[The Poet]

Last night Fairfield grabbed a 2-game lead in the MAAC by beating Iona 75-71, while Princeton kept pace with their competition across the Delaware, Penn, with their 65-61 win over Harvard, and are 3-0 in this early stage of the Ivy. So far today we have some finals:

Xavier 76 - Saint Louis 68 = The X-men had more trouble with the Billikens than they should have, but did hold on.

Georgetown 83 - Providence 81 = And the Hoyas had all they could handle from the Friars, and are lucky to have avoided the upset.

Villanova 66 - West Virginia 50 = Looks as though the Mountaineers didn't make it to Philly. I did not think they would win, but I did expect a better showing than this.

Butler 73 - Cleveland State 61 = Now this one's a bit of a surprise. CS has been pretty good, while Butler has been spotty. Here's a good win for a team that needed one bad.

VCU 70 - James Madison 66 = And this one was precisely the war I thought we'd have.


Other action scheduled today, aside from those already mentioned, is far too vast for me to note. So I've selected those which piqued my pickle:


Rhode Island vs. Temple = A huge A-10 matchups, and either one can win it.

Baylor vs. Texas A&M = If the Bears can find their game, they can give the Aggies all they want.

Syracuse vs. South Florida = And if the Bulls can find their game, they will only be beaten by the Orange, and not crushed.

Buffalo vs. Ball State = Who cares, you ask? Well, this one's for the top spots in the MAC, East and West respectively, so you can't get any bigger a game . . . at this level, anyway.

ODU vs. George Mason = And a higher level here, but pretty much the same story.

Virginia vs. Miami = And as neither of these want to sink down to Wake's level in the ACC, I'd expect a good one here. Me, I pick the Cavs.

UAB vs. Tulane = UAB can't afford a let-up against a team that they have an advantage over. If they drop this one, shame on them. That's not to knock Tulane, who can ball a little bit. But still . . . .

BYU vs. UNLV = The Casino Runs made a little noise early in the season, but we've not heard more than peeps from them since. The Cougars want the win, but the Rebels NEED it. This one could be fun.

Kansas vs. Nebraska = And this one could be more fun than the Jayhawks are looking for. Were I a gambler, I'd put a few on KU, but a 'Husker upset would not stun me.

Memphis vs. Gonzaga = This one pits two "name" teams from mid-majors who are used to better seasons than they've had to date. A win by either would go a long way towards securing an at-large. The 'Zags may need it more, so I feel they will be focused. There could be blood on the court before this one's done.

Washington vs. Oregon = And if the Huskies can't bounce back against the Ducks, then just maybe the Pac-10 does not deserve any respect.

Furman vs. Charleston = Here's another vital conference matchup, this one in the southern division of the Southern Conference . . . so one of these good squads will go south, for sure. Pick 'em.

Alabama vs. Tennessee = Another pick 'em game in another conference with Southern in its name. Off the top of my head, I can't recall which however.

Pitt vs. Cincinnati = The Bearcats are another team you've not heard much about of late. They could change that quickly with an upset today. It likely won't happen, but you never know about these things.

Marshall vs. Southern Mississippi = If this one is decided by more than 6 or 8 points, I will be shocked.

Duke vs N. C. State = And if this one in Cameron lasts more than 6 or 8 minutes, I will be shocked. No offense, Jerry, but your Wolfpack has no offense.

Mississippi vs. Arkansas = Another matchup in the SEC, and if you've been paying any attention at all, you'll know nobody can predict who will win here. The only consistent thing about SEC play so far this year has been its inconsistency.

U. Conn vs. Seton Hall = Though the Pirates did get one HUGE upset over the Orange, and in the Dome no less, I don't think they have another in them. Sure, the game's in Newark, and sure, the Huskies just proved they can be beaten, twice in a row now, yet I don't think that streak will reach three today.

Missouri vs. Colorado = Though one of these two has gotten all the press, while the other's gotten squat, don't kid yourself . . . this one will be tight. It would not surprise me one damn bit if the Buffaloes take it.

Arizona vs. California = But I don't expect those boys in Berkeley to hold serve against the Wildcats. 'Zona wants to get back to their sweet music Lute played, and they won't let some pack of dirty hippies stand in their way.

Louisville vs. DePaul = Louisville will win. It's that simple. The only question is, will Pitino's boys channel their inner "Cardiac Kids" again, and wait until the last few minutes before they pull it out of their butts? If so, then their post-season run will be very very short, and not jsut because Pitino's not Valvano.

Murray State vs. Austin Peay = Yeah, Joe, I know how huge this one is for your Racers. If they win, they hold the lead in the OVC. If they lose, they slip into a three-way . . . and not the good kind. This one should be tons of fun, start to finish.

Kentucky vs. Florida = And if both teams actually show up, this one will be a lot of fun too. The problem is, neither team seems capable of showing up night after night. You gotta give UK an edge, but you'd be just as safe if you flipped a coin.

Texas vs. Texas Tech = But this one's already over. Why are they even playing it? The Red Raiders should just forfeit, and stay at home to study for mid-terms.

Utah State vs. Boise State = And even though I think the Aggies are bogus (OK, so they are 21-2 . . . those 2 losses were to the only 2 decent teams they've played all year, so who cares?), I don't think they'll have a problem with the Broncos. Hell, nobody else has lately, so why should they be the exception?

San Diego State vs. TCU = With all due respect for the Aztecs, you can merely substitute the names in that post immediately above and be damn close to accurate, start to finish. The Horned Frogs are not the worst team in the nation, but SDSU's not the 7th best either. Still, chalk it up for them now, and don't even bother to watch.


I'll be back in a while with some other early finals, and some Sunday games too.