Again, I haven't time to hit all the good or important games over the balance of the weekend, so here's my cherry picks. Saturday:
Arizona 56 - Stanford 43 = The Desert 'Cats complete a road sweep in the Bay Area, and are making a late move to be relevant in the Pac-12 race . . . if the Pac-12 is relevant at all, that is.
Mississippi State 91 - Auburn 88 = OK, so the Tigers are a little better than they've been in the recent past, but for a supposed Top 25 team to have so much trouble on their own court is not a good sign for their long-term prospects.
North Carolina 83 - Maryland 74 = College Park has never been too kind to the Tar Heels. Be they good, bad, or indifferent, the Terps always get up for this contest, dating back at least to Lefty Driesell's days. This, and the fact that the Heels were down 9 in the 2nd, with Zeller and Marshall benched with 4 fouls each, yet won by 9 and thus made an 18-point turnaround for the victory makes this a good one in my eyes.
Wyoming 68 - UNLV 66 = Some of you may have thought me nuts to give Wyoming a shot at this "upset". Well, maybe I am, but not this time.
Northern Iowa 65 - Creighton 62 = Nor this one, come to think of it. Maybe those meds are starting to work for me.
Indiana 78 - Purdue 61 = The Hoosiers do stop their bleeding, and get a larger win on the road than I thought they might.
Murray State 65 - Tenn-Martin 58 = As Joe said, and as I concurred, this is NOT a good sign for his Racers. Yeah, they kept the string going and got the W, but they really should have chased the Skyhawks right out of their nest. They didn't, and I wonder why.
Alabama 69 - Mississippi 67 (2OT) = OK, we're not talking two hoops powers here, and neither may make any noise come March. And true, that's not a lot of points for double-OT. Still, it was a good show, so give 'em both some props.
Missouri 74 - Kansas 71 = And give, reluctantly or not, some props to the Tigers for defending their home court against THE traditional Big 12 Minus 2 power, and forging a 3-way tie with the Jayhawks and Baylor Bears above this disintegrating league.
On Sunday, I begin with:
Miami 78 - Duke 74 (OT) = It is odd when the Blue Devils lose in Cameron. It is odder still when they lose twice. One might forgive the one to Florida State, but to the 'Canes? In Durham? In OT? I'm sure Coach K won't forgive them, or at least won't forget how they've dropped out of a tie for the ACC lead . . . right before they travel to Chapel Hill, no less.
West Virginia 87 - Providence 84 (OT) = I said I expected the Mountaineers to take the Friars on the road, but that anything could happen when you considered how both teams have played (or not played) at times. Well, here you go.
Michigan State 64 - Michigan 54 = I watched much of this game, and still don't understand why it was so close. The Spartans seemed to be dominating in all aspects, yet the Logans held on with their adamantium claws until the end. The game was ugly at times, but fun nonetheless.
Pittsburgh 79 - Villanova 70 = Don't look now, and don't bet on it meaning much over the long haul, but the Panthers have won 4 in a row now. They have enough time, and enough potential victories left on their schedule, to actually re-enter the NCAA discussion again, but they cannot afford many more stumbles. Keep your eye on this team, just to see what happens.
Northwestern 74 - Illinois 70 = This one shocks me almost as much as the Miami/Dook one. OK, the Smarty 'Cats do not suck, and the Illini have holes. But they have been tough in Champaign, and I see little excuse for a lapse like this one.
There are not a lot of games tonight, but there are a few notable ones:
U Conn vs. Louisville = This one's in the KFC Yumi Crum Bucket, but I'm not sure if that means anything much. Both teams have had their ups-and-downs, and either could win . . . due to their own efforts or the lack of same from the opponent. Me, I wouldn't bet this one with YOUR money.
Wofford vs. Davidson = These are two of the better teams in the Southern Conference, and ought to give us a good show down Charlotte way tonight.
Missouri vs. Oklahoma = The Sooners did beat the K-State 'Cats twice, and this is in Norman. Still, you've got to favor the Tigers here by at least 3 or 4 possessions, for unlike Baylor, they have only maybe 3 or 4 squeaker victories so far.
Marquette vs. DePaul = The Golden Eagles got spanked by the Irish, and this might be bad news for the Blue Demons. Yet DePaul did beat Pitt (back before that meant anything much, but still), and it is in the Rosemont. If this is a game at the half, it might be one at the end also.
That's all for me for now, so until tomorrow . . . enjoy.