Now maybe I can catch up a little bit here, if I skip much too many good games and just hit the biggies. In the balance of action Saturday 1/7:
Kansas State 75 - Missouri 59 = I've been saying all along that the Tigers' easy scheduling would come back and bite them in the butt eventually. The K-State win does not surprise me one bit, and even the margin's not a total shock.
St. John's 57 - Cincinnati 55 = And considering how the Bearcats have played at times, even with the run they made after that Xavier brawl, this is not much of a shock either.
Notre Dame 67 - Louisville 65 (2OT) = But this is somewhat of one, especially as the better team lost in double-OT at home.
Illinois 59 - Nebraska 54 = And the surprise here is how close the 'Huskers came to their first ever Big Ten+ win.
Rutgers 67 - U Conn 60 = Much like Missou, and as I've said before, the Husky losses will keep coming once they go on the road and actually play somebody . . . and apparently, much to my surprise, the Scarlet Knights can actually BE somebody, on certain nights anyway.
Charlotte 57 - St. Joseph's 52 = The shock here is not only that the "meh" 49ers could beat the decent Hawks, but that they could do so in Philly.
Syracuse 73 - Marquette 66 = The handwriting is on the wall for the Orange, if you ask me. You don't believe me, and think a 3-possession win is good enough? Well, take note that the score at the half was 37-19 for the 'Cuse, yet the Golden Eagles came damn close to stealing the victory despite the fact they did not even get to the game until after the break.
Dayton 87 - Temple 77 = I don't know, maybe the Owls feel that beating Dook made their season already, and they have no need to show up anymore. Don't get me wrong . . . I'm not convinced the Blue Devils are great, nor am I unaware that the Flyers are pretty decent. Still . . . .
Virginia 52 - Miami 51 = Hmmmmm. The Cavs may be beginning to unravel, as the 'Canes have shown no sign of being able to play ball so far this year to date. But maybe it was just an off night, since everybody has them.
Arkansas 98 - Mississippi State 88 = This must have been a track meet, and certainly not the defensive "40 minutes of hell" the 'Hogs used to boast. Just consider . . .
Stanford 103 - Oregon State 101 (4OT) = It took these two twice as long to score nearly as much. A hard-fought win for the Tree, who'll need them to challenge their neighbors in Berkeley for the Pac-12.
On Sunday 1/8:
Michigan 59 - Wisconsin 41 = As much as the two games above were NBA-type scores, this ugly contest was more typical of a football contest between these teams, as was . . .
Arizona 57 - USC 46 = At least the snarling mammels just cited had the excuse that the Badgers almost always play slowly. But these two? Maybe they merely suck. Speaking of which . . .
N. C. State 79 - Maryland 74 = OK, the Terps are supposed to suck this year, yet they made a game of it against Jerry's 'Pack. It's a decent win for Moo U to begin their ACC season, but maybe it's not a very good sign of things to come.
On Monday 1/9:
U Conn 64 - West Virginia 57 = The Huskies do win, but don't dissuade me of my opinion. The Mountaineers are OK, and probably better than was expected, but U Conn thought they'd repeat as champs this year, the silly gooses.
Cincinnati 68 - Georgetown 64 = And the young Hoya squad stumbles twice in a row, against a yo-yo Bearcat team this time. I just hope they get their act back together before they face the likes of Syracuse and the aforementioned Huskies.
Tonight has some potential for decent conference matchups:
Florida vs. Georgia = This may not be one of them. Yeah, the Gators have tripped a few times, but the Bulldogs haven't even crawled, much less walked.
Florida State vs. Virginia Tech = It was supposed these two would challenge for the upper half of the ACC, though not for the top two slots. They've not shown much sign of that, but that makes this head-to-head all that more important to both.
Louisville vs. Providence = Although the Firars have had a decent game or three so far, I can't see them taking the Cardinals. But then again, I couldn't see some others doing so, so Pitino's boys have the "ability" to disappoint their fans . . . amongst whom I do NOT count myself.
DePaul vs. Seton Hall = Despite a few very surprising good wins, I still don't have much long-term faith in the Pirates. But the Blue Demons ain't exactly the Lakers, so though this may be close I'll give the locals an edge.
Iowa vs. Michigan State = And despite a good win or two by the Hawkeyes, I think the Spartans will continue to roll, for now anyway.
Baylor vs. Kansas State = If the Manhattan 'Cats play as well as they did against the Missou Tigers, they will back-to-back hand teams their first loss of the year. Me, I'm gonna say it happens, and the Bears go down this evening.
Illinois State vs. Wichita State = Just one damn fine game between two good programs.
Northern Iowa vs. Creighton = Same here.
Ohio State vs. Illinois = I think the Buckeyes have much more talent than do the Illini, but they've proven that this does not mean they know how to win. I can see this being a close one in Champaign, and don't be shocked if OSU drops another one.
North Carolina vs. Miami = But be surprised if the Heels lose this one. They are ending a long homestand, and despite a few lapses from time to time have started to play some pretty dominant ball for the most part. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have fairly much stunk. Anything can happen in league play, but some things should not be expected.
San Diego State vs. Chicago State = And here's the laffer of the night for you. The Aztecs may not be as good as last year's version, but the boys from the Windy City have failed to win a game all year to date. That win will come tonight only if the Aztec bus breaks down and forces a forfeit.
Well, my fingers are starting to bleed, so I'll call it quits for now. Pipe up with your own thoughts, brothers, and until later then . . . enjoy.