College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

[The Poet]

Some more early finals for you, including more Big East blowouts:


Syracuse 95 - St. John's 70 = This was over midway through the first.

U Conn 69 - Seton Hall 46 = Had the Pirates scored more than 17 in the first half, they may have made sort-of a game of this.

Florida 73 - Vanderbilt 65 = An important win for the Gators, though the way Vandy's played at times I'm not sure how "good" it is.

Florida State 58 - Virginia 55 = And an even more important W for the 'Holes, though the Cavs did make a great effort of it.

N. C. Statte 87 - Wake Forest 76 = The Deacs managed to give the 'Pack a scare midway through the 2nd, but NCSU pulled away for an important win for their hopes. It's a little surprising Wake scored as much as they did, consdering how paltry they've been in that department. Did the 'Pack D suck, or did the Deacs finally find the range?

Memphis 72 - Xavier 68 = The Tigers get a nice victory, and the Musketeers get some more bad karma from that now-infamous brawl.

Notre Dame 76 - Marquette 59 = On a persona level, I love this. No, I'm not an Irish fan, nor do I hate Marquette. But this week one of the basketball "experts" on Yahoo gave his predicted Field of 68 for the NCAAs based upon performance so far, and made Marquette a 2-seed and No. 7 overall, with UNC also a 2 at No. 8. Hey, I have no problem if he wants to put my Heels on the 2-line, and in the 8th spot, as I know they've shown some holes. I also grant the Golden Eagles have had a very good season up to this point. But that perception of his . . . well, I flat-out called him nuts, or high. Maybe this spanking will let him realize I'm not just some brain-dead homer.


There are not a lot of games tomorrow, but there are a few:


West Virginia vs. Providence = The Mountaineers have been better than the Friars, but both have had ups and downs. I would expect WVA to take it on the road, yet anything can happen.

Minnesota vs Nebraska = The Gophers also are on the road, but I don't think they'll be roadkill in Lincoln. They are better than the 'Huskers, who are not yet competitive in the Big Ten+.

Michigan vs. Michigan State = There's not a lot more that needs to be said here. I ALWAYS pull for the Spartans over the Wolverines, mainly because I've more respect for the program and the coach. However, either can win this rivalry game, in any given year. So watch this one.

Villanova vs. Pittsburgh = Or if you're interested to see if either of these Big East teams can make a late run, and get a legitimate shot at an at-large, watch this one. Considering how they've played, I'd say flip a coin here too.

Miami vs. Duke = And flip a coin in Durham also, but only to decide if you're gonna flip back and forth between this and the Stupidbowl pregame marathon. Otherwise, don't bother. Dook may not be a Final Four team, but the 'Canes are fighting to remain above .500 in the ACC, and should get blown right out of Cameron.

Northwestern vs. Illinois = The Illini got that big win over Michigan State, and have been as tough in Champaign as have those aforementioned Blue Devils in Durham, holding at present a 12-1 home mark. Yeah, you can get better than that, but not much. The Smarty 'Cats may give them a contest, yet it's become hard to bet against Illinois on their court.


I may be back today, or may not. Either way, continue to enjoy.

[The Poet]

Two more early finals I'll get out of the way now:


Baylor 64 - Oklahoma State 60 = The Bears get another close win, with this one over the Cowboys being the eighth by a margin of 5 or fewer points. As that's about 40% of ALL their wins, you'd have to say they're pretty damn lucky.

Ohio State 58 - Wisconsin 52 = About the type of close fight you'd expect. A good win for the Buckeyes, and a tough loss for the Badgers.

[jcruse64]

Tough loss on the Cowboys. I thought they were going to pull it out.

The Gators got a nice win, and I still agree with you on Vandy; you never know what will walk on the floor to play ay given day.

MSU is ahead of UT-Martin, but it does not appear, from the ESPN scorebox, that they are putting the knife in yet. They oughta be up 15. Went to the SEMO game, and was shocked at the lack of effort on defense in H!. Almost like they were spotting points, to make it more exciting in H2. I love my Racers, but definitely not top 10, and capable of a couple of losses, if they start letting up on OVC teams, or anyone else. A killer instinct is required at this point in the season.

