College Hoops Thread '09-'10

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by Resipsa

upcoming 'Nova-'Cuse game shaping up to be molto importante

Hey, ya think? For those of you not paying attention, the Orange (12-2) and the Wildcats (11-3) are fighting for the Big East regular season crown, and will bang heads Saturday night in the Dome. With both teams suffering some bad losses of late, I'm not certain either will receive a #1 NCAA seed, and with so many other teams in the hunt for the two spots remaining (assuming Kentucky and Kansas don't falter too badly), I'm not certain either one will deserve it. But it's overrated anyway, and boots you nothing but bragging rights past that first weekend. And speaking of the race for the Big East crown:

U. Conn 73 - West Virginia 62 = The Huskies don't have a shot at it, and the Mountaineers may have shot themselves out of it also with this loss. They both will need a good finish, plus a good run in MSG come tourney time, to have any hope of better than a 3 or 4-seed.

Kansas 81 - Oklahoma 68 = Just another day at the office for the Jayhawks, and that's about all you can say about it.


Tonight there are several games of some note, for various reasons:

Georgetown vs. Louisville = And speaking even more Big Mouth Conference, what about this one? The Hoyas are ranked, and have been all season, but did you realize the up-and-down Cardinals are actually ahead of them in conference play, 9-5 to 8-6? Plus, the game's in Freedom Hall. If Pitino wins, I won't consider it an upset, no matter what the "experts" say.

Virginia vs. Miami = It seems impossible now for the Cavaliars to claim their righful spot in the ACC basement, but the Hurricanes still have a good chance - if UNC and NCSU give them an opening.

Illinois vs. Michigan = After beating two ranked teams above them in the Big Ten standings, the Illini have now lost to the other two. I expect them to turn their slide around against the Logans, and solidify an at-large shortly.

Seton Hall vs. Rutgers = The Battle of New Jersey at The Rock tonight won't do the Scarlet Knights much practical good, but the Pirates could get a bid if they can add a few more wins to their 15-10 record.

Syracuse vs. Providence = Although the Friars, on a given night, are capable of beating the Orange, I wouldn't bet on it. Since they beat U. Conn back on Jan. 27th, they have lost 6 inna row. Make that 7, after tonight.

Kansas State vs. Texas Tech = The money will likely be on K-State, but take Tech and the points. Not only is the game in Lubbock, but in my eyes there's only one team for real in Kansas, and those guys ain't it.

Tennessee vs. Florida = And here's another matchup between one team with all the press and one just as capable, on a given night. Tennessee has stayed within the ranked all year, but both the Vols and the Gators are 8-4 in the SEC East, just one back of Vandy for second place. None of them are going to catch Kentucky, but it does add a bit of juice.

Enjoy, my brothers.