The Poet]

I'm behind by two possessions, so let's put the press on a play a little catch-up. On Tuesday 3/2:

Villanova 77 - Cincinnati 73 = This may have improved 'Nova's seeding a bit, coming off their spanking by the Orange. As for the Bearcats, it likely ended their hopes for an at-large.

Vanderbilt 64 - Florida 60 = It's the same for Vandy, though I'd still give the Gators a bid.

Marquette 69 - Louisville 48 = And this should get Marquette in, plus keep L'ville out.

UTEP 80 - Marshall 76 = Does this tough loss keep the Herd out? Well, how many bids will the CUSA get? Three, for sure, but Marshall & Tulsa are fighting for that possible 4th. Can the CUSA get 5? Not my call.

Michigan 83 - Minnesota 55 = This whuppin' won't get the Logans nowhere, but it may have put the Gophers in the hole.

Ohio State 73 - Illinois 57 = The Buckeyes are hoping to steal a #1-seed late in the game. Can they? See below.

Syracuse 85 - St. John's 66 = And the Orange hold onto theirs . . . for now.

UNC 69 - Miami 62 = OK, this game meant nothing, as neither team's going anywhere. And the fact that it gave the Heels a full step out of the basement means nothing either. And that it may keep them above, or at least AT, .500 for the season means nothing much either. And the fact that it gave the Tar Heels their 2,000th overall win, becoming the 2nd in the nation (and the third this season!) to reach that landmark . . . well, that means nothing much either, since it's just a number. But hey, it's my team, my thread, so there. :fu

There was some more interesting action Wednesday 3/3:

Kansas 82 - Kansas State 65 = Just one good ol' fashion butt-kickin' in Phog Allen. And remember I told you to "see below"? Well, here's one of the openings OSU was hoping to get. Oh, and it also put the Jayhawks at 1,998 wins overall, so I'm fairly confident in what I said above.

Maryland 79 - Duke 72 = And here's the other one. Hey, I've been telling you for weeks now that the Terps are playing some dang good ball, but does anybody ever listen to me? And Bryan, next time you decide to declare the season over . . . remember this game. :D

Kentucky 80 - Georgia 68 = Again, as often here, the game itself meant little, but it did give UK the SEC East. Funny thing though: Back before their loss Saturday to the Vols, Calipari told his guys that the SEC title meant nothing. Before THIS game, he reminded them how important it was, as it would win them the SEC East title. For all you guys out there with the same opinion of Cal I hold . . . well, you gotta love that.

Florida State 51 - Wake Forest 47 = Ugly as this game was, it may have given the Semi-Holes a slot . . . and taken one away from the slumping Deacs.

Notre Dame 58 - U. Conn 50 = No way this gets the Irish in the Dance. However, Carolina may not be the ONLY #1-seed from last season who's sitting at home this year. ;)

Tonight there's a lot of continuing conference tourney action going on, but as these are the "also-ran" conferences who are lousy dancers anyway, I'll wait until something of import happens there . . . though I will advise Bryan that his Campbell Camels have already been booted from their tourney by East Tennessee State this afternoon, since they lost that 72-64 contest. And other than that, the only game involving the big boys is Purdue/Providence. This game won't keep the Boilermakers out, nor put the Friars in, so it's only significance is giving Purdue another chance to see what they can do with Hummel in streetclothes. So I'll just leave you with this, and ask you to enjoy.

[jcruse64]

Hoping UK doesn't blow it in the SEC tourney and lose a #1 seed, though I ought to just be happy we will be going to the Dance this season, after the Billy Clyde era. Also a duke hater, so I hope they pull a #3 or 4 :D.

Also crossing my fingers for Murray State to win the OVC and get the OVC invite. They could upset someone in round 1 with this team.

Was just watching an ESPN story on Hank Gathers and LMU. Can't believe it's already been 20 years. A real shame. One of the best tournament runs ever by his teammates (though it was kind of disgusting the way CBS kept playing Gathers up during that tourney).

I love March Madness!

[Col. Kurtz]

But let me get this out of the way first:



Jeff? JEFF?? Sorry, Jerry - I was so busy trying to get all that junk in yesterday that I had a momentary brainf@rt. Again, I'm sorry, my brother . . . but if your life's been anything like mine, I'm sure you've been called worse. :ss


I judge my effectiveness by the slings and arrows.

:tu

[BryanB]

Maryland 79 - Duke 72 = And here's the other one. Hey, I've been telling you for weeks now that the Terps are playing some dang good ball, but does anybody ever listen to me? And Bryan, next time you decide to declare the season over . . . remember this game. :D


Co champs is better than no champs. The last game for each is against bottom dwellers. Maybe UVA will play their hearts out. And UNC will do what they've been doing best this year.

Campbell's not really that good. But the school is only 13 miles for home. And the last time they made it to the big dance Duke won a national title. Just some hopeful wishing.

[The Poet]

One at a time, boys, one at a time! For Joe, I'm not sure either UK or KU will blow their 1-seed this late, since they've been pretty much there all season, and because nobody else seems to want to step up and take it from them. As for Murray State, they'd better win their tourney, as I'm not sure the OVC will get - or deserve - an at-large bid. As for their upsetting someone in The Dance . . . well, it could happen, but I looked at their schedule and, their 28 wins notwithstanding, they really haven't beaten anybody all year so why should they start now? And as for Gathers and Loyola-Marymount's Cinderella/tragedy being 20 years ago already, all I'll say is I can't believe it's closing in on half-a-century since I watched Charlie Scott play for the Heels!

Now Jerry, Jeff, whatever the freak your name is, I'd stack my outrageous fortune against yours anyday my friend. :su

Finally, Bryan, lemme point out that you're doing it again. Two weeks ago you declared Dook the ACC champs. Now you're crowning them co-champs, when they still could end up below the Terps. The Greeks called it "hubris", but in this age and place we refer to it as "counting your chickens before they hatch." Once you've been around as long as I have, and seen as much weird $#!+ happen, you'll learn not to let you mouth chirp checks your @$$ can't cash. As for the Camels being your harbinger of a title? Well, considering how often Dook's crapped out in the 1st or 2nd round of late, I can't blame you for looking for all the help you can get. :r

Back soon with the update.

[The Poet]

Scores of note - to me, in any case, last night:

Pittsburgh 73 - Providence 71 = Regular readers of this space (if there are any) may recall my mention in the past of "bad wins." Here we go again. A performance like this won't get the Panthers very far, in either the Big East or NCAA Tourneys.

Michigan State 67 - Penn State 65 = And here's some more of the same, but worse. OK, so maybe the Nuttin'ly Lions have been playing a bit better the last few weeks, but still, jeez.

Richmond 60 - Dayton 56 = I don't care if the Spiders are a game back of Temple and Xavier in the A-10. I don't care if you think the A-10 should not get 3 bids. If Richmond does not receive one, considering what they've done and who they have beaten, there is no freakin' justice.

Arizona State 59 - USC 54 = And I really don't much care if the Pac-10 is down this year. If the Sun Devils don't get in too, as well as California . . . even if a third team wins the bid in their tourney . . . when a dozen teams from never-have-and-never-will conferences get an automatic, there's even less justice. Shoot, 21 wins in a bad Pac-10 is worth as much as 50 wins in some Mickey Mouse collection of crap schools with crap teams in crap conferences who's only reason for existence is getting this one-and-done check from the NCAA every year. Just :2 , but I'm right.