As for the Gamecocks, I believe those WERE actual birds dressed out to play UK tonight, given the score throughout the game. Davis makes the SEC rookie blocks record today, dethroning Shaq. I really enjoy watching that kid play.

The Irish looked awfully good in their game today.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

Tough loss on the Cowboys. I thought they were going to pull it out.

The Gators got a nice win, and I still agree with you on Vandy; you never know what will walk on the floor to play ay given day.

MSU is ahead of UT-Martin, but it does not appear, from the ESPN scorebox, that they are putting the knife in yet. They oughta be up 15. Went to the SEMO game, and was shocked at the lack of effort on defense in H!. Almost like they were spotting points, to make it more exciting in H2. I love my Racers, but definitely not top 10, and capable of a couple of losses, if they start letting up on OVC teams, or anyone else. A killer instinct is required at this point in the season.

As for the Gamecocks, I believe those WERE actual birds dressed out to play UK tonight, given the score throughout the game. Davis makes the SEC rookie blocks record today, dethroning Shaq. I really enjoy watching that kid play.

The Irish looked awfully good in their game today.

You're right in all regards there, Joe, at least as I see it. As for your Racers, that was NOT the kind of win I expected over UT-M. Are they tired, or complacent, or have they become too cocky to believe they need to come out focused every night? You've seen them all year, so you tell us.

Will do my upmost for a full update shortly.

[The Poet]

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.

[The Poet]

Last night's limited action yielded:


Louisville 80 - U Conn 59 = The way the Cardinals have played on occasion, and the way the Huskies have played once they finished their Homemade Cupcake run, I'm not surprised at the result, even if the margin seems a tad lopsided. Gee, I guess U Conn really is as bad as I thought.

Missouri 71 - Oklahoma 68 = And here's another clue as to why I've my doubts regarding the Mizzou Tigers. Even on the road, a one-possession win over the "meh" Sooners does not lend much credence to their lofty ranking. But on the bright side, they are making a late run at Baylor's string of squeakers.

Texas 70 - Texas A&M 68 = Another loss for the Aggies, and in College Station too. This team began with a pre-season ranking of # 20, and I even thought that was reasonable. But they lost their coach, Joe's boy from the Racers Billy Kennedy, to illness before they even started, and are now 12-11 and 3-8. Meanwhile, the 'Horns have started playing better, and still hope to make a late push for a bid in March. Had they the luck of Baylor, they'd already be in . . . UT has LOST 6 games by 5 points or fewer.

Marquette 89 - DePaul 76 = This keeps the Golden Eagles in the hunt for the Big East lead, and they have a fairly easy road through the balance of the regular season. If the Orange, the Hoyas, and the Irish stumble, they could actually steal it.


Tonight also has limited action, but a few important games. OK, ones like Maryland/Clemson, Providence/Villanova, and Alabama/Auburn may be competitive ones amongst BCS-level schools, but they may mean little, compared to:


Florida vs. Kentucky = It's in Rupp, and the Gators have been iffy from time to time. Still, they have to be given a shot at getting the upset here, and as they are about the only competition the 'Cats seem to have in the SEC they should be focused for this test.

Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State = Maybe you haven't noticed, but the Cyclones have huffed-and-puffed their way to a 17-6 and 7-3 record, which is good enough for 4th in the Big 12 Less 2 Conference. A few more wins and they'll earn an at large, and this one in Stillwater is a good chance for one.

Creighton vs. Evansville = Can the Bluejays bounce back from the loss to Northern Iowa that broke their loooong winning streak? Likely, as the Aces . . . well, aren't.

Purdue vs. Ohio State = And can the Boilermakers stun the Buckeyes in Columbus? Ehhh, yeah, I guess they maybe could. Yet as that would really be a stunner, I would not hold my breath.


