College Hoops Thread '09-'10

[The Poet]

Well, since nobody else seems to want to step up and start this, I guess I shall. Yeah, I know a lot of you don't pay any attention to it until March, but there has to be a few fanatics like me out there. So I'll kick it off by discussing my team, the defending national champion UNC Tar Heels.

The Heels began the unofficial defense of their title last night with a close victory over perennial in-state basketball powerhouse, Belmont Abbey (well, they are close to Davidson, at least geographically). The final was a nail-biting 107-59. Monday they kick it off for real with a Coaches For Cancer game against another big-time program, Florida International, led by their new coach, Hall Of Fame @$$hole Isaiah Thomas.

The Tar Heels are ranked pre-season anywhere from #2 (likely too high) to #7 (which may also be optimistic), depending on the poll, yet no matter what the perception this will prove to be an interesting year for them. Though many seem to concentrate upon their loss of Tyler Hansbrough, the challenge for this team will be in replacing the play outside and not down low. With skilled players such as Ed Davis, Deon Thompson, and Tyler Zeller, as well as the addition of frosh talent in John Henson and the Wear twins, they have one of the better frontcourts in the nation - still. However, the college game is won or lost by guards, and this will be the question. Larry Drew II did not show much last season (to be fair, playing behind Ty Lawson and Bobby Frasor he did not get much chance), yet he does have McDonald All-American tools at his disposal, particularly as a pass-first option. Plus, freshman Dexter Strickland showed the ability to score big at the high-school level (and prep hoops here in Joisey ain't no cakewalk), but no one knows how that transition to the next level will work for him. The perimeter defense should improve this season with the return of Marcus Ginyard, though he is not the offensive threat that Danny Green proved to be - some nights, anyway. All-in-all, it will be a taxing season for Roy Williams down in Chapel Hill. A return to the Final Four is not out of the question, but I would not buy my tickets yet. The Tar Heels may develop into a 30-win team, but are a turned ankle away from a 20-win one.

OK, now it's your turn - tell us about YOUR boys!

[The Poet]

According to the NY Post, UNC is slightly favored over FIU tonight, with the line at 31 1/2. But who believes the Post?

[The Poet]

Last night # 6 UNC took care of Zeke's squad 88-72, in a game that was not as close as the final. The lead was up to 25 about 5 minutes into the 2nd half, and if the young Heels had not had 26 stinkin' TOs they would have chased the Golden Panthers out of the Dean Dome, out of town, and halfway out of state.

In other action, # 13 Cal edged by Murray St. 75-70, #16 Ohio St. spanked Alcorn St. 100-60, and Whinin' Jim Boeheim netted his 800th career win over Albany 75-43. No games scheduled tonight, but tomorrow all those winners save OSU play again, and again against what should be gimmes.

[The Poet]

As with the early-season rankings, there are no meaningful games this time of year. But games of note tonight include:

# 6 UNC vs. N.C. Central
# 13 Cal vs. Detroit
Syracuse vs. Robert Morris

All these games are in the "varsity" gyms. :r

[The Poet]

Scores from the meaningless games last night:

# 6 UNC 89 , N.C. Central 42 = Tar Heels went on a 21-0 run in the first half, turning a 19-17 lead into a 51-20 one at the break.

# 13 Cal 95 , Detroit 61 = Though not the squeaker their first game became, this one was too close for Bear comfort, with the Titans down just 40-36 early in the second half. Note of interest : Detroit has not won a road opener since 1977, against Toledo. Their coach for that victory? The legendary Dick Vitale.

Syracuse 100 , Robert Morris 60 = Andy Rautins scores 22 on 7 of 10 from three, and doubtless is still bragging about it at the top of his lungs.


Games of interest, albeit dubious, tonight:

# 16 Ohio State vs. James Madison

N.C. State vs. Georgia St.

[The Poet]

Last night scores:

# 16 Ohio St. 72 , James Madison 44
N.C. State 69 , Georgia St. 52

There are 'way to many games tonight, the first night of full action, plus I've too much work today, so here are the big boys (against the JVs) :

# 1 Kansas vs. Hofstra

# 2 Mich. St. vs. Fla. Gulf Coast

# 4 Kentucky vs. Morehead St.

# 5 Villilnova vs. Fair. Dickinson

# 7 Purdue vs. CSU Northridge

# 9 Duke vs. N.C. Greensboro

# 10 Tennessee vs. Austin Peay

# 12 U.Conn. vs. William & Mary

# 14 Washington vs. Wright St.

# 18 Miss. St. vs. Rider

# 20 Georgetown vs. Tulane

# 23 Illinois vs. SIU Edwardsvillle (who???)

# 24 Clemson vs. Presbyterian

# 25 Minnesota vs. Tenn. Tech.

If I have missed anybody, well, who cares? :r

[The Poet]

As expected, most of the games noted above turned into blow-outs for the ranked teams, with a few exceptions:

# 4 Kentucky should have dominated Morehead State, yet "only" won 75-59. The 59 allowed is not too bad, but for a Calipari offense to score a mere 75 points against that type of competition should be disturbing to Wildcat fans.

# 12 U. Conn edged William & Mary 75-66. If fans wondered about Calhoun's health before the game, you can imagine how he might feel today.

# 14 Washington had an even closer squeaker against Wright State, escaping with a 74-69 victory. If this is any indication, looks as though the Pac-10 shall again be also-rans.

There was one upset last night however: # 18 Mississippi State raised the banner for their SEC Championship before the game, and that was the final highpoint of their evening as they fell to mighty mighty Rider 88-74. It appears that the SEC's transition to a football conference has taken one more step. :D

The games of potential national interest this weekend include:

Saturday:

# 11 Butler vs. Davidson
# 14 Washington vs. Belmont
# 15 Michigan vs. Northern Michigan
# 17 Oklahoma vs. Mount St. Mary's
# 21 Dayton vs. Creighton
# 22 Georgia Tech vs. Florida A&M

Sunday:

# 3 Texas vs. UC Irvine
# 6 UNC vs. Valparaiso
# 8 West Virginia vs. Loyola (MD)
# 14 Washington vs. Portland St.

[DrDubzz]

Can't wait to see the Horns tomorrow, should be a solid team this year

hopefully they figure out a real point guard

[The Poet]

Can't wait to see the Horns tomorrow, should be a solid team this year

hopefully they figure out a real point guard

Rick Barnes is a very good recruiter, and always seems to attract enough talent to compete. Yet he has not proven to this point his ability to lead them to the level one might expect. His teams often play an undiciplined style without a properly-executed team philosopy, and their wins are mainly predicated upon superior physical skills rather than better play. Plus he has a tendency to become overly-emotional during the game, which has adversely affected his in-game coaching at times. Will Texas have a Top 10 team this season? I have little doubt. Will they compete for the championship? Not unless Barnes finally grows up. Just my :2 - yet as I've followed his career since he was at Lenoir-Rhyne, I think I know a thing or three about him.

Speaking of Texas, the # 3 team defeated UC-Irvine 89-42 Sunday. It was the expected decisive win, but when you pit a Longhorn against an Anteater, what else would you expect?

All the other ranked teams had their "predetermined" lopsided victories this weekend also, with the exception of:

On Saturday, # 11 Butler fought back against a determined Davidson team and won 73-62 in a game they seemed destined to lose for about 3/4ths of the contest. The same was true for # 21 Dayton, although they held a slim margin for much of the time, and held on to beat Creighton 90-80.

On Sunday, my # 6 UNC Tar Heels again showed their young lack of focus, and blew most of a 24-point 2nd-half lead before finally closing out Valparaiso 88-77, mainly due to 14 turnovers AGAINST A ZONE DEFENSE! Furthermore, remember that the only Drew on the court was Larry, and he played for the home team. Unacceptable :mad:, especially when you consider that they will face, in quick succession, Ohio State, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Texas.

Finally, it seems the game to have seen this weekend was the epic struggle of the brainiacs between Harvard and William & Mary, with the Crimson taking a 87-85 victory in 3 OTs. Ohhhhh, baby!

[The Poet]

Games tonight of ranked teams :

# 4 Kentucky vs. Miami (OH)
# 5 Villanova vs. Pennsylvania
# 9 Duke vs. Coastal Carolina
# 12 U. Conn. vs. Colgate
# 25 Minnesota vs. Stephen F. Austin

Don't expect any of these games to actually be games, though the 'Nova/Penn matchup is interesting - for those who know the history of Philly ball, anyway.

[The Poet]

Well, that Big Five matchup last night was not so interesting, with 'Nova stomping Penn 103-65. The other games were no-contest either, save that U.Conn "edged" Colgate - Colgate, fer kris'sakes! - 77 to 63. OH YEAH, and the UK fans got a bit of a scare too, when lowly Miami (OH) tied the Wildcats at 70-all with 6 seconds left. But then John Wall - you know, that freshman who almost landed Calipari on probation before he'd even earned one cent of that ludicrous contract Kentucky gave to him - well, Wall takes the inbound, blows past his coach before he can even decide on calling a time-out or not, then hits the game-winner with half-a-tick left. Hmmmm, lessee - UK struggles a bit with Morehead State, then dodges a bullet against Miami (OH). You think they're a little nervous in Lexington, brothers?

Another full slate of games today - in fact, # 22 Clemson has already beaten Liberty 79-39. I guess there is a limit to what fundamentalist prayer can accomplish. Other games to follow:

# 1 Kansas vs. Memphis - if the aforementioned Calipari had not gutted this team when he left for bluegrass greener pastures, this could have been a show.

# 2 Michigan State vs. Gonzaga - and if the Zags were as good as they brag they are, this would be the Spartans first defeat.

# 9 Duke vs. UNC . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlotte :D

# 10 Tenn vs. UNC . . . . . . . . . . . Asheville :r

# 12 U. Conn vs. Hofstra

# 17 Oklahoma vs. LA Monroe

# 19 Georgetown vs. Temple - back in the day of the two Johns, Thompson and Chaney, this was one hell of a good game, each and every time.

# 20 Louisville vs. Arkansas - don't know why Pitino's starting his season so late, unless he's just been too busy in court to be on court.

# 23 Illinois vs. Northern Illinois

# 25 Maryland vs. Fairfield.

There might be a few actual contests in there, there - so there.

[Mark]

I've been in the risers for all the UNC games this year so far - the team is looking pretty fantastic! Glad to see this thread! College hoops is what keeps me going through the winter!

[The Poet]

I've been in the risers for all the UNC games this year so far - the team is looking pretty fantastic! Glad to see this thread! College hoops is what keeps me going through the winter!

Glad to see you on this thread, Mark. College hoops has been my winter salvation since before you were born, so I know how you feel. As for our Tar Heels, I'm not so confident. Though this season will not plumb the depths of the Matt Doherty fiasco, they face a big challenge replacing their perimeter game from last season. We will see.

[Mark]

I don't think I am going to be able to follow my classmates to Detroit again this year (or Indianapolis, as the case may be), but I think we will hold on till Elite eight. Anyway I can't WAIT until January and the beginning of ACC play - its like Christmas comes twice a year in North Carolina!

[The Poet]

I just noticed this one - Cal State Fullerton upset UCLA 68-65 in double-OT last night, and in Pauley to boot. The Bruins shot a sickly 31% from the floor, were 5 of 29 from 3-point range, went 8 of 17 from the charity stripe, and were 3 of 17 in both overtimes.

Just one more reason to be glad that John Wooden is still alive - if he were not, he'd be spinning for sure.

[The Poet]

Did I tell you above that Georgetown/Temple used to be fun? Guess it still is, as the Hoyas just eked out a win in what had to be a painful game to watch. The final is 46-45, with both teams shooting like blind men with bent barrels. Hoyas shot .357 overall and .167 from deep, while the Owls managed only .310 and .125. Georgetown won it with a late lay-up, but actually won at the line, besting Temple there by going 13 of 19 as opposed to Owls' 6 of 13. Both teams are historically defensive-minded, but this is just sad - neither is that damn good on D.

[jledou]

KU's first real test tonight against a Memphis team that has gone through a lot in the off season. Assuming the youth is overcome by the 12 deep rotation it should be a good year.
Rock Chock Baby!

[The Poet]

KU's first real test tonight against a Memphis team that has gone through a lot in the off season. Assuming the youth is overcome by the 12 deep rotation it should be a good year.
Rock Chock Baby!

Bill Self is a good coach at one of the best programs in the country, but he and the Jayhawks sure dodged a slug against what should have been an overmatched Memphis team, escaping with a 57-55 squeaker of a win. They may indeed end up with the # 1 team in college ball before the season ends, yet they'd better play better than they did if they want to get there - they for sure ain't there now. And neither is the # 2 Michigan State Spartans, who had to come back to edge Gonzaga 75-71. Had the Zag Bulldogs not gotten their bigs into foul trouble, this would have been a loss for the national runners-up.

Aside from the early games already reported on above, all the other ranked teams blew their foes away, or pretty much so, with the exception of:

# 12 U. Conn 76 - Hofstra 67 = Hofstra is a decent mid-major, but c'mon!

# 17 Oklahoma 72 - LA Monroe 61 = Do you get the feeling that the Sooners are still looking around for Blake Griffin?

There is only one game tonight involving a ranked team, and that is:

# 3 Texas vs. Carolina . . . . . . . . Western

[Mark]

Bill Self is a good coach at one of the best programs in the country, but he and the Jayhawks sure dodged a slug against what should have been an overmatched Memphis team, escaping with a 57-55 squeaker of a win. They may indeed end up with the # 1 team in college ball before the season ends, yet they'd better play better than they did if they want to get there - they for sure ain't there now. And neither is the # 2 Michigan State Spartans, who had to come back to edge Gonzaga 75-71. Had the Zag Bulldogs not gotten their bigs into foul trouble, this would have been a loss for the national runners-up.

Aside from the early games already reported on above, all the other ranked teams blew their foes away, or pretty much so, with the exception of:

# 12 U. Conn 76 - Hofstra 67 = Hofstra is a decent mid-major, but c'mon!

# 17 Oklahoma 72 - LA Monroe 61 = Do you get the feeling that the Sooners are still looking around for Blake Griffin?

There is only one game tonight involving a ranked team, and that is:

# 3 Texas vs. Carolina . . . . . . . . Western

Watched the Hofstra/UConn game and the Memphis/KU game. Both great games, although I was not expecting that close of a game out of UConn. Come on guys...step it up!

[The Poet]

Last night # 3 Texas took care of Western Carolina 73-41, which reminds me of my earlier comment regarding Kentucky - the 41 allowed is fine, but the 73 scored is pretty weak. Also - and I don't know how I missed this - # 11 Butler beat Northwestern 67-54, which is also not a powerful spanking.

Already today, in the Bobby Knight Memorial Chair-Tossing Tipoff in Puerto Rico, # 18 Dayton slipped past # 21 Georgia Tech 63-59, while # 5 Villanova presently trails Cinderella George Mason early. Later we can look forward to:

# 1 Kansas vs. Central Arkansas

# 4 Kentucky vs. Sam Houston State

# 6 UNC vs. # 15 Ohio St. - It's the first real test for both teams, and one will fall in MSG this evening.

# 24 Minnesota vs. Utat Valley - Can anybody tell me, who the hell is Utah Valley?

Enjoy the games, since I won't know if I will until about 11:30, after the UNC/OSU final.

[acarr]

Keep your eyes on Josh Pastner the coach of Memphis. He may be a real power in a couple of years. Hopefully we can get him back to Arizona some day. He got his BS, MS and PHD in 5 years while playing basketball at Arizona. He sleeps like 2 hours a night and studies game film while he sleeps:D

[OLS]

You said it brother! i LIKED WHAT jOSH pASTNER DID...DANGIT. I liked what
Josh Pastner did by going for the jugular at the end and having his hot shooter take the three at the end of the game.
He could have tried for the tie, or let his team coast to a loss against the #1 team in the country. Instead they go
for the win, and the shot bounces off the back iron. Better than hitting the front iron or dropping like an air ball.
Showed a little gas in the tank, and he takes a 50-50 shot at BEATING the number 1 team with a team that by all
rights should have been a huge work in progress. Don't think it doesn't give me alot of satisfaction to see Calipari
under-achieve even after taking all of the 2009 Memphis draft class with him to UK. Haha, then Pastner brings in
yet another top draft class to Memphis and fields a team good enough to beat KU. Maybe it was Pastner's recruiting
power that was putting Cal at the top every year? Still you can't take anything from Cal's ability to close the deal
at the end. But F Cal! UK can have his soiled a$$. Talk about Teflon Dons. has TWO final four appearances vacated
and still comes out smelling like a rose.

[OLS]

Come on guys...step it up! I am not surprised at any team getting out with a squeaker this early in the season.
Sure it can spoil a good run for a team that is looking for perfection,
But getting into the season after endless practice can be a little like me
heading for the bathroom for a shower every morning at 5:30 with one eye open, navigating by feel.

[The Poet]

Keep your eyes on Josh Pastner the coach of Memphis. He may be a real power in a couple of years. Hopefully we can get him back to Arizona some day. He got his BS, MS and PHD in 5 years while playing basketball at Arizona. He sleeps like 2 hours a night and studies game film while he sleeps:D

Thanks for the heads-up. I don't know him, so will pay attention. One thing for sure - he won't have to go far to be a better citizen than that scumbag Calipari. Hopefully this Pastner will get a chance to coach without Calipari's legacy coming back to bite him inna @$$ with an NCAA penalty.

[acarr]

Take a look at Josh's first recruiting class:

http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=9&c=8&toinid=440&yr=2010

Not bad for a first year head coach.

[The Poet]

With 3:30 left, 'Nova/GMU is a one-point game. Maybe you guys should put this up online.

[The Poet]

Well, Villanova pretty much could not hit a three all game - until the last half-minute, when they hit 2 in quick succession to steal a win from George Mason 69-68. And this is the #5 team in the nation, and the class of the Big Mouth Conference? Gimme a break.

[jledou]

Hopefully the game against Memphis was a wakeup call for the young Jayhawks at least they have a few in a row here before the run up against UCLA in December.

[The Poet]

Hopefully the game against Memphis was a wakeup call for the young Jayhawks at least they have a few in a row here before the run up against UCLA in December.

The Bruins have very little this season when it comes to athletes, so I'd not sweat it too much. Hey, UCLA's already lost to Cal State Fullerton!

[The Poet]

Only three of the evening games last night held much interest, as the others were the anticipated blowouts. The one "upset", if you can call it that, was Syracuse spanking #13 California 95-73, but as weak as the Pac-10 appears early this season it is not too big a shocker. More of a shock was the final in the #4 Kentucky/Sam Houston State game - 102 to 92. Whereas in their games against Morehead State and Miami (OH), where the question was why did the Wildcats score so little, the question here is how could they let Sam Houston score so much? Though the contest was not as close as the score, this has to be disturbing to UK faithful. Also, Roy Williams is doubtless upset at the sloppy end-game play his team has shown, for although #6 UNC defeated #15 Ohio State 77-73, this was a game that was not nearly this tight until the end, when some late turnovers and missed free-throws, coupled with OSU finally hitting some treys (4 in the final 2 minutes), cut what had been a safe double-digit lead down to a slim two with 11 ticks left. Hey, I started out by saying my Heels are young, and this will be a steep learning curve for them - which gets steeper come December. Well, we'll see if they learned any lessons, when they grip the orange against The Orange in MSG tonight.

Other games this evening:

# 2 Mich. St. vs. Toledo
# 7 Purdue vs. South Dakota St.
# 10 Tenn. vs. East Carolina
# 13 Cal vs. Ohio St. - the consolation game in The Garden
# 14 Washington vs. San Jose St.
# 16 Michigan vs. Houston Baptist
# 22 Clemson vs. N.C. Greensboro
# 25 Maryland vs. New Hampshire

[jledou]

Didn't Syracuse lose to a D2 school in exhibition? That's what caught my eye on them beating Cal.

Either Sam Houston was shooting lights out or they are going to surprise a few people this year.

[The Poet]

Didn't Syracuse lose to a D2 school in exhibition? That's what caught my eye on them beating Cal.

Either Sam Houston was shooting lights out or they are going to surprise a few people this year.

The 'Cuse lost to their local D2 rival, the Le Moyne Dolphins, back on Nov. 3 by a 82-79 score. And as for Sam Houston St., they shot 18 of 38 from deep, which in practical terms turns that 47% into 71%. Guard Corey Allmond alone hit 11 treys, which set a new record in Rupp.

[bleedingshrimp]

Big ACC and UNC fan here. Go heels!

[NCRadioMan]

Didn't Syracuse lose to a D2 school in exhibition?

The kids told Boeheim they wanted to play man-to-man defense the whole game and he let them to prove a point. Needless to say, after the game Boeheim said that wouldn't happen again as they will go back to his usual, legendary, zone d.

[The Poet]

The kids told Boeheim they wanted to play man-to-man defense the whole game and he let them to prove a point. Needless to say, after the game Boeheim said that wouldn't happen again as they will go back to his usual, legendary, zone d.

So you're saying that Boeheim lost to the Dolphins on porpoise? :D

[The Poet]

# 21 Ga. Tech trails George Mason early down in San Juan, but it is early, so . . . . Updates to follow.

[The Poet]

The Ramblin' Wreck takes a 27-19 lead into halftime against GM - and The Cars are on my radio. :r

[The Poet]

Looks like Tech finally woke up - with 15 minutes left, it's now 43-26.

[The Poet]

Well, George tried to make a game of it, but George-yah Tek holds on for a 70-62 victory.

[The Poet]

The big game last night was the "upset" of #6 UNC by the unranked Syracuse Orangemen in MSG, with a final of 87-71. The Tar Heels took a slim lead into halftime, but missed their first 13 shots of the second and turned the ball over 6 times to boot. Meanwhile the Orange could not miss, going 10 of 14 from inside and out, and went on a 22-1 run to put the game out of reach. Carolina did close to 68-60 with 7 minutes left, yet that was as close as they could get. This loss was no shock to either Roy Williams or to me - with 6 of their 9 key players either freshmen or sophmores, the Heels have not yet jelled as a team. Hopefully this spanking will focus them, and they will jell soon - come December, things really start to get rough.

Other scores of big games include:

# 2 Mich. St. 75 - Toledo 62 = A good win, but not impressive.
# 5 Villanova 71 - # 18 Dayton 65 = A good win, period.
# 7 Purdue 74 - South Dakota St. 63 = Meh.
# 10 Tenn. 105 - East Carolina 66 = Meh, but for different reasons.
# 15 Ohio St. 76 - # 13 California 70 = I'd be more impressed were Cal not 2-2, thus perhaps over-rated.
# 14 Washington 80 - San Jose St. 70 = Meh number three.
# 22 Clemson 89 - N.C. Greensboro 67 = Meh'k that four.
# 25 Maryland 82 - New Hampshire 55 = About what you'd expect, really.

