Quote:
Originally Posted by Resipsa
'Cuse should move to # 1.
Nice.
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I respectfully disagree, brother. Yes, I figured they would likely do so, and they did (by a considerable margin), and their 10-0 record is the primary reason. But they haven't played the tough competition other teams have faced, and they've done that either in the Carrier Dome or MSG, with significant "home court" advantage. But let them have the top spot for as long as they can hold onto it. I never put much stock in it anyway, as it is simply bragging rights.
As to other issues raised in posts above, let me first comment on that ugly mess between Xavier and Cincinnati. In one way, albeit a totally negative one, this was a throwback to the past. Basketball players are called ''cagers" because, back in the day, they often played their games behind chicken-wire barricades in an attempt to keep the fights in the bleachers from interrupting the fights on the court. Even after that time such nonsense would occur. I can particularly recall a nasty brawl between Duke and UNC when Frank McGuire was the coach in Chapel Hill, with McGuire himself out in the lane stomping on Dookies sprawled on the court. Yet I think we all agree there is NO PLACE FOR THIS NONSENSE IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS!! The suspensions that have been announced so far, IMHO, are not nearly strict enough, and I would hope the NCAA takes a hand to impose worse ones on players, coaches, and the schools themselves to dissuade such actions not only there but elsewhere.
Congratulations to Joe's Racers, not only for their victory over Memphis 76-72, but for edging into the rankings at No. 24.
And as for Kentucky:
Indiana 73 - Kentucky 72 = Am I the only person, at least outside the state of Indiana, who is not stunned by this? I told you the Hoosiers have been playing well, and had been too far under everybody's radar. I also said they had a shot at the upset, and that's exactly what they had . . . a three at the buzzer, to be precise. Congratulations to a program that's not had much to cheer about for too long a time. As for you Wildcat faithful, console yourself in the hope that your young talent may have learned something from this which will help them further down the road.
I've too much to cover properly, so will now limit myself to:
Kansas 78 - Ohio State 67 = Here also I said the Jayhawks had a shot, so am not shocked either. Even if the Buckeyes had Sully on the court it may have been tight, as KU's awfully tough at home. But don't despair, Buckeyes . . . you still have a great team, and I myself would have cast MY 1st-place vote for you this weekend, and not the Orange (for the reason above) despite this loss.
Wisconsin 62 - UNLV 51 = The Badgers got exactly the type of game they wanted here, and the Rebels were unable to run.
UCLA 77 - Penn 73 = In itself, this win for the Bruins means very little . . . except for the fact that it wasn't another loss. But that whole mess out in La-La-Land is so interesting, just to see what develops, that I find it fascinating.
Michigan State 74 - Gonzaga 67 = This is another one that didn't surprise me at all. The Spartans had a rough start, but you just KNEW that Izzo would get them playing well before too long.
North Carolina 84 - Long Beach State 78 = Hey, I said the 49ers were a scrappy bunch of guys. I consider this a good win for the Heels even if you don't, even if only for the fact that they had to come from behind and fight for the victory. It's also a "good loss" for LBS, as it shows they can hang tough with top teams on the road. Kudo to them. (As an aside, do you know the Tar Heel beat the 49ers
twice this weekend? On Sunday the men's soccer team defeated Charlotte to win the NCAA National Championship.
)
On Sunday:
Marshall 82 - Iona 63 = Now this one does shock me. I'm not surprised the Herd won, but I didn't think they'd spank the Gaels this badly.
N. C. State 65 - N. C. Central 60 = And this one surprises me too, with how poorly Jerry's Wolfpack played. In Raleigh, to boot! Yeah, OK, so the Eagles had five wins coming into the game, but not a single one of those was over a Division 1 opponent. Sorry, Jerry, but this is just pitiful.
Washington State 93 - Santa Clara 55 = And this is another shock. I never thought Santa Clara would lose so badly.
Murray State 76 - Memphis 72 = To recap this one mentioned above, here's the other surprise for me. OK, I wish the Racers all the best, and I know the Tigers have been up-and-down, but this one really snuck up on me.
There's not a lot tonight, though the Fordham/Siena and Portland State/Oregon games may be pretty good. So I'll leave it at that and just wish you a good evening. Enjoy.