That's it for now. See you later. Enjoy.

[jcruse64]

With less than 5 minutes left, the Gators look MUCH worse than iffy, down 20 points. Good H1, but the Cats really kicked it up in H2.

Don't look now, but the Murray State Racers are ranked higher than the dook Blue Devils!!! Be on the alert; pigs MAY begin flying at any moment . Wow! 2 home losses. The Tobacco Road Duel is going to be interesting.

Nice win for the Cards, and Uconn looks horrible.

Marquette is kinda looking good, and here's Pitt trying to kick-start the season. I kinds like the Irish though. I think they will be dangerous, come Dance time.

I think the Racers are playing to the level of their competition, a dangerous game to play. St. Marys is going to be a harsh test, especially in the paint. The guard play will have to be superb to have a shot here.

I look at the top 25, and think, "they're in there???". Interesting season.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

With less than 5 minutes left, the Gators look MUCH worse than iffy, down 20 points. Good H1, but the Cats really kicked it up in H2.

Don't look now, but the Murray State Racers are ranked higher than the dook Blue Devils!!! Be on the alert; pigs MAY begin flying at any moment . Wow! 2 home losses. The Tobacco Road Duel is going to be interesting.

Nice win for the Cards, and Uconn looks horrible.

Marquette is kinda looking good, and here's Pitt trying to kick-start the season. I kinds like the Irish though. I think they will be dangerous, come Dance time.

I think the Racers are playing to the level of their competition, a dangerous game to play. St. Marys is going to be a harsh test, especially in the paint. The guard play will have to be superb to have a shot here.

I look at the top 25, and think, "they're in there???". Interesting season.

Again, no argument from me. As for that Racers/Gaels Bracket Buster that WILL be your boys first loss if they continue to play down to their competition. St. Mary's has been here before, and will not be complacent. I'm not sure I can say the same for Murray State in either regard. Should be fun, admittedly.

Originally Posted by SD Beerman

The Mountain West is tough this year. And playing in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming are tough road games....

Your Aztecs may have benefitted some last year by catching opponents by surprise also. They were not expected to be that good. Once you gain a reputation, you paint a target on your back.

Update shortly, I hope.

[SD Beerman]

The Mountain West is tough this year. And playing in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming are tough road games....

[The Poet]

In one way or another, each of these scores from last night are surprising, beginning with:


Kentucky 78 - Florida 58 = It's no shock at all the 'Cats won in Rupp, but for the Gators to be so ineffective does surprise me somewhat. I figured they could at least make a competitive game of it, and not a practice scrimmage.

Oklahoma State 69 - Iowa State 67 = The Cowboys derail the Cyclones in their push for respect, and I'm shocked they did not take advantage of this opportunity in Stillwater against lesser opposition. Still, it was not the biggest upset of the evening, which was instead . . .

Evansville 65 - Creighton 57 = What? The Aces top the Bluejays, and improve to .500 twice with their 12-12 and 7-7 marks? What? I can make no sense of this at all, and Creighton has as little excuse as Dook did against Miami Sunday. Pitiful, just pitiful.

Ohio State 87 - Purdue 84 = Yeah, OK, I guess I did say the Boilermakers could maybe sorta have a chance in Columbus against the Buckeyes. Still, for them to come this close to a HUGE upset . . . well, moral victories don't count in the standings, but it does count in my book.


Tonight's action has a few games of marginal interest, beginning with:


Penn State vs. Michigan State = Last year the Nittany Lions gained at least a little late respect by winning some games they were not supposed to. Those wins have been fewer this season, and I would not expect them to take this one in East Lansing from a superior (albeit flawed) Spartan squad.

Florida State vs. Boston College = And even though this one's in Chestnut Hill, I wouldn't give the Eagles a snowball's chance against the red-hot 'Noles.

Kansas vs. Baylor = Therefore, skip those two games and watch this match-up in Waco instead. The Jayhawks lost a heartbreaker to Mizzou to put them into a 3-way tie for the league lead with those Tigers and these Bears. This one is not only huge in the regional sense, but on the national level as well.