There is a lot of action this evening, mostly in conference tourney action (Colonial, Ohio Valley, West Coast, Southern, Missouri Valley), and some of these games are amongst groups of programs who do NOT fall under the umbrella of my rant above. But there is one game bigger than any of these others this evening, and that is:

Cornell vs. Brown = Here is Big Red's first shot to grab that first slot on The Dancecard. A win against Brown, or losses by Haa'vad and Princeton, will give them the Ivy, and the automatic.


The games tomorrow with an early tip-off time include:

Georgetown vs. Cincinnati = The Hoyas need to right their ship if they want to make more than a squeek in the NCAAs. The Bearcats need to right theirs if they want a check or two from the NIT folks. As both are struggling AND needy, this one could be pretty close.

Villanova vs. West Virginia = The winner here could win themselves a 2-seed. The loser could get themselves a 4-seed. And that works either way, my brothers. Should be a war, and if both show up it will be one.

Florida State vs. Miami = The Seminoles are tied with two other ACC teams for 3rd with a 9-6 conference mark. Since there is always a chance that some team below them will take the ACC Tourney, and get the automatic, these 3 need all the cushion they can get to earn an at-large. They should be able to handle the 'Canes, but you never know until the horn sounds.

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma = A&M is safely in, and Oklahoma's safely out. But the Aggies would LOVE to get off that 5 or 6-line and move up to a 4-seed. They'll need to do well in the Big 12 tourney, and will need some help too, in order to accomplish that, but they can start here . . . and they'd better, too.

Talk at you tomorrow. Until then . . . enjoy.

[Col. Kurtz]

....
Now Jerry, Jeff, whatever the freak your name is, I'd stack my outrageous fortune against yours anyday my friend. :su....

.


You may win, but it'd be a hell of a conversation, friend :tu

[The Poet]

You may win, but it'd be a hell of a conversation, friend :tu

:ss

[jcruse64]

Poet,

I agree; I can't remember any OVC team getting an at-large when they didn't win their tourney, though MSU got close once. The conference has had some future NBA players before, but really no firepower for even one Big Dance win. It's been 22 years since MSU beat NC State in round 1, and took KU to the wire before losing-Danny Manning's team won it all that year. I think we're due for another :banger:D:ss:ss. But, we need our coach to learn to get up out of his chair and occasionally..coach. The guys are turnover-prone (15+ tonight), and really get flustered against the 2-3 zone (coach can't or won't teach them how to attack it).

Looking forward to the SEC next week.

Will it be the Big East with the biggest crowd in the Dance this year?

[The Poet]

Poet,

I agree; I can't remember any OVC team getting an at-large when they didn't win their tourney, though MSU got close once. The conference has had some future NBA players before, but really no firepower for even one Big Dance win. It's been 22 years since MSU beat NC State in round 1, and took KU to the wire before losing-Danny Manning's team won it all that year. I think we're due for another :banger:D:ss:ss. But, we need our coach to learn to get up out of his chair and occasionally..coach. The guys are turnover-prone (15+ tonight), and really get flustered against the 2-3 zone (coach can't or won't teach them how to attack it).

Looking forward to the SEC next week.

Will it be the Big East with the biggest crowd in the Dance this year?

Joe, it's good to see some honest appraisal of a team on here, and not just blind homecrowd fandom. Props to you, brother. And the SEC tourney should be fun, since there are maybe 4 or 5 teams that can spoil Kentucky's party - not saying they WILL, but they can. As for the Big Mouth, they may again get the most teams to the Dance, and likely deserve to too. I have no problem with that, as long as they keep their freakin' chirping and hooting to a minimum . . . but knowing them, that ain't gonna happen. :D

Weekend update to follow ASAP.

[Resipsa]

Poet,

really get flustered against the 2-3 zone (coach can't or won't teach them how to attack it).


Will it be the Big East with the biggest crowd in the Dance this year?Excellent, lets match them up against the Orange, :r

[Resipsa]

I have no problem with that, as long as they keep their freakin' chirping and hooting to a minimum . . . but knowing them, that ain't gonna happen. :D

First time I ran in the Boston Marathon I wound up in the newspapers based on my finishing time. Running coach I knew asked why I was so quiet about it and when she heard my answer said
If you can do it it ain't bragging.seems appropriate here. :r:r

[jcruse64]

Thanks, Poet! OVC definitely never a major conference, but I love my Racers. Sure wish Cronin had not left. One thing about MSU; seems we've had a few coaches use the school as a stepping stone to better things in the last 25 years. 'Course, we've had some stinkers too :ss. I'm thinking the current coach may trend that way, but we'll see. More than once, I've been tempted to walk over during a game and ask if he needs a blanket and pillow :mad:.

I'm with you on the chirp/hoot. Also hope the projectiles from the crowd are kept down, too. I'll be real interested to watch Kansas in this Dance. Also, never been an Okie State fan, especially while the Suttons have been there, but I like what Travis Ford seems to be doing with them (another coach who used the OVS as a stepping stone; good on ya).

[The Poet]

First time I ran in the Boston Marathon I wound up in the newspapers based on my finishing time. Running coach I knew asked why I was so quiet about it and when she heard my answer said
If you can do it it ain't bragging.seems appropriate here. :r:r

And that's pretty much my point also, my brother. Last year the Big Mouth got 3 of the 4 #1 seeds in the tourney, and for a few weeks all we all heard was their bragging and chirping. But how many of them played in the Championship game? :r

Before I start on the balance of today's action, let's get 2 scores from last night outta the way first:

Cornell 95 - Brown 76 = Now you know at least one of the teams who'll be playing 2 weeks from now. The Big Red are the first to get their dance ticket punched . . . just like we all knew by now.

St. John's 90 - DePaul 82 (3OT) = OK, unless some miracle happens in MSG next weekend, neither of these teams will be dancing. But that doesn't mean that they still don't want to win. Three OTs from two also-rans? That's some good stuff there.


What with all the conference tournaments going on, plus with all the bubble teams trying to improve their odds, plus all the frontrunners trying to improve their seedings, I could be here all day posting all the games of import going on today. Instead, I'll limit myself to those I find most notable. However, please feel free to toss your own :2 in about your own teams too.

Tulsa vs. Memphis = Both these teams are pencilled into my bracket, but the outcome will decidedly help determine where. Both want it.

Maryland vs. Virginia = Here's 1/2 of the ACC regular season. I don't see the Terps having a problem taking this one, but if the Cavs can find a little of the magic they had back in the first part of their season . . . who knows? That's why they play them.

Oklahoma State vs. Nebraska = It's all shucks for the Huskers this year, and I don't think the Cowpokes need another W for an at-large. They may be only 8-7 in conference play, but they do have a handful of high-quality wins, including one over:

Kansas vs. Missouri = Can the Jayhawks bounce back further from that upset and follow their spanking of K-State with another win? Or will Missouri give them game? I'd expect the latter, with KU taking it late.

Richmond vs. Charlotte = The Spiders have earned a slot . . . now let's see if they get one. The 49ers have not quite done that yet . . . now let's see if they can. Should be a good one.