Today's top games include:

# 4 Kentucky vs. Rider = Already underway, and tied very very early.
# 9 Duke vs. Radford
# 11 Butler vs. Evansville
# 17 Oklahoma vs. Virginia Commonwealth
# 19 Georgetown vs. Savannah St. = Also underway, and close after 6 1/2.
# 20 Louisville vs. East Tennessee St.
# 23 Illinois vs. Presbyterian

Why not tune in for a few minutes today? College ball does NOT start in March!

[The Poet]

Both UK and the Hoyas have taken control of these games - as if this is a surprise.

[The Poet]

Both UK and the Hoyas have taken control of these games - as if this is a surprise.

Two games, two blow-outs. 'Nuff said.

[The Poet]

Dook stomping Radford at the half - another shocker.

[The Poet]

Weekend update, with updated AP rankings:

Aside from the blow-outs noted above (FYI, new # 7 Dook edged Radford 104-67), and ignoring the other expected whippings, scores from Saturday include:

# 12 Butler 64 - Evansville 60 = I'm not impressed.
# 15 Louisville 69 - E. Tenn. St. 56 = Ditto.
# 18 Georgetown 63 - Savannah St. 44 = The Hoyas have always been more a D program than an O one, but that's just sad.

The real upset, and a true one too, was how Virginia Commonwealth spoiled the return of their old coach Jeff Capel to Richmond by stomping the (now) # 25 Oklahoma Sooners 82-69, and it wasn't that close. OU was the first ranked team to visit VCU's new digs since it opened 10 years ago, and they made it a successful trip - for the home team.

On Sunday:

Kansas State knocked previous # 18 Dayton out of the Top 25 altogether by winning their contest 83-75. And remember that KSU no longer has that kid - what's his name again? - you know, the guy who was supposed to come into the NBA and own it from Day One? No, not Odum, that other one, and not Griffin either - uh, um, Beasley? Something like that. Whatever happened to him anyway?

As for the other scores:

# 2 Michigan St. 90 - Valpo 60
# 4 Villanova 79 - Ole Miss 67
# 6 Purdue 85 - St. Joe's 60
# 9 Tenn. 57 - DePaul 53 = This was maybe a fun game to watch.
# 16 Louisville 90 - Morgan St. 81 = This was maybe not, especially for Cardinal fans.
# 21 Ga. Tech 85 - Boston U. 67

Games tonight of potential national interest are:

# 3 Texas vs. Iowa
# 6 Purdue vs. # 9 Tennessee = One of two possible good matchups.
# 11 UNC vs. Gardner-Webb = Think my Heels can bounce back against them?
# 16 Louisville vs. Appalachian St.
# 19 Clemson vs. Winthrop
# 21 Maryland vs. the Hawaiian Delilah, Chaminade (some of you old farts will understand that one).

The other good game tonight involves unranked St. Joe's vs. DePaul. These are two nice programs with a long basketball history, and could become a war. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

If anybody cares, Colorado and Gonzaga are tied at 67 with 3 1/2 left.

[The Poet]

'Zags on the line, with a 2-point lead and four ticks left. If they hold on, they won this from the line.

[The Poet]

Gonzaga goes 27-37 from the line; Colorado 13-18: 'Zags win 76-72.

[vankleekkw]

Go Boilermakers

[Mark]

Decided to not go to the game tonight. Not exactly sure why... Definitely be watching the heels take down Gardner-Webb tonight though!

GO HEELS!

[The Poet]

Both # 6 Purdue and # 11 UNC won last night, guys - but you should know that already. The Tar Heels had an easy time with Gardner-Webb, winning 93-72, though they still had too many turnovers and missed too many from the stripe. The Boilermakers had a tougher time with # 9 Tennessee, edging them 73-72, so I called that one above - a good matchup. All the other games involving ranked teams we 20+ point blowouts. And FYI that other good game I predicted was a fun one too, as unranked opponents DePaul and St. Joe's duked it out all evening. The game was tied @ 49 under 3 minutes, and DePaul took the lead for good with 50 ticks left, holding on for a 58-51 victory.

Already today # 24 Vanderbilt has beaten Chaminade 68-41, while # 5 Kentucky has a slim early lead on Cleveland State. The other "big" games tonight:

# 3 Texas vs. Pittsburgh - This could easily be the best game.
# 8 West Virginia vs. The Citadel
# 10 Syracuse vs. Cornell
# 17 Ohio St. vs. Lipscomb - This could easily be the worst.
# 20 Illinois vs. Wofford - Or this.
# 21 Maryland vs. Cincinnati - Hmmmmmm. Can the Bearcats sneak up on the Terrapins?
# 23 Notre Dame vs. Kennesaw St.

As always, enjoy the games.

[The Poet]

Arizona outscores Colorado 11-7 in OT to win in Maui 91-87. And the UK 'Cats are all over Cleveland St. with 2 1/2 left - but they still ain't scoring like Calipari'd like.

[acarr]

Arizona outscores Colorado 11-7 in OT to win in Maui 91-87. And the UK 'Cats are all over Cleveland St. with 2 1/2 left - but they still ain't scoring like Calipari'd like.

:banger

With 5 freshman with significant playing time and 1 senior, this could be a long year. First year coach Miller is going to have his hands full. We at Arizona aren't that accustomed to mediocrity with our basketball team.

[The Poet]

I should really learn to trust my instincts. Gary Williams has a habit of falling on his face, and I saw the chance he'd do so against Cincinnati. Sure enough, the Bearcats cracked the Turtles 69-57, and # 21 Maryland won't be # 21 next week. Plus the other ranked teams did little domination last night either. F'instance:

# 3 Texas 78 - Pitt 62 = The 'Horns won the game, but lost their starting guard Varez Ward, perhaps for a while.

# 8 West Virginia 69 - The Citadel 50 = The game wasn't in doubt, but The Citadel? Pleeze.

# 10 Syracuse 88 - Cornell 73 = Again, pleeze.

# 17 Ohio State 84 - Lipscomb 64 = Lipscomb? Must I say pleeze?

# 20 Illinois - 78 - Wofford 64 = This was tied @ 50 when the Illini went on an 8-0 run. And this was in Champaign to boot!

# 23 Notre Dame 80 - Kennesaw St. 62 = And another turkey undercooked.

# 24 Vanderbilt 68 - Chaminade 41 = OK, I can live with this one.

As for the games today, note that the Terrapins are in early trouble again, trailing Wisconsin late in the 1st half. The other games include:

# 1 Kansas vs. Oakland = This bird should be done before it starts.
# 5 Kentucky vs. Stanford = And if this was a contest of SATs, it would be over too.
# 7 Duke vs. Arizona State = Who cares?
# 13 U. Conn vs. LSU = Here might be a contest.
# 24 Vandy vs. Arizona = Here will be one.
# 25 Oklahoma vs. San Diego = And nobody cares here either.

Enjoy, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving (you turkeys).

[The Poet]

Maryland down 4 to the Badgers with 12 minutes left.

[The Poet]

Now the Terps down 11 with 4 1/2 left.

[The Poet]

Wisconsin hands Maryland second loss in a row, 78-69.

And BTW, for those of you who get sick of watching crappy football games tomorrow, you can check out these turkeys:

# 8 West Virginia vs. Long Beach State
# 12 Butler vs. # 22 Minnesota = Sort of a tortoise/hare matchup, but could be good.
# 19 Clemson vs. Texas A&M
# 25 Oklahoma vs. Houston

[The Poet]

Too much work to update today - will do so tomorrow.

[Powers]

my Gators lookin' good against#2 Michigan State!

3:00 left in the first half

[Uflbassin]

This is the kind of signature win the Gators have lacked the past 2 years.

[The Poet]

Yes indeed, Donovan's Gators had their first big win in a while, topping # 2 Michigan State 77-72 last night. Earving Walker hit a 3 to put them up for good at 72-71 with 1:56 left, and they held on to celebrate as if they'd just won their 3rd championship. Congrats to them, yet calm down, Gators - not only is it November, not March, but the Spartans pretty much gave you the game by playing like crap. It's not often that Izzo's boys have 23 turnovers, or go 2 of 10 from deep. However, it's still a nice W, and at 5-0 these guys might find themselves ranked next week. Without a doubt there will be changes in the rankings upcoming - not unexpected, as ranks this early mean damn little - as this game was not the only "upset" over the last few days:

On Wednesday San Diego beat # 25 Oklahoma 76-64, and on Thursday the Sooners channelled the Terps by taking their second L in a row from Houston 100-93. Don't expect to see either of those teams in the top 25 come Monday, brothers. There were no other upsets on 11/25, though # 5 Kentucky had to outscore Stanford 10-2 in OT to steal one 73-65. Other Wednesday scores include:

# 1 Kansas 89 - Oakland 59
# 7 Duke 64 - Arizona State 53 = Likely too close for Coach K's angina.
# 13 U.Conn 81 - LSU 55
# 24 Vanderbilt 84 - Arizona 72 = Guess that high for the boys from the desert didn't last long.

On Thanksgiving, while you people were watching 3 turkeys of football games, there was some great action going on 'way up the dial:

# 8 West Virginia 85 - Long Beach State 62 = OK, maybe not here.
# 22 Minnesota 82 - # 12 Butler 73 = But here.
# 15 Michigan 83 - Creighton 76 (OT) = And here, where the Logans outscored the Jays 14-7 in OT to survive a scare.
Texas A&M 69 - # 19 Clemson 60 = And here, where the Tigers disappointed their fans, again.

Then yesterday:

# 1 Kansas 112 - Tenn.Tech 75 = Zzzzzzzzzz.
# 7 Duke 68 - # 13 U.Conn 59 = Get the feeling Coaches K and C don't much like each other?
# 8 West Virginia 73 - Texas A&M 66 = A good win, seeing how well A&M been playing early, but not impressive.
# 9 Tenn 86 - Charleston 69 = Hit the snooze button again.
# 10 Syracuse 85 - Columbia 60 = And again.
# 12 Butler 69 - UCLA 67 = Is this a bounceback win, or just a bullet dodged? I vote bullet.
Marquette 79 - # 15 Michigan 65 = Well, the Wolverines didn't survive this scare.
# 19 Clemson 87 - Long Beach St. 79 = Yeah, and so?
Utah 60 - # 20 Illinois 58 = Got the feeling yet that this wasn't a good long weekend for the Big 10?
Portland 61 - # 22 Minnesota 56 = How about now?
Northwestern 72 - # 23 Notre Dame 58 = Northwestern? Say bye-bye to the Irish.

Yeah, the top 25 will be shaken up like a sockful of marbles, and it's hard to tell who'll fall where, but you know damn well who'll fall out that hole in the toe.

Today you can catch:

# 2 Michigan State vs. U. Mass
# 4 Villanova vs. LaSalle
# 6 Purdue vs. Central Michigan = This one's almost over now - if it wasn't before it started.
# 16 Louisville vs. UNLV
# 17 Ohio St. vs. St.Francis (PA) = :rolleyes:
# 18 Georgetown vs. Lafayette = This one's pretty much done too.
# 20 Illinois vs. Bradley
# 23 Notre Dame vs. St.Louis
# 25 Okla. vs. Nicholls St.

On Sunday:

# 3 Texas vs. Rice
# 8 West Va. vs. Portland
# 11 UNC vs. Nevada
# 12 Butler vs. # 19 Clemson = Both teams need this one.
# 14 Washington vs. Montana
# 15 Michigan vs. Alabama
# 22 Minnesota vs. Texas A&M = A spot in the 25 may rest on this game.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Boilermakers and Hoyas both win, big.

[The Poet]

Detroit and DePaul tied, in 1st OT. Villanova up slightly over La Salle, early.

[The Poet]

Well, DePaul tried to give this game away, not only by going under .300 from beyond the arc but by hitting .500 from the line - including 2 misses with 16 ticks left to ice it. But they hold on for a 68-66 victory in OT. Villanova up double-digits with 4 minutes left in 1st, but they're not yet playing like a # 4 team against La Salle.

[The Poet]

'Nova with an 8-point lead at the half, which is hardly comfortable. The Running Rebels have an early lead over Pitino's Cardinals.

[The Poet]

With just under 6 minutes in the half, UNLV up 30-22 over Louisville. The Cards are shooting like they've had too much pre-game Jack, Jack.

[The Poet]

As any fool could foresee - which means I qualify - there was a lot of movement in the Top 25 rankings due to all those "upsets" over the last few days. Oklahoma's out, Notre Dame's out, Illinois' out, Minnesota's out, Michigan's out, and others moved up or down or in. Meaningful games Saturday include:

Bradley 72 - Illinois 68 = The Illini go from # 20 to out.
# 9 Michigan State 106 - U.Mass 68 = This spanking didn't keep the Spartans from dropping from # 2, badly.
# 3 Villanova 81 - La Salle 63 = Nice Philly win, but beyond that so what?
# 24 UNLV 76 = # 20 Louisville 71 = Pitino's boys drop four spots, and Rebels run into ranks.

On Sunday:

# 2 Texas 77 - Rice 59 = Another "meh" win for the 'Horns.
# 7 West Virginia 84 - # 25 Portland 66 = Despite this whipping, Portland gets ranked. Enjoy it - it won't last long.
# 10 UNC 80 - Nevada 73 = The Heels shake of pesky Wolf Pack late to get Roy his 600th.
# 12 Washington 63 - Montana 59 = And this is the 12th-best team in the nation? Pleeze.
Alabama 68 - Michigan 66 = This loss alone didn't knock those Logans from # 15 to out, but it didn't help.
# 18 Clemson 70 - # 23 Butler 69 = Had Butler pulled this out, they would not have dropped as far from 12th.
# 19 Texas A&M 66 - Minnesota 65 = A good weekend for the Aggies, yet maybe not that good.

Bottom line: Although rankings don't mean jack yet, the previous 5 days makes it seem the Big Ten may be in for a loooooong season. Maybe not, but they ain't shown much so far.

Tonight's pretty light on top-notch action, with only:

# 5 Kentucky vs. N.C. Asheville
# 10 Syracuse vs. Colgate
# 16 Georgetown vs. Mount St. Mary's

Yawn.

[The Poet]

You know, that Virginia/Penn State game tonight may be fun to watch. There's no "national" implications, but it should be a decent matchup.

[The Poet]

As everyone expected, those games with ranked teams last night were no contest, with the smallest of the 3 margins being 21 points. And as I expected, that Penn State/Virginia game was the one worth watching, with the Nittany Lions topping the Cavs 69-66. Tonight's interesting game out of the Top 25 is Maryland visiting Assembly Hall to take on the Indiana Hoosiers. The Terps have a better team, but it's not easy to win in Bloomington - though of late it's not been easy for the Hoosiers to win, period. Yet there are also a few good games scheduled within the ranked:

# 4 Purdue vs Wake Forest = This too could be a good one.
# 13 Florida vs. Florida A&M = Will the Gators come back to earth? Likely not this evening.
# 22 Cincinnati vs. Texas Southern = Well, the Bearcats care. Anybody else?

And the big one, the rematch of last year's championship:

# 9 Michigan State vs. # 10 UNC = Don't expect the Heels to blow the Spartans off the court in this one. They may win it, if they play well, but any blowout would more likely be them getting blown off their own court.

Enjoy - I won't know if I shall, until about midnight anyway.

[The Poet]

I must admit, I did not expect my # 10 Tar Heels to do again pretty much what they did to the # 9 Spartans last season, yet they ran them off the court once more in the first half, 50-34, then held on while Michigan State came back for the 89-82 victory. Looking at the stats, it's a bit of a shock that the Spartans even made it that close, seeing as how they went 2-20 from beyond the arc, and only 7-42 from outside the paint. Well, I'll take it, regardless. Other scores from the evening's Big Ten/ACC challenge:

# 4 Purdue 69 - Wake Forest 68
Maryland 80 - Indiana 68 = I thought this might be closer, but looks like the Hoosiers are still in slide mode.
Virginia Tech 70 - Iowa 64 = A decent game.
Northwestern 65 - N.C. State 53 = An indecent one, for Sidney's sad-sack Pack.

Two other games worth watching last night were:

Temple 76 - Western Michigan 70
Evansville 91 - Tennessee Tech 90 in 2OT = Wanna bet there are some sore throats croaking in Cookeville today?

There are plenty of games involving ranked team tonight, and not just the balance of the Big Ten/ACC matchups:

# 1 Kansas vs. Alcorn State = OK . . . and?
# 3 Villanova vs. Drexel = Ditto.
# 6 Duke vs. Wisconsin = Now THIS could be interesting. Can Dook move that bulk outta the paint?
# 11 Tennessee vs. E. Tennessee State
# 14 U. Conn vs. Boston U.
# 15 Ohio State vs. Florida State = And this could be a good game too.
# 17 Gonzaga vs. Washington State
# 18 Clemson vs. Illinois = This too may be a good 'un.
# 19 Texas A&M vs. Prairie View A&M = This too will be a stinker.
# 20 Louisville vs. Stetson = Sheesh.
# 23 Butler vs. Ball State = Ehhh.
# 24 UNLV vs. Arizona = This one's in Tucson - look for the Rebels to run outta runs.
# 25 Portland vs. Portland State = Sounds like it will be played in cement, don't it?

Some other potential good games this evening, out of the ranked, include:

Arkansas vs. Oklahoma
Old Dominion vs. Richmond = Two quality mid-majors here.
Minnesota vs. Miami = More Big Ten/ACC action.
Boston College vs. Michigan = Ditto.

And believe it or not:

Georgia Tech vs. Siena = The Saints have a nice program, and their two losses were on the road to Temple (by 4) and St. John's (by 9). Meanwhile, The Wreck hasn't played much of anybody yet, and the one they did was a loss to Dayton - a close one, also by 4 - yet their wins haven't been awe-inspiring.

Enjoy the games.

[The Poet]

Not all the big games last night were part of the Big Ten/ACC challenge, but let's get that out of the way first. Speaking of firsts, the Big Ten won the challenge 6 games to 5 for the first time in its 11-year run. Congratulations to the Big Ten for this, and it just shows to go ya what can happen if you just hang in there and try - unlike the chicken$#!+ Big Mouth Conference, who backed out of a similar challenge against the ACC years ago because they were tired of getting their butts kicked. Of course, the ACC still holds a 67-41 overall lead, but if the Big Ten can keep repeating this year's success they can catch the ACC - in about 2026. However, it does help make up for the crappy week before this one for the Big Ten boys.

Scores from these games, and others that weren't stompings:

Wisconsin 73 - # 6 Duke 69 = I could smell this one coming.
# 15 Ohio State 77 - # 21 Florida State 64
Illinois 76 - # 18 Clemson 74 = I could smell this too; Clemson normally chokes.
Miami 63 - Minnesota 58
Boston College 62 - Michigan 58 = Remember when the Wolverines were ranked?

Other scores among the ranked:

# 17 Gonzaga 74 - Washington State 69
# 23 Butler 59 - Ball State 38 = OK, only 59 points scored, for a team looking for a top 10 rank just 2 weeks ago? Sheesh.
# 24 UNLV 74 - Arizona 72 in 2 OT = I figured the 'Cats could win this one, and they almost did.
Portland State 86 - # 25 Portland 82 = As I predicted (somewhere above), hello and goodbye to Portland's ranking.

But don't think all the hoops action is just amongst the ranked teams. You should check out the scores of other matchups last night, such as: Holy Cross/Brown; Cornell/Bucknell; Sacramento St./UC Irvine; Yale/Hartford; Northern Iowa/Iowa St.; LA Tech/La Monroe; Richmond/ODU; UAB/Middle Tenn. St.; and VCU/Rhode Island. All of these were fun fun fun.

Not much action tonight:

# 2 Texas vs. USC = Sounds like a BCS game, don't it?
# 12 Washington vs. Texas Tech = Washington is carrying the burden for the entire Pac-10 at the moment. Will it be too much?

Have fun.

[The Poet]

Last night # 2 Texas held Southern Cal to 30% shooting, and it's a good thing for them they had good D, for their O still stinks. There's no shame in winning 69-50, but there's little glory either - especially when you're ranked so high. And apparently it was too heavy a burden for # 12 Washington, hauling the whole Pac-10 around on its shoulders, as they lost to Texas Tech 99-92 in OT. Interesting factoid: Tech scored 30 points in the second half, yet managed 19 in the extra 5 minutes. Guess the Huskies could have used a bit of Longhord D themselves.

Again, there were a number of good games scattered all over the country yesterday: Furman/App.State; Baylor/Ariz.State; CSU Northridge/Idaho; Belmont/Kennseaw St. (OT); Murray St./Eastern Kentucky; High Point/Presbyterian; Eastern Ill./Tenn.St (3OT); and Radford/Winthrop (OT). There is likely a good game tonight near you, wherever you are out there, so why don't you get off yer dead @$$ and catch one?

Speaking of good games tonight, the only one I foresee is Manhattan/Niagara, but there may be others hiding in the weeds. However, it's likely none of them will involve ranked teams, since all we have are:

# 9 Michigan State vs. Wofford
# 13 Florida vs. Jacksonville
# 19 Texas A&M vs. Akron

Now Saturday is an entirely different matter, yet I'll only mention the two early games for now. At noon # 15 Ohio State takes on Eastern Michigan, which could be a decent game for a while anyway, and could even be another loss for the Buckeyes if they try to phone it in. But the big game at 12:30 involves the two winningest programs in the nation, when # 5 Kentucky (1995 Ws) hosts # 10 North Carolina (1991 Ws) in what should be a war between two schools that don't like each other one damn bit. We'll keep an eye on this starting early tomorrow afternoon, and will have a final before we lock this up until Monday.

Enjoy, fellas - I hope I shall too, and with a Tar Heel victory I will.

[The Poet]

Sorry to say, that Manhattan/Niagara game did not live up to my expectations, yet there were a dozen great contests outside of the ranks last night. As for the ranked teams, they all won - however, none were very impressive:

# 9 Michigan State 72 - Wofford 60 = Yeah, so?
# 13 Florida State 85 - Jacksonville 67 = Ditto.
# 19 Texas A&M 74 - Akron 62 = Dit-two.

Already today Ohio State is beating Eastern Michigan like a toy drum on Christmas morning, while Kentucky/UNC is about to tip off. Again, aside from a slew of good matchups outside the rankings, the rest of today's schedule include:

# 4 Purdue vs. Buffalo = Yawn.
# 6 Duke vs. St. John's = Maybe we'll see if the Redman are relevant again today.
# 8 Syracuse vs. Maine = Should not be a contest.
# 16 Georgetown vs. American = Will not be a contest.
# 17 Gonzaga vs. Wake Forest = Will be one.
# 20 Louisville vs. Charlotte = Will likely be one too.
# 23 Butler vs. Valparaiso = Has some potential, but I wouldn't bet the farm.

