OK, so you wonder what happened of note last night? Well:
Alabama 51 - Auburn 49 = And you also wonder why I seemed to diss the Tide yesterday? Here you go. The Auburn Tigers purely suck, and are still short of double-digit wins this year. Yet here they were, on 'Bama's home court, and it took a tip-in with 0.3 left to avoid OT. Yeah, maybe they creeped over to the "safe" side of the bubble, but it's a bad win nonetheless.
Arsansas 77 - Kentucky 76 (OT) = Boy, was I wrong here. I said this might go down to the last few minutes, with the 'Cats having a slim edge. Instead, it went to an extra 5, with the 'Hogs having the slimmest edge. UK's road woes continue.
Miami 73 - Boston College 64 = And BC's home woes continue too, with nearly 1/2 their losses coming there. This bad one to the 'Canes may have pushed the Eagles off that NCAA bubble for good.
BYU 84 - Colorado State 76 = I told you this could be a pretty good game. Although I'm not yet ready to give the Cougars any REAL respect, I do give them props for a good win.
Duke 78 - Temple 61 = No surprise here, though I had hoped for a slightly better showing from the Owls. Hey, Jay, it ain't easy down in Cameron, is it?
Rhode Island 77 - Duquesne 76 = It wasn't all that long ago that the Dukes were in control of the A-10, but now they've lost 4 of 5 and won't get a sniff of the regular season. Neither will the Rams, but it's a good win for them regardless, especially on the road.
East Carolina 83 - UTEP 76 = You can say the same dang thing about the Miners in the CUSA race too. They've now lost 3 of 4, and this one to a .500 Pirates squad is painful. Of course, the fact that UTEP was whistled for 27 team fouls and 5 technicals, with both Tim Floyd and his assistant Phil Johnson being ejected a minute into the 2nd half (and Floyd being "escorted" off by police) didn't help their chances either. Hey, talk about your home-court advantage!
Cincinnati 58 - Georgetown 46 = Maybe we should stop being shocked when a Big East team spits the bit like this. But hell, if you can't even score 50 points on your own danged court, you don't deserve to win.
Maryland 78 - Florida State 62 = A big win for the Terps, which may have put them on the safe side of that dreaded bubble . . . even if they lose to my Heels Sunday. They now have 18 Ws, and 7 in the conference, and will end against Miami and UVA, both "winnable" ones. Plus, thanks for putting the Semiholes 2 back of UNC for 2nd place.
Wisconsin 53 - Michigan 52 = And I'm not exactly sure what to make of this one. Yeah, I know a low-scoring game can be expected from the Badgers. Yeah, I know the Logans have played better in the 2nd half of this season. Yeah, I know it was in Ann Arbor. But still, UW not only beat OSU recently, but stomped UM by 16 earlier. I guess a win's a win, but beyond that
Kansas State 61 - Nebraska 57 = It is possible that this Battle of the Giant-Killers took K-State safely off the bubble, and put the 'Huskers safely off also, albeit on the wrong side. We'll see in a few weeks.
North Carolina 75 - N. C. State 63 = The Heels had a decent 2nd half in Raleigh to turn a 2-point halftime lead into a "respectable" victory. But I do wish that Barnes kid would actually show up in the 1st half sometimes, so's I could save a few fingernails.
UNLV 77 - New Mexico 74 (OT) = Hey, I told you this one could be some fun, didn't I? A good win for the Casino Runs, and maybe they will get that at-large.
Notre Dame 94 - Providence 93 = And I also told you that, if the Friars could manage to show up at all, they may give the Irish game. They did just that. I kinda wish I'd seen this one, however, since I'm curious about that high score. Was it great offense on both sides, or merely no D whatsoever?
Wichita State 67 - Creighton 65 = Once more, I lucked up and called for a fun matchup here. Me, I'm not one of those guys who think the mid-majors don't get nearly enough respect at the expense of the Big Boys. However, if a 10th or 11th Big Mouth team, or a 6th or 7th SEC one, gets an at-large, and the Shockers don't, I will not be pleased.
Tonight's action includes:
Florida vs. Georgia = The Gators don't need this game for the SEC East, nor for a bid. The Bulldogs may need another W to get safely off the bubble, and this would be a huge one for them down in Gainsville. I'm not sure they can do it, but it would not be a total surprise if they could manage to steal one on the road.
U. Conn vs. Marquette = And the Huskies are safe also, but at 7-7 in league play the Golden Eagles might just need 1 or 2 more. It won't be easy in Hartford, but it would not be the 1st time this year U. Conn's lost at home. Again, I don't expect it, but Marquette has a chance.
Cleveland State vs. Wisc. Milwaukee = At 12-4 and 11-5 in the Horizon respt., this one is vital for both teams, even though no bid is on the line. The NCAA would need another expansion before they'd start handing out at-larges to these guys. Regardless, it should be a great game.
ODU vs. James Madison = Now the Colonial might get an extra bid or two, and both of these could be in the mix. Ehhh, probably not JM, who'd likely need to take the automatic in the tourney, but ODU can help their shot with a win tonight. I expect a good one here.
Oral Roberts vs. IUPUI = And these two are tied for 2nd in the Summit . . . meaning that this game won't win an at-large bid the conference won't receive. Still, odds are it will be fun.
Murray State vs. Morehead State = Yes, Joe, you know I wouldn't overlook this one. Your Racers and the Eagles are tied atop the OVC at 12-4, with Austin Peay on your heels at 11-5. Again, there's no at-large in the cards for the Ohio Valley, so a win or a loss won't help nor hurt in that regard. However, everybody likes to win their conference regular season, and this could very well decide it. Both teams will have one "winnable" game left on the schedule after tonight, before they go to war in the tourney for the automatic. If this is not a fight, I will be shocked.
Penn State vs. Northwestern = I'm not exactly sure how deep the NCAA will reach in the Big Ten, but there's a shot that they'll award an at-large to the Nittany Lions. Yeah, they are only 14-12 overall, but a win tonight would put them at .500 in conference play, and they do have several "quality" wins over teams that are in the hunt for bids, such as Fairfield, Duquesne, MIchigan State, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. So, this could be big for them.
Pitt vs. West Virginia = And the Mountaineers better not depend on the Committee going 10 or 11 deep in the Big East (although knowing them, they just might
), and think they are safely off the bubble. A win tonight would assure them of one, whereas a loss will mean they need to take U. Conn or Louisville down the pike. Yeah, I know they face Rutgers next, but that win won't mean jack to the voters. I'm not sure Pitt will spit the bit again on their home court, but stranger things have happened.
Arizona vs. USC = The Wildcats have not clinched the Pac-10 yet, but can pretty much chill it, if not totally ice it, with a win in LA tonight. The Trojans are not in the running, but they are not completely helpless either. If the past is any indication, the loyal 'Zona fans already believe they have this game won. It would not surprise me one bit if Southern Cal gives them all they can handle, and at least put a healthy scare in them. Me, I'd pick the 'Cats too, but not by much.
UCLA vs. Arizona State = And as much respect as I have for Herb Sendek, I can't see his Sun Devils having much of a shot across town in Pauley this evening. So, if the Bruin's city rivals can give them a little help tonight, they can get within a game of 'Zona . . . which would make their head-to-head Saturday HUGE!!!
That's all I gots for you at the moment. Enjoy. Screw Drew.