Marquette vs. Notre Dame = And it's pretty much the same story here, though the Irish may be in a slightly better position than is Charlotte.

Syracuse vs. Louisville = I'd expect the Orange to hold onto their #1 for another week. On the other hand, Louisville has shown up to play a time or three this season, so I'd not take it for granted.

Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina = Vandy's safely in, and are just looking to improve their seeding. But they've been a quirky team, and if the 'Cocks could beat Kentucky they are capable of beating most anybody. Might be closer than the Comms would prefer.

VCU vs. George Mason = In a just world, both these teams will receive an at-large, as they both have some good history AND both are much better than a dozen conference champs who will get automatics. But both could use this one, then will have to wait until next Sunday to see how just this world actually is.

Arizona State vs. UCLA = And speaking of justice, the Sun Devils should get an at-large also. A win over the TeddyBears may not help much, but it certainly won't hurt.

Baylor vs. Texas = Here are two pretty good teams that have both fallen upon some rough times. Both need to get a bit of balance returned before they start dancing, or either . . . or both . . . could fall on their faces.

Mississippi vs. Arkansas = And here's two who want to put that dreaded bubble on their back bumpers. Another must-win for both squads.

Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech = The Hokies should be OK, but the Wreck can use a boost, despite some god wins. Again, both are much better than a ton of one-and-dones, but that's not the way it works . . . sadly.

Tennessee vs. Mississippi State = The Vols are another team looking to earn a higher seed. MS is also a probable at-large, yet they have some "bigger" problems to distract them, what with one of their players, Sidney, being in hot water with the NCAA . . . and out 11K, I understand. We'll have to wait and see if his team is out anything else.

Duke vs. UNC = And here is the other half of the ACC regular season. It' Senior Day in Cameron, and this group of seniors will have one last chance to actually beat the Tar Heels in Durham. That's what I expect will happen . . . yet you never know when it comes to THE GAME. Bryan's already got this one chalked up, as he expects the Heels to "do what they have done all year", or some such as that. However, what the Heels have done all year is underachieve. They have the talent to take this game, and they may even find the focus needed to do so. I'd not bet on it, but I've seen it happen before . . . for both teams involved.


Now come Sunday we'll get a few conference finals in, so will get a few more teams in too. Aside from that (and many of the match-ups are TBD), we will see:

Kentucky vs. Florida = The Wildcats still have a shot of losing their #1 seed, if they drop this game to the Gators, then crap out early in the SEC tourney. Like the Dook/UNC game above, it can happen. The Gators can, on any given Sunday, beat most anybody. Again, don't bet the farm, but don't be shocked if it does occur.

Wisconsin vs. Illinois = Here are two teams neither I nor (I expect) the NCAA committee can quite figure out. I'd think they both are safely in, but pecisely where, who knows? That makes this another "must" for both.

Boston College vs. N.C. State = OK, there's absolutely nothing at all "must" about this one, but I'm certain Jerry wants to get his 'Pack out of the cellar, so I'm throwing those wild dogs of his a bone. :ss

Michigan State vs. Michigan = Aside from the rivalry involved, this means a lot to the Spartans when it comes to their seat at the table. As for the Wolverines . . . well, a few more Ws may get them a check from the NIT.

Clemson vs. Wake Forest = In my mind, neither of these teams should be on that stinkin' bubble. But I'll admit my mind may be a bit colored here. So once again, neither can depend upon the good graces of the Selection Committee, and both of them need the win. Plan on a war here.


I'll go check scores for games in progress, and be back soon. Until then - enjoy.

[The Poet]

No, Joe, thank you for joining in on the fun here.

Georgetown all over Cincy, and Texas A&M have control of Sooners. All others too tight or too early to call.

[The Poet]

Finals: Georgetown 74 - Cincinnati 47. Texas A&M 69 - Oklahoma 54 = Not much of a surprise, though it's good to see the Hoyas refind some mojo, considering all their illness problems.

At the half, Memphis over Tulsa 30-19. And so far Maryland scoring at will on UVA.

[The Poet]

Florida State 61 - Miami 60 = The SemiHoles get the win, but it should not have been this hard.

'Nova/WVA also a 1-point game with 3+ left, but that was to be expected.

[The Poet]

'Nova/WVA going into OT. I told you both wanted this one! Speaking of OT:

Indiana 88 - Northwestern 80 (OT) = 'Way back when, the Brains of the Big Ten got some respect. Were these the Hoosiers of Bobby Knight, they wouldn't have lost any with this game. But it ain't, and they do . . . if they still had some respect to lose, that is.

Terps 38-27 over Cavs at the break.

[The Poet]

Oak State all over Nebraska. What a shock.

So far, Missouri & Charlotte hold early leads over Kansas & Richmond, respt.

[The Poet]

ODU spanks Towson in Colonial tourney play, 86-66. It likely wasn't even that close.

[The Poet]

Memphis has Tulsa by 20 midway through 2nd. It ain't over yet, but since Tulsa's only scored 28 so far it probably is anyway.

[The Poet]

With 34 ticks left in OT, 'Nova/WVA are tied 66-all. Wow.

[The Poet]

West Virginia 68 - Villanova 66 (OT) = Again, wow. Mountaineers start dreaming of a 2-seed.

[The Poet]

Memphis 75 - Tulsa 53 = Good showing for the Tigers, and pitiful effort by Tulsa.

A number of close contests going on, but Kansas/Missouri ain't one of them. Jayhawks have taken total control.

[The Poet]

Maryland 74 - Virginia 68 = Terps do their part, but it was harder than they planned.

Missouri gets to within 6 of Kansas, and Louisville up 7 over Syracuse. There's time left for anything to happen.

[The Poet]

Kansas 77 - Missouri 56 = Just a warm-up for the tourneys.

South Carolina 77 - Vanderbilt 73 = And the 'Cocks get ahold of another one.

Louisville 78 - Syracuse 68 = Who's bragging now, Vic? :D That #1 ain't so easy to hold onto, is it.

Richmond/Charlotte and Marquette/Notre Dame both into OT. Like I said, big games for all.

[The Poet]

Notre Dame 63 - Marquette 60 (OT)

Richmond 89 - Charlotte 84 (OT)

Arizona 86 - USC 84 (2OT)

Lordy! All this extra session has me bushed. I'm calling it quits until Monday. As always - enjoy.

[jcruse64]

Wow! The Cards give a great send-off to their old playground today!!!

Some pretty good games today. Watching East Ill and Mercer right now in a barn-burner finish, though it looks like EI will hang on. Just waiting for MSU vs MSU for the OVC crown. Go Racers!!!!!!:banger.

Great coverage, Poet, I enjoy this thread!

[Resipsa]

Didn't know a big Orange basketball could lay an egg. Learn something new everyday.:r:r

On to the tournatment:banger:banger

[jcruse64]

Yeah!!!! Murray State is dancing!

Refs called this game wayyy close, on both sides. I saw lots of no-calls called for fouls against both teams, where they should have let them play. Glad to see Kennedy up off the bench actually coaching for a change, and felt real good about the way they started finding ways to attack the zone in the 2nd half. Still too turnover prone, and weaker than they should be on freebies. I hope we do better than a 13th seed, but don't think they'll be that lucky.