Sunday's lineup includes these games:

# 1 Kansas vs. UCLA = I bet the Jayhawks thought this would be a test when they scheduled it. It won't.
# 3 Villanova vs. Maryland = Now THIS will be a test, for both teams.
# 12 Washington vs. CSU Northridge = Now this won't.
# 14 U.Conn vs. Harvard = If they matched graduation rates, the Crimson wins in a cakewalk.
# 18 Clemson vs. South Carolina = An instate rivalry that will be a war.
# 21 Florida State vs. Florida International = And one that will not be one.
# 25 Portland vs. Idaho = Portland could lose its second in a row, but even if they win by 100 points you won't see them ranked come Monday.

Enjoy, my brothers.

[JaKaacH]

Great Thread Thomas.
Thanks for all the work.

ROCK, CHALK, JAYHAWK..... KU

http://graphics.fansonly.com/schools/kan/multimedia/rock-chalk-chant.mp3

[The Poet]

Thank you, Jeff - I love my hoops. I just wish some other folks would jump in with their :2 too.

[The Poet]

Ohio State has already won their game, and it's only halftime. The score is 62-25 at the break. Kentucky is kicking my Heels butts midway through the first half, to the point where it's getting shameful. Carolina better either wake up or go home.

[The Poet]

UK leads UNC by 15 at the half. Quite a hill to climb, and if Roy doesn't convince them to make some adjustments the Heels won't top it.

[The Poet]

Heels cutting into lead with 15 minutes left, but need to make some stops.

[The Poet]

If UNC wasn't missing layups and open shots, they'd have the freakin' lead. There's still time, but that time is now.

[The Poet]

Heels have cut it to 6 with 5 1/2 left, and are already in the bonus. There's still a chance.

[The Poet]

TV timeout with 3:34 left. Heels down three, with the ball.

[The Poet]

Wildcats are hitting their freethrows, so this one's over.

[The Poet]

Hold on a second - one shot for OT!

[The Poet]

Well, no shot now - UK wins 68-66. It was a sloppy game for both teams, but at least my Heels turned what looked like a disgrace into a nailbiter. Maybe Roy's boys will learn to show up for both halves of a game.

[The Poet]

Dook has a narrow lead over St. John's midway through the first, but are already in the bonus. The Redmen must be drawing some blood.

[The Poet]

Blue Devils on a 10-0 run to open this up.

[The Poet]

Say, did anybody catch that Pitt/New Hamshire shootout last night? The score was 15-7 at the half, ending at 47-32. Pitt shot .263 for the first half, and NH shot .235 - for the game. The teams combined for 29 shots made, and 30 turnovers committed.


Hayzeus farkin' Christmas.

[The Poet]

Dook by 16 at the half - at Cameron. The Crazies are going so, no doubt.

[Mark]

Well, no shot now - UK wins 68-66. It was a sloppy game for both teams, but at least my Heels turned what looked like a disgrace into a nailbiter. Maybe Roy's boys will learn to show up for both halves of a game.

Bummer, but if I were to choose a team to lose to early in the season, Kentucky would be on the short list. Good game anyway. Can't wait for ACC season at the Dean Dome! You comin out for any of the games? I *should* be at all of the home ones... Heels Herf?

[JaKaacH]

Kansas 73 handles UCLA 61
Markieff Morris with a career-high 19 points.
This is Kansas' 1,977th victory, third-best in NCAA Division I history.

[The Poet]

Kansas 73 handles UCLA 61
Markieff Morris with a career-high 19 points.
This is Kansas' 1,977th victory, third-best in NCAA Division I history.

Yes indeed, KU is a great program with a great history. But let's get real for a second. Imprimis, a 12-point victory over the Bruins is all well and good, but the Jayhawks have been top-ranked all year while UCLA came into the game at 2-4 with losses to such powers as CSU Fullerton and Long Beach State. Twelve points is hardly a spanking under such circumstances, even though the game was in Pauley. Secundus, KU seems to have the best team at this point in the season, but they do not have the best talent. They may still have the best team come March, yet teams such as Kentucky or UNC might develop into some stiff competition for the Jayhawks.

Don't get me wrong - I like Kansas, both this year's team and in general. There is a connection between KU and my Tar Heels (one often overlooked in Lawrence, but never in Chapel Hill) which goes back at least to 1957's triple-overtime championship. They gave us Dean, we gave them Larry Brown (and welcome to him) and Danny Manning, and we loaned them Roy Williams. I never have a problem when Kansas wins - as long as they aren't beating my boys.

Scores from games of interest that were NOT complete stompings of the overmatched, with updated rankings:

# 8 Duke 80 - St John's 71 = Duke kicked SJU all over Cameron for the first half, then had to hold on. Is Dook weak, or are the Redman for real again? Time will tell.

# 18 UNLV 66 - Santa Clara 63 = Santa Clara has proven themselves a tough little nut several times in the past, so this close score does not - necessarily - mean the Runnin' Rebels are wanna-bes.

Charlotte 87 - formerly # 20 and now unranked Louisville 65 = I felt the 49ers had a shot at winning this one, but I admit I did not expect this whuppin'.

Wake Forest 77 - # 21 Gonzaga 75 = I predicted a war, and we got one.

Sunday's scores of note, aside from the KU/UCLA at top:

# 3 Villanova 95 - Maryland 86 = A nice win in a competitive matchup.

# 14 U. Conn 79 - Harvard 73 = A bad win in what shouldn't have been competitive, no matter how you slice it.

# 17 Washington 88 - CSU Northridge 76 = A win, period.

Clemson 72 - South Carolina 61 = And although a good win for the Tigers over instate rival Gamecocks, it was not enough to keep Clemson within the ranked teams.

There's not a lot of action at the top this evening, and none of them should be close, as all we have are:

# 2 Texas vs. Long Beach State
# 12 Michigan State vs. The Citadel
# 19 Texas A&M vs. North Texas

However, the Siena/Iona game may be fun. Whatever - enjoy.

[JaKaacH]

Lets get real for another second..
I thought this was a College hoops thread, not a why tarheels are better than whoever thread.:confused:

[Mark]

Lets get real for another second..
I thought this was a College hoops thread, not a why tarheels are better than whoever thread.:confused:

Whats the difference? :confused:

[The Poet]

Lets get real for another second..
I thought this was a College hoops thread, not a why tarheels are better than whoever thread.:confused:

Pre-update reply, to Jeff: The Tar Heels are not better than anyone else, and I have never said so. In fact, I began this thread by stating quite definitively that this would be a tough year for UNC, especially compared to the last few. Furthermore, I said immediately above that your Jayhawks are - at present anyway - the best team in the nation (though I feel Villanova might just be as good). Furthermore, I plainly stated (or strongly implied anyway) that I'd have no problem if Kansas won it all this season. All I did say to prompt your confusion is that KU is playing the best early, but they do not have the most talent. If you look at the rosters, this is an objective fact. I freely, and proudly, admit to being a Tar Heel, yet I try not to let this skew my assessments here. If you want to allow your loyalties to skew your own - well, it's a free country, or still relatively so. Regardless, your imput is not merely appreciated, but also happily encouraged - as is anyone else's. :tu

[Mark]

Pre-update reply, to Jeff: The Tar Heels are not better than anyone else, and I have never said so. In fact, I began this thread by stating quite definitively that this would be a tough year for UNC, especially compared to the last few. Furthermore, I said immediately above that your Jayhawks are - at present anyway - the best team in the nation (though I feel Villanova might just be as good). Furthermore, I plainly stated (or strongly implied anyway) that I'd have no problem if Kansas won it all this season. All I did say to prompt your confusion is that KU is playing the best early, but they do not have the most talent. If you look at the rosters, this is an objective fact. I freely, and proudly, admit to being a Tar Heel, yet I try not to let this skew my assessments here. If you want to allow your loyalties to skew your own - well, it's a free country, or still relatively so. Regardless, your imput is not merely appreciated, but also happily encouraged - as is anyone else's. :tu

Well put, brother!

I, on the other hand, will be making all sort of smart@$$ comments about every other team regardless of my team's standings or talent.

:D

Seriously though I am always happy to see Kansas and Kentucky win, especially this year. I was in the front row of the final four last year cheering my Tarheels on, and although I am a diehard supporter and would love to make the trip to Indianapolis this year, I would not presume to say that they are better than anyone else. Not even convinced we are a final four team this year. We're not better than everyone...

Except Duke. We will always be better than Duke. :fu2

:gl everyone else!

[The Poet]

There was not a lot of action last night, and there's not much tonight either - perhaps it's exam time, which means light schedules. From last night:

# 12 Michigan State 69 - The Citadel 56 = It's the first time the Bulldogs have hosted a ranked team since Tim Duncan's Deacs visited 'way back in 1996, and these cadets nearly made the Spartans pay for it by hitting 12 of 20 from downtown. Izzo's boys were overranked at #2, and need to turn it up several notches to prove # 12 isn't too high also.

# 19 Texas A&M 75 - North Texas 65 = Here's another of those "bad" wins. There's no points for style - until Selection Sunday, anyway, when the RPI can spell RIP.

As for # 2 Texas -- well, I'll wait until they finally play somebody before I comment much on them. Wins over Iowa, Pitt, Rice, USC, or Long Beach are better than losses, but do not justify much respect either. No offense, Longhorn fans, but there it is - relax, and enjoy your BCS for now. :)

That Siena/Iona game let me down, but the Auburn/Virginia and App.State/Wofford ones were exciting.

Tonight's light rollcall includes:

# 15 Georgetown vs. # 22 Butler = Here's a gome both teams need, so let's hope both show up.
# 23 Texas Tech vs. TCU = One can never tell how instate rival games will go. I don't expect an "upset", but you never know.

As for potential good matchups out of the ranked, we have:

Vanderbilt vs. Illinois
Xavier vs. Kansas State
Arizona State vs. BYU

As always, enjoy.

[The Poet]

I'm having some internet problems this afternoon, so will update if possible. If not, I'll catch up tomorrow - or one of youse other freaks can do it. :)

[The Poet]

OK, my internet connection seems to be working better today, so let's play a little catchup.

On Tuesday:

# 15 Georgetown 72 - # 22 Butler 65 = So far, Butler has lost to every ranked team they have played. This one to the Hoyas might have finally knocked them off the radar, but if they can't beat Ohio State on Saturday that certainly shall.

# 23 Texas Tech 80 - TCU 70 = I rarely put much stock, one way or the other, in "close" contests between instate rivals. Tech got the win, but I'm unsure if it means anything save bragging rights to either squad.

Last night:

It has not been my practice to report on total @$$whuppin's in Goliath/David games, yet as I've already p!$$ed Jeff off :D , I'll give him:

# 1 Kansas 99 - Radford 64 = No doubt everyone in Phog Allen Fieldhouse was sorely disappointed that the Jayhawks did not hit the century mark. Other than that, the game was meaningless.

Also:
# 3 Villanova 97 - St. Joseph's 89 = See my TT/TCU comment above - the same logic applies here.

# 4 Kentucky 64 - U. Conn 61 = This makes the 4th bullet that the Wildcats have dodged, and the season's barely gotten going yet. You think Calipari's aged much lately? Heavy lies the head crowned the most overpaid in NCAA history.

Wisconsin Green Bay 88 - # 20 Wisconsin 84 (OT) = The Big Ten can console itself by noting that, no matter how soft and creamy its center is, it has more texture than the Pac-10 does.

Another score of interest to me was:

St. John's 66 - Georgia 56 = Except for a fairly close loss to Duke (in Cameron, no less) the Redman (sorry, I refuse to call them the Red freakin' Storm), St. John's has won every game so far. Many of you young whippersnappers may not remember when they were a perennial power in college basketball, yet the possibility that they may be one again intrigues old farts like me. That has yet to be demonstrated, but it is a situation worthy of attention until more evidence is uncovered. BTW, I know precisely the reason why they fell off the map for so long, and if anyone is interested I will tell you.

Tonight's games include:

# 7 Syracuse vs. # 10 Florida = On paper, this is a good game. However, it is played on hardwood, and though paper is made of wood it is not itself wood.

# 12 Michigan State vs. Oakland = On paper, this is no game at all.

# 19 Cincinnati vs. Miami (OH) = Of the spate of instate matchups we've seen lately, this may be the least interesting.

Enjoy.

[Uflbassin]

Florida-Syracuse is turning out to be a good game. Get 'em Gators!!!

[The Poet]

Florida-Syracuse is turning out to be a good game. Get 'em Gators!!!

Yeah, it was a pretty good game, until the last 3 1/2 minutes anyway. Then it was the Gators who got got, ending down to the 'Cuse 85-73. Not a good week in Gainsville, all in all. And speaking of bad weeks, # 19 Cincinnati barely escaped Miami (OH) 63-59, which is an unimpressive win just after a shocking loss - of their football coach.

One other score from last night that I found interesting: California Baptist, an NAIA school, beat Pepperdine 67-65 - in Malibu no less - on a layup with 8 ticks left. The Waves have had competitive teams often in the past (believe it or not), and though this loss puts them at 3-7, it is still odd for a "mid-major" to lose to NAIA teams.

Tonight there's only one game involving the ranked, and that is:

# 9 Tennessee vs. Middle Tennessee State = Again, instate rivals. Don't expect an upset, but don't be surprised by a nice effort.

Aside from this, the ODU/Dayton matchup should be fun to watch.

Tomorrow's games will pop up here tomorrow, but as I'll not be "here" until early afternoon I shall mention the two big games which tip off at noon:

# 4 Kentucky vs. Indiana = At Assembly Hall, so I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict this will be the 5th bullet UK ducks.

# 13 Ohio State vs. # 22 Butler = The Buckeyes want it, but the Bulldogs need it. This should be a battle till the last.

Talk at you tomorrow - enjoy.

[The Poet]

As one might expect, # 9 Tennessee had little problem with Middle Tenn. State, winning by 21 points. As this one expected, the ODU/Dayton game was much better, with the Flyers prevailing 58-50.

So far today, the game between # 13 Ohio State and # 22 Butler appears a study in ineptitude, with only 12 total points scored collectively in the first 5 minutes. But Indiana does have an early lead over # 4 Kentucky, 12 to 7. I'll keep an eye on both games for you.

Other games today include:

# 1 Kansas vs. La Salle = Should be no contest.
# 2 Texas vs. Texas State = Ditto.
# 5 Purdue vs. Alabama = Now here might be a game.
# 6 West Virginia vs. Coppin State = Now here won't.
# 11 UNC vs. Presbyterian = A scrimmage.
# 15 Georgetown vs. # 17 Washington = A scrum.
# 16 Texas A&M vs. New Mexico = I could see the Aggies losing this one.
# 18 UNLV vs. Kansas State = Or the Rebels this one.
# 20 Wisconsin vs. Marquette = Or the Badgers this one.
# 21 Gonzaga vs. Davidson = But not the Zags this one.
# 25 Ole Miss vs. McNeese State = Ibid.

As usual, there are other good matchups today, such as Va. Tech/Penn State, so don't just concentrate on the ranked teams.

For the lighter Sunday schedule, we have:

# 3 Villanova vs. Temple = An old rivalry that could be a great game.
# 7 Syracuse vs. St Francis (NY) = Oh pleeze.
# 19 Cincinnati vs. Xavier = And this could be good also.

Updates on today's action to follow. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

As I was writing the above, UK opened up lead on the Hoosier, but Indiana has closed it to 3 late in the first half. The Buckeyes and Bulldogs finally found the range, and it's a close battle going on there. We seem to have two good games in Indiana at the moment.

[The Poet]

At the half, Ohio State by two and UK by one.

[The Poet]

Kentucky now up by a dozen, but that other game's a dogfight.

[The Poet]

Butler's opened up an 8-point lead, but the Buckeyes still have time. The Hoosiers, however, are running out of that commodity.

[The Poet]

Except for the crying, it's all over for the Hoosiers, and it's getting that way for the Buckeyes. The Big Ten's about to take another double-hit.

[The Poet]

Whoa, Ohio State's made a furious comback, and cut it to 3 with 45 ticks left. Stay tuned.

[The Poet]

Finals: Kentucky 90, Indiana 73. And Butler 74, Ohio State 66, with that margin almost totally from the line.

Hey, here's another interesting score for you:

Seton Hall 64, VMI 51 - in the first half.
Seton Hall 70, VMI 56 - in the second half.
Game final, Seton Hall 134, VMI 107. Now, there's a defensive war for you.

[The Poet]

Creighton and George "Cinderella" Mason duking it out now - in the second half, a 2-point game.

[The Poet]

Kansas stomping La Salle - no shock.
Georgetown/Washington a battle - no shock.
McNeese State up 12 over Mississippi with 12 minutes left - say what now?

[The Poet]

Ole Miss has come back to tie, and the Hoyas opening up against Washington. Oh, and George Mason beat Creighton by 3.

[The Poet]

Mississippi makes late big run to whomp McNeese State, as they should have from the tipoff. Both Kansas and Georgetown in control of their games - the Jayhawks as expected, and the Hoyas further shaming the Pac-10.

[gettysburgfreak]

How about them Syracuse Orangemen! Seems like they never get much press at the beginning of the year but find a way to make noise.

[WildBlueSooner]

C-a-t-s cats cats cats!

[The Poet]

James, there are more "Cats" in the NCAA than will fit in a Dolly Partonesque gunnysack, but I'll assume you mean Kentucky here. Yes, they have a good team, and seem a potential Final Four candidate. As for Syracuse, the 'freak is also right, to a point. True, Jim Boeheim appears to have a better squad than what experts expected before the season started, but despite their success so far I cannot see them playing on three consecutive weekends come March. Besides, a win over St. Francis NY? C'mon. The Orangemen often get hot, either early or late, yet very rarely do they finish that way. Well, we will see.

Other scores of interest, aside from blowouts, on Saturday:

# 4 Purdue 73 - Alabama 65 = A nice win, but hardly dominance.
# 11 Georgetown 74 - # 24 Washington 66 = Mark this in your chimney, boys: UW is the highest-ranked Pac-10 team, and they barely made it.
# 15 Gonzaga 103 - Davidson 91 = There's no Curry on this 'Cats team, so put this down as a "bad" win. A dozen points ain't squat.
# 17 Kansas State 95 - former # 18 (now unranked) UNLV 80 = To me it's odd that this loss dropped UNLV from #18 to out, but not as odd as the win kicking KSU from out to #17. Just shows to go ya how useless rankings are this early.
# 19 New Mexico 84 - # 23 Texas A&M 81 = Pretty much ditto as above.

Some other scores of interest were Va. Tech over Penn State and Western Carolina over Louisville. The first does not surprise me, but the second? Well, I thought that UNC-Charlotte had a team to beat the Cardinals, but I never expected the Catamounts to do so.

On Sunday:

Temple 75 - # 8 Villanova 65 = I told you this would be a game. That's Philly ball for you. Those Big Five play tough, especially against each other.
Xavier 83 - # 25 Cincinnati 79 (2OT) = And I told you this would be a game too, but who ever listens to me?

Speaking of listening to me, St. John's beat Fordham 73-56 and go to 8-1 for the season. The win over the Rams may not mean a lot to you, but those other include decent programs like Siena, Georgia, St. Bonaventure and - oh yeah, the aforementioned Temple Owls. Are they getting any love, gettysburgfreak? Fark no.

The only game tonight of any interest is # 22 Georgia Tech vs. UT-Chattanooga. Well, there's also Bethune-Cookman vs. Carver Bible. :r Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Well, Georgia Tech beat UT-Chattanooga last night - but not as badly as Bethune-Cookman beat Carver Bible. Tonight's schedule isn't quite as bad, but it pretty much stinks also:

# 2 Texas vs. Texas Pan American = Gimme a break here, as opposed to giving the Longhorns another one.
# 7 Duke vs. Gardner-Webb = Sheesh.
# 9 Tennessee vs. Wyoming = Well, at least both teams are also states.

Other than that, the only interesting match (between ones with winning records) is La. Tech vs. Murray State - which at least has some 'po of being good.

Don't ask me how, but enjoy.

[The Poet]

As expected, not much of interest happened last evening with the ranked teams, though # 9 Tenn. needed a late run to best Wyoming - by almost 20. As I expected, the La.Tech/Murray St. game was much better - and the Rutgers/Rider overtime game was more interesting, even if only because the Scarlet Knights scored all 10 points of the OT for the win. Tonight's action is nearly as dull:

# 18 Ohio State vs. Presbyterian = Those preachers will play dang near everyone, won't they? Good for them!
# 19 New Mexico vs. Northern Arizona = Don't know enough about either team to comment, or to give a damn.
# 20 Mississippi vs. UTEP = Eh, could be OK.
# 22 Georgia Tech vs. AR Pine Bluff = Eh, could be over by the half.
# 25 Cincy vs. UAB = Could put the Bearcats out of the rankings.

You might have a better chance of good action with:

Oral Roberts vs. Louisville
Richmond vs. South Carolina
Belmont vs. St. Louis

But whatever, enjoy.

[Resipsa]

......Woot......Woot.......:) Go the Orangemen of Syracuse

[gettysburgfreak]

......Woot......Woot.......:) Go the Orangemen of Syracuse

:tpd:

[The Poet]

......Woot......Woot.......:) Go the Orangemen of Syracuse

Don't get to hyped yet, boys. You know Jim Boeheim - make him too excited and he starts crying. :D

There were several interesting scores last night, and not merely amongst the ranked:

# 18 Ohio State 78 - Presbyterian 48 = Well, this isn't one of them, except for the fact that the Buckeyes were the latest to spank the Blue Hose (yeah, that's right, Blue Hose :rolleyes:). So far these guys have lost to Clemson, Furman, Illinois, Bradley, UNC, and now OSU. Their next 3 games are against Dayton, Marquette, and Florida. As I said - good for them. Hey, if Kansas and Texas had played as tough a schedule, we might know better if they are for real or not.

# 20 Mississippi 91 - UTEP 81 (OT) = Yeah, I figgered this would be a good game, and the second time in a row Ole Miss has struggled.

# 22 Georgia Tech 65 - AR Pine Bluff 53 = Here's another I class as a "bad" win. A dozen points over those guys? Pleeze.

UAB 64 - # 25 Cincinnati 47 = Now here's a good win, and a loss that will put Cincy out of the rankings.

I also found interesting the 62-57 win by American over DePaul, and the double-overtime game between Duquesne and Canisius. As for tonight, the only game I found that's of even the slightest interest is:

Auburn vs. Florida State = Eh. As I said, "the slightest interest". Enjoy.

[Clampdown]

John Wall....

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7923/wallali.jpg


GO BIG BLUE!!!

[The Poet]

All you Kentucky fans seem focused on John Wall, and understandably so. The kid has had a great start to his (likely short) college career, and will probably have a fine NBA career also, and soon. Yet to me, looking from the outside, the bigger question is that other John you brought in - namely, Calipari. UK fans are not happy unless they win it all, and Cal was paid a king's ransom to do just that. The issue is, which will he do first - win a championship, or land Kentucky on probation? I figure it's about a tossup. No offense, but there it is.

