So here's the scores that struck me from last night:
Marquette 74 - U. Conn 67 (OT) = Well, I said Marquette had a shot to take the Huskies in Hartford, and they did just that, even if it took them an extra 5 minutes. And I don't wanna hear no whinin' about this being a factor of Jim Calhoun's absence from the team (due to the death of his sister-in-law, and not part of next year's NCAA's sanctions revealed against him), as this is far from the first time he's missed a game. In fact, for various reasons, this makes the 15th one he's handed the reins to George Blaney, who now falls to 7-8 as "head coach" of U. Conn. But all that aside, this is a very good road win for the Golden Eagles, which may have moved them to the safe side of that dreaded bubble.
USC 65 - Arizona 57 = This was the other "big-time" upset of the night, with the so-so Trojans handing the desert 'Cats their 3rd conference loss, and likely dropping them a full line or two down in the seedings for the NCAAs. Perhaps of as much significance is the fact that . . .
UCLA 71 - Arizona State 53 = . . . with the Bruins spanking the Sun Devils like this, their 11-4 record moves within a game of 'Zona's 12-3 Pac-10 mark. And that won't last too long, since they meet head-to-head Saturday, for what might be the marbles. Now that, that should be fun.
Appalachian State 85 - Charleston 70 = But this may be the biggest shocker of them all. I did not preview this one because I thought there was no damn way the Mountaineers could give the Cougars any sort of game at all. OK, so it was in Boone. Yeah, and? And Charleston pretty much OWNS the Southern Conference, while ASU "improves" to .500 overall with this victory. Plus, it was a fairly good spanking to boot! Sometimes you just can't make this stuff up.
Gonzaga 89 - St. Mary's 85 (OT) = But although I have a legitimate excuse for skipping that game above yesterday, I have none at all for missing this one on the schedule. Hey, I just blew it. This game was HUGE, and I whiffed. The 'Zags are making a late push to get back into The Dance, and this one over the Gaels locks them atop the WCC with 10-3 records. With only one bid likely for that league, this race is far from over.
Wisc. Milwaukee 87 - Cleveland State 83 = The same is true for the Horizon also. Now these two are tied with Butler for 1st, at 12-5, with Valpo all the way back at 11-6. So not even counting the wild cards, that makes 4 teams vying for 1 slot. Sharpen up the knives.
Florida 71 - Gerogia 62 = The Gators did not need this win to get a ticket, but it does clinch the SEC East for them. As for the 'Dawgs, they still have their noses pressed against the glass, hoping someone opens up a door for them. They could have used this one, but they still have 3 more shots at wins before the conference tourney starts. One against LSU won't help them much, but ones over the 'Cocks and/or the Tide might.
ODU 75 - James Madison 59 = I really thought this would be a closer game, although the winner's no surprise. This moves the Monarchs into a tie with Hofstra for 2nd in the Colonial, behind 1st-place George Mason. Unless some darkhorse in the league (and there's a whole paddock full of those) steals the automatic in the conference tourny, I could see all 3 of these dancing. However, maybe The Committee only sees 2, so there's still some hay to make here.
Murray State 70 - Morehead State 62 = Joe's Racers took care of business at home, and won the top spot of the Ohio Valley Conference, and if they can hold court against a so-so Eastern Kentucky squad on Saturday they will clinch the regular season. It used to be that that and a nickel would get you a cup of coffee, but now it takes five bucks. If they don't take the league tourney crown, they won't get that single automatic, and will then hit the road in hopes of winning some NIT games against the Big Boy wanna-bes. I know that, Joe knows that, and that's the way it is. Still, it's a very good win for Murray State, and they should enjoy it for all it's worth.
As per usual on Fridays, there isn't much to pick from tonight:
Harvard vs. Brown // Princeton vs. Cornell = The Crimson and the Tigers hold the Ivy lead, at 9-1 and 8-1 respt., and it does not look like anyone else will step up to challenge. I would not expect their opponents this evening to offer much of a fight, and so the sole bid for the Brainiac Conference should come down to two games for each school. Both must face Penn, the only other team above .500 in league play, and they also go head-to-head again a week from now. Princeton won their first meeting, so owns the first 1/2 of the tie-breaker.
Detroit vs. Wright State = OK, so neither one will take the Horizon season. Still, they are decent teams, and well-matched, and ought to give us a pretty good show. Besides, what else is there to choose from? Well, there is . . .
Iona vs. St. Peter's = These two are part of a 3-way for 2nd place in the MAAC, along with Rider (who has a potential "bye" game against a crappy Marist squad), all three behind the champ Fairfield. As with many already mentioned, there are no "at-large" bids available for the Metro Atlantic, so 2nd, 3rd, or 4th in league play means squat. However, it should be a danged good game, so if you find yourself in Jersey City tonight, two things: 1) Get a ticket; 2) Then get outta town ASAP.
Back soon with some early Saturday games.