Dook is thumping UNC.

Can't wait for the SEC and Big East tourneys next week.

[JaKaacH]

Duke 82 North Carolina 50

[BryanB]

Duke 82 North Carolina 50

Well UNC did what they've done best this year. I couldn't believe it was that bad. I watched and loved every second of it. :D

Maybe UNC didn't get the memo they had a game last night.

[jcruse64]

Being a big UK fan, I don't give much notice to either dook or UNC, but usually always watch when they play each other. Even when either team is really down for the season and the other playing well at the same time, this is always great college b'ball. Not so much, last night. I knew UNC lost about everything after last season, but they really suck. I felt great at the beginning of this season, when the Cats beat them, but now...not much of a resume builder. It's been just a couple of years that Kansas won it all, and came back the next year with nearly all fresh talent, and they didn't suck this bad. These guys can NOT handle the ball! I'm pretty sure Murray State would beat this team 7 times out of 10.

[The Poet]

Yeah, the Heels pretty much stunk up the place, no matter what place it was this season. So it goes. Congratulations to Duke for keeping Maryland from taking more than half of the ACC season crown out of the state of North Carolina - for even though Dook may not be a North Carolina school (with only 15% of its student body in-state, they obviously don't give a crap about educating the native population) - it most decidedly is IN the state of North Carolina, whether they like it or not. And congratulations to the Blue Devil seniors for finally beating the Tar Heels in Cameron, in their 4th and final chance.

Now let's see if they can keep their high seeding throughout the ACC Tourney, and if they can refrain from getting knocked out of the NCAAs early - like they've allowed to happen for, what, every year for about a decade now? :r

And congratulations to Murray State for getting to The Dance. Good luck to them. However, were I their AD, I woudn't book a second night at the motel. :D

Regular update to follow.

[The Poet]

The prelims of March Madness continue, and we now have a few more RSVPs back. Aside from the aforementioned Cornell (Ivy) and Murray State (Ohio Valley), there are these conference winners also:

East Tennessee State - Atlantic Sun
Winthrop - Big South
Northern Iowa - Missouri Valley

And of these 5 teams so far, I can see NIU winning a game in The Dance, with all the others having a meet-and-greet, then hit the street.

As for the balance of the action over the weekend, take note of these:

Arizona State 56 - UCLA 46 = This give the Sun Devils 22 wins for the season. If they don't receive an at-large . . . well, then I don't wanna hear any mid-majors baitching if they don't get a 3rd or 4th bid, or the also-rans if they don't get a 2nd.

Baylor 92 - Texas 77 = What in the holy hell has happened to the 'Horns? Am I the only person in the country who thinks Rick Barnes is one pretty crappy excuse for a coach?

Mississippi 68 - Arkansas 66 = This may have insured the Rebels get in, and almost certainly insured that the 'Hogs are out.

Butler 68 - Wisc. Milwaukee 59 = Butler's the class of the Horizon, and has been for a while. Unless there is some upsets in their tourney, the Bulldogs and maybe Wright State will be their dancers . . . if they get that 2nd bid. It's a decent mid-major, but I'd not give them 3.

VCU 75 - George Mason 60 = But I might give the Colonial 3 . . . which might leave both of these out. That would be a shame, but you can only cut the cake into so many pieces.

Virginia Tech 88 - Georgia Tech 82 = The Hokies were likely in before this win, and the Jackets were likely out. This should guarantee that, both ways.

Iowa State 85 - Kansas State 82 (OT) = OK, there were a few upsets in the last week or so, but perhaps none bigger than this one. Before their loss to the Jayhawks, K-State was dreaming of snatching a #1-seed from somebody. Now that've lost again, and to a crap Cyclones team to boot, they should feel lucky to get a #3.

Tennessee 75 - Mississippi State 59 = OK, I'd expect the Vols to take this one, but here's the thing: How many bids do you think the Committee's gonna give the SEC? Will all 6 above .500 in conference play get in? The Bulldogs better hope so.

Purdue 64 - Penn State 60 = Without Hummel, the Boilermakers looked like dogs against the Spartans the previous weekend. Beating PSU's PU squad by 4 points is fairly canine too. They will dance, but if they keep up this type of play they may not even make the Sweet Sixteen.

South Florida 75 - U. Conn 68 = This will not get the Bulls in, but it did bull the Huskies out, you can bank on it. They can't win the Big East tourney, any more than the Tar Heels can win the ACC.


On Sunday:

Kentucky 74 - Florida 66 = A decent-enough win over a pretty good (at times) Gator team. But again, WTF is going on in Lexington? I watched a bit of the 1st half, and UK was all over the Gators like stink on skunks so, expecting a blowout, I moved on to something else. But once again the Wildcats let their opponent right back into the game . . . just like they've done 2 dozen times this season. They may have the best talent of all going into the NCAAs, but talent alone rarely wins it all, and this trend may not stand them in good stead that 2nd weekend . . . and certainly not that 3rd, if they make it that far.

Wisconsin 72 - Illinois 57 = Two weeks ago I'd have said the Illini were a shoo-in for an at-large bid. Now, with 3 Ls inna row, I'm more inclined to say they are in danger of becoming a shoo-out. As for the Badgers, they are in.

Michigan State 64 - Michigan 48 = This was the 2nd week in a row I've watched the Spartans. They reeked against Purdue . . . who reeked even more, and lost . . . and they were not all that impressive against a putrid Logan team either. And this is the Big Ten co-tri-champion, and a Top Ten (well, 11th, to be perzact) team? Shoot, at this point only the Buckeyes are playing like champs.

ODU 73 - VCU 69 (OT) = The Monarchs are in, and were regardless. The Rams needed this one, not badly but rather desperately, so this is one killer of a tough loss.

Wake Forest 70 - Clemson 65 = This puts both these squads at 9-7 in the ACC, and tied for 5th place. How many bids will the Committee grant? Four, certainly, and almost certainly a 5th . . . but a 6th? Hmmmmmm. Makes it important for BOTH these teams to do something positive in the ACC tourney.

N. C. State 66 - Boston College 54 = And here's two teams with twenty left feet on the court at any given time, so even if they WERE invited to dance . . . which won't happen . . . they wouldn't be able to keep time, much less keep up. But it does get Jerry's Wolfpack out of the conference basement. Besides, when was the last time they finished a regular season tied in conference play with the Tar Heels? That's gotta be worth something! :D


Tonight there are some great games in conference tourament action, between some damn good teams:

Siena vs. Fairfield = The Metro Atlantic may get a 2nd bid, but it's dangerous to bank on that, especially considering the parity in the "power" players.

William&Mary vs. ODU = Pretty much the same story here, though the Colonial does normally get a slight nod over the MAC this time of year.

Appalachian State vs. Wofford = Same story here, though the Southern is often denied that 2nd shot.

Gonzaga vs. St. Mary's = I'd expect both these West Coast teams to get in, particularly as the 'Zags have become perennials now. But it's still one heck of a game.

As always,, brothers, enjoy.

[jcruse64]

And congratulations to Murray State for getting to The Dance. Good luck to them. However, were I their AD, I wouldn't book a second night at the motel. :D

:D:D I'm hoping they stay at a Holiday Inn Express...maybe that'll work ;).