[Clampdown]

All you Kentucky fans seem focused on John Wall, and understandably so. The kid has had a great start to his (likely short) college career, and will probably have a fine NBA career also, and soon. Yet to me, looking from the outside, the bigger question is that other John you brought in - namely, Calipari. UK fans are not happy unless they win it all, and Cal was paid a king's ransom to do just that. The issue is, which will he do first - win a championship, or land Kentucky on probation? I figure it's about a tossup. No offense, but there it is.

I love when fans who have no clue about what happened talk about this issue. First, at UMASS Camby accepted money from a booster. Now, this would be the same as blaming a parent when the kid goes away and gets too drunk and passes out. The parent can only do so much and can't control the kids actions once they step outside the door. So is it his fault that a player on his own time accepted money? And by the way, guess who reported the violations when he heard about them, yep Calipari.

Now, on to Memphis. The player took an SAT test while a high schooler. Yet, you're going to blame Calipari for that, when he wasn't even a member of the team? Please, get real. The NCAA ok'd the player when he was recruited then more info came out and they put Memphis on probation. The NCAA stated that Calipari had ZERO involvement in the violations, yet you and other's who have no idea of what happened will jump on the bandwagon to tar and feather the guy.

So, the two incidents you brought up never implicated Calipari with the probation and in fact in the UMASS instance he brought to light the violations for the NCAA. No offense, but there it really is.

[The Poet]

Keep telling yourself, Brian, that smoke means no fire - until the house burns down. As is typical of a blindered fan (regardless of team colors), methinks thou doest protest too predictably. After all, Calipari had nothing to do with Wall's illegal involvement with his AAU coach, but this matter was known well enough that other coachs choose not to recruit him despite his skills. Cal has no such scruples - and there it really truly is. The buck stops with the head coach, as it should.

Back to the games. That Florida State/Auburn game was a good one, with the Seminoles prevailing 76-72. Two other scores were interesting, in that both LSU and N.C.State dodged bullets - the Tigers beat Nicholls State 63-60, and the Wolfpack beat Elon 79-76. But there's nothing going on tonight, almost at all. The only game I see that might be good is Pacific vs. St. Mary's - and who really cares about these two?

But tomorrow there is a full lineup of games involving ranked teams - and a few of them may even be good games:

# 1 Kansas vs. Michigan = Like this one, though I expect the Jayhawks to prevail.
# 2 Texas vs. UNC = And this one, if Carolina does not disappear for ten minutes like they did against Syracuse and Kentucky.
# 3 Kentucky vs. Austin Peay = But not this one, which should be over by the half.
# 4 Purdue vs. Ball State = Or this one, although Purdue seems to me a weak # 4.
# 5 Syracuse vs. St. Bonaventure = Ibid.
# 6 West Virginia vs. Cleveland State = Ibid ibid.
# 7 Duke vs. # 15 Gonzaga = Opposite, as the personnel here match up pretty well.
# 8 Villanova vs. Fordham = No contest.
# 9 Tennessee vs. USC = A better matchup on the gridiron than the hardwood.
# 11 Georgetown vs. ODU = Don't be shocked if this is a good game here.
# 12 Michigan State vs. IPFW = WTF??
# 13 Florida vs. Richmond = The Spiders may just bite the Gators.
# 16 Texas Tech vs. Wichita State = Ehh, there's worse games than this one.
# 17 Kansas Statre vs. Alabama = Or this one.
# 18 Ohio State vs. Delaware State = However, THIS one . . . .
# 19 New Mexico vs. Creighton = Not the best test to see if the Lobos are for real, but not a walkover either.
# 20 Mississippi vs. Centenary = I'd say this IS a walkover, but Ole Miss seems lost lately.
# 21 Butler vs. Xavier = Hey, here's a fun game for you. Two good mid-majors dook it out.
# 23 Texas A&M vs. The Citadel = Aggies will win, but may be closer than you'd expect.
# 24 Washington vs. Portland = A former brief # 25 takes on a sinking # 24. On PAPER, a decent game, if anybody cares
# 25 Cincinnati vs. Lipscomb = Even if the Bearcats totally dominate, that won't save their ranking.

I'd also like to mention one game between two teams that have played quite well and gotten little love except from me. Temple and Seton Hall square off, for what may just get one of them into the polls. But whatever - the polls still mean squat, so just enjoy for the sake of enjoyment.

[Resipsa]

True, Jim Boeheim appears to have a better squad than what experts expected before the season started, but despite their success so far I cannot see them playing on three consecutive weekends come March. We must agree to disagree then pistols at noon at 10 paces.:r

Of all of the teams so far, Syracuse has been the most impressive. I mean they've STOMPED 3 top 15 ranked teams already. Not just beaten, but embarrased them.

That doesn't happen by accident, and it's unlikely to be done by a team that's just a flash in the pan or just on a hot streak.:2

[The Poet]

We must agree to disagree then pistols at noon at 10 paces.:r

Of all of the teams so far, Syracuse has been the most impressive. I mean they've STOMPED 3 top 15 ranked teams already. Not just beaten, but embarrased them.

That doesn't happen by accident, and it's unlikely to be done by a team that's just a flash in the pan or just on a hot streak.:2

They have played very well so far, and may indeed continue to do so. And Boeheim is, I will readily admit, not nearly the whiner he used to be, whether to do with greater age or greater success and respect. I confess there are some top programs with which I have my problems, but my "problems" with the Orangemen are much more picayune and mundane than with others, so I do not wish them ill. If they manage to maintain their high level of play they could go far in the NCAA tourney, and I'd not cry if they do so.

[Clampdown]

Keep telling yourself, Brian, that smoke means no fire - until the house burns down. As is typical of a blindered fan (regardless of team colors), methinks thou doest protest too predictably. After all, Calipari had nothing to do with Wall's illegal involvement with his AAU coach, but this matter was known well enough that other coachs choose not to recruit him despite his skills. Cal has no such scruples - and there it really truly is. The buck stops with the head coach, as it should.

Not a blindered fand (not sure what that means, blinded perhaps?). I'm a graduate of the University of Kentucky and a fan of every UK sports program. Therefore, when you attack my university and spread blatant lies about it, I will speak up. However, if we do something wrong, I will be right there wanting answers.

I brought up both instances when you stated he cheated and yet you come back with once again nothing. Please, tell me when Calipari was put on probation by the NCAA or was ever implicated in any wrongdoing? You honestly expect a coach to be held responsible when a sports agent gives money to a college player to seek favor. With this mentality then every coach should be suspended or blamed when a player gets a DUI, flunks a class, uses illegal drugs. Please, these are adults and are expected to act accordingly when they are on their own. Shouldn't the blame be placed on the player who knowingly broke the rules for their own personal gain?

And once again let me set the record straight because you are wrong about the recruitment of Wall. John Wall was recruited by Roy Williams but he (Williams) backed off because of a strained relationship Williams had with Wall's AAU coach. There were questions about John Wall's eligibility after his coach paid $800 for travel expenses, which John Wall repaid. Wall chose Memphis over other universities because of the offensive mentality implemented by Calipari, not because of some backroom deal struch between the coach and player. The NCAA looked at the issue (Wall and his AAU coach), suspended John Wall for two games and the issue is dead. If there was something there then don't you think the NCAA would do everything in it's power to go after Wall, Calipari and UK. So, there was a little smoke, and unfortunately for your pitchfork brigade, there was no fire.

When Calipari is found guilty by the NCAA of any rules violations, then you can attack the man's character until then it's baseless slander that brings into question your own credibility.

[The Poet]

Whatever. You are absolutely right - it is merely ill fortune that the rancid stench of corruption has followed Calipari everywhere he's gone, and the University of Kentucky has always been the cleanest, most honest, and totally perfect college program in the history of all the entire universes, both known and unknown. God Himself is not as holy as Adolph Rupp.

As for the games, both Kansas and Michigan State hold healthy, albeit not dominating, leads in their games at the middle of the second half.

[The Poet]

Both KU and MSU win. Texas/UNC just starting.

[The Poet]

Texas goes on late run to take a 13-point lead into the break. West Virginia starting to open their game up in the second, while Xavier and Butler are really duking it out.

[The Poet]

Still double-digits for the Longhorns with 4 minutes left. West Virginia in a war with Cleveland State, and Xavier/Butler still one too.

[The Poet]

Butler edges Xavier by one, and West Virginia stomps Cleveland State by two. Texas about has UNC finished late.

[The Poet]

Texas passes its first true test of the season, besting the Tar Heels 103-90 at a neutral site - Cowboy Stadium. :rolleyes:

[Clampdown]

Whatever. You are absolutely right - it is merely ill fortune that the rancid stench of corruption has followed Calipari everywhere he's gone, and the University of Kentucky has always been the cleanest, most honest, and totally perfect college program in the history of all the entire universes, both known and unknown. God Himself is not as holy as Adolph Rupp.

As for the games, both Kansas and Michigan State hold healthy, albeit not dominating, leads in their games at the middle of the second half.

Sarcasm is usually the last resort when truth kicks you in the ass. Let's not forget Kansas (while Roy Williams was coach) just ending its two years probation due to three university representatives giving cash and clothing to graduating players. No program/coach is without dark clouds in its past, but to attack a man for a players transgressions is unfair to him, his family and the university he represents. And personally, I find the blasphemy of your last statement not only unfortunate but offensive. I'm gladly done with this thread. Go Big Blue!!!

[The Poet]

Sarcasm is usually the last resort when truth kicks you in the ass. Let's not forget Kansas (while Roy Williams was coach) just ending its two years probation due to three university representatives giving cash and clothing to graduating players. No program/coach is without dark clouds in its past, but to attack a man for a players transgressions is unfair to him, his family and the university he represents. And personally, I find the blasphemy of your last statement not only unfortunate but offensive. I'm gladly done with this thread. Go Big Blue!!!

OK, Brian, I tried to let this go and let you have your way, as I decided discussing this is akin to talking evolution to a creationist. But you seemingly cannot, and so I'll reply to some of your previous comments.

You said that Roy Williams recruited John Wall himself. Well, Coach Williams is on record as saying he made one phonecall to Wall, when he and UNC were at the Final Four, and that merely at the behest of an unnamed third party. When pressed on the issue as to why he did not pursue the matter further, he diplomatically replied that John Wall was the most talented guard he'd seen since Jason Kidd, but that Wall did not fit into the plans he had for the Tar Heels. But hey, what does Roy Williams know about what Roy Williams did? You know better - after all, you are a Kentucky fan, and Kentucky fans know everything. As for your contention that Roy had a problem with Wall's AAU coach, I never saw any comment Roy made on that specific subject. However, it is logical to me that, if he did have a problem with the John Wall situation, Roy would not put the onus of blame upon a naive high-school student, but would instead place the fault on the adult who was supposed to be mentoring the kid, and who may have venal reasons for trying to exploit John Wall for his own benefit. Yet this does not necessarily mean that your opposing logic, that of placing the blame fully upon the young men who played for John Calipari in his previous positions instead of the grown-up who was getting paid millions of dollars to be THEIR mentor, is flawed. You may feel that, just because these young men are (at least in theory) students, their singlemost important influence in their college career need not be an educator, and that a coach's responsibilities begin and end in the gym. But hey, who am I to argue this with you - after all, you are a Kentucky fan, and Kentucky fans know everything. And speaking of John Wall, of whom I made no negative comment, he himself said that, although he was glad to be at Kentucky, he himself was disappointed and a bit hurt that Roy Williams did not recruit him to play for the Tar Heels, the team for whom he grew up playing. However, this is not to dispute your contention that Roy tried to get Wall to come to Chapel Hill, for what does John Wall know about who recruited John Wall? You know best - after all, you are a Kentucky fan, and Kentucky fans know everything. Further, let me point out that the negative comments I made about John Calipari pale in comparision to those made late last week by Bobby Knight, who stated quite plainly that he did not understand why Cal was still allowed by the NCAA to coach college basketball. Nevertheless, we can surely discount this criticism, as it is obvious that, just like me, Bobby Knight knows absolutely nothing about college basketball. After all, he is only the winningest coach in the history of NCAA basketball, and me - well, I've only been following the sport for a bit over fifty years. You know better than both of us - after all, you are a Kentucky fan, and Kentucky fans know everything.

So go right ahead and continue to wear those blinders (you know, blinders, like they put on horses in Kentucky so that they cannot see what's going on in the world around them), and keep believing what your faith tells you to. Yes, faith, for too many fans - regardless of their loyalties - appear to view it more as a religion than what it truly is: a game. All I will ask you is that, if you have any further remarks to make on this, you take it to PMs to me and refrain from posting anything more than a cursory reply on here, unless it is about the game itself and not on this specific issue. As for me, I shall not reply again on this at all.

And as for the rest of you, I apologize for the direction this "fun" thread took recently, and I'll do my best to get it back on the court and out of the courtroom. Thank you for your patience, and my, hopefully, normal updates will follow - as soon as I relax and have a drink.

[The Poet]

Good gracious, this Christmas rush is killing me. I will get back to this as soon as the madness stops, I promise you. But hey, I ain't stopping you guys from posting about games YOU found of interest. Go ahead, jump in.

[The Poet]

Well maybe the holiday rush has slowed down enough for me to finally get back to this, so let me give you an update of the games I found most interesting during the preceeding week.

On Saturday 12/19 :

Richmond 56 - Florida 53 = Those Spiders bite someone again. Seems I recall telling the Gator fans not to get too excited 'way back when they beat Michigan State.

ODU 61 - Georgetown 57 = Hey, that was one good day for the state of Virginia, wasn't it?

USC 77 - Tennessee 55 = This was NOT a Pearl of a performance by the Volunteers. But it makes some sense - after all, Spartans are raised as warriors from birth, while Volunteers are, well, volunteers.

Wichita State 85 - Texas Tech 83 = Once again proof that early polls are just that - early.

U. Mass. 73 - Memphis 72 = This was one hell of a matchup in the first annual John Calipari Uninvitational. :D

On Sunday 12/20 :

Florida State 66 - Geogia Tech 59 (OT) = Life in the ACC is, as usual, one tough row to hoe.

On Monday 12/21 :

Arizona 83 - Lipscomb 82 (OT) = OK, I know this ain't a great Arizona team, compared to their past, but c'mon now. Lipscomb?

Kentucky 88 - Drexel 44 = The double-up final score means jack in itself, but I'll give the Wildcats some props for winning their 2,00th game.

On Tuesday 12/22 :

South Alabama 67 - Florida 66 = Those Gators got got again.

UAB 67 - Butler 57 = Those Bulldogs are just strange this season. They win a big game, then lose a big game, then win, then lose. Will somebody take them out of the rankings until they can find their @$$es for more than a week or so?

Washington 73 - Texas A&M 64 = The battle of two teams that are probably where they belong - lurking near the cellar of the ranked.

On Wednesday 12/23 :

Arizona 76 - N.C. State 74 = And it took a driving layup - on their own home court, fer Kris'sakes - with a second left for these Wildcats to pull out the win over a "meh" Wolfpack. How the mighty have fallen.

Oral Roberts 75 - New Mexico 66 = Remember when pundits were touting the Mountain West, with both the Lobos and the Runnin' Rebels climbing the polls? Fuggitabboutit.

On Friday 12/25 :

USC 67 - UNLV 56 = See?

There's only one game scheduled today, with # 6 West Virginia playing Seton Hall in beautiful downtown Newark. And there's not a lot tomorrow, with the only significant game being U.Conn/Iona and Wash./San Francisco. But soon the conference schedules will hit high gear, and then we'll have some fun. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

West Virginia has its hands full at the Pru, and lead only 41-39 over the Pirates at the half.

[WildBlueSooner]

Not a blindered fand (not sure what that means, blinded perhaps?). I'm a graduate of the University of Kentucky and a fan of every UK sports program. Therefore, when you attack my university and spread blatant lies about it, I will speak up. However, if we do something wrong, I will be right there wanting answers.

I brought up both instances when you stated he cheated and yet you come back with once again nothing. Please, tell me when Calipari was put on probation by the NCAA or was ever implicated in any wrongdoing? You honestly expect a coach to be held responsible when a sports agent gives money to a college player to seek favor. With this mentality then every coach should be suspended or blamed when a player gets a DUI, flunks a class, uses illegal drugs. Please, these are adults and are expected to act accordingly when they are on their own. Shouldn't the blame be placed on the player who knowingly broke the rules for their own personal gain?

And once again let me set the record straight because you are wrong about the recruitment of Wall. John Wall was recruited by Roy Williams but he (Williams) backed off because of a strained relationship Williams had with Wall's AAU coach. There were questions about John Wall's eligibility after his coach paid $800 for travel expenses, which John Wall repaid. Wall chose Memphis over other universities because of the offensive mentality implemented by Calipari, not because of some backroom deal struck between the coach and player. The NCAA looked at the issue (Wall and his AAU coach), suspended John Wall for two games and the issue is dead. If there was something there then don't you think the NCAA would do everything in it's power to go after Wall, Calipari and UK. So, there was a little smoke, and unfortunately for your pitchfork brigade, there was no fire.

When Calipari is found guilty by the NCAA of any rules violations, then you can attack the man's character until then it's baseless slander that brings into question your own credibility.

First off :tu. Second, I am disclosing that I am also a UK grad, and I agree with everything you have said. Secondly, anyone who looks at the violations everyone loves to talk about, and actually thinks about it, they will see they were out of his hands. He has been a head coach since 1988, and those are the two events people remember, both of which were not violations committed by him. Anyways, one thing I love about UK is other people getting worked up...especially when we are winning. When people are talking bad about UK, I am feeling good :banger

[The Poet]

If you missed that West Virginia/Seton Hall game Saturday, you definitely did miss it. The Pirates went on a 12-2 run in the last minute to force an overtime at 77-all, and The Rock was rockin'. Had the Pirates hit just one of those numerous chokes from the line in regulation, they would have won the game, instead of losing it 90-84 in OT. As for the Sunday games, both U. Conn and Washington won easily against pretty weak opposition - so for once you were better off watching all the upsets in the NFL yesterday.

There's not much promise of good games tonight either, at least if all the teams play up to their potential. Games involving the better schools include:

UNC vs. Rutgers = Should be a double-digit win to get the Heels to double-digit wins.

Florida vs. American = You'd think the Gators could handle these guys easily, but it won't help their standing regardless.

Temple vs. Bowling Green = Zzzzzzzzzzz.

Gonzaga vs. Eastern Washington = And don't wake me for this one either.

BYU vs. Arizona = OK now, here might be a game. Both teams are trying to prove, to the country and themselves, that they are for real.

Portland vs. Nevada = And again. These two were early darlings who've fallen out of favor, and both need to reboot.

Enjoy.

[Resipsa]

Up next for the Orangemen, the most hated (well, not MOST hated, but kinda hated) Seton Hall.

I hope to be at one of the home games soon. The company my dad recently retired from has a corporate box in the Carrier, and because of his postion in the company over the years I've gotten to see great events there, boxing, basketball, concerts, it's been a blast. Hoping to get to see a big game. :banger

[The Poet]

Well Vic, if Bobby Gonzalez can get his boys to play like they did Saturday against WVA, your Orange is gonna have a game on their hands. That Hazell kid will be shooting over Boeheim's zone all night long, and if he has the range you're in trouble.

[Resipsa]

Well Vic, if Bobby Gonzalez can get his boys to play like they did Saturday against WVA, your Orange is gonna have a game on their hands. That Hazell kid will be shooting over Boeheim's zone all night long, and if he has the range you're in trouble.I a tually hope so Thomas, a little adversityis good for the soul!

[The Poet]

I a tually hope so Thomas, a little adversityis good for the soul!

That's the spirit, brother. :tu Those 105-32 games ain't no fun at all.

[The Poet]

The action involving top teams last night was not so good, no matter how you cut it. F'instance:

UNC 81 - Rutgers 67 = The final score is about what one would expect, but it does not tell the story of a game that both should have been closer and not nearly as close. The Heels had a 17-point lead early in the second half, and were already in the bonus with only four minutes gone, but the Scarlet Knights cut it to 4 points with about two minutes left - which would have been even tighter had they hit more than 3 of 23 from outside the arc. Only a late run, started by a Dexter Strickland "No, no, no . . . YES!" 3-pointer, got the margin back up to respectable. Roy still hasn't gotten through to these guys yet, and the ACC season is approaching fast.

Florida 76 - American 60 = Gators stop the bleeding in a gimme game that was not terribly impressive.

Gonzaga 94 - Eastern Washington 52 = Like this - though it's just as meaningless a win.

Nevada 78 - Portland 69 = One of the two wanna-bes had to win, ya know?

BYU 99 - Arizona 69 = A couple of close wins by these Wildcats is followed by this stomping.

Actually, I found two other games to be of more interest than these:

Richmond 66 - N.C. Wilmington 64 = Remember, these Spiders have already beaten Miss. State, Missouri, ODU, and Florida. This squeaker against UNC-W is embarrassing.

NJIT 66 - Wagner 56 = And why is this of interest? Well, it gave the Highlanders their fourth win of this season, which is twice as many as they had in the previous two campaigns. Remember, they had a 51-game losing streak from 2007-09, so their present 4-8 record is a cause for celebration.

There looks to be a few good games sprinkled in amongst the crap tonight:

Kansas vs. Belmont = This ain't one of them.
Texas vs. Gardner-Webb = Nor this.
Kentucky vs. Hartford = Nor this snorer either.
Purdue vs. Iowa = Well, at least it is a conference game, but that's about all one can say.
Syracuse vs. Seton Hall = OK, now here might be a contest, as discussed above yesterday.
Duke vs. Long Beach State = Hey, I said a FEW good games, didn't I?
West Virginia vs. Marquette = Ehhhh, I give this one a shot at being a game anyway.
Kansas State vs. Cleveland State = Uhhhh, I don't give this one the same shot.
Ole Miss vs. Jacksonville State = Or this one either.
Clemson vs. South Carolina . . . State = Had you hoping for a second there, right?
New Mexico vs. Texas Tech = I expect this to be a war, as both teams need the W.
LSU vs. Xavier = And I've got a feeling this one too could be fun.

There's not a lot of poison for you to pick above, but there is some - so enjoy.

[Resipsa]

The 'Cuse......:banger

15-0 run starting at the 12 minute mark put it away, baby.

[The Poet]

The 'Cuse......:banger

15-0 run starting at the 12 minute mark put it away, baby.

Yes, and they needed that run too. For a team projected to rule the cellar of the Big East, Seton Hall is certainly putting the fear of God into some highly-ranked schools. A 80-73 loss to the # 5 Orangemen, following an OT loss to # 6 West Virginia? Not too shabby, if you ask me.

There were a few other decent games last night too:

# 4 Purdue 67 - Iowa 56 = Don't let that 11-point win fool you. The 12-0 Boilermakers had to shoot over 65% in the second half to beat the 5-8 Hawkeyes.