Pittsburgh vs. South Florida = And this one . . . not so much. But if you're like me, you want to see if the Panthers can continue their late push against the Bulls tonight. This ought to be a tight and competitive fight to the finish.

Georgetown vs. Syracuse = As should this one, which pits two of the best of The Beast against each other in the Dome. No doubt the line goes to the Orange at home, but I'd say you may as well flip a coin. The Hoyas seem to be the only team trying to challenge 'Cuse in the conference race, and should be ready to play. As they are young, and subject to excitement, that could be a bad thing. So keep an eye on this one, for if it's close at the half it will be close at the end.

Wake Forest vs. Virginia = And this should be over by the half. Still, remember the Cavs did lose to the Hokies at home, and VT's not all that much better than the Deacs.

Michigan vs. Nebraska = The Wolverines are better than the Cornhuskers, but as I've said often this season they do have trouble scoring the ball. You can win games in the 60s, true . . . if you hold the other guy in the 50s, however. I can't see that being a big problem, but you never know.

Notre Dame vs. West Virginia = The Mountaineers got hot for a while, then cooled off somewhat. They are still pretty good. By contrast, the Irish has made more noise recently, with wins over Syracuse, U Conn, and Marquette. Hey, if they can take those guys, they can take WVA, even in Morgantown. But you gotta do it first. Both teams want this badly, and it should be fun, though maybe not as much fun as our nightcap . . .

Duke vs. North Carolina = Do I really need to say any more than that? OK, if you insist. The Heels need a win to stay tied atop the ACC with FSU, since they cannot reasonably expect any help from BC tonight. The Blue Devils REALLY need a win tonight, for following their loss to the 'Canes they are in eminent danger of falling out of that race entirely with a third conference loss . . . which would not only tie them with 3 others in the L-column, but with games still remaining at FSU and hosting UNC would make wins there absolute necessities, barring outside help from someone. True, Carolina has the harder row to hoe from here out, for after this game they host UVA, visit Miami, host Clemson (ehh), then visit NCSU and UVA before hosting the Terps and ending at Dook. Hey, would you want that schedule? I make no prediction here. Let's just toss it up and let them settle it in the Dean Dome tonight.


That's gonna be it for now. I hope you enjoy this evening's fare. Me, I won't know about that until about 11 PM.

[mase]

Man, a tough one to lose for the Hoyas. Overtime and played Cuse tight. Really wanted that one.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by mase

Man, a tough one to lose for the Hoyas. Overtime and played Cuse tight. Really wanted that one.

Hey, I don't wanna hear it, considering . . .

Originally Posted by BryanB

We finally have our superstar. Austin Rivers for president.


I know Carolina is a better team but dammit that was awesome.

Indeed, just one more verse in the epic poem of Duke/Carolina.


More to follow.

[BigAsh]

Originally Posted by The Poet

Hey, I don't wanna hear it, considering . . .




Indeed, just one more verse in the epic poem of Duke/Carolina.


More to follow.

Duke/Carolina!!...what a game...woke my wife up, 2 floors up, when Rivers hit that trey!!

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by BigAsh

Duke/Carolina!!...what a game...woke my wife up, 2 floors up, when Rivers hit that trey!!

I woke her up long before that, and jumped out the window when you whooped. (That's for bustin' my stones, Keith! )


Though I don't feel all that talkative today, lemme do this, starting with:


Duke 85 - North Carolina 84 = The Heels had this one in their pocket, and Dook took it away from them. Hey, it's happened before, both ways. A great win for the Blue Devils to steal, and they needed it after that Miami fiasco. As for Carolina, the only thing that even partly saved the night was . . .

Boston College 64 - Florida State 60 = That result above should not have shocked anybody who knows jack about college hoops, but this is a stunner. The Seminoles could have grabbed the ACC lead for themselves, but due to this huge upset there is again a 3-way tie atop the league between the Big Dawgs, with NCSU and UVA both just a game behind. Fun fun fun! As for BC, well I guess they deserve a little fun this year too.