Watching the Sun Belt tourney right now; Western is down to Troy, but coming on.

I'm with you on UK, Poet. Calipari has not exercised them of the bad habit of coasting. That ain't gonna cut it in the Dance, some little school is going to knock their block off if they don't find a way to stay interested in a game.

I was also very surprised with Kansas State's performance. I was hoping they'd snatch the 4th #1 seed from dook, but it doesn't look likely now.

Fun week ahead!

[The Poet]

Always a fun week, Joe, what with all the conference tournaments leading up to the start of that best weekend in sports - four days of solid hoops from noon to midnight. As for all you guys who are loving those conference wars - be they little, mid-major, or the Big Boys - and speaking as a loyal ACC fan who spent the first half of my life listening to all of you tell me that my guys were freakin' nutz to base their season on a tournament for all the marbles - well, you are welcome very much. :ss

Update to follow.

[The Poet]

Well, there's 4 more going to The Dance for sure now. Old Dominion took care of Wm.&Mary for the Colonial while Wofford topped App. State for the Southern, both in fairly close games. It took Siena an extra 5 minutes to rid themselves of Fairfield for the Metro Atlantic, but they got the job done. They and ODU have a chance to win one game come next weekend, but I'd not expect Wofford to get 'er done. The 4th team to get in, St. Mary's, may also win a game, for last night they laid a 19-point whuppin' on perennial fan fave darkhorse - and total braggards - Gonzaga.

Tonight there's more conference tourney action, most notably in the Big East. In fact, that's already started. South Florida took out DePaul 58-49, and with 49 ticks left St. John's is beating the tar out of U. Conn. In lieu of updating more, I'll be back in a flash with the final, and we'll go from there.

[The Poet]

Final: St. John's 73 - U. Conn 51 = As I said on here earlier, UNC won't be the only #1-seed from last year to sit out this dance. As for the Johnnies, this won't get them into the NCAAs, and it may not even save Norm Roberts' job, but at least it keeps their hopes alive for one more day. Survive and advance, as V put it.

[The Poet]

There looks to be three more automatics up for grabs this evening:

Butler vs. Wright State = Here's the Horizon crown for you. Butler is the people's pick, and have to be favored in this game. But as some experts have pointed out, their outstanding winning record may be a bit deceiving. True, they beat an overrated Northwestern team, and Ohio State (when Turner was out injured, I believe), and the yo-yo Xavier squad. However, they didn't play much of anybody else out of conference - of which they are the class - and those they did play (Minnesota, Clemson, Georgetown, & UAB) all beat them. Yeah, I can see them winning their first game next week, but after that it all depends on whom they are paired against.

Troy vs. North Texas = And here's your Sun Belt representative. I admit I know next to nothing about either one, and I believe it will not matter anyway. Toss a coin, as they both are one-and-dones.

Oakland vs. IUPUI = A different "Who are they?" conference - the Summit League in this case - but the same story here. One of them will get one check from the NCAA, and the other will save some travel expenses.


Aside from that, and continuing Big East early-round games, we have action in the Mid-Eastern Conference - with powers such as Bethune-Cookman and Howard playing - and the Big Sky guys, pitting giants like Weber State and Northern Colorado against other "Hunh??" programs. Oh, and as for one that actually might matter, play will occur in the decent mid-major Atlantic 10 Conference. Out of the 14 schools in the A-10 (?????? - hey, don't ask me), there are two or three capable of, at the very least, scaring some of the best teams in the nation.

Whatever you do, enjoy. And hey, if you can't enjoy this time of year, you're a Commie, or a girl, or both. :D

[The Poet]

Just ran across an interesting factoid: Today's loss in MSG to St. John's has extended U. Conn's losing streak in the Big East tourney to six games. The Huskies have not won a game - no, not a championship, a GAME! - in the conference tournament since the quarterfinals in 2005.

Wow. Just freakin' wow.

[jcruse64]

The Sun Belt title game is pretty good, so far.

[The Poet]

The Sun Belt title game is pretty good, so far.

And if the final is any indication, it remained that way also. North Texas took care of Troy 66-63 to take the automatic of the Sun Belt. The other two autos from last night were not nearly as close, as Oakland beat IUPUI for the Summit 76-64, and Butler spanked Wright State 70-45 for the Horizon. So now we have two more one-and-dones in our field of 64+1, plus one who may - MAY, I said - have a chance to reach the Sweet 16.

Regular update to follow.

[The Poet]

OK, aside from those Final finals above, I saw four other games to note:

Cincinnati 69 - Rutgers 68 = Both of these teams are 'way back of the bubble, and the Bearcats are nearly as unlikely to win the Big East tourney as are the Scarlet Knights they eliminated last night. In fact, I think Louisville will take them out before this day is over. But it was a heck of a game nonetheless.

The other three were all in the A-10 Conference, since I don't lend much credence to the validity of those also-rans who played yesterday - no offense, but there it is.

U. Mass 59 - Charlotte 56 = This puts the 49ers out for the year, and they fell on their own dang court to boot. Mass is still on the far far side of the bubble. But they still breathe, and as this tourney is on break until the 12th, they can breathe until then anyway.

Dayton 70 - George Washington 60 = Same story here.

Rhode Island 87 - St. Joe's 76 = More of the same, since I can't see the Committee going 5-deep in the Atlantic 10. Three? Sure, OK. Four? Maybe. Five? Gimme a break. The A-10 is decent, but it ain't that great.


As for today's action, some of it is already over - more so for some than for others:

Georgetown 69 - South Florida 49 = Such as the Bulls. They are done. The Hoyas were in before the ball tipped off.

Marquette 57 - St. John's 55 = So was Marquette, at least in my book, and this should insure that. As for the Johnnies . . . well, mebbe they should have saved a few baskets from that spanking they gave U. Conn yesterday.

Texas Tech 82 - Colorado 67 = And in this early Big 12 action, the Red Raiders cow the Buffaloes. It won't get them in, but they still have a prayer. And what with all the Big Boys in the Big 12, it will take all the prayers they can muster.

Houston 93 - East Carolina 80 = There are a full handful of decent teams in the CUSA. These two are NOT amongst them. However, the Cougars are still on the prowl, whereas the Pirates are sunk.

Later tonight we have more action in a number of conferences . . . most of whom don't matter. F'instance, there's the Mid-Eastern Conference, pitting powers like Morgan State or NC A&T against other monsters. Then there's the scary Southland, featuring such beasts as Nicholls State or TAMU Corpus Christi. And if that's not enough, we have the perennial contenders of the Great West Conference, with TX Pan American or NJIT (NJIT?? Great West?? WTF??). Oh, and they also kick off play in the Mountain West and the Pac-10, and I'll leave it to the experts to decide which one is for real and which one isn't here. Aside from that, two more tickets will get punched tonight:

Montana vs. Weber State = This will give us our Big Sky representative. I suppose it is possible for one or the other of these to beat somebody in the NCAA . . . but since neither one has actually beaten anybody much of anybody all year, I'd doubt it seriously.

Quinnipiac vs. Robert Morris = And I further suppose one of these from the Northeast Conference could win a game also . . . if they are paired against one of those immediately above. As the latter will not happen, the former will not too.

