Last night's limited action gave us:
Kansas 92 - Oklahoma State 65 = No big surprise here, as the Jayhawks are usually tough at home. The only "important" thing was the way they dominated with Taylor off the team.
Syracuse 69 - Villanova 64 = This last month or so in the Big East has rivaled the confusion in the SEC, with nobody stepping up . . . or backing down either. Home court, on the road, ranking . . . nothing seems to matter much. Were the Big Mouth Conference Tourney not already sold out, I'd advise all of you to get a ticket. A good win for the Orange, to put them 1/2-game over 'Nova for 6th in the league.
Kent State 74 - W. Michigan 72 = These two seem to be the class of the MAC, for what that means. Hey, no offense, but this mid-major appears to be loaded with "who cares?" teams. Yet give Kent credit for a tough victory in Kalamazoo.
Wisc. Green Bay 81 - Valparaiso 80 (OT) = And what a tight tough contest in Titletown for 3rd place in the Horizon. Man, watching a game like this is so much more fun than watching, say, the Jayhawks romp over the Cowboys.
Tonight's schedule is also fairly light, but there are a number of meaningful games:
Wake Forest vs. Virginia Tech = The Hokies are on the "safe" side of the bubble at this moment, but with their season ending against Duke, BC, and Clemson they may not stay there. This one will not help them much, but if they somehow manage to lose in Winston-Salem it might put them on the backslide of that slope. As for Wake, they'll need to buy tickets to get into ANY tourney, which means they have nothing to lose except some more pride. This could be pretty close for much of the game. Me, I'll pull for the Deacons, but I'd bet on VT.
Mississippi vs. South Carolina = For a while it looked like the Gamecocks might make a little noise, but their 5 losses in a row has turned that sound into a flaccid fart. If that "streak" extends tonight, they will drop to .500 overall, and secure their stranglehold on the cellar of the SEC East. Still, the East's basement might be better than the mid-pack West division . . . which is where the Rebels reside. As much as I don't like it (hell, I'm an old-school ACC guy, and still hate the 'Cocks from the Frank McGuire/Bobby Cremins/John Roche days), I'm gonna pull for Lisa Simpson's future alma mater.
Xavier vs. LaSalle = And as much as I'd like for this to be a game, I just can't see LaSalle hanging with the X-Men for long . . . not this year, anyway.
Ohio State vs. Illinois = It's been a rough stretch for the Buckeyes, relatively speaking anyway. But that's been a short stretch, whereas the Illini have had a longer, more consistent bad one. I'd imagine that OSU bounces back, big.
Texas vs. Iowa State = And now that the potential pressure of a # 1 is off Rich Barnes's shoulders, I think the Longhorns will romp also.
Northern Iowa vs. Indiana State = These two good teams are tied for 3rd in the Missouri Valley. Their only chance of a bid is if they can win the tournament and get the automatic, but they still both want to win this one tonight. I'd expect a real war.
Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee = It is highly unlikely that the Comms can catch the Gators for the SEC East, but I think they will be happy if they can stay above Kentucky for 2nd place. The Vols have played as if they wish to co-operate with those desires of late, losing 4 of their last 5. You have to give Vandy the edge down in Nashville tonight, though I would not make that a huge one.
Louisville vs. Rutgers = And though I have to pick the Cardinals here, this one is harder to predict. Louisville has played well enough at times to blow the Scarlet Knights right out of Piscataway, and have also jerked around and either won or lost squeakers at the horn. So take Pitino's boys straight up, yet don't give any points.
Michigan State vs. Minnesota = And this one is the hardest of them all to predict. The Spartans have disappointed their fans, and the expectations of the experts, all season long, and they are still in danger of missing an at-large bid. But lately Kalin Lucas has been playing much better, so maybe they have turned a corner. Better late than never, I reckon. As for the Gophers, they came out this season like gangbusters, but have dropped 5 of their last 6 games, and put themselves squarely on that dreaded bubble. So both teams need this win, yet we have no idea which team will show up for either school! Plus, you can't slip a hair between Tom Izzo and Tubby Smith when it comes to coaching! Flip that coin again, and don't be surprised if it lands on its edge.
That's it for today, brothers. Enjoy. Screw Drew.