# 6 West Virginia 63 - Marquette 62 = Did I not tell you this could be a tight one? The Mountainmen dodged their second minieball inna row when Butler hit that 20-footer with 2 ticks left.

# 19 New Mexico 90 - # 20 Texas Tech 75 = I thought this would be closer, but only the Lobos showed up.

# 21 Clemson 70 - South Carolina State 67 = Sheesh. No other comment needed.

And out of the ranked we had:

Delaware 82 - Lafayette 72 (OT) = Don't you just love extra helpings?

Tonight there are a few potential gems scattered amongst the dogs:

# 9 UNC vs. Albany = Woof.

# 10 U. Conn vs. Cincinnati = Here we've got a shot at some fun.

# 11 Michigan State vs. Texas Arlington = Here we got no shot.

# 18 Temple vs. Northern Illinois = Not much bang here either.

# 24 UAB vs. UVA = This is in Cav country, so the Jeffersonians have a decent chance.

# 25 Northwestern vs. Illinois = These particular Wildcats (as opposed to many of the upteen-dozen others) have not been ranked since early 1969, and though this Illini team is not a classic one, Northwestern may make an even earlier exit.

Duquesne vs. ODU = These two can match up quite well.

William & Mary vs. Maryland = Don't be shocked if this one's closer than the Terps would prefer.

Providence vs. Notre Dame = When middlin' conference foes meet, anything can happen.

Baylor vs. Arkansas = Not a conference matchup, but otherwise ibid.

South Carolina vs. Boston College = Ibid ibid.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Hey, whaddaya know? Again I managed to call a few:

# 9 UNC 87 - Albany 70 = Once more this game was not this close, yet closer than Roy Williams wanted. The most significant note is that both teams scored 41 points in the second half - which is totally unacceptable. Were I Roy I'd bench the whole damn team.

Cincinnati 71 - # 10 U. Conn. 69 = Jim Calhoun has no beef. If you fall behind, catch up and tie with 9 ticks left, then foul a freshman at the horn to give him two shots for the win, you've only your own team to blame. I don't wanna hear no whining about the zebras.

# 18 Temple 70 - Northern Illinois 60 = Here's another one of those "bad" wins. Ten points ain't squat.

Virginia 72 - # 24 UAB 63 = And here's a good win, for the Cavs.

Illinois 89 - # 25 Northwestern 83 (OT) = Did I not say they'd likely make a quick departure from those ranked?

William & Mary 83 - Maryland 77 = Like I predicted, closer than Gary Williams would prefer. :D

ODU 63 - Duquesne 54 = Yeah, a decent matchup, though not as decent as . . .

Central Conn. State 89 - UMBC 86 (2 OT) = Hey, if anybody cared about either of these two teams, this would have been the game of the week.

A good percentage of today's action is already over, even if the clock's still running:

# 23 Wisconsin 65 - # 15 Ohio State 43 = Yeah, I know this was in Madison, and I know the Buckeyes miss Evan Turner, but that's just pitiful.

Indiana 71 - Michigan 65 = Does anyone but me and the Wolverine fans remember that UM was once ranked, whereas the Hoosiers are - well, just rank?

IUPUI 79 - IPFW 69 = OMG, WTF?

With time still left, # 14 Tennessee has an OK lead over Memphis, while # 22 Florida State is spanking Alabama A&M. Also, UCLA has a healthy margin over Arizona State early in the second half. Later games tonight include:

# 7 Duke vs. Penn = Were this a science fair, Penn would have the edge. But it ain't, and they don't.

# 13 Georgetown vs. St. John's = I am really interested in seeing if the Johnnies can hold their own against the Hoyas.

# 17 Washington vs. Oregon State = Any conference game, especially early, can be a test.

Oregon vs. Washington State = And no, I'm not suffering from dyslexia here, nor am I repeating myself.

Richmond vs. Wake Forest = This I see as one hell of a non-conference contest.

Oklahoma vs. Gonzaga = This, not so much, though the Sooners might shock me and show up.

Arizona vs. USC = The Trojans have started to play better, while the Wildcats have not.

Wisc. Green Bay vs. Butler = Green Bay is almost always well-coached and a tough out, so Butler's rollercoaster could continue.

And as for action to kick off the New Year tomorrow, there's not a lot to choose from - though part of it might be "cherch":

# 4 Purdue vs. # 6 West Virginia = I personally believe both teams are a bit over-ranked, so this one is truly of interest to me.

# 19 New Mexico vs. Dayton = Can the Flyers top the Lobos? There's a chance.

# 20 Texas Tech vs. McNeese State = OK, there's a clinker in every bunch. Regardless, enjoy.

[The Poet]

In case anyone cares, UCLA's double-digit lead over ASU has slipped to 1 point with 8 minutes left - yes, and it's in Pauley too. Sheesh.

[The Poet]

UCLA holds on to top ASU 72-70. Speaking of tops, the Rocky Tops best cross-state rival Memphis 66-59. And surprise surprise, Dook is just murdering Penn.

[The Poet]

Happy hoopy New Year! There's a bunch to cover, so lemme get to it:

On the last day of 2009, we had a few good games:

# 13 Georgetown 66 - St. John's 59 = A nice win for the Hoyas, and not an embarrassment for St. John's either.

# 17 Washington 76 - Oregon State 70 = Here was a tight border war, but not as tight as . . .

Oregon 91 - Washington State 89 (2 OT) = Did anybody see this one? I'm curious as to if it was one neither wanted to lose, or neither wanted to win. If the former, it's a classic.

USC 56 - Arizona 50 = I suspect the low score was more a product of bad offense than good defense, but regardless it was competitive. Again, speaking of competition . . .

Wake Forest 74 - Richmond 68 (OT) = I KNEW this would be a good one. The teams were tied at the half, tied at the end of regulation, but the Deacs outfought the Spiders 12-6 in the extra 5 minutes. Ohhh, baby.

Then to kick off 2010, we had these:

# 4 Purdue 77 - # 6 West Virginia 62 = Lessee, we had that OT against Seton Hall last weekend, then this 15-point pounding by the Boilermakers. Coupled with their Gator Bowl loss in Bowden's swan song, it was not a great week for the Mountaineers.

# 19 New Mexico 68 - Dayton 66 = Well, the Flyers hung tough . . . just not quite tough enough.

# 20 Texas Tech 76 - McNeese State 75 = C'mon, you gotta be kiddin' me. McNeese State? Hrumpff.

Today there is a ton of action, some already in progress:

# 5 Syracuse has a slim lead over Pitt halfway through the first, but # 10 U. Conn is in a real war with Notre Dame, while so far Arkansas is laying a whuppin' on # 24 UAB. I'll keep you updated. Other games include:

# 1 Kansas vs. # 18 Temple = One's gonna wanna run, the other crawl. This could get interesting . . . for a while, anyway.

# 2 Texas vs. TAMU Corpus Christi = Cupcake of Criminy, given to thee Horns.

# 3 Kentucky vs. Louisville = Hatfields and McCoys, brothers. I think Calipari and Pitino should just face off with pistols at midcourt.

# 8 Villanova vs. Marquette = Hmmmm. Might be a pretty good matchup.

# 11 Michigan State vs. # 25 Northwestern = Northwestern's week in the spotlight ends with a second loss.

# 17 Washington vs. Oregon = Should be fairly close for a while, but the Dawgs have that Starbucks edge over the Quacks.

Georgia Tech vs. Charlotte = Nice potential out of conference, and the ranked.

Seton Hall vs. Virginia Tech = Ditto.

Gonzaga vs. Illinois = Ibid.

Cincinnati vs. Rutgers = Mid-pack conference implications.

USC vs. Arizona State = Also.

Arizona vs. UCLA = Less so, as both may turn into bottom-feeders.

Then come Sunday we can look forward to:

# 12 Kansas State vs. South Dakota = Well, maybe we can't look forward to this one.

# 13 Georgetown vs. DePaul = Nor this one, unless the Blue Demons find some old magic.

# 15 Ohio State vs. Michigan = The Logans need a good win, and badly. Will the Buckeyes oblige?

# 20 Texas Tech vs. UTEP = Ehhh, who the fark cares anyway?

# 23 Wisconsin vs. Penn State = Uh, yeah.

Florida vs. N. C. State = This could be the best game out of the ranked teams.

Whatever you choose, enjoy.

[The Poet]

UAB turned it around and opened up an 8-point lead at the half. Syracuse up 3 at the break, and U. Conn/Notre Dame still tight with 5 gone in the second.

[The Poet]

All three of these games are still tight, though Pitt has moved 5 up on the Orange.

Oh, there's two games tomorrow I forgot to mention:

# 7 Duke vs. # 21 Clemson = This is in Cameron, and Clemson has always had the tendency to collapes, so expect a blowout.

Wake Forest vs. Xavier = Hey, how could I miss this one? It may well be the best game on Sunday.

[The Poet]

UAB/Ark still tight, but U.Conn has moved out double-digits over Irish - and Pitt the same over 'Cuse. There's still time for the Orange, but they'd better get busy.

[The Poet]

U.Conn bests ND by a dozen, and UAB steals the win at the horn 73-72. With a minute-plus left Pitt has a healthy lead over a Syracuse team that - so far - has shot under 10% from 3 and committed two dozen fouls.

[The Poet]

Pitt gives Syracuse its first loss, 82-72. At the half, Gonzaga and Arizona have nice leads over Illinois and UCLA, respt.

[The Poet]

Arizona well ahead of the Bruins, and Illini a bit atop the 'Zags - middle of 2nd half.

[The Poet]

Arizona has this one, up 16 with 1 1/2 left. Illinois up one in OT over Gonzaga.

[The Poet]

Arizona 77 - UCLA 63. Season from hell for the Bruins continues.
Gonzaga 85 - Illinois 83 (OT) = Bulldogs only scored 6 in OT, but Illini only scored 4. Sheesh.

[popo212]

On my way to watch the KU/Temple game at Bullfrogs Live here in Topeka. The Topeka Jayhawk Club is having a Hawk Watch for todays game. They are ranked #1 but I really down want to face Texas twice.
Final Four; Kansas, Texas, Kentucky and Kansas State. The last one is not a typo.:banger

[The Poet]

On my way to watch the KU/Temple game at Bullfrogs Live here in Topeka. The Topeka Jayhawk Club is having a Hawk Watch for todays game. They are ranked #1 but I really down want to face Texas twice.
Final Four; Kansas, Texas, Kentucky and Kansas State. The last one is not a typo.:banger

Enjoy the game, brother. And it's damn decent of you to allow somebody out of your conference into the Final Four. :r Hey, I've learned to expect that sort of home-cooking from the Big East fans, but not from the Big 12. You sure you don't wanna replace Kentucky with Texas A&M or Tech?

BTW, KU and UT only meet once in the regular season.

[The Poet]

'Nova/Marquette very tight so far, which is what you'd expect. UK/Louisville not so much, which is also no shock.

[The Poet]

Dang, this Bluegrass battle is total crap so far. There have been more rebounds in the game than points, and by a big margin too. Judging from what's happened so far, they both suck.

[The Poet]

Well, that UK/Louisville game got a bit better in the 2nd half, with the Cardinals even taking a brief lead at one point - of one point. But the Wildcats held them off for a decent 71-62 victory. Other games of note not already covered, on Saturday:

Kansas 84 - Temple 52 = The Owls wisely spread the court and tried to slow things down, but could not hit from deep, which put them in deep.

Texas 76 - TAMU Corpus Christi 70 = Previously I've mentioned a number of "bad" wins. Well, this was just disgraceful for the Longhorns. OK, you can forgive their 35% shooting, as any team can have a cold night. But to be outrebounded 47-37 by the (then) 5-6 Islanders is a crime, and Rick Barnes would agree. Had TAMU not helped Texas with 25 turnovers, they may have had the upset.

Villanova 74 - Marquette 72 = Did I not say this could be a good one?

Michigan State 91 - Northwestern 70 = Did I not say N'western would lose their 2nd of the week?

Virginia Tech 103 - Seton Hall 94 (OT) = Did I not say . . . well, I don't recall. But this is the third tough loss for the Pirates in a week. Guess those priests aren't praying hard enough.

Oregon 90 - (formerly #17) Washington 79 = Did I not say the Pac-10 sucked?

USC 47 - Arizona State 37 = Did I not just say it? Hell, that's a football score.

On Sunday some games of note were:

Duke 74 - Clemson 53 = Anyone who didn't see this coming does not know the ACC.

Georgetown 67 - DePaul 50 = Well, the Blue Demons sure ain't the Blue Devils.

Kansas State 91 - South Dakota 69 = Oh, sorry . . . I said "games of note" didn't I.

Michigan 73 - Ohio State 64 = OK, here's one. The collapse of the Buckeyes continues apace.

Florida 62 - N. C. State 61 (OT) = Now here was one good contest for you.

Iowa State 82 - Houston 75 (2OT) = Now here was a second.

Wake Forest 96 - Xavier 92 (2OT) = Now here was a third, and precisely the war I predicted.

I see only four games tonight of interest to me, although there are some good matchups between .500-type teams that could be fun. The ones I mean, however, are:

UNC vs. College of Charleston = This is not a classic tough Charleston team, but the Heels ain't exactly been spot-on either. It should . . . SHOULD . . . be a spanking for Carolina's last tune-up prior to ACC play.

Florida State vs. TAMU Corpus Christi = If the Seminoles embarrass the Islanders, like I believe they shall, this will merely add to the embarrassment of the Longhorns (see above).

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati = Two good teams with two great wins of late. Should be a blast.

Fairfield vs. Niagara = Two decent mid-major programs who both are playing as well as are capable.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Two more points of interest, in case you missed them:

1 - That Gator overtime win against the Wolfpack was on a 75-foot shot at the buzzer, off a rebound of a missed back-end freethrow with 2.6 seconds left. Whoa!

2 - Due to violations committed by Tim Floyd and O.J. Mayo, Southern Cal has imposed on themselves - yes, ON THEMSELVES! - some rather draconian sanctions, including the voiding of the season Mayo played for them, the return to the NCAA of tourney money, the banning of themselves from post-season play this year, the loss of a scholarship, and the limitation of recruitment for next year. Yes, you read right - they slapped themselves, and hard. Now, that is class. :tu

[The Poet]

Well the boss has finally left, so I can get to this at last:

College of Charleston 82 - UNC 79 (OT) = I have been trying to tell you that my Tar Heels have been playing like crap. Roy Williams has been trying to tell them that they have been playing like crap. Maybe you have listened to me, and maybe you have not, but it's obvious that they have not been listening to Roy. With the conference season about to start, this could get even uglier, and fast.

Pittsburgh 74 - Cincinnati 71 = Yeah, I figgered this would be a good game, and it's another good win for the Panthers.

Florida State 94 - TAMU Corpus Christi 54 = This is only of interest because it is the kind of whipping that Texas should have laid on them in the previous game.

And I also figgered there might be some decent matchups between "meh" clubs last night, and there certainly was. Although the schedule was not overly crowded, I counted about 15 games that either ended as one-possession contests in regulation or ones that went to OT. There may be a few of those tonight also, but I don't see nearly as many. Games of possible note include:

Texas vs. Arkansas = The Razorbacks are not great this year, but Texas has not yet shown me they are as good as their ranking. I doubt if this will be a close one, but then again I KNEW the Corpus Christi game would not, so . . . .

Purdue vs. Minnesota = I cannot see Minnesota hanging around long here.

Georgia Tech vs. Georgia = Tech is a better squad, but these in-state fights are always tricky.

Marshall vs. Southern Mississippi = Two teams that play hard, so may be fun.

South Florida vs. Notre Dame = Yeah, pretty much the same here.

Mississippi vs. UCF = Nah, not so much here.

New Mexico vs. San Diego State = Nor here.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Scores of note from last night include:

Texas 96 - Arkansas 85 = The 'Hogs fought the 'Horns hard, but the bovine advantage down low overcame the porcine persistence.

San Diego State 74 - New Mexico 64 = For those Mountain West fans with expectations exceeding mid-major status, take that!

Georgia 73 - Georgia Tech 66 = I warned you about those in-state rivals. Guess whatever magic Bobby Cremmins had left the Ramblin' Wreck got used up the night before when his Charleston club beat the Heels.

Notre Dame 74 - South Florida 73 = Indeed, a fun game.

There's a fair number of games with good teams tonight:

Kansas vs. Cornell = This isn't even a decent scrimmage.

Duke vs. Iowa State = A little better, but not a lot.

Villanova vs. DePaul = I'm not gonna believe in the Demons again, until they prove me wrong.

Syracuse vs. Memphis = Ehhhh, could be interesting for a half or so.

West Virginia vs. Rutgers = Uhhhh, could be over by the half or so.

Michigan State vs. Wisconsin = Conference play with ranked teams, so 'nuff said.

Georgetown vs. Marquette = I can see this going down to the wire.

U. Conn. vs. Seton Hall = Huskies wanna bounce back, and Pirates wanna win one of these. Might be a lotta fun.

Tennessee vs. Charlotte = The 49er's are a good squad, and the Vols aren't out on bail yet. Don't be shocked if Charlotte knocks Knoxville off.

Temple vs. St. Joe's = The Hawks are flying pretty low this season, but with Philly ball you can never tell. However, Owls should prevail by a dozen or better.

BYU vs. UNLV = Monty, I'd like to buy a vowel and solve this puzzle . . . is either team for real?

Louisville vs. Providence = Here's one both teams need, so let's hope both show up.

Wichita State vs. Missouri State = OK, it has no national implications, but I do like the matchup.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Wow, was last night a great one for close games, such as:

Kansas 71 - Cornell 66 = And it was even closer than that, as Big Red held a 64-63 lead with 50 seconds left. Had Collins not carried the Jayhawks by himself all evening, this would have been the biggest upset since Chaminade beat Ralph Sampson's UVA team.

Michigan State 54 - Wisconsin 47 = Both teams shot well under 40% from the field, and I'd like to know how much was due to D and how much to crappy selection and execution.

U. Conn. 71 - Seton Hall 63 = Another tough loss for the Pirates. Again, considering this was in Storrs, that 8-point margin is no shame . . . but it's still an L on the books.

Marquette 62 - Georgetown 59 = Have you guys been paying attention? The Golden Eagles may be the best 10-5 team in the nation. Not only have they beaten Xavier and Michigan also, but of their losses it was by 1 to Florida State, 4 to N.C. State, 1 to West Virginia, and 2 to Villanova. Not too shabby.

Aside from these, games without as much national implication included:

BYU 77 - UNLV 73 = In a battle of Good vs. Evil, one prevailed. I'll let you choose which is which.

UCLA 76 - California 75 (OT) = Hey, the Pac-10 can play some real competitive ball . . . against each other, anyway.

Stanford 54 - USC 53 = See what I mean?

Bradley 91 - Indiana State 85 (OT) = Everybody loves a bonus session.

William & Mary 74 - Delaware 73 (OT) = Like this.

Grambling State 64 - Alabama A&M 62 (OT) = Or this.

Ohio 63 - IUPUI 62 = Close, but no seegar.

Jackson State 63 = Alabama State 62 = " " " .

ODU 74 - James Madison 72 = Not as close, but still.

Drexel 75 - VCU 72 = A blowout, relatively.

Wichita State 65 - Missouri State 62 = And another one.

As for action this evening, well, it's mostly a bunch of crap..Already today Coastal Carolina has edges N.C. Ashville 58-57 in the Manteo-to-Murphy (or is it Duck to Ducktown?) challenge, which is of interest only as it continues the "squeaker" trend. The other games which I find of note include:

Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama = A decent chance to be a decent game.

Michigan vs. Penn State = A conference game, at least.

Xavier vs. LaSalle = The X-men should continue their Yo-Yo season with a W.

St. Francis (PA) vs. St. Francis (NY) = This one's for all who believe basketball is Assisi game. :D

Enjoy.

[Col. Kurtz]

That Gator overtime win against the Wolfpack was on a 75-foot shot at the buzzer, off a rebound of a missed back-end freethrow with 2.6 seconds left. Whoa!



Grrrr :mad:

[The Poet]

Grrrr :mad:

Yepper! But hey - at least it wasn't Charleston in OT.

[The Poet]

Even though most of the games last night involved teams no one but their fans are involved with, the trend of squeakers did continue:

Western Kentucky 67 - South Alabama 64 (OT) = Hey, I told you this could be a good one.

Xavier 68 - LaSalle 62 = And I told you Xavier would win, though I expected a bigger margin.

Michigan 64 - Penn State 55 = The Loins let the Logans recover from a hideous first half to steal one and keep PSU winless in the Big 10.

Arkansas State 69 - Middle Tennessee State 67 = One of those aforementioned squeakers.

UC Irvine 65 - CSU Northridge 62 = Again.

Gardner-Webb 64 - Charleston Southern 61 = Also.

Jackson State 68 - Eastern Kentucky 65 = Ditto.

LA Lafayette 74 - North Texas 72 = Ibid.

Oakland 67 - Oral Roberts 64 = Another 1-possession game.

Quinnipiac 64 - Mount St. Mary's 63 = And a 1-point one.

Southern Utah 85 - North Dakota State 79 (OT) = And another OT.

There's not a whole lot happening tonight, as is fairly normal on Fridays once the season truly starts. I see only a few games to watch:

Butler vs. Wright State = Should be a real battle.

Washington State vs. Arizona = Should not be one.

Washington vs. Arizona State = Hey, do these Great NW schools share the same plane? Didn't they do this precise flop-flip with Oregon/Oregon State earlier? WTF?

There WILL be a ton of good games on Saturday, but as I'll be right here tomorrow I shall only mention those with an early tip-off time:

Georgetown vs. U. Conn = This is always an interesting matchup between the Hoya defensive philosophy and the Huskies offensive one.

Florida vs. Vanderbilt = These Commodores are not as good as past teams, but the Gators have been pretty bi-polar, so might be fun.

St. John's vs. Louisville = Neither team is outstanding, but both teams are pretty decent. I expect the Cardinals to open this one up in the second half.

More to follow tomorrow afternoon. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Boy, did I miss it last night! F'instance:

Butler 77 - Wright State 65 = I thought this would be close, but it was not very after all.

Washington State 78 - Arizona 76 = And I thought this would be a slaughter, as Arizona hasn't shown me much so far. They didn't win, but they came damn near.

Arizona State 68 - Washington 51 = The Huskies are not doing much to defend their Pac-10 championship, and that's a fact. But to me the more significant fact is how good a coach is Herb Sendek. In his 3+ seasons, his Sun Devils have beaten 7 ranked teams, while in the previous 11 campaigns they beat only five. I did not understand it when N.C. State let him go, and I've seen no reason yet to change that opinion.

There is much to much action going on today for me to post more than those games that pop for me, as this is the first weekend of full-tilt conference play. Regarding those games that have already started, U. Conn presently has a nice lead over Georgetown, but the Fla./Vandy and SJU/Louisville ones are both tight still. I'll keep you guys grounded at your keyboards updated. In the meantime, here's my picks for other games to note:

Purdue vs. Wisconsin = Could be a lot closer than the Boilermakers would prefer.

Texas vs. Colorado = Should not be.

Mississippi vs. Mississippi State = A better record only goes so far in state rival conference games like this one.

Duke vs. Georgia Tech = Almost always a fun matchup, though Dook should prevail.

Villanova vs. Marquette = Wow. I'd love to watch this one. Don't be shocked if 'Nova falls.

Kansas State vs. Missouri = Hey, this could be another upset.

New Mexico vs. UNLV = Or this one.

Kentucky vs. Georgia = This one, not so much. Stranger things have happened, however.

Michigan State vs. Iowa = No contest.

West Virginia vs. Notre Dame = The Irish are almost good enough to pull this out, and they need the W more. I don't expect it, but you never know.

BYU vs. UTEP = OK, who ordered the alphabet soup?

Gonzaga vs. California = Hmmm. The 'Zags often struggle in "prestige" games, so this may be another tough battle for them.

And the above is only the games with ranked teams involved. Other potential good ones today include:

Virginia vs. N. C. State = Both programs are attempting to improve, and here's a nice test.

Niagara vs. Siena = A mid-major war every year.

South Carolina vs. Auburn = A fight to stay respectable in the SEC.

Iona vs. Rider = See above re: mid-majors.

Ohio State vs. Minnesota = The Buckeyes appear lost without Turner, and need to figure out who they are now. Here's another shot at that.

Boston College vs. Clemson = Again, a fight to stay afloat in the ACC.

Nebraska vs. Texas A&M = A&M has slipped, and needs this to recover a bit.

Alabama vs. LSU = Conference floaties again.

Cincinnati vs. Seton Hall = And again. If the Hall has a fourth heartbreaker loss, Gonzalez may shoot himself.

Wake Forest vs. Miami = Wake need to show they can play with the ACC elite every night.

Oklahoma vs. Baylor = Don't look now, but Baylor is 12-1 so far. Their one loss was by 3 to Alabama, and they've beaten Iona, Xavier, Arizona State, Arkansas, and South Carolina. Yet do they get any love? No sir.

Rutgers vs. Providence = Hey, nobody wants to play in the cellar.

Texas Tech vs Oklahoma State = Tech's been embarrassed enough this week, what with that whole football fiasco, so they need this morale booster.


Wow, are my fingers tired! Yet I still need to report on the games coming up on Sunday:

Temple vs. Rhode Island = I can't see this being much of a fight.

Syracuse vs. South Florida = This may be more of one, but the Orange should squeeze one out.

Kansas vs. Tennessee = The Vols are pretty literally just that now, as they will play with benchwarmers and walk-ons. If KU doesn't win by 30, they should forfeit merely on principle.

Florida State vs. Maryland = The Seminoles have a slightly better club, but it ain't easy playing in College Park.

UNC vs. Virginia Tech = Carolina is 10-0 in Chapel Hill, but have not played well so far. Tech has played fairly well most nights, and are 3-0 on the road. Something's gotta give.

Xavier vs. George Washington = Didn't the X-men just win one? If things hold true, it's now time for them to lose again.

Butler vs. Detroit = Hey, if this pops up on your TV, catch a few minutes of it. I expect this to be tons of fun.

Washington State vs. Arizona State = Can Sendek get his boys onna roll?

Northwestern vs. Michigan = Both have been ranked, and both have slipped, so both need to win here.

Washington vs. Arizona = Now I am convinced . . . those guys from the upper right-hand corner of the nation share charters.

I'll be back in a few with updates on action in progress. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Georgetown has made a strong comeback and now only trails by 4 early in the second half. The other games are still razor-close, except that N.C.State has a nice lead over UVA in the second.

[The Poet]

Vandy and Louisville have opened up OK leads respt., and Hoyas have slim one over Huskies. Wolfpack have let Cavs back into game. All still have plenty of time left.

[The Poet]

Final: G'town 72 - U. Conn. 69. Vandy, UVA, and Louisville all with healty leads with time slippin' away, slippin' away.

[The Poet]

More finals: UVA 70 - NCSU 62; Vandy 95 - Fla. 87; Louisville 75 - St. John's 68.

In other action, Purdue/Wisc., Miss/Miss. St., and Texas/Colo. all still close. Duke out early over Ga. Tech.

[The Poet]

Badgers up one over Boilermakers at the half. Texas and Ole Miss opening up leads, Tech back in it against Dook. Oh, and Gamecocks having a war with Auburn.

[The Poet]

At the half: Texas 57-42 up; Ole Miss 42-37 up; S.Caro. 32-29 up. Early 2nd half Wisc. 5 better than Purdue. Late 1st, Duke/Ga.Tech only 4-point Devil edge.

[The Poet]

Badgers up 9, and 8 minutes from giving Purdue its first L of the season. Duke 35-29 at the half, S. Caro. 58-52 with 10 left. Texas and Ole Miss in control, for the most part anyway.

[The Poet]

Miss. State just tied Ole Miss, and Dook only up two. Badgers up 11 with under 4 to play.

[The Poet]

Marquette had a crappy 1st half (19 points), and is down big to 'Nova. Kansas St. in a war with Missou. Purdue down 3 possessions with 1:18 left.

[The Poet]

Wisconsin 73 - Purdue 66, for their 1st loss. The clock's still running, but it's over in the Texas and South Carolina games also. Duke and Ole Miss getting all they can handle, and maybe even more.

[The Poet]

South Carolina 80 - Auburn 71. Duke and Kansas State both down 3, and Marquette coming back, only down four. Plenty of time left in these games.

[The Poet]

Texas 103 - Colorado 86; Miss. St. 80 - Ole Miss 75. Duke down 2 with 4:15 left, 'Nova and K-State with "meh" leads now.

[The Poet]

Villanova 78 - Marquette 76 = Blue Demons furious comeback falls just short.
Georgia Tech 71 - Duke 67 = Blue Devils never recover from crappy opening of 2nd half.

The K-State/Missou and Ohio State/Minnesota games still wars - one late, the other early. As for UK/Ga., UNLV/NM, and Tx A&M/Huskers - well, not so much.

[The Poet]

Missouri 74 - Kansas State 66 = Still another ranked team fails today. Will there be more? Tune in next week. :)

[The Poet]

Well, you can say what you will, but you cannot say it wasn't an interesting weekend. Aside from the scores - and upsets - already mentioned on Saturday, we had:

Notre Dame 70 - West Virginia 68 = Hey, didn't some people think WVA the best team in the country a few weeks ago? The Irish went 14-20 from the line, and the Mountaineers shot 2 of 4; some home-cooking in South Bend? Still, the potential winner rimmed out at the buzzer. I'm sorry I missed this game.

UNLV 74 - New Mexico 62 = The Lobos have lost 3 of their last 5, while the Rebels bounce between good and lousy.

Miami 67 - Wake Forest 66 - The Deacs missed 2 of 4 FTs in closing minute and 1/2, and could not pull this off. Miami is now 15-1 for the season, for the first time since the '59-'60 campaign.

Kentucky 76 - Georgia 68 = The 'Dawgs hung tough, but couldn't quite make it to the end of this game. If the Wildcats dodge any more bullets, they should consider starting a circus act.

Baylor 91 - Oklahoma 60 = What a whuppin' that was. Baylor's now 13-1, and ranked #22 as of today.

Clemson 72 - Boston College 56 = And the Tigers find themselves back in the Top 25 too.

California 67 - USC 59 = It's getting to the point that Pac-10 fans don't even care anymore.

Stanford 70 - UCLA 59 = Bruins are 7-9 so far, and showing no signs of life.

Dayton 78 - Duquesne 72 (OT) = OK, now here's one we could enjoy.

Tulsa 86 - Houston 80 = And that's not too bad either.

Michigan State 71 - Iowa 53 = But this one, not so much. As I predicted, no contest.

Illinois 66 - Indiana 60 = The Hoosiers were outscored by 17 from the charity stripe, blew a 15-point lead, and are now 7-8. They and UCLA should begin a "Lost Glory" series.

Oklahoma State 81 - Texas Tech 52 = Wasn't there a Texas Tech in the rankings earlier this season? I wonder if they are related.

Gonzaga 81 - Portland 78 = A really nice matchup between West Coast mid-majors. And since the Pac-10 sucks so badly, it's also nice the Lefters have someone to cheer.

Seton Hall 83 - Cincinnati 76 = Well, whaddaya know? The Pirates finally get one of these in the W column.

Memphis 59 - Southern Mississippi 57 = Seems like yesterday that 59 points by the Tigers was their halftime tally, doesn't it?

BYU 83 - UTEP 77 = OMG. (No offense to my Mormon brethern here.)

And if all of that wasn't enough excitement for you, we had a couple of games on Sunday that were kinda fun also:

Tennessee 76 - Kansas 68 = Sheesh. The Jayhawks had the advantages of momentum, talent, depth, and experience. The Vols had a few athletes who could compete head-to-head, and had the advantages of a big man who can shoot from outside, the homecourt, and the focus gained from all their problems. This should have been a walkover, but give the Vols credit - they outplayed the Jayhawks, and Pearl outcoached Self.

Maryland 77 - Florida State 68 = OK, not nearly the upset as above, especially in College Park, and no shock to ACC fans at all.

UNC 78 - Virginia Tech 64 = The Heels keep their home streak alive, and actually played fairly well most of the game . . . for a change. Hopefully, that's a permanent change for the better.

Temple 68 - Rhode Island 64 (OT) = I'm telling you, this Owl team is another one I just can't figure out. This gets classed under my infamous "bad win" category.

Syracuse 82 - South Florida 65 = Shoot, ain't it a little late for a scrimmage like this one?

Northwestern 68 - Michigan 62 = Northwesten gets the much-needed win, while John Beilein gets the contract extension from UM through 2016. Hell, what can I tell you?

Xavier 76 - George Washington 69 = Like I said, it's time for the yo-yo X-men to win again.

Butler 64 - Detroit 62 (OT) = And like I said, this one was a war, down to the end and beyond.

Arizona 87 - Washington 70 = And like I said, the Pac-10 has no pop.

Arizona State 71 - Washington State 46 = And like I said, Herb Sendek is one of the most underrated coaches in America.

As for action tonight - well, there ain't one whole hell of a lot. There will likely be a number of close games between mid-level and cellar teams, but contests of any note altogether only include:

Villanova vs. Louisville = Depending upon which Cardinal team shows up, this could come down to who wants it more down the stretch.

Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma = It's in Norman, but State's been playing better.

Enjoy, or at least try to.

[The Poet]

Yes indeedy, there were a number of really good contests between the "also-rans" last night, but who truly cares if Alabama State and Grambling State won in OT, or that St. Peter's beat Niagara in 2OT, or that Bethune-Cookman edged N.C. A&T by one? I don't, but if you do, then props to your boys, no matter which side the final score fell. The two games of national note last night were also good games:

Villanova 92 - Louisville 84 = And Louisville did show up, as this one was closer than the final may indicate. The Cardinals squandered a 17-point first-half lead, and Scottie Reynolds scored 16 in the final 6 minutes to pull 'Nova in front. Even with that, Louisville had two chances to tie it late with 3-pointers, but missed them both. A nice game, and a nice W for the boys from Philly.

Oklahoma 62 - Oklahoma State 57 (OT) = The Sooners tried to leave the court sooner than they should, and wasted a 5-point lead with 30 ticks left, letting the Cowboys tie it up to force the extra session. But then it was the 'Boys who got poked, scoring only 3 stinkin' points in five minutes.

There are not a slew of games tonight either, yet there are more marquee matchups than last evening gave to us:

Kentucky vs. Florida = I see this as the same as the 'Nova/Louisville one . . . if the Gators show up, they could put the umpteenth scare into the Wildcats.

Purdue vs. Ohio State = The Boilermakers no longer have that "undefeated" pressure on them, and the Buckeyes still haven't figured out how to play without Turner. This should be over sooner rather than later.

Kansas State vs. Texas A&M = Either team is capable of winning, and neither is dominant. Should be tons of fun.

Florida State vs. N.C. State = The Seminoles have gotten more respect, but Lowe has his guys playing better than others expected, plus the Wolfpack needs the W more. I predict a close one.

Maryland vs. Wake Forest = If you know the ACC, 'nuff said.

Illinois vs. Penn State = The Illini are 3-0 in conference, and the Lions 0-3. These percentages will not change.

Baylor vs. Colorado = The Bears have the better team. However, they are not accustomed to playing as a ranked team, so they might stumble early. They should prevail though.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Say what you will, what few games there were last night sure gave us some sizzle:

Kentucky 89 - Florida 77 = And once again, this was a lot closer than the final, It was tied at 72 with 5 minutes left, but UK ducked yet another slug. Hey, if they keep this up, they will never lose another game - ever, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

Ohio State 70 - Purdue 66 = I guess having Turner back at 50% is sufficient, as he scored about that same percentage of the Buckeyes points (46%). Either that, or the Boilermakers enjoyed their first loss so much they decided to continue.

Kansas State 88 - Texas A&M 65 = I normally ignore spankings, even those involving ranked squads, but I thought this of note due to A&M's complete and utter collapse. But maybe I should not be to shocked . . . after all, this was in Manhattan (KS, not NY), and so far this year the Big 12 is a sick 113-1 on their home courts.

Colorado 78 - Baylor 71 = Like I just said, as this was in Boulder. And like I also said yesterday, Baylor is not accustomed to playing as a ranked team. That should not worry them next week.

N. C. State 88 - Florida State 81 = Did I not tell you the boys from Moo U have been playing some decent ball? Had that 75-footer in OT not gone in for the Gators a few games back, the Pack might be getting some respect from someone besides me.

Illinois 54 - Penn State 53 = OK, I know the Illini do not have a great team this year, but Penn State purely sucks. There's no excuse for this "bad" win.

Wake Forest 85 - Maryland 83 (OT) = 'Nuff said. Yeah, I'm repeating myself, but what else can you say?

Tonight's action promises to give us even more of the same, especially with the conference matchups:

Texas vs. Iowa State = Or maybe not.

Kansas vs. Nebraska = Or maybe not again. You can expect that Big 12 113-1 home margin to change by tomorrow.

Michigan State vs. Minnesota = OK, now this might be a game, at least for a while, if the Gophers can slow the Spartans down enough.

Miami vs. Virginia Tech = And this too should go down to the end.

Temple vs. Pennsylvania = And this too . . . wait, Penn? Nevermind. This Big 5 contest isn't one.

Cincinnati vs. St. John's = The Johnnies have yet to get a conference win, and Cincy may be too much to expect one to come tonight . . . even in MSG. But at least there will be some basketball played there this evening.

West Virginia vs. South Florida = The Mountaineers need to spank somebody soon to prove the earlier hype was more than just that. I predict a W, but not a whuppin'.

Duke vs. Boston College = The Eagles are not flying too high this year, and this is at that asylum in Durham. The Devils rebound from their loss Saturday, and big.

Georgia Tech vs. Virginia = The Cavs are tied atop the ACC at the moment . . . at 1-0. That ends all to soon for the Charlottesville faithful.

UNC vs. Clemson = And here's the team they're tied with, playing against the Tigers. It has sometimes been a struggle for the Tar Heels in Littlejohn, yet they almost always prevail. If the Heels show up tonight, they shall again.

U. Conn vs. Pittsburgh = You want your war? Well, here's your war. Neither team got much respect before the season started, particularly the Panthers, but they have both played good ball and are a nice matchup.

Syracuse vs. Rutgers = You want another war? Well, look elsewhere, because this ain't one.

BYU vs. Air Force = Nope, keep looking.

Mississippi vs. Georgia = Ehhhhh, maybe, if the Bulldogs bring what they learned against Kentucky to the court.

Wisconsin vs. Northwestern = Ehhhhh, OK, maybe again . . . though I truly have no abiding faith in either team.

Missouri vs. Texas Tech = Ehhhhh, I think this has a better shot at a shoot-out.

Vanderbilt vs. Alabama = Yeah, and quite possibly this one too.

We'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out for sure, so until then . . . enjoy.

[The Poet]

Hey, I just ran across an interesting factoid for you guys to ponder. In this week's AP Top 25 voting, perennial powerhouse Harvard received one vote. So did mighty Missouri State, as well as the less-surprising mid-major force, Siena. Do you know how many Pac-10 teams received any votes at all? None. Zip. Zero. Null set.

Did you ever think you'd see the day? Not me.

[JaKaacH]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1o2lOrhdAE&feature=player_embedded

[The Poet]

Yeah, Jeff. I saw that already. And if they can do it when it matters it would actually mean something. :D

Speaking of KU, they beat Nebraska last night 84-72, which is respectable but not the dominance I expected. If you wanted some dominance, you needed look no further than:

Clemson 83 - UNC 64 = The Tigers beat the Heels for the first time since 2004, and they sure made it convincing. I know it's hard to play in Littlejohn, but there's only one excuse for this . . . my boys stink.

You want less dominance? Then I give you:

Texas 90 - Iowa State 83 = OK, it's a win, yet that's about all you can say.

Mississippi 80 - Georgia 76 = Another tough loss for the 'Dawgs.

Michigan State 60 - Minnesota 53 = Well, the Gophers slowed MSU down, sure enough. Problem is, they apparently slowed themselves down even more.

Virginia 82 - Georgia Tech 75 = Nobody knows better than I what a minefield the ACC can be. However, how the hell the Jackets can beat Dook then drop this to the Cavs . . . well, as I said, it's the ACC.

Virginia Tech 81 - Miami 66 = What he said.

Pittsburgh 67 - U. Conn 57 = And that's the Big East, though we knew from the start this could go either way.

St. John's 52 - Cincinnati 50 = Well, this one snuck up on me. I know that the Johnnies have been playing better than in the recent past (like ten or twelve years, really), yet I did not expect them to get their first conference win last night. It makes me wonder what they are putting in the water out in Cincy though . . . not only have both Xavier and the Bearcats been all over the map, but Bearcats football ruled the Big East, only to get crushed in their BCS contest. And what about the Bengals? Or the Reds, for that matter?

Vanderbilt 65 - Alabama 64 = This is one nice win for the Commodores . . . and they'll need every one of these they can get to stay respectable in the SEC.

There are a ton of games tonight, but most of them involve the also-rans of Division 1, so I'll limit myself to some that may matter:

Georgetown vs. Seton Hall = The Hoyas need to prove they can compete for the Big East lead, and the Pirates need to prove they can win and not just compete. It may be closer than you think . . . the Hall hasn't played dead yet.

Tennessee vs. Auburn = Judging by the way the NCAA's been going so far, the Vols will follow their good win and their great one with a loss. Hey, stranger things seem to happen every night.

Indiana vs. Michigan = These two both want to stay in the Big 10 hunt for a while. Should be a fight, though I'd expect the Logans to prevail.

Gonzaga vs. St. Mary's = Hey, this might just be the best game of the night, if not the week.

Finally, there are a slew of games in what has become the most competitive conference in the nation . . the Pac-10. Yeah, they all pretty much suck, but they all pretty much suck equally, which means any given team could finish either first or last in the league. Tonight we have:

Arizona State vs. Oregon = Sendek tries to extend his rule over the Great Northwest squads.

Arizona vs. Oregon State = If Arizona doesn't get on some kind of roll, their streak of NCAA appearances will end at 25.

California vs. Washington State = I got nuttin' here.

Stanford vs. Washington = I got damn little here, save to note that one of these teams was once in the ranks, and is still rank.

Enjoy.

[WildBlueSooner]

I love this thread, especially seeing that every UK game within 15 points is "closer than the score" and that they keep "dodging bullets." I have watched every game and they have outclassed every opponent...In most cases they should have won by more.

Oh well though...still undefeated! Go CATS!

[The Poet]

I love this thread, especially seeing that every UK game within 15 points is "closer than the score" and that they keep "dodging bullets." I have watched every game and they have outclassed every opponent...In most cases they should have won by more.

And that's sort of my point there, brother - though not all those wins were dodged slugs. Yet if you have truly watched every game, and can honestly tell me that you did not have some anxious moments late in some of those contests - well then, I'd like a few of those chill pills you've been popping. ;)

Oh, and thanks bunches for the left-handed compliment - I'm having fun on this thread myself . . . most of the time.

As I thought, there were a bunch of close ones amongst the mid-pack programs, but there were only a few scores (discounting the blow-outs) that interest me:

Georgetown 85 - Seton Hall 73 = Pirates still have only one conference win, but they did play a better team tough on the road.

Gonzaga 89 - St. Mary's 82 = Not only was this a 4-point game with under a minute to play, but the Gaels got the ball back on a missed front-end 1&1, then missed their 3-ball that would have cut it to one. I knew this would be a good 'un.

Oregon State 67 - Arizona 64 = These "other" Wildcats are under .500, in conference and overall. Keep that streak mentioned above in mind as you watch their season progess - if it ever does.

Mississippi State 82 - Arkansas 80 = A really exciting game in a conference that actually does matter.

There really ain't nuttin' but crap on tap tonight. Well, that St. Peter's/Rider game may be OK, but Marist/Loyola, or Yale/Brown? Pleeze. But as usual there is gobs on Saturday. Most will follow on my early afternoon post tomorrow, but I'll get you started with a few that tip-off at noon:

Syracuse vs. West Virginia = Two of maybe five teams hoping to be the Beast of The East.

Pittsburgh vs. Louisville = And here's another one of them . . . yes, I said "one of them."

Clemson vs. N. C. State = Not traditional ACC powers, but both teams have played good ball. Plus, those traditional powers haven't exactly been dazzling, so this game may have more meaning than in previous campaigns.

Dayton vs. Xavier = Going by my prior established logic, the X-Men will lose again. But either way, I expect this one to be a battle.

Talk to you more tomorrow. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Nothing much to note about the games already in progress, except that the Dayton/Xavier one was a 3-point war at the half, just like I expected. All the others are too soon to mention, so I'll get into the rest of today's action, listed roughly by start-times:

Missouri vs. Oklahoma = Both are decent squads, so should be a close one.

Tennessee vs. Mississippi State = Yeah, here too.

Kansas vs. Texas Tech = Maybe not so much here, though Tech has played good enough to have the chance to give the Jayhawks their second rough Saturday. I don't predict that, but I didn't predict last week's shocker either.

UNC vs. Georgia Tech = The Tar Heels are without Zeller for a while, yet they have enough help down low to compensate. Their problem has been inconsistent play outside and poor judgement, coupled with lackluster attitude. They have not yet lost in Chapel Hill, and need this trend to continue to remain respectable in the ACC . . . not to mention nationally.

Temple vs. U. Mass. = In the past this has been one hell of a matchup. I can't see this Mass team playing with the Owls however, but stranger things do happen.