Syracuse 64 - Georgetown 61 (OT) = I can see why Hoya fans would be disturbed by this, but take solace in the fact that this young team has played well above expectations and acquitted themselves admirably against the Orange on their court. It only bodes well for their future. Good win for 'Cuse however.

Kansas 68 - Baylor 54 = And a good win for the Jayhawks in Waco too.

South Florida 63 - Pittsburgh 51 = Either the Panthers took a step backwards, or the Bulls got themselves another nice victory. They do that, several times each year.

Notre Dame 55 - West Virginia 51 = As do the Irish, and this one on the road counts as another.


Tonight:


Mississippi vs. Mississippi State = Could be a pretty decent in-state rivalry game in Starkville, though without the import of the one in Chapel Hill last night.

N. C. State vs. Georgia Tech = Jerry 'Pack has 17 wins so far, and at 6-3 are still in the ACC race. They may have already earned an at-large, though a few more wins would ice it. Here's a great shot at one in Atlanta tonight.

Wisconsin vs. Minnesota = And this Big Ten+ battle should be a close battle, with post-season import for both teams.

Tennessee State vs. Murray State = Joe's Racers may get a bit of a game at home tonight, but if they can regain some of the focus they've let slip lately they ought to prevail by 3 or 4 possessions.

Illinois vs. Indiana = It's hard to tell whose going to show up on any given night with either of these two. In Bloomington I'd give the Hoosiers an edge, but the Illini are capable of making it one hell of a game.

Colorado vs. Arizona = And this should be one hell of a fight in the desert for two of the better Pac-12 teams. Even in Tucson, the Buffs have a good chance of skinning the 'Cats. I'd flip a coin on this one.

Virginia Tech vs. Miami = The 'Canes got their signature win Sunday, and at 14-7 and 5-3 they even have a shot for at-large consideration. But they need to build on that upset of Dook, and cannot stumble against the Hokies here. This could get interesting.

St. Mary's vs. Gonzaga = And this will almost certainly be interesting in Spokane late tonight. The Big Boys on the Left Coast may be "meh" squads, but there are several mid-majors who can hoop with the best. Here's two of them. I'm not sure my head can follow my heart, which picks the Gaels over the Zags, so bet this one at your own peril.


That's about all I can stands for one night, and likely you feel the same. Enjoy.

[BryanB]

We finally have our superstar. Austin Rivers for president.


I know Carolina is a better team but dammit that was awesome.

[The Poet]

OK, I guess I'd best start with what's the biggest news of last night, that being:


Tennessee State 72 - Murray State 68 = And then there were none. I figured the Tigers might give Joe's Racers a game, but I also thought MSU would have learned from surviving a few scares that they needed to close out games. Apparently they haven't, and blew a late lead to drop their first one of the season. Furthermore, they STILL had a chance to pull it out late, but played the sloppiest last 10 seconds you've seen in a loooong time. It started with a stolen pass off an inbounds with the Racers down one, followed by a loose-ball foul off a fumbled dribble, with THAT followed with a fullcourt baseball pass that went to the stands. Pundits are asking if Murray State jinxed itself by printing T-shirts proclaiming them the "last of the unbeaten" . . . much like Syracuse jinxed themselves with their "20-0" shirts earlier this year. Yeah, OK. And the real reason they lost is that Joe forgot to turn his cap inside out. (That's also the likely reason Middle Tennessee State also won over Western Kentucky last night, thus making it a miserable night for Joe.) Regardless, congratulations to Murray State for getting this deep into the season without a loss.

N. C. State 61 - Georgia Tech 52 = Not an unexpected victory for Jerry's Wolfpack, considering how crappy the Wreck is this year, but one that may have sealed an at-large for State. As this would be their first trip to the NCAAs since they (wrongly, IMHO) fired Herb Sendek, this is big in Raleigh.

