College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

[The Poet]

My mojo was off some on a number of my "picks" yesterday. So it goes. Here are those which stuck out for me:


# 17 Pittsburgh 80 - Duquesne 69 = I figured on a Pitt victory, but not a very impressive one. Seems that's what we got here too.

George Mason 61 - Bucknell 57 = I also thought this could be fun, and so it was.

Ohio 70 - Marshall 68 = But this one surprises me. I would not have given the Bobcats a chance to trample the Herd, and they didn't. However, they did win, and good for them.

Buffalo 84 - Dayton 55 = Yet speaking of trampling herds, this one has me buffaloed. Since when can they beat the Flyers by even a late FT, much less by almost 30 points?

Indiana 86 - N. C. State 75 = Jerry's 'Pack could not defend homecourt, and the Hoosiers get another decent victory. I'd not be shocked to see them creep into the bottom of the rankings next week . . . if they don't stumble before then.

Michigan State 65 - Florida State 49 = But I would be a bit surprised to see the Spartans make it into those ranks yet, though I'd be even more shocked if the Seminoles remain there. Bye bye!

Eastern Illinois 85 - Maine 80 (OT) = A game that may mean nothing over the long haul, but sure was fun while it lasted.

Oklahoma State 59 - Tulsa 56 = I did lean a tad towards Tulsa here, but still it was about what I expected.

Colorado State 65 - Colorado 64 = I didn't lean either way here, yet thought it could be decent. Seems it was even more than that.

TCU 77 - Lamar 72 = And I still don't know why I felt Lamar would give TCU a game here, so just chalk this up to luck.

# 18 UNLV 94 - UCSB 88 (2OT) = Hey, did I not tell you Santa Barbara might give the Rebels fits? Vegas damn-near spit out the rep they got from beating my Heels. This still does not tell us if they were good in that game, or if UNC was just bad, so I make no further judgement yet.

Minnesota 58 - Virginia Tech 55 = Here again I made no pick, save to predict the potential for a war. I'll take it.

Creighton 85 - San Diego State 83 = And I told you to keep an eye on this one too. The Aztecs played well, but Creighton played just a tad better for a really good win.

Wake Forest 55 - Nebraska 53 = Even though the 'Huskers are not considered much of a basketball school, unlike Wake's past glory, this is a very good win for the Deacons on the road for a team that's had dang few of them of late.

# 5 North Carolina 60 - # 9 Wisconsin 57 = A win's a win, and this is a good one which the Tar Heels needed to recoup from their earlier "upset" out in Vegas, but I'm a bit confused by it. The score indicates the type of game the Badgers wanted, keeping the Heels from showing them as they ran down court. And UNC had a huge rebounding edge, perhaps more to do to UW's poor outside shooting; they missed 20 of 28 from beyond the arc. Me, I'll take it, but I don't understand it completely.


Tonight has a number of potentially close match-ups between "Who dey?" and "Who cares?", which I'll skip. Otherwise:


Harvard vs. Vermont = These are two teams with dreams of making the tourney come March. Both want a victory badly here, and if both show up this could be a war.

Davidson vs. Wofford = And here's a southern version of the same darn thing.

# 1 Kentucky vs. St. John's = Were this in the Garden, or even better, on Louie's court, I just might give the Johnnies half a chance of making a game out of this one. But it is in Rupp, and I think the Red Storm squad is still too young not to be intimidated by 20,000+ rabid Wildcats. And though they have one slim shot of giving us some thrills before it's done, I'd more expect a rout.

Murray State vs. Western Kentucky = Speaking of undefeated teams from the Bluegrass State, Joe's Racers want to stay that way a while longer. I can't see them dropping the ball this evening.

Mississippi vs. DePaul = Hey, this one may be quite decent, and could be the one to watch were it not for . . .

Stanford vs. Seattle = Me, I don't expect much of a game here, but since I want all the help I can get to keep this thread moving I'll make the nod towards Huy's team.

# 12 Alabama vs. Georgetown = For some reason the Tide's been getting a lot or respect so far this season. Maybe they deserve it too, though it remains to be proven to me. And for soem reason the Hoyas haven't gotten much respect at all, not only despite their superior history but also despite the fact they lost at Kansas by a mere 4 points, and beat Memphis by 3 to boot. OK, lemme show a little guts here, and call for the "upset": Georgetown by 2 late possessions hold back the Tide.


I'll leave it at that for now. Enjoy.