I might be back with more a bit later, but for now . . . enjoy.

[The Poet]

Nebraska, the 12th-seed in the Big 12, and bottom feeder with their 2-14 conference record, has knocked 5-seed Missouri (10-6 in Big 12 play) out of the tournament in the opening round by beating them like a red-headed stepchild, 75-60.

Whoa.

[The Poet]

Well, some interesting things keep happening. But to get to the things which are NOT first:

Robert Morris 52 - Quinnipiac 50 = A close game for the Northeast automatic bid. Welcome, and goodbye.

Montana 66 - Weber State 65 = An even closer one for the Big Sky seat . . . in the temporary bleachers.

Cincinnati 69 - Louisville 66 = Well, this is notable. I didn't think the Bearcats could take this one, since the Cardinals have been playing fairly OK of late. Just shows to go ya. But that's not the MOST interesting outcome, as you'll see.

Aside from what's ongoing in prior mentioned leagues, action has either already begun or shall soon begin in the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, and WAC conference tourneys. Fact is, we already have a few finals for y'all:

Kansas 80 - Texas Tech 68 = About what one would expect, save that the Jayhawks struggled a bit, but notable for one reason: Kansas now becomes the third school, AND THE THIRD SCHOOL THIS SEASON!, to reach the 2,000-win mark. Congratulations to them. Now let's see how many more they can get before they stub their toes, like:

Georgetown 91 - Syracuse 84 = Wow. The Hoyas were in freefall two weeks ago, and the Orange was rolling. Now that's turned around . . . at least for now. Syracuse may or may not get that #1 seed now, depending upon what Dook and the Buckeyes do in their tourneys. As for this tourney, the Big East seems to be up for grabs at the moment, especially when you consider:

Marquette 80 - Villanova 76 = And another of the higher seeds falls. If Marquette wasn't in before now, this should seal the deal. As for 'Nova, their shot at a #2-seed may drop to a #4.

Miami 83 - Wake Forest 62 = What? WHAT?? The 'Canes just purely suck, even worse than my Heels suck, while the Deacs needed this to get off that damn bubble. And this wasn't just an upset, this was a butt-stomp! Ohhhhhh my!

Houston 66 - Memphis 65 = OK, the Cougars are not as terrible, and the Tigers not as "bubbly", but this here is more of the same in the CUSA. If the last few days have been any indication, there's dang few teams going into the NCAAs who know what a tournament is, much less how to win one.

Virginia 68 - Boston College 62 = No biggie either way here, save that the Cavs survive to play another day.

There's a bulging handful of meaningful games in progress as I post, and several more throughout the evening, so I'll be back soon. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

There are a few more finals, but in games where either the favorite won or where neither team much matters . . . hey, who cares if Michigan eliminated Iowa, f'instance? There is one to keep an eye on: With 9 minutes to play, Southern Miss has UAB by a dozen, and if they hold on it will be another middlin' upset - not huge, but not mild either.

[The Poet]

Nebraska shot their bolt against Missouri yeaterday, and Texas A&M ends the Huskers' season with a 70-64 final. UCLA ends Arizona's, 75-69. And Southern Miss still up double-digits with 4 1/2 to go.

[The Poet]

The Tide washes the 'Cocks, 68-63. New Mexico grounds the Air Force, 75-69. Vols about to lose LSU. UAB cuts it to single digits, with maybe enough time left.

[The Poet]

Vols win by 10, and Southern Miss a minute from winning by dang near 20.

[The Poet]

Oh, and in case you're keeping track, nobody's gonna win a ticket to The Dance today . . . although a few teams may lose one, if they haven't already.

[jcruse64]

Good coverage, Poet! Pitt is getting a good game from Notre Dame right now. Hope I can stay awake to watch Cinci and WV next, but 4:30 comes early.

Really was surprised at the Webber State loss; they were up over 20 points in the first half, and then I come back home to see they lost!

Not much exciting happening in the PAC-10, it appears. How long will it be before UCLA or Arizona are relevant again?

[The Poet]

Good coverage, Poet! Pitt is getting a good game from Notre Dame right now. Hope I can stay awake to watch Cinci and WV next, but 4:30 comes early.

Really was surprised at the Webber State loss; they were up over 20 points in the first half, and then I come back home to see they lost!

Not much exciting happening in the PAC-10, it appears. How long will it be before UCLA or Arizona are relevant again?

Yeah buddy, the Irish gave the Panthers more than they could handle, knocking another of the ranked teams out of MSG with their 50-45 victory. As for Weber State, well, there has been bigger surprises over the last few days. And re the Pac-10, I think UCLA will find the magic fairly soon, since they have so much to offer there, in so many ways. As for Arizona, I believe they may get smacked around a bit by the NCAA for some of the things Lute Olson did there, so it may take them longer.

And speaking of the Pac-10:

Stanford 70 - Arizona State 61 = You may have noticed me lobbying for the Sun Devils getting an at-large on this thread. Well, this loss does not help them one damn bit.

In other action yesterday:

Baylor 86 - Texas 67 = Holy crud. After going 17-0, the Longhorns have now gone 7-9, and fallen off the map entirely . . . and when you consider how large a map of Texas is, that's a looooong way. They should get an at-large, but it won't be a very good one.

Kansas State 83 - Oklahoma State 64 = The Big 12 have been pushing for 7 bids, which means they want the Cowboys to be that #7. This thrashing doesn't help their cause.

Tulsa 80 - Marshall 64 = And this may not help Tulsa enough to get in, yet may hurt Marshall enough to keep them out. I myself would not give the CUSA 5 bids, so you need to make the cut somewhere.

West Virginia 54 - Cincinnati 51 = Well, it wasn't easy, but at least one more of the "top" teams of the Big East lived to play another day. Will the Hoyas and the Mountaineers fight to the finish? Or will Marquette and Notre Dame continue the upset parade in the Garden? We'll find out soon enough.

N. C. State 59 - Clemson 57 = As with Wake Forest, Clemson needed this to put that bubble past their backsides. But Jerry's Pack denied them. God, don't ya just love this . . . not necessarily this in particular, but this in toto.


There will be a ticket punched for the Patriot League when Lafayette meets Lehigh this evening, but in the meantime other action proceeds. There's a few finals already today:

Duke 57 - Virginia 46 = So far the Blue Devils did what the Orange did not, which is "what they needed" to hold onto that #1-seed they want. And they had an easier time of it than:

Ohio State 69 - Michigan 68 = That's much too close for comfort for the Buckeyes, especially as poorly as the Wolverines have played this year. Does not bode well for OSU.

Kentucky 73 - Alabama 67 = Does not bode well for the Wildcats either, as this one was . . . again . . . closer than the score. The Tide had the lead up to double-digits early, and outrebounded UK too. But they did survive their first tourney experience, and may still learn from it. We'll see. Hey, at the least they did better than:

Miami 70 - Virginia Tech 65 = WTF? The Hurricanes couldn't win a big game all year, and now they take two in a row in the ACC Tourney? I don't think this hurts the Hokies at-large bid, but it cannot help their confidence much.

Illinois 58 - Wisconsin 54 = Have the Illini rightened their canoe again? This is a good win for them, and likely puts them safely off the bubble. The Badgers were off it already, but this does not help their seeding position.