Wisconsin 68 - Minnesota 61 (OT) = A very good, hard-fought battle, which unsurprisingly either team could have won. The one odd thing about this game is that the Badgers managed to score only 19 points in the 2nd half, yet tallied 17 in OT. WTF?

Indiana 84 - Illinois 71 = Nothing unexpected here, and maybe the young Hoosiers have gotten their second wind.

Arizona 71 - Colorado 57 = Though I'm not surprised the Desert 'Cats won in Tucson, I did expect more of a challenge from the Buffs. But that's my problem, not yours or theirs. What is germaine is that this result ties these two for 2nd place in the Pac-12 at 8-4, along with . . .

Oregon 82 - Washington 57 = . . . the Ducks, who spanked the Huskies to make that a 3-way for 2nd place. And as for those Huskies, this decisive loss drops them to 9-2 and into a 2-way tie for 1st with . . .

California 75 - USC 49 = . . . da Bears. So what's with all the blowouts in the Pac-12 last night? Or maybe it was for the entire Left Coast, considering . . .

Gonzaga 73 - St. Mary's 59 = Again, I'm not so much surprised by the result as I am with the margin of victory. A good win for the 'Zags, and a pretty ugly performance by the Gaels. And speaking of the Gaels . . .


Tonight's very limited action includes:


Iona vs. Loyola (MD) = Believe it or not, the all-but unknown Greyhounds are tied with the Gaels for 1st place in the MAAC with their identical 11-2 records. I should not need say more as to the importance of this game. One less important in a conference race is . . .

Wisc. Milwaukee v.s Detroit = . . . because the Horizon race seems to involve only Valpo and Cleveland State. Yet this should be a very good game between well-matched teams. Still, if you want to concentrate on those with true league-meaning, you can choose either . . .

Harvard vs. Penn = In the Palestra, so you have to give the 4-1 Quakers a shot at knocking off the 6-0 Crimson. And if they can manage to give Haa'vaad their first Ivy loss, it could move them into a tie with their arch-enemy . . .

Yale vs. Cornell = . . . for with the Eli at 5-1, they too are part of the hotly-contested Ivy race. And keep in mind that the Ivy has NO conference tourney and NEXT TO NO chance of getting more than a single NCAA bid, so each and every league game is almost a must. This is in Ithaca, but unlike the Crimson the Big Red pretty much suck, so I'd go with the Yalies here.


That's gonna be it for me tonight. I'd planned on previewing some early games tomorrow, but with a 300+ million dollar Powerball drawing I've been bugger every couple of minutes with pennyante gamblers who actually think they got a snowball's chance. However, speaking of snowballs, it's supposed to snow a bit tonight, so maybe I'll be slow enough tomorrow to do some work here . . . meaning here on this thread, not here at work. Hey, if I wanted to work, I'd get a REAL job, right? Until later then, enjoy.

[SD Beerman]

Big game for the Aztecs in Vegas. It should be a great game either way. Mountain West is tough this year.

[jcruse64]

Well, at least they lost at home, where the crowd's not gonna shout "over-rated" . Tough loss for the Racers, and they actually played the best H1 I've seen from them in a few games. Then go up by 13 early in H2, and I caught the faint whiff of the brakes, and a shift into cruise control. While there were some calls that no home team should be on the end of (horrible "contact" call with an emmy nomination by TSU's leading scorer, and the "foul" against Caanan in the last 15 secs as he drove in and the ball was knocked away and he knocked to the floor), the Racers BLEW it. Several minutes w/o a FG; not hitting freebies; lack of offense from the bench and EVERYONE else but Caanan. When TSU took the lead and at the 3:30 mark, I could see panic in their eyes AND their play ( we lucked into front row bench seats). The 1st year coach showed his inexperience with the serious lack of any plan on 2 inbounds plays with less than 30 secs left (although we almost caught the across-the-court-pass). My hat's off to TSU players and staff for coming in and being a road team giant killer. They deserved to win.

Quite simply, the Racers bought the hype, and thought the swagger would win the season out. TSