[The Poet]

Some pretty interesting games, and scores, from last night:

Baylor 70 - Texas A&M 66 = This isn't one of them, as it's about what you'd expect from this "flip a coin" matchup.

Ohio State 75 - Penn State 67 = And this isn't much more interesting, and that only because the Buckeyes really should have won by double-digits.

Temple 49 - Dayton 41 = And neither is this one, save for the fact that neither team could spit into the ocean without getting their chins wet. Combined they shot a woeful 32 of 110 from the field, for a abysmal 29%.

BYU 82 - San Diego State 68 = And this one's only of note because I picked the Aztecs. However, just like their namesakes, they were not around.

Boston College 80 - Virginia Tech 60 = OK, now we're talking! The Hokies have been a fairly decent and consistent team in the ACC, while BC has been . . . well, a team in the ACC. For the Eagles to win this, even in Chestnut Hill, is notable. For them to win by 20 is a shock.

Houston 92 - Memphis 75 = And here's another one for you. Memphis was still in the hunt for the CUSA, whereas Houston . . . well, this ain't your daddy's Cougars, Guy Lewis is long gone from the game, and Phi Slamma Jamma is no longer in de house. This double-digit loss stings the Tigers, bad, and Houston beats them for the first time in a dozen straight tries.

LSU 65 - Arkansas 54 = And these Tigers' strive for perfection ends. LSU stops their 12-game losing streak and are now on the move, improving to 1-12 in conference play. Hey, better late than never. As for the Razorbacks, who are fighting Miss. State for the SEC West, this one's a briar in their snouts for sure.

Notre Dame 68 - Pittsburgh 53 = The Irish have been OK at times this year, but Pitt had supposedly gotten over its early struggles and finally found itself. Well, hell . . . look what they found last night!

Purdue 59 - Minnesota 58 = OK, I know the Gophers are not a bad team. I know the game was in the Twin Cities. I know the Boilermakers lost a key figure, Hummel (get it?), to a knee injury in the first stanza. And I know a win's a win. But hell, this is a team that thinks it rates an # 1 seed in the NCAAs! So, where were they? As for the Gophers, this is their 3rd 1-point loss this season. That's gotta hurt.

Maryland 88 - Clemson 79 = The Terps have been playing decent ball all season, and so far Gary Williams hasn't exploded. And shoot, they even have a shot of stealing the ACC regular season from Dook! Here's one of those teams nobody's paying much attention to who can make some noise come March . . . if Gary doesn't wig out, again.

Xavier 73 - Saint Louis 71 = This one was precisely the Holy War I expected it to be. See, even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then . . . but which am I, the ham or the nut?

UTEP 59 - Southern Mississippi 56 = The Miners pretty much have the CUSA sewn up already, while the Golden Eagles are merely "meh". So how does one explain this scare for UTEP? Hey, $#!+ happens.

Marquette 63 - St. John's 61 (OT) = Well, the Johnnies did show up for this key game, and missed it by thaaaaat much. Now they'll need one heck of a run in the Big East tourney to get themselves a bid.

Texas 69 - Oklahoma State 59 = I guess this is a good-enough win for the Longhorns, and may indicate that they are putting their mid-season swoon behind them. I still don't see them doing much come March, past that first weekend anyway, and Oak State may not even make it that far. But hey, you never know . . . that's why they play 'em.

Villanova 76 - South Florida 49 = OK, this win by itself has no significance, but it does keep 'Nova in the hunt for the Big East crown. What with them one game back of the Orange, that contest in the Carrier Dome Saturday is not big . . . it's HUGE!

VCU 76 - James Madison 62 = And what's so big about this one? Well, every March you hear about these mid-major bubble teams who do not get a bid. Consider if you will these Rams. VCU is 4th in the Colonial Athletic Conference, which ain't exactly one of the marquee leagues, with their 11-6 record, yet they are 20-7 overall. Furthermore, they have wins this season over Oklahoma, Nevada, Rhode Island, Richmond, and Akron, and there's some decent teams in that group. But today there RPI is listed at 63rd. That's tough.


There are a good number of key games tonight, but they are key only in races for the smaller conferences. For instances, we have Wofford/Charleston, Campbell/Jacksonville, and LA Lafayette/North Texas: all may have significance when it comes to who dances and who sits come March. But for the Big Boys, we have these this evening:

Duke vs. Tulsa = The Blue Devils take a break from ACC action, but if they want to steal a # 1 seed they had better not take a total break. Tulsa has a pretty good team. Yet this one's in Durham, and Dook's 15-0 in Cameron this season. Don't chalk it down, but pencil it in.

Vanderbilt vs. Georgia = Vandy's had a few bad losses, and the Bulldogs have had a few good wins. I'd expect the Commodores to win, but ya never know with these two.

Kentucky vs. South Carolina = The Gamecocks gave the Wildcats their first loss of the season, and their last one . . . so far. Do not expect it to happen again tonight in Lexington.

Wisconsin vs. Indiana = You may have noticed a bunch of games lately with scores more seemly of football than hoops. This may be another, since Wisconsin is glacial in more ways than one, and the Posers are . . . well, crap.

California vs. Arizona = The Bears host this .500 team from the desert while holding a slim 1/2-game lead for the Pac-10 over the other one, who visit sub.-500 Stanford not too far away from Berkeley. If these northern bruins (as opposed to those Southland ones in LA) and the Sun Devils both win . . . or lose, come to think of it . . . their head-to-head Saturday could be for all the marbles.

So there you go. As always, enjoy.