Rhode Island 63 - Saint Louis 47 = What a spanking, and one that may hurt the A-10 too. Before this, the Billikens may . . . MAY, I say . . . have gotten some consideration for a 4th A-10 at-large. But the Rams can't convince the Committee to go 5-deep, so need to win to get the automatic . . . which puts somebody else out. As it won't be Temple, or Xavier, that means the Richmond Spiders. Ouch.

I have some work to do now, so may or may not be back later today. Regardless, I'll be here tomorrow. Until when, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Tennessee knocks Ole Miss out of SEC, 76-65. UTEP ends Tulsa's CUSA run, 75-61. Lehigh about 2 minutes from taking Patriot crown from Lafayette, if they don't blow it.

[The Poet]

Lehigh 74 - Lafayette 59 = The Mountain Hawks from Bethlehem take the Patriot. Next comes their pluckin' crucifixion.

[JaKaacH]

Kansas 79-Texas A&M 66--With a 21-2 run late that broke a tight game wide open. KU struggled most of the game with tons of turnovers...But it is a 40 minute game not 30. Congrats to Coach Self this was the 200th win as coach of the Jayhawks, one game after the storied program recorded all-time win No. 2,000.

Kansas State 82- Baylor 75 setting up a monumental Big 12 title game matchup against rival Kansas.

BIG 12 Basketball ROCKS

[The Poet]

Thanks for the scores, Jeff, and the breakdown of the KU game. I'd agree that the Jayhawks can be a little sloppy at times, but I'd still have to make them slight favorites to take it all this season. They have the best mix of talent, experience, and coaching ability, whereas all the other contenders fall a bit short in at least one of those catagories. And they should have a #1-seed locked up, regardless of the outcome against K-State. However, there does not seem to be one dominant team this year, with perhaps a dozen with a legitimate shot at the crown, so we'll have to see how things go. That's why, I suppose, they play the games.

As for the other action last night, here's the ones that struck me:

N. C. State 58 - Florida State 52 = What? The Wolfpack won again? WTF? Shoot, if they can get past Georgia Tech this afternoon, and Tech's far from unbeatable, they are in the ACC Championship game! That won't get them a bid, but if they can win THAT one too . . . well, I may have to send Jerry back what's left of the cigars he sent me, just on general principles.

Georgia Tech 69 - Maryland 64 = And I suppose Jerry should thank the Jackets for taking out the Terps for him. This will not keep Maryland out of the NCAAs, but it just might have gotten Tech off the bubble for good.

Georgetown 80 - Marquette 64 = Both these were in regardless already, but it is good to see at least one of the Big East top dogs decided to show up at MSG.

West Virginia 53 - Notre Dame 51 = Make that two . . . sort of. It took a late miss by the Irish for WVA to escape the upset, so despite 17 by baby brother Ben Hansbrough they go back to South Bend . . . perhaps for good. Hey, the Committee would have to go 8-deep in the Big Mouth to give the Irish an at-large, and that may depend on factors beyond their control, such as NCSU taking the ACC title.

Minnesota 72 - Michigan State 67 (OT) = The Gophers wanna go for an at-large, and make sure the Committee goes at least 6-deep in the Big Ten. This war likely did just that. As for the Spartans, they were on the dancecard before tip-off, so no foul.

Mississippi State 75 - Florida 69 = And pretty much the same story here, save in the SEC.

San Diego State 72 - New Mexico 69 = Now it's a different matter in the Mountain West. Though the pundits say that group is superior to the Pac-10 this year, which may be true, it does not mean they'll go 4-deep into them. And the Lobos? Well, they probably dropped a line in the seeding, but they did not lose their ticket.

UNLV 70 - BYU 66 = And here's the rest of the Aztecs' competition for those slots. Both of these likely had at-larges sewn up before play, so the only loss is BYU's (overrated??) seeding.

Purdue 69 - Northwestern 61 = The game itself meant little, since the Boilermakers were in regardles, and Northwestern's only shot this late was to take it all. But it is a bit encouraging to their fans that Purdue showed they could score more than 50 points without Hummel on the court.

Vanderbilt 78 - Georgia 66 = Really, when you come down to it, no big deal here. The Comms were already in it, and the Dawgs out. So skip it, and ignore this score.


There are a lot . . . a LOT! . . . of automatic bids up today:

UTEP vs. Houston = Here's the CUSA final, and at the moment the Miners hold a small lead over the unlikely and over-achieving Cougars, midway through the 2nd.

Boston U. vs. Vermont = And here's the American East, with Vermont looking to take a slim lead into the break.

Morgan State vs. South Carolina State = This is also for a one-and-done paycheck, for the Mid-Eastern here.

Sam Houston State vs. Stephen F. Austin = And again, for the Southland.

Arkansas Pine Bluff vs Texas Southern = Ditto, SWAC.

UC Santa Barbara vs. Long Beach State = Are you seeing a trend here? Big West, which is one of those anyway.

Utah State vs. New Mexico State = WAC. Need I repeat myself?

California vs. Washington = And if we are to believe the experts, this is it for the Pac-10 this year. Hell, if it was my call, I'd let both of these in, plus the Sun Devils, and let a few of the above stay home and pack sand . . . but sadly, it don't seem to work that way.

Kansas vs. Kansas State = And here again we have one of those crappy conferences, who shouldn't even get one stinkin' bid, much less the 7 or 11 they want. :D

San Diego State vs. UNLV = OK, so maybe one of these from the Mountain West could actually win a game next week. I'd not put my money on it, but you are welcome to put yours if you'd like.

West Virginia vs. Georgetown = And this one for the Big East crown is more for bragging rights than anything else, as both were in before the tourney even started, while neither is very likely to improve its seeding enough to actually make a difference.

I'll be back soon. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Houston is only down 3 with 6 1/2 to play. Vermont comes out of the break with an 11-point bulge over BU to work with.

[The Poet]

It's much too early, but so far Temple kicking Rhode Island butt in the A-10 semis. Kentucky/Tennessee too close and too early to matter.

[The Poet]

With 3+ to play, Houston takes 1-point lead over UTEP. Some of you boys better start praying, if you don't want the Cougars to steal your school's at-large!

[The Poet]

Make that a 3-point lead, with 2 to play. UK only up 2 over Vols midway thru 1st.

[The Poet]

Cougars up 4 with 54 ticks. Oh. my!

[The Poet]

6 with 42!

[The Poet]

5 with 33 ticks. BU's cut Vermont's lead to 3 midway thru 2nd.

[The Poet]

7 with 17. This is big, even if you don't get it . . . yet.

[The Poet]

Final: Houston 81 - UTEP 73 = This is huge. No, I mean it . . . THIS IS HUGE! Before this game started, UTEP was in, regardless. Houston was out, unless they won, for they had no shot at an at-large bid. But now they get the CUSA automatic, which means they just knocked some other at-large team out of the NCAAs. So they just cost some program . . . hey, maybe YOURS! . . . at least a few hundred thousand dollars. AT LEAST! Like I said, this is HUGE! And it might not be the last one either, so stay tuned.

[The Poet]

There must be a cold wind off the Cumberland today, since with less than 4 minutes left in the 1st half, Tennessee's only scored 19 points in Nashville so far. Lucky for them, Kentucky's only scored 25.

[The Poet]

Vermont up 6 with 6+ to play, and so far Miami holding tough with Dook . . . but it's early.

[The Poet]

At the half: Kentucky 32 - Tennessee 19 = OK shooting by 'Cats, horrid by Vols. Also, Temple 34 - Rhode Island 17, so more of the same here.

With 3 left, Vermont up 8. Dook gets up 5 over 'Canes, 7 left in 1st.

[The Poet]

Vermont 83 - Boston U 70 = Welcome to The Dance, American East champs, and enjoy your quick-step.

Tennessee trying to cut into UK's lead, and 'Canes still hanging fairly tough against Blue Devils.

[The Professor]

Troy vs. North Texas = And here's your Sun Belt representative. I admit I know next to nothing about either one, and I believe it will not matter anyway. Toss a coin, as they both are one-and-dones.

And if the final is any indication, it remained that way also. North Texas took care of Troy 66-63 to take the automatic of the Sun Belt. The other two autos from last night were not nearly as close, as Oakland beat IUPUI for the Summit 76-64, and Butler spanked Wright State 70-45 for the Horizon. So now we have two more one-and-dones in our field of 64+1, plus one who may - MAY, I said - have a chance to reach the Sweet 16.

Regular update to follow.

Come on now ... my boys from UNT have heart. And sometimes, heart gets you pretty far in the Big Dance. -(P

[The Poet]

Halftime Report:

Illinois 37 - Ohio State 31 = If the Buckeyes want a shot at stealing a #1-seed at the last minute, they'd better wake up in the 2nd half.

Miami 35 - Duke 32 = Say what? And if Dook wants to hold onto theirs, they'd likely need to win here and at least make the ACC finals. And can you imagine if they don't, if the bottom-feeding Hurricanes meet, say, State for the ACC? Whoa.

[The Poet]

Come on now ... my boys from UNT have heart. And sometimes, heart gets you pretty far in the Big Dance. -(P

The only argument I have with that, Prof, is your "sometimes", as I'd say it is more accurate to say "rarely". You can't count Curry's Davidson team, as Stephen was one of those guys who fell between the cracks. Nor can you count George Mason's run, since they were a good team from a decent conference. No, you'd likely have to go back to Bryce Drew and Valpo, and "The Shot" . . . and that was a dozen years ago.

Bottom line, my brother, go to the game if you can, and enjoy it for all it's worth . . . but do not book a second night at the Marriot. :D

[The Poet]

Kentucky and Temple about to close out their respective wins, and Duke taking control over Miami in 2nd half. Illini trying to smash Buckeyes' dream, and building a bit on lead in the 2nd.

[The Poet]

Final: Temple 57 - Rhode Island 44 = The Owls did not need to advance to the A-10 Finals to get a bid, but likely the Rams did. We'll find out tomorrow.

Halftime: Morgan State 29 - South Carolina State 24 = A close one so far for the Mid-Eastern automatic.

[The Poet]

Kentucky 74 - Tennessee 45 = 'Cats get some revenge and spank the Vols like they've too seldomly spanked people so far this season. Did Cal finally get these kids to pay attention for the whole game, or did the Vols just purely suck that bad? Not having seen the game, I'll leave it to one of you to tell me the facts . . . as long as you're not a Wildcat fan. :D

[The Poet]

Oh, and Ohio State's finally woken up, and has grabbed a 9-point bulge over Illini with 7+ to play. Dook a dozen over 'Canes now, and getting late there too.

[BeerAdvocate]

K S U Wildcats playing for the Big 12 title tonight

[The Poet]

Illini have cut lead to 3 with 4 left, and Miami within 7 of Duke with 4 1/2. They ain't over yet.

[The Poet]

K S U Wildcats playing for the Big 12 title tonight

Yes indeed, Travis. And considering the whuppin' the Jayhawks gave them 10 days ago, they'd better show up early if they want to stay late. :r

[The Poet]

Illini within one, 2 1/2 left.

[The Poet]

Tied, with 30 ticks. Dook up 7, 50 ticks.

[The Poet]

OSU/Illinois going into OT, tied @ 66. Duke hitting freethrows, and about to end Miami's miracle run.

[The Poet]

Duke 77 - Miami 74 = So the Blue Devils do what they needed to keep a #1-seed, but it was harder than they wanted, and than I thought it would be. So now we have 3 of the 4: KU, UK, and Coach K. Now we'll have to wait for that OT to end before we hazard a pick for the final slot.

[The Poet]

Now we'll have to wait for that OT to end before we hazard a pick for the final slot.

Sorry, I was wrong, again. We'll have to wait until the end of the 2nd OT. :D

[Col. Kurtz]

....
As for the other action last night, here's the ones that struck me:

N. C. State 58 - Florida State 52 = What? The Wolfpack won again? WTF? Shoot, if they can get past Georgia Tech this afternoon, and Tech's far from unbeatable, they are in the ACC Championship game! That won't get them a bid, but if they can win THAT one too . . . well, I may have to send Jerry back what's left of the cigars he sent me, just on general principles.

Georgia Tech 69 - Maryland 64 = And I suppose Jerry should thank the Jackets for taking out the Terps for him. This will not keep Maryland out of the NCAAs, but it just might have gotten Tech off the bubble for good.
....


That's why we watch the games.

Go Pack :tu

[The Poet]

That's why we watch the games.

Go Pack :tu

And I hope you enjoy it, my friend. Hell, I'll even hope you get another crack at Dook this year! At the very least, it will insure the Old North State will take the ACC . . . for a change. :r

[The Poet]

Buckeyes up 2 possessions with 34 ticks in 2OT left. This might be it.

[The Poet]

Up 7 points with 8 ticks. Yeah, should be it.

[The Poet]

Yes, that's it. Ohio State 88 - Illinois 81 (2OT) = The Illini fought hard, and proved to me they deserve an at-large. And had they won, they would have made things easier for the Committee, since that would have convinced them to let Syracuse keep that last #1-seed . . . you know, the one they tried to p!$$ away in their opening-round loss in the Big East Tourney. But now they'll have to wait until the Big Ten championship game, for if the Buckeyes beat the winner of the Purdue/Minnesota game they will have to decide which one gets that seed, while the other gets the top #2-seed. Yet it's just bragging rights anyway . . . after all, following the S-Curve seatings, that would mean that OSU/'Cuse would be slated to meet for the Regional Final in either case, so what's the freakin' diff?

Oh, by the way, Morgan State took the Mid-Eastern, beating South Carolina State 68-61. Me, I don't care, but maybe you do.

[The Poet]

Vandy/Miss State and Xavier/Richmond both the tight wars you'd expect, late in the first. And NCSU/GT just off to a sloooow start. But since I'm leaving soon, and won't be back until Monday afternoon, I'm gonna close up my end now.

Feel free to update your own team's scores in my absence, brothers, and go ahead and make your picks if you wish. Hell, I don't mind having most of the fun, but why should I do all the work? So until I see you here later . . . enjoy.

[jaycarla]

U-DUB! PAC-10 down and all that jazz I know, but that was a great game!

Gotta love March!

[jcruse64]

UK has a fight on its hands. This is a good game, so far.