California vs. Washington = The Bears sit atop the Pac-10 (for what that's worth), and the Huskies are the team that supposed to be there. Should be a nice contest.

Mississippi State vs. Georgia = The Bulldogs have problems getting over the hump at times, so I'd go with the Delta boys here.

Michigan State vs. Illinois = The Spartans have gotten more hype, but both these teams are 4-0 in conference play. I'm going with MSU to change that, to their benefit.

Maryland vs. Boston College = The Terps have had some better wins, but this can go either way.

Siena vs. Fairfield = Hey, I know a lot of you guys pay little attention to these mid-majors, but games like this are tons of fun.

Notre Dame vs. Cincinnati = Mid-pack conference teams that both need the win. If both show up, this is a fight to the finish . . . with the Irish having the slight edge.

Kentucky vs. Auburn = And if this isn't over by halftime, it certainly should be by the middle of the second stanza.

Baylor vs. Oklahoma State = The Bears got into the rankings, then promptly lost. Don't be shocked if the Cowboys do it to them again.

Kansas State vs. Colorado = K-State has the better team, and should win by double-digits. But they ain't as good as some believe, so who knows? Hey, that's why they play the games.

Arizona vs. Oregon = As you may have noticed, I'm finding this story developing out in the desert to be fascinating. To think that 'Zona and UCLA are crappy . . . well, it's just weird to an old fart like me.

Stanford vs. Washington State = Hell, this whole Pac-10 collapse it worth noting. It seems possible that, out of the nine (remember, USC put themselves on probation for the postseason), only the eventual conference champ may get an NCAA bid. No at-large for the Pac-10? Un-freakin'-believable!

Purdue vs. Northwestern = I had no faith in Northwestern back when they snuck into the ranked, and I have none here. The Boilermakers will own them.

BYU vs. Colorado State = I can't see this as being much of a contest either.

Florida State vs. Virginia Tech = Now we're talking! This could go down to the last minute.

Texas vs. Texas A&M = Early on a lot of people were anticipating this game, big-time. And who knows? If that earlier A&M team makes it to Austin, this could be closer than the 'Horns would prefer. I give them the edge, but with in-state conference games it's often who decides to play, not who has the better talent.

Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina = Nobody talks about these SEC squads much, but they are both 2-0 in conference play. That's gonna change today, no doubt.

Arizona State vs. Oregon State = Herb Sendek has pretty much owned the Great Northwest this season. If he keeps this up, the Sun Devils can really thumb their noses at those other desert rats . . . uh, I mean " 'cats."

Wisconsin vs. Ohio State = With Turner's back back, the Buckeyes may be also. If nothing else, they shall badger the Badgers.

Miami vs. Virginia = The Cavs have already surprised me once this week, so I'm not about to call this one.

LSU vs. Florida = The Tigers are not a factor in the SEC, and the early joy the Gators felt has tarnished much too much to suit them. In the greater scheme of things, this matchup doesn't mean much, but it should be fun regardless.

Gonzaga vs. San Diego = If Few's boys win by fewer than 10, he should make them walk home.

Portland vs. St. Mary's = Portland crept into the rankings for a couple of seconds early on, and St. Mary's maybe should have too. Nobody much cares, but here's another good game.


Now for the Sunday action, there is not nearly as much going on. However, there are several key games scheduled:

Georgetown vs. Villanova = Do I really need to say any more than that? Hoyas vs. 'Nova. Oh baby!

U. Conn vs. Michigan = The boys from Storrs should own this one, since the Wolverines are merely "meh" this year. But be warned . . . U. Conn is not the U. Conn you've come to expect.

St. John's vs. DePaul = This is interesting to me more due to the coaches than the teams. Here we have one program whose coach just got fired going up against one whose coach has been embattled for years. If you're not in the NYC area, you likely have no idea how often, and how loudly, the Johnnie fans have called for Norm Robert's head.

Providence vs. Marquette = Not the marquee teams in the Big East, but two decent ones who should give us a good game.

Indiana vs. Minnesota = The Hoosiers are still just a shadow of their past glory, and can't match the muscle of Minnesota.

Duke vs. Wake Forest = This is in Cameron, and the Blue Devils have the advantage in talent and experience. But this is Dook/Deaks we're talkin' about here, so don't bet the farm on it, either direction.

I'm gonna go check on the action now, and update you on that. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Xavier two possessions up over Dayton with a minute-plus left. Louisville has slim edge over Pitt early in 2nd, as does WVA over Syracuse. Clemson kicking NCSU's butt.

[The Poet]

Xavier 78 - Dayton 74 = I keep telling you guys to watch these mid-majors to get your thrills. 'Cuse has cut into WVA's lead, and the other contest's about the same as before.

[The Poet]

Louisville trying to close out Pitt. Syracuse up ten over WVA, and State has made a huge comebact to trail by a deuce.

[The Poet]

Whoa. Louisville misses FTs, Pitt hits 'em - going into OT. Syracuse 7 ticks from topping WVA, Clemson up 3 with 39 ticks left. Missou up 5 over Sooners at half, Ole Miss up 9 over Vols, and KU owning TT.

[The Poet]

Clemson 73 - N. C. State 70, and the 'Pack's comebact too little too late. Syracuse 72 - WVA 71, and pretty much the same for the Mountaineers. Pitt jumped out early in OT, but Cards come back to within one. TT hanging tough lately against KU, down 2 possessions, and Ga. Tech kicking Heel butt early.

[The Poet]

Pitt 82 - Louisville 77 (OT). Give the Cardinals props. Though they choked at the end of regulation, they should not have been in this roadgame at all.

Oklahoma and Tennessee coming back into it, and Kansas starting to dominate Texas Tech. Heels still having their lunch handed to them by the Jackets.

[The Poet]

Kansas up a football final at the half, of 42-18. Ole Miss over Vols 33-28 at the break, and Sooners by 5 with 4 minutes left. For what seems the umpteenth time, Tar Heels trying to dig themselves out of the massive hole they earlier dug, and only down 14 at the break. :r

Hell, I've gotta laugh - I'm too big a boy to cry. :ss

[Resipsa]

And the Orangemen of Syracuse go.....

Woot

Woot


Woot.


BTW, I pay attention to Siena, it's right down the road from me.:banger

[The Poet]

And the Orangemen of Syracuse go.....

Woot

Woot


Woot.


BTW, I pay attention to Siena, it's right down the road from me.:banger

Good for your Orange, and good for you re Siena. Most people never hear of them until Selection Sunday, when they say "Who the fark's Siena? I thought that was a crayon!"

Oklahoma 66 - Missouri 61. Kansas owning TT, Ole Miss up 6 over Vols, and the Heels have cut into Wreck's lead - by a whole point.

[The Poet]

Kansas 89 - Texas Tech 63. No contest. Ole Miss and Tenn going into OT, and Heels get within 5 with plenty of time left.

[The Poet]

Ole Miss up by one with 50 ticks in OT. Heels down by one with 3 1/2 left.

[The Poet]

Heels up 2 with 1:46 left.

[The Poet]

Vols up 2 with 15 ticks. What a bunch of games!

[The Poet]

Tennessee 71 - Mississippi 69 (OT). Heels up one with 35 ticks.

[The Poet]

Georgia Tech 73 - UNC 71. Tar Heels had their chances. I'm beginning to think they will never learn to show up for the entire game.

[The Poet]

Were I to post all the close scores over the past few days I'd be at it all afternoon, so I'll just hit the highlights here. In the balance of the games Saturday:

Texas 72 - Texas A&M 67 (OT) = The Longhorns, ranked No. 1 for the very first time, did most definitely dodge a bullet from the Aggies, and on their own court even. The 'Horns took their first lead in the game in OT, and were down by as much as 13 in the first half . . . which may not sound like much, but it was their largest deficit of the season.

Kentucky 72 - Auburn 67 = However, the Wildcats once again showed their total dominance as they completely outclassed the powerful Auburn Tigers (9-9) to remain undefeated . . . of course. Their helpless opponent was down by an insurmountable 3 whole points when they finally got the ball back with a mere 37 seconds left, and if they had hit a desperation shot to tie the match they would only have prolonged their embarrassing slaughter. Watch out, UCLA . . . your 88-game winning streak is just outside of UK's grasp.

Northwestern 72 - Purdue 64 = This is likely third on my list here due to the fact that I believed the Boilermakers should have owned the court. Back when they were ranked 4th I said I felt that was too high . . . guess 6th was also.

Kansas State 87 - Colorado 81 = And this is fourth not only because I thought it might just be this close but also because there were an outrageous 94 FTs in this one. I'd have hated to be the pea in those whistles.

Ohio State 60 - Wisconsin 51 = The resurgence of the Buckeyes continues.

Michigan State 73 - Illinois 63 = Though closer than I expected, the Spartans keep pace.

Cincinnati 60 - Notre Dame 58 = After losing that heartbreaker to St. John's, Bearcats hand the Irish one.

Florida State 63 - Virginia Tech 58 = Just your typical Semi-Hokie matchup.

Virginia 75 - Miami 57 = Wait a second here . . . the Cavaliers are on top of the ACC, ahead of the Devils, the Heels, the Terps, the Deacs, the whoevers? Who'd a thunk? Not me. And to spank Miami by nearly 20? Whoa.

I found only a few games Sunday to note, given than others were totally expected:

Indiana 81 - Minnesota 78 (OT) = The Hoosiers are far from back, but this is a nice win.

Michigan 68 - U. Conn 63 = And this is a better one for the Logans.

Villanova 82 - Georgetown 77 = And this was just about what one would want in a 'Nova/Hoya match, but not exactly what I'd expect. That's a lot of points in a Georgetown game, given their history of stingy D.

Tonight there are only a handful of decent games scheduled. Fairfield has already beaten Canisius 76-74, and the Rider/Iona game may be about as good. But the two you guys will care about are:

Syracuse vs. Notre Dame = The Orange should own the Irish, but you never know in conference matchups.

Texas vs. Kansas State = The Longhorns have been winning, but things have gotten tougher for them lately, so this could be some fun here too.

Enjoy.

[Resipsa]

Syracuse vs. Notre Dame = The Orange should own the Irish, but you never know in conference matchups.
and so they did.

More wootage from the 'Cuse.

Did I mention I really like this squad? Very balanced, they don't have a heavy hitter and don't need to rely on one to win, unlike some other teams. Should make them very dangerous when the dance comes round.

[WildBlueSooner]

UK is the only remaining undefeated team left...even though they suck and should have lost like 8 games by now. They are just super lucky and manage to barely make shots at the end of games to beat the measly opponents they play...no worries, I am sure their luck will run out.

C-A-T-S Cats Cats Cats!

[Resipsa]

UK is the only remaining undefeated team left...even though they suck and should have lost like 8 games by now. They are just super lucky and manage to barely make shots at the end of games to beat the measly opponents they play...no worries, I am sure their luck will run out.

Yup, that's the word on them

[WildBlueSooner]

Yup, that's the word on them

18-0 I will take it. Better to be lucky than good. :banger

[The Poet]

Well. I'm glad some others are getting into this too. And James, nobody ever said that UK did not have a great team this year, one that (failing a stumble this week) will likely take over the # 1 spot in the next poll. My only point was, good as they have played, they have not played unbeatable ball . . . despite their record. Further, I am of the mind that, in this day and age, no team can survive the NCAA with a perfect record, and I will hold this opinion until some team proves me wrong.

That being said, let us note that some basketball was played last night which did NOT involve UK. This is not indisputable proof that the game exists without Wildcat involvement, yet it does present some evidence to that effect. For instance:

Kansas State 71 - Texas 62 = So now we are down to that previously mentioned last of the unbeaten squads. The Longhorns waited a looooong time to finally be ranked the best team in the nation, and very quickly found out that life's rough at the top. Well, they won't have to sweat that again, at least for a while . . . unless the also previously mentioned "stumble" occurs, that is. Kudos to K-State for a great win, and for especially good play on D. As for the 'Horns, they should look on the bright side: Not only is the pressure off now, but they improved on their 35% shooting against Texas A&M in their prior game by stepping it up . . . to 36%.

Syracuse 84 - Notre Dame 71 = The Juice keeps running. Hey, the Irish ain't much this year, but any double-digit W in conference play is peachy-fine by me.

Virginia 69 - N. C. Wilmington 67 = Just as soon as I was starting to wonder if the Cavs are finally back, they pull a stunt like this. Yes, it is a win. But for a team with 12 Ws, and 3-0 so far in the ACC, playing against one with 12 Ls, AND ON THEIR HOME COURT!!, to win it by a deuce on a jumper with 2 ticks left? Another of my "bad" wins here.

Tonight there are a few games with the potential to be really good, and even of significance, despite the continued absence of UK from the schedule:

Tennessee vs. Alabama = The Vols have a few of their "felons" back on the court (as opposed to "in court"), and have played quite well even without them. Just ask the Jayhawks. But 'Bama ain't no cupcake either. Give the Rockytoppers the edge, yet don't plan on any blowouts.

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech = Though I'll be the first to admit that beating the Tar Heels hasn't the cache this year as it has had in the past, one cannot help but note that these two have done so . . . one by a spanking in Death Valley and the other by holding off a furious rally in Chapel Hill. This one ought to be a battle.

Ohio State vs. Northwestern = This one too. OSU has found themselves again, and Northwestern is coming off one of the best wins ever. Plus, this is the Big 10, so have the medics ready.

Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M = The Aggies put a scare into the 'Horns, and are reviving some of the rep they earlier squandered. The Sooners are pretty decent too. If both teams show up equally, A&M may win by two possessions or so, yet if either one stays in the locker room you never know.

Boston College vs. Miami = And it just keeps on coming. Both these teams need the conference win, yet they only hand out one.

Purdue vs. Illinois = As for this one, not so much. Purdue should spank the Illini, but then again I thought they'd spank Northwestern too. That alone proves WTF I know.

Northern Iowa vs. Wichita State = And why do I bring this one up? Well NIU is ranked for only the 2nd time in . . . forever . . . and at # 20 their highest one also. As for Wichita State, they do have some history of good teams, so all-in-all this caught my eye. Do you guys care? Maybe not, but then why should I care if you do? :ss

Enjoy.

[DrDubzz]

Texas is my team, but it hurts to watch them from the line

that has to get fixed

[The Poet]

In other news, Jim Calhoun is taking a leave of absence from U. Conn. to deal with an undisclosed medical issue. The 67-year-old coach has had several health problems in recent years, ranging from cancer to dehydration to broken ribs from an accident. Furthermore, he is likely under some mental and emotional strain due to the continuing NCAA investigation of violations regarding the recruitment of Nate Miles.

Place your bets now, friends: If Calhoun has coached his last game, will U. Conn ever be U. Conn again? They came out of nowhere when he arrived, so shall they disappear into that same void when he leaves? Only time will tell.

[The Poet]

Texas is my team, but it hurts to watch them from the line

that has to get fixed

I hear what you are saying there, brother, but I checked the stats and they don't quite support your pain issues. Yeah, I know it depends a lot on game situation, and on how many misses are the front-end of 1&1s, but of the 'Horns who average over 3 attempts per game only Pittman reeks at 53.7%. All the others hit 2 of 3 or better - which ain't great, but ain't crap either - while Brown is at a steller 93.5%. Your guys may be poor, but they are far from the bricklayers you seem to present them as being.

But then again, they are your boys, and you know them better than me.

[The Poet]

Well, what do you know? I managed to get a few right last night:

Tennessee 63 - Alabama 56 = As I thought, the Vols got the W, but did not spank the Tide.

Georgia Tech - Clemson 64 = And this was the battle I predicted, coming down to a pair of FTs with 2 ticks left.

Boston College 79 - Miami 75 = And another war here too. Man, am I good!

Texas A&M 65 - Oklahoma 62 = The hits just keep on coming. I said Aggies by two possessions or so . . . so, is 3 points one, or one-and-a-half?

Purdue 84 - Illinois 78 = OK, here maybe I slipped a bit. I figured the Boilermakers would stomp Illinois, and they didn't. But hey, a W's a W, right?

Ohio State 76 - Northwestern 56 = OK, here maybe I slipped a lot. Though I did not give the Buckeyes an official nod, I did favor them in my heart . . . but not by 20 points. Yet the Wildcats need take much of the blame here, as nobody can figure out what they are. First they win 9 inna row to get people interested, then they lose 2, win 2, then L - W - L. Sheesh, you guys are supposed to be smart, so will you please make up your minds?

Wichita State 60 - Northern Iowa 51 = Help me out here, fellas, since I've lost count. How many times already this season has a team crept into the polls only to immediately fall on their face? It's getting so it's expected.

Tonight there are a goodly number of decent and meaningful games of note:

Michigan State vs. Iowa = Well, maybe not this one. The Spartans should own the Hawkeyes. But it is a conference game anyway.

Temple vs. Xavier = So is this one, and both are unbeaten in the A-10. That ends tonight, and it should be a hoot. The Owls have been a bit more consistent, but the X-men have the talent to take them.

Pittsburgh vs. Georgetown = Do I really need to say anything here? Panthers/Hoyas. There it is.

UNC vs. Wake Forest = And I have no idea what to say here either, but for different reasons. On paper the Tar Heels have as much talent as anyone else in the nation, and should dominate the Deacs. Their problem, however, is that the game is played on hardwood, not on paper, and they haven't been doing that . . . playing, I mean.

Texas Tech vs. Iowa State = Tech's national ranking disappeared a long time ago, and they are presently 0-3 in conference play. I expect that ends tonight.

BYU vs. Wyoming = The Cougars are ranked #14, with an 18-1 record . . . which tells you two things. Imprimis, they should own Wyoming. Secundus, nobody much cares.

Villanova vs. Rutgers = Imprimis above holds here for these felines over the Knights. However, being the Bid East, a lotta people care.

Auburn vs. LSU = These are both 0-3 in the SEC. I'm willing to bet that one of them get off the snide this evening.

Kansas vs. Baylor = When you're counting up those "rank" losers re my question re Northern Iowa above, don't forget the Bears. The Jayhawks should add to their pain, and then some.

Wisconsin vs. Michigan = The Badgers have not been playing as well as most expected, while the Wolverines have started to do better. This one just might be a blast.

Mississippi vs. South Carolina = And don't be too shocked if the Gamecocks give Ole Miss a cocky game also. I won't call the upset, but don't give too many points away.

Duke vs. N. C. State = Ehhhhh, as much as I'd like to give the Wolfpack a shot in this one, I really cannot do so. They have played better than I thought they would, but so has Dook . . . and I though the Devils were decent to begin with. However, stranger things have happened.

West Virginia vs. Marshall = And I'm not giving you this one simply because the Mountaineers are ranked, or because it is a non-conference in-state rivalry matchup. Maybe you don't know it, but the Thundering Herd is 15-2 (10-0 at home, 4-0 in CUSA play), plus they have a 6' 11" freshman hight Hassan Whiteside who averages 5.6 blocks/game. When you have a force like that in the paint, anything can happen.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Hot off the press, and not many details yet, and not many people who truly care anyway, but here's the latest: Georgia Southern has been put on two-year probation by the NCAA for violations regarding academic cheating on behalf of two former players. Further, all wins in which those players participated have been voided.

Man, talk about your Statesboro blues!

[The Poet]

Oh, and I almost forgot: On January 20th, 1892, Dr. James Naismith split up the students at his Springfield MA YMCA and played a new game he had invented. The final score was 9 to 9. And no, I was not there.

Happy birthday, basketball.

[Col. Kurtz]

...
UNC vs. Wake Forest = And I have no idea what to say here either, but for different reasons. On paper the Tar Heels have as much talent as anyone else in the nation, and should dominate the Deacs. Their problem, however, is that the game is played on hardwood, not on paper, and they haven't been doing that . . . playing, I mean.

...

Duke vs. N. C. State = Ehhhhh, as much as I'd like to give the Wolfpack a shot in this one, I really cannot do so. They have played better than I thought they would, but so has Dook . . . and I though the Devils were decent to begin with. However, stranger things have happened.
...
.

It was a good night for the Wake Co. boys! (well they used to be in Wake Forest. :D)

WF 82, UNC 69 - On the Hill. 'ol Roy is on a streak! Three straight!

Duke 74, NC State 88 - In Raleigh. Was never really close, the Pack out hustled and out pressed the Dookies in the first half. They looked stunned that the pack was trying to play basketball against them! Duke pressed most of the second half, and made matters worse. :tu If State had not have had so many turnovers in the first half, it would have been a bigger blowout!

Tuesday may be tough for those 'heels Thomas. :)

[The Poet]

It was a good night for the Wake Co. boys! (well they used to be in Wake Forest. :D)

WF 82, UNC 69 - On the Hill. 'ol Roy is on a streak! Three straight!

Duke 74, NC State 88 - In Raleigh. Was never really close, the Pack out hustled and out pressed the Dookies in the first half. They looked stunned that the pack was trying to play basketball against them! Duke pressed most of the second half, and made matters worse. :tu If State had not have had so many turnovers in the first half, it would have been a bigger blowout!

Tuesday may be tough for those 'heels Thomas. :)

And why should Tuesday be any different than the rest of this season for the Heels, Jerry? See, I TOLD you you were jinxing us . . . as if we needed the help anyway. :r

Congratulations to your Wolfpack on that Dook victory. I'll post more on it in my regular update to follow.

[The Poet]

OK, regular update as promised, and might as well start with those two above:

N.C. State 88 - Duke 74 = What Jerry didn't mention is that this is the Pack's first home victory against the Blue Devils since 2004. So hey, can you really blame me for not picking them to pull off the upset? Good for them.

Wake Forest 82 - UNC 69 = And this is the Deacs first win in Chapel Hill since 2003 . . . but I didn't call this one at all. Wake hit 56% of their threes, which didn't hurt their chances. The Heels had both Zeller and Ed Davis on the bench with injuries, which didn't help their chances. Yet as usual it was the backcourt that let Carolina down . . . which I DID call, 'way back in post # 1 of this thread. Good for Wake.

Kansas 81 - Baylor 75 = This one was closer than I thought it would be, especially playing in Lawrence. But neither the Jayhawk win nor the closeness of the Bear loss seems to be the story here. That's all about Coach Drew pulling his team off the court during the pregame Kansas intros. He claims it was because he couldn't hear himself think, much less talk to his squad. Self claims it was a deliberate diss. Some experts agree with Bill, while others feel it was a brilliant move to disrupt the focus of the Jayhawks. My call? No harm, no foul.

DePaul 51 - Marquette 50 = And why do I put this next on my list? Well, a fortnight after the Blue Demons can their coach, they get their first regular season Big East W in 25 tries . . . thanks to a jumper with 7/10ths left. Whoa.

Georgia Southern 68 - App. State 65 = And why is this next next? Well, the day after the NCAA slaps Ga. Southern with one hefty probation, they have something to cheer about in Statesboro . . . for an hour or so, anyway.

