OK. I have neither the time nor the energy for a complete update, so lemme just hit the highlights over the past few days. On Wednesday 1/4:
Temple 78 - Duke 73 = As stated above, I don't consider this as big an upset as many seem to do. The Owls aren't scared of anybody, and though the Blue Devils will have their typical great season they aren't invincible.
LaSalle 80 - Xavier 70 = With all due respect to LaSalle, my interest here lies in the way these Musketeers have crashed and burned. I really want to see if they can right the ship.
St. Joseph's 84 - Duquesne 82 (OT) = Just a great game between two good mid-majors.
Georgetown 73 - Marquette 70 = The young Hoyas continue to surprise people.
Memphis 69 - Tennessee 51 = In and of itself, this in-state battle holds little interest to me, save that the Tigers may be learning how to play together. But you'll see below why today's action makes this Vol loss notable.
Kansas 67 - Kansas State 49 = I'm not surprised the Jayhawks won, but I did think the 'Cats might make a better showing than this pitiful effort.
Dayton 79 - Saint Louis 72 (OT) = Another of those exciting contests.
Iowa State 77 - Texas 71 = OK, I realize Rick Barnes' "one-and-done" recruits have screwed this program again, but please . . . Iowa State?? And speaking of the state of Iowa . . .
Iowa 64 - Minnesota 62 = It was a good night for those corn-fed hicks.
On Thursday 1/5:
Indiana 73 - Michigan 71 = Another good win for the Hoosiers, though with the way the Wolverines have played at times I'm not sure it's a great one. Personally, I'm glad to see IU's coming back, though it's still too early to know for sure if they are.
DePaul 84 - Pittsburgh 81 = Maybe I should no longer be stunned when the Panthers lose. This time it came due to a 3 with 1.3 seconds left, to a team they should have dominated . . . were Pitt as good as was expected, anyway.
Penn State 65 - Purdue 45 = Firstly, I don't get why the Boilermakers haven't played better. And secondly . . . 45 stinkin' points? WTF? What's with all the football scores in college hoops this year?
Oregon 78 - Stanford 67 = A good night for the Great Northwest, and not one for the Bay Area when you also consider . . .
Oregon State 92 - California 85 = The Pac-12 seem likely to be another clusterfark this year, with teams repeatedly trying to give the lead to somebody else, such as with . . .
UCLA 65 - Arizona 58 = Does this mean the Bruins are finally starting to play up to their pre-season hype, or is it that the Desert 'Cats are starting to play down to their actual abilities?
On Friday 1/6:
Butler 63 - Wright State 62 = A close one for the Bulldogs, who need every W they can steal if they want to get another shot in March.
Valparaiso 73 - Detroit 71 = Pretty much the same story here.
So far today we've seen some fascinating action, including this one referenced above:
Tennessee 67 - Florida 56 = Not only did the sub-par Vols beat the Gators, they beat them fairly handily. OK, so it was in Knoxville, but still. This makes another road loss for Florida, who may be showing they do NOT travel well.
Wake Forest 58 - Virginia Tech 55 = A very good win for the Deacs to kick off their ACC campaign. As these may be few and far between, they need savor each one.
It looks like West Virginia's gonna knock off Georgetown, and Georgia Tech's giving Duke about all they can handle too. I'll be back later with more early finals, and hopefully some previews of weekend action. I say hopefully, because the boss has threatened to come in here and try once again to screw up my computer.
Either way, enjoy.