Other important, or at least more interesting, scores from last night:
LSU 70 - Arkansas 54 = This did not make the Tigers' season, but it might have ended it for the 'Hogs.
Southern Miss 81 - East Carolina 78 (OT) = The Pirates fought hard to keep their season alive, but fell just short.
Marshall 105 - Tulsa 100 (3OT) = But that CUSA conflict was as nothing compared to this one, with the Herd finally edging away before the 4th buzzer sounded.
Arizona 66 - UCLA 58 = The 'Cats still have a slim chance of salvaging their season, and the Bruins have maybe managed to survive their homeless one with only their coaching staff, team chemistry, and reputation destroyed.
Minnesota 75 - Northwestern 68 (OT) = And these 'Cats have likely had their hopes of getting an at-large crushed because they could not do in the extra 5 minutes what they'd done for the previous 40.
Virginia Tech 68 - Clemson 63 = And these cats, of the Tiger-ous variety, only had an outside shot at a bid to start. Well, that's done.
Louisville 84 - Marquette 71 = And if the Cardinals had played as well all year as they have in this tourney so far, maybe they would be the ones as over-rated as are the Golden Eagles.
Notre Dame 57 - South Florida 53 (OT) = I've been saying for a while that I'd give the Bulls a bid, were it my call. Man, I sure hope they did not p!$$ that away in the extra 300 seconds of this one.
Texas 71 - Iowa State 65 = I'm not sure the Longhorns can yet breathe easily about their chance for an at-large, but they ought to breathe easier anyway.
Georgia 71 - Mississippi State 61 = As should the Bulldogs here, and I mean both teams by that. Neither one deserves a bid, as one collapsed and the other never showed up in the first place.
Today's early finals:
North Carolina 85 - Maryland = About the same sort of spanking the Heels gave the Terps a week or so back in Chapel Hill, and a good start to their ACC tourney . . . if John Henson's wrist injury sustained in the 1st half is no more than a minor sprain.
U Mass 77 - Temple 71 = Maybe a shock to some, but not for those who've seen U Mass play well, and the Owls play poorly at times, this year . . . or for those who know that anything can happen come tournament time.
Michigan State 92 - Iowa 75 = It's no surprise to me that Izzo had his boys ready for this one, following that home loss to the Buckeyes where they coulda shoulda won the regular-season championship, and didn't.
Kentucky 60 - LSU 51 = And it's no surprise to me that the 'Cats came sleepwalking into this one, against a team they shoulda blown out of the stadium, considering how loudly Cal has baitched about not caring one dinky-dang for conference tournaments. Well then, forfeit, and stay the hell in Lexington, Cal! Sheesh.
N. C. State 67 - Virginia 64 = Has the Wolfpack put themselves over the bubble, while putting the Cavaliers squarely on it? Hmmmmm. I'll let you know on Sunday.
Wisconsin 79 - Indiana 70 = Two of the Big Ten+ darkhorses for the tourney title have to face each other, and only the Badgers survive the day.
Florida vs. Alabama = And here's the darkhorses for stealing the SEC from UK, who doesn't want it in the first place. Last I looked, they were tied with under 6 to play.
Minnesota vs. Michigan = The Golden Gophers likely need another win or two to get un-bubbly, and this one would be huge for them. As for the Wolverines, who snuck into a share of the regular season 1st place, I'm not sure what this means to them. Could be an interesting contrast, between a team that wants it and a team that could care less.
LaSalle vs. Saint Louis = What with the Temple Owls out of the A-10, not to mention the Bonnies taking out their raptor neighbors St. Joe's already today, here the fight for the tourney champ and the automatic becomes more interesting too. With at-large bids at such a premium, bubble teams need take note.
Virginia Tech vs. Duke = The Blue Devils get their first taste of ACC action since their whuppin' in Durham, and might just do the same thing to the Hokies that the Spartans did to the Hawkeyes. Yet it remains to be seen what adjustments they need to make after losing forward Kelly for a while to a (supposedly) minor injury.
Cincinnati vs. Syracuse = I keep expecting one of these teams who've faced that Orange zone to bust them wide open some night, but so far nobody's done it. It will happen. Can the Bearcats prove me right, or shall I have to wait for another days?
Mississippi vs. Tennessee = Here's two more of those bubbly teams in need of some sort of run. I don't know if either can win a bid tonight, but either one could lose one.
Baylor vs. Kansas = And neither one of these can lose a bid tonight, but only one can get a firmer grasp on a #1-seed in the NCAAs. The Jayhawks might retain it even if they do lose, but it would open the door for bidders like Michigan State, Duke, Ohio State, or Missouri . . . though the low RPI and SoS for Mizzou may preclude that, even if they win the Big12Minus2. Baylor's chance? In this game, ehhh, OK I guess. Overall? Forget it.
Purdue vs. Ohio State = In my book, I'd sooner see the Boilermakers get an at-large than the umpteenth Big Mouth team slated to lose in the first round (hey, you can look it up if you think that's just some insult). If they can knock off the Buckeyes they'll not only remove them from that 1-seed discussion above, they will probably insure their chance to Dance.
Oregon State vs. Arizona = But with the lack of respect the Pac12 gets, neither of these are safe, regardless of the results of this game. The old saw, "survive and advance" applies to these guys even before Selection Sunday comes, since they may just need to win the automatic to even get a ticket.
Colorado State vs. San Diego State = Larry's Aztecs tried awfully hard to p!$$ away a large late win to Boise State yesterday, and almost "succeeded". They give CSU that sort of shot, and they may be sorry.
Miami vs. Florida State = The 'Canes need another good win to get firmly into the bubble group. The 'Noles need nothing save to play well. I could see Miami taking this one, as it means much more to them.
Louisville vs. Notre Dame = I don't much care either way, but it ought to be a pretty good game.
Texas vs. Missouri = As with a number already mentioned, the Longhorns need every win they can garner to get safely out of Bubbleville. One over Mizzou would probably do that once a for all, and as I've thought for a while that the Tigers can be taken, I'll give them a shot at it. Of secondary importance, it would also take Mizzou out of any possible late discussion for a #1-seed.
New Mexico vs. UNLV = Most of the main competition for that Mountain West crown Larry wants for his Aztecs square off here, though I'd imagine he'll pull for the Lobos over the Rebels, if only for the fact that the neutral court for this thing is in Vegas.
Colorado vs. California = I wonder, as does any Pac12 fan, just how many or how few bids they will receive out there. Bottom line, if you want to make sure you get to Dance, you'd better win the whole damn thing so you don't have to sweat it out. Cal stumbled late to lose the regular-season to the Washington Huskies, who themselves stumbled early in the tournament by losing to Oregon State. This opens it up somewhat for the Golden Bears to regain their "edge" out west. The Buffaloes have different ideas, and won't roll over for them. This ought to be fun.
That's it for me today. Pick a spot to sit, grab a brew or two, and enjoy.