Auburn 84 - LSU 80 = And why this? Well, just because I told you this would be a good 'un.

West Virginia 68 - Marshall 60 = And this one too.

Michigan State 70 - Iowa 63 = And this one . . . well, I told you the Spartans would whip up on the Hawkeyes. Well, they did win, didn't they?

Georgetown 74 - Pittsburgh 66 = And this one was what you would want from this matchup . . . a battle.

Temple 77 - Xavier 72 = And here was another one, and no surprise either.

Texas Tech 78 - Iowa State 71 = And this one was a bit of one, but not really.

Wisconsin 54 - Michigan 48 = And this one is surprising only in that one wonders if they actually played both halves, or called the game at the break. Well, at least together they broke 100 points . . . barely.

Most of the games tonight are amongst the hoi-polloi, but there are a handful of some note:

Louisville vs. Seton Hall = I did say, "of some note". The Cardinals are not as good as prior seasons, and the Pirates are a little better. Go with L'ville by two possessions.

Indiana vs. Penn State = Mainly a battle to stay out of the Big 10 basement, but could be fun anyway.

Gonzaga vs. Pepperdine = The Waves have had better teams, and this one's in Spokane, not Malibu. The 'Zags should dominate.

Oregon State vs. Stanford = Both these teams are attempting to reach the .500 plateau tonight, both in-conference and overall. This could get ugly . . . or uglier.

Washington vs. UCLA = And if you think my Tar Heels stink, consider the Bruins. This couldn't be much uglier.

Oregon vs. California = And this is more of the same. For all you Pac-10 fans out there, I hope that surf's up for you, as nothing much else is.

Enjoy.

[BigAsh]

Was at the Temple game last nite ....shooting clinic in the second half...Temple shot 68% :tu

[The Poet]

Was at the Temple game last nite ....shooting clinic in the second half...Temple shot 68% :tu

Glad you liked it, Keith. Tell us . . . were the Owls that hot, or did the X-men just give up on D and let them shoot?

[The Poet]

As I have been accused of unfairly dissing John Calipari on this thread, I find it incumbant to report the following: Coach Cal hosted a telethon called "Hoops For Haiti" which has raised to date 1.2 million dollars for the American Red Cross, to be used for desperately needed aid to that nation so tragically hurt in the recent earthquake there. Good for Calipari, and for all the Wildcat fans who supported him in this most worthy cause.

[The Poet]

I just noticed one other score of note from last night:

UTEP 72 - Memphis 67 = And why is this noteworthy? Well, this loss by the Tigers ends their consecutive winning streak in Conference USA play at 64 straight. Hey, even if you don't give the CUSA much props, that's still pretty impressive.

[BigAsh]

Glad you liked it, Keith. Tell us . . . were the Owls that hot, or did the X-men just give up on D and let them shoot?

I gotta say Thomas.....while Xavier is certainly not as tough as Temple defensively, there were not a lot of open looks...it was a good game, not over 'til it was.....

[The Poet]

There's a handful of scores from last night which caught my eye, for one reason or another:

Seton Hall 80 - Louisville 77 = Or even three or four reasons. OK, this was at The Rock, but the Pirates have not been this successful in quite some time. Plus, this means Roy Williams ain't the only big-time coach with 3 Ls inna row, since Pitino just dropped his third. Plus, this means the Cardinals are still stuck at 1,599 wins, and holding. Plus, all my great UK friends are likely all a'titter on Twitter too.

Florida 71 - Arkansas 66 = And the one reason here is that these are two "meh" teams in a top-heavy conference trying to remain respectable. The Gators are up and down, while the 'Hogs are rolling in the mud.

California 89 - Oregon 57 = And these are two normally pretty "meh" in their conference, though this year the Bears are the early king of the hill. I often ignore spankings like this, yet those boys from Berkeley deserve some press . . . they are usually on an entirely different high.

Gonzaga 91 - Pepperdine 84 = And this made me wonder if I'm having flashbacks too. Hey, a score like that was not odd at all, back in 1995 or so. But the 'Zags should have owned the Waves better than the Royal Navy, so 7 points ain't squat.

Indiana 67 - Penn State 61 = And the Hoosiers make it to .500, while PSU is PU POS at 0-6 in the Big Ten.

Siena 67 = Loyola (MD) 61 = And the Saints remain unbeaten in the MAAC at 9-0 . . . though just barely. The Greyhounds, 2-7 in conference play, led this one 60-54 late, but only managed one FT from that point. Siena ducked this one, for sure. And speaking of Loyola . . .

Portland 79 - Loyola Marymount 39 = OK, I didn't give a dang about Portland even back when they managed to sneak into the Top 25, and I sure don't give a dang now either. But 39 points for LM? You old farts like me certainly remember, back in the days of Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble, when Loyola would score that much in 10 minutes! For them to score under a point a minute in this game? How times have changed. But look on the bright side; at least they beat . . .

Stanford 59 - Oregon State 35 = Thirty-five stinking points? More than the Beavers' tails were flat! Their TO total equaled their rebounds, at 19 each, which was one more than their total shot made for the game . . . including their FTs. Sheesh.

UCLA 62 - Washington 61 = The Bruins hit the .500 mark in Pac-10 play, and at 3-3 are back in contention. Of course, no other team is better than 4-2, and none worst than 2-4, so maybe even schools NOT in the Pac-10 can still win this title.


As usual on Friday nights, ain't much happening . . . unless you want to watch St. Peters/Niagara or Wofford/Charleston. These will likely be pretty decent games. And as usual, I'll only give you those Saturday games which have a noon tip-off:

Michigan State vs. Minnesota = The Spartans haven't been great, and the Gophers have been fairly good. Expect a tussle here.

Mississippi State vs. Alabama = I can't figure this MSU out, and the Tide's been in-and-out. Go with the Bulldogs and maybe three possessions.

Villanova vs. St. John's = The Redmen are the best they have been in a decade . . . but they ain't this good. 'Nova by a bunch.

Georgetown vs. Rutgers = You could go with the Scarlet Knights in this one . . . if it were Stringer's girls playing the Lady Hoyas. But the distaff being datstaff instead, it's no contest. Georgetown rarely scores a ton of points, so don't expect the final to appear like a total blowout, yet don't be shocked if the Rutgers men put up a football total against the Hoya D.

I'll be back here tomorrow afternoon with more. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

So far today all the early games are still too close to call, although Georgetown is beginning to dismount the Scarlet Knights. I'll keep you updated, but here's some of what else you can expect this weekend. Today we have (amongst a slew of others, like Charlotte/LaSalle or DePaul/Notre Dame):

Temple vs Fordham = Not much of a contest here. The Rams get fleeced.

Vanderbilt vs. Auburn = As much as I'd like to give my guy Jeff Lebo a shot here, I gotta go with the Commodores.

Boston College vs. Virginia Tech = The Hokies should take the Eagles, but you never know in the ACC.

Mississippi vs. LSU = Ole Miss take the Tigers' lunchmoney.

Syracuse vs. Marquette = The Orange have played very well, and I expect them to do so again. Yet Marquette may make it uncomfortable for a while.

California vs. Oregon State = Nobody understands the Pac-10 this year. I think the Bears will win, and the Beavers will score more than 35 points.

Ohio State vs. West Virginia = Likely the best non-conference matchup here, and maybe the best game overall. Toss a coin.

Kansas vs. Iowa State = Likely the worst conference matchup. What's that stoopid rocksalt chant again?

Virginia vs. Wake Forest = Are the Cavs for real? Can the Deacs build on their win in Chapel Hill. Should be a fun one.

Baylor vs. U. Mass = No matter how badly the Bears stomp those Massholes, it won't keep them in the rankings.

Texas vs. U. Conn = Hmmmm. Can George Blaney, subbing while Calhoun's MIA, invent some tricks to challenge the 'Horns? Maybe. I wouldn't bet on it, but he's certainly more experienced than Rick Barnes. Texas by ten would be my guess.

Purdue vs. Michigan = The Boilermakers have been nearly as disappointing as the Tar Heels, and the Logans have started to play better. These two are tied 3-3 in conference. Might just be close.

Kansas State vs. Oklahoma State = This is in that slightly smaller Manhattan, so give K-State the edge. Yet I'm still not convinced they are for real, so don't give them a huge one.

Washington State vs. UCLA = As mentioned before, the Pac-10 race is wide open. These two are 4-3 and 3-3 respectively, and the Bruins are just 8-10 overall, while the Cougars are 14-5. Plus, this is in Pauley. Toss that coin again.

Kentucky vs. Arkansas = Put that coin back in your pocket. Wildcats WILL stumble, but not this weekend, and will wake up next Monday as #1.

Tennessee vs. Georgia = The Bulldogs have lost 3 in a row, and have only one truly quality win (over the Ramblin' Wreck). On the other side, the Vols seemed to have awakened when half of them got popped. Tenn by ten.

N. C. State vs. Maryland = If the Pack can take the Terps, they'll be back in the ranks for the first time in . . . jeez, beats me. But it won't be easy. You still got that coin handy?

Rhode Island vs. Xavier = Me, I like games like this one. People expect Xavier to be good, and they have been . . . about half the time. This may be a war.

Gonzaga vs. Loyola Marymount = Time was, this was one too. No longer. 'Zags will romp.

Duke vs. Clemson = I think Coach K will have his boys ready for this one, and Devils will bounce back against the Tigers. It won't be a killing, but it will be a win.

Arizona vs. Arizona State = My interest here? Can Herb Sendek wrest bragging rights away from the Wildcats? I won't call it, but I'm rooting for these Devils.

BYU vs. San Diego State = The second bad weekend inna row for Sandyeggo sports fans.

Washington vs. USC = Back to that fight to the finish in the Pac-10. You gotta admit, this is fun . . . in a way.

There are a couple of nice games Sunday also, such as:

Cincinnati vs. Louisville = Both these squads need the W, and bad.

Georgia Tech vs. Florida State = And these match up pretty well too.

Pittsburgh vs. Seton Hall = And these shouldn't, but the Panthers haven't been great lately, while the Pirates have stolen a few good wins.

Northern Iowa vs. Indiana State = If Bird still played for Indy State, a win here by NIU might keep them in the rankings. But Larry flew the coop loooooong ago.

Wisconsin vs. Penn State = OK, so this one is a clunker.

Indiana vs. Iowa = And this won't determine the Big Ten either, but it might be nice to see the Hoosiers get back into the game again.


I'll be back in a few with some score updates. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Georgetown totally kicking Rutger's butt, as you'd expect. Perhaps less so, Minnesota holds a slight edge over Michigan State mid-second, as does Alabama over Miss. State. And a shock to me, Villanova and St. John's in an all-out war.

[The Poet]

Final: Georgetown 88 - Rutgers 63. The outcome no shock, though I expected more a 63-40 score. Alabama up one possession with 1 1/2 left, MSU up a point with 15 seconds, and 'Nova opening up double-digits on Johnnies.

[The Poet]

Spartans edge Gophers 65-64. 'Bama/Miss St. down to FTs in closing seconds. 'Nova running away. Halftime: Temple 22, Fordham 19. Guess the Owls aren't hot shooting today! Auburn up early over Vandy, and BC/Va. Tech a battle.

[The Poet]

Alabama 62, Miss. State 57. There goes THEIR ranking!

[The Poet]

Temple score half as many points in first 4 minutes of second half as they did the entire first, and goes up by ten. Va. Tech up 9 over BC.

[The Poet]

Villanova 81 - St. John's 71 = Closer than I thought it would be. Temple going nutz on Rams now, as Ohio State is over WVA. Auburn up 10 over Vandy, and KU not yet chasing Iowa State out of Ames.

[The Poet]

At the half, Va.Tech 38, BC 29. Marquette giving Syracuse all they can handle early, as is LSU over Ole Miss and Iowa St. over Kansas.

[The Poet]

Temple 62 - Fordham 45, or the margin you'd expect, if not the score. OSU up 40-28 over WVA at the break, while 'Cuse/Marquette tied @ 34. Vandy and BC coming back to make a game of it in second, and Kansas starting to open up decent lead.

[The Poet]

Kansas 38-25 over Iowa State at break. WVA cuts OSU lead in half early second. Auburn still up a little over Vandy.

[The Poet]

Hokies hold on to edge BC 63-62. Vandy, Syracuse, and West Virginia all doubling up on opponents in second half to take leads.

[The Poet]

Finals: Ole Miss 73 - LSU 63. Texas A&M 67 - Colorado 63. Vanderbilt 82 - Auburn 74. Plus Syracuse and West Virginia getting close to wins, unless something odd happens.

[The Poet]

Syracuse 76 - Marquette 71 = I said they'd give the Orange all they'd want, and they did . . . just not enough.

West Virginia 71 - Ohio State 65 = A game of two different halves. OSU outscored WVA 40-28 in the first, then were beaten 25-43 in the second.

Oh, and Kansas only 20 better than Iowa State with a minute left.

[The Poet]

Kansas wins, California wins. Wake and Baylor well up early, Texas/U.Conn tied at 20 midway first.

[The Poet]

Well, it's almost quittin' time for me, so's I'll sees y'all Monday afternoon. As always, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Turns out there were a lot of good games this weekend, and even a couple you'd call upsets . . . well, maybe I wouldn't, but you would. So here's a few scores of note, discounting the blowouts and those already given, on Saturday:

U. Conn 88 - Texas 74 = And here's one of those "upsets". It doesn't shock me as much as it might you, as the Huskies are a little better than they have played much of the season, while the 'Horns are not as good as they once thought they were. Besides, George Blaney is a wily old codger, and Rick Barnes . . . well, is not.

Georgia 78 - Tennessee 63 = OK, now this one snuck up on me a bit. I knew the Bulldogs could maybe maybe win, if they played as well as they have once or twice this season, but I expected the Vols to continue to play well. Plus, the 15-point margin is 'way out of my expectations, much as:

Duke 60 - Clemson 47 = Here I figured the Blue Devils would win, but again that margin is greater than I would have called, just like:

Maryland 88 - N. C. State 64 = Yeah, I know I said I was going to ignore the blowouts, but c'mon! The 'Pack took Dook early in the week, then didn't even show up in College Park. I was thinking the score would be more like:

Florida 58 - South Carolina 56 = Now here you have a tough conference contest, much like:

BYU 71 - San Diego State 69 = And here's a score I really don't get. Don't misunderstand me . . . I had no great confidence in BYU. However, I had none at all in SDSU. Can you say "bad win"? Now, if you want a good one:

Oklahoma State 73 - Kansas State 69 = This is the same K-State team that beat Texas early in the week, only to lose this one on their home court. And it gets no easier for them either, as Baylor and Kansas are next in line. Finally on Saturday we had:

Purdue 69 - Michigan 59 = Actually, there's nothing much of note in this, since it is about what one would call. Purdue's been good but not great, and Michigan's been poor but improving. That final makes sense.

As for the games on Sunday, we had:

Florida State 68 - Georgia Tech 66 = Just another one of those tough conference wars.

Seton Hall 64 - Pittsburgh 61 = And just another one of . . . wait, Pirates over Panthers? Looks like the Hall DID learn a few things from those early tough losses, and now are able to get a few tough wins. As for Pitt . . . well, they are not the biggest disappointment amongst the NCAA elite this season (that's totally my Heels), but they are not all that far behind.

Louisville 68 - Cincinnati 60 = Here we have two teams searching for their identity. Most nights neither can find their @$$ half the time, but either is capable of giving an effort. Maybe by season's end one or the other will locate theirs.

Wisconsin 79 - Penn State 71 (OT) = OK, Badgers, there's just no stinkin' excuse for this. The Nuttin'y Lions came into this matchup at 8-10 overall, 0-6 in Big Ten play, and they ain't even that good. And here you had to pull one out in OT, when it should have been done by the half? Sheesh.

There's not a lot tonight, though there are two potential really nice games. And no, I'm not referring to the St. Joe's/Penn contest . . . in previous years this Big 5 matchup would be a total battle, but both squads stink this season. Yet we do have:

Syracuse vs. Georgetown = I really don't need to say any more than that, do I?

Kansas vs. Missouri = The Jayhawks will likely rule from the get-go, but games such as this one can always sneak up on you and bite you where it hurts. Keep your eye on the score, as weird $#!+ happens.

Enjoy.

[Resipsa]

The 'Cuse dismantled Georgetown, and are looking mighty strong.

[The Poet]

The 'Cuse dismantled Georgetown, and are looking mighty strong.

Yes they did, to the tune of 73-56, and yes they are. In fact, at this point I'd have to predict them as one of the # 1 seeds. Yet to be fair, if history is any judge, I'd also have to predict they'd be one of the two # 1s to get knocked off by the second weekend. :r

In the other big game last night, Kansas took Missouri 84-63, which shouldn't shock anyone. It also shouldn't shock anyone that they are another of my early # 1s, and one of the OTHER two who I'd say are more likely to survive.

There is not a ton of action tonight, but there are a fair number of important games, for one reason or another:

Kentucky vs. South Carolina = Even at home, I can't give the Gamecocks much of a chance here. But one can never tell . . . the 'Cats have to have a bad night, sooner or later.

Michigan State vs. Michigan = And I can't give the Logans much of a shot either, though in-state rivals often seem to step up, or step down.

Boston College vs. Clemson = The ACC may not be quite as wide open as the Pac-10 race, but it ain't far off. I give the Tigers the edge here, although they are not nearly as good on the road as in Littlejohn.

Miami vs. Maryland = If the Terps TCOB like they did against NCSU, this one's NC.

Kansas State vs. Baylor = I hate to keep dissing these two programs, but I gotta be honest . . . I have no faith in either one to win this game. Toss a coin.

UAB vs. Tulsa = And here we might very well have the best contest nobody much cares about. Expect a war.

West Virginia vs. DePaul = Expect a slaughter. Although losing their coach has seemed to focus the Blue Demons a bit, it will take more than focus for them to win this one . . . like maybe the Mountaineers missing their bus.

UNC vs. N. C. State = The Tar Heels are in desperate need of a little redemption, and the Wolfpack needs to rebound from their embarassment by the Terps. Can the 'Pack do to the Heels what they did to Dook on that same court in Raleigh last week? Yes, they can. Will they? I'll let you know tomorrow.

Enjoy.

[Resipsa]

Kentucky vs. South Carolina = Even at home, I can't give the Gamecocks much of a chance here. But one can never tell . . . the 'Cats have to have a bad night, sooner or later.

Oooopppsssieees.....

And this is why we play the game. The little ***** cats go down.

[The Poet]

Oooopppsssieees.....

And this is why we play the game. The little ***** cats go down.

Yessirree, Bob . . . uh, Vic. That is indeed why they toss that orange up before they post the final score. And in case some of you missed it:

South Carolina 68 - Kentucky 62 = And in some ways the game wasn't even that close, as the 'Cats needed a 14-3 run midway thru the 2nd to grab a short-lived lead back from those game 'Cocks. S.C. wins their 3rd straight matchup against UK, which might cost them their # 1 ranking. It will certainly cost the Gamecocks $25,000 for rushing the court afterwards. :r

Hey, despite some vehement protests to the contrary, I've been saying it for weeks now: The Wildcats have had the tendency all too often this season to either let an opponent hang around or let them get right back into it after having them on the mat. It had to bite them in the butts eventually . . . and may again and again, if they keep planning on pulling it out of the fire at the end.

There were also a few other games last night, believe it or not, such as:

Michigan State 57 - Michigan 56 = And this one too was damn close to being an upset, as it not only took a jumper from Lucas with 3.5 ticks left to get the lead, it also took an alley-oop rolling of the iron with 0.9 to preserve the victory for the Spartans. I keep telling you these in-state conference games can be rough.

Kansas State 76 - Baylor 74 - Even the out-of-state ones, too. Seems like I advised you to flip a coin on this one, and seems like these two almost did just that.

Boston College 75 - Clemson 69 = OK, this was in Chestnut Hill, yet I really didn't think the Tigers would spit the bit here. They are better than the Eagles, but not last night.

UNC 77 - N. C. State 63 = The Tar Heels end their 3-game skid, while the Wolfpack have followed their defeat of Dook with 2 Ls of their own. Biggest item of note to me is that Carolina did this as much on the defensive end as on the other side of the court, which is more like UNC ball than their prior efforts. The 'Pack was held scoreless for 8+ minutes in the 2nd half as the Heels went on a 22-4 run, and State shot only 29% from the field that half. Maybe this will give the Heels a bit of much-needed confidence . . . as for me, it will take 3 or 10 more like this to do the trick.

UAB 65 - Tulsa 55 = I expected this to be closer . . . and again, it actually way. Tulsa had a 46-44 lead late due to the icy shooting of UAB, so since they could not hit from the field the Blazers hit 13 straight FTs to grab the W.

Washington 123 - Seattle 76 = OK, this is the kind of blowout I usually ignore, but hey . . . 123 points? Talk about your balanced scoring, that was 61 in the first half and 62 in the second. Holy crud.


There are a good number of nice games on tap this evening, such as:

Temple vs. Charlotte = The Owls are having a good season, and the '49ers are always dangerous.

Penn State vs. Illinois = OK, this may not be a great game. However, if PSU wants to get off the snide and win their first conference game, this might be a good time for it.

Villanova vs. Notre Dame = This may be a better game, but 'Nova should take it rather safely.

Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt = The Vols have had some better good wins, and both have had a few bad losses. This one's in Knoxville, which is the only thing that moves me to give UT the slight edge.

U. Conn vs. Providence = Can the Huskies build on their big win last weekend? I'd guess probably so, although Providence is better than you may think.

Georgia vs. Florida = Neither of these teams can seem to figure out who the hell they are, so what chance do I have? Again, I'll give the Gators that homecourt edge, if pushed.

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State = These two are both 3-2 in conference play, and both want to stay in contention . . . just in case the Jayhawks and the Longhorns get into a huge rumble and both get suspended from play. Should be a war.

Memphis vs. Marshall = Here are two decent teams to whom nobody seems to pay much attention. Both seem likely at this point to make the tourney, so maybe you should scout them out. This one ought to be fun as well.

Ohio State vs. Iowa = This one, not so much. Buckeyes by a bunch.

Iowa State vs. Oklahoma = And these two don't wanna let Colorado and Nebraska out of the basement, so this may be a battle too.

Texas vs. Texas Tech = The 'Horns need to find themselves again. Expect them to do so, though the Red Raiders won't roll over and die on them.

Duke vs. Florida State = For the first time in a while the Blue Devils want to prove they are the top of the ACC, and the Seminoles have pretensions themselves. This game is in Cameron, so give Dook and the Crazies the nod.

BYU vs. New Mexico = The Lobos and the Runnin' Rebels of UNLV seem to be the only conference threats facing BYU. As these are two more of those teams in which I have little long-term faith, I don't know who to pick . . . nor do I much care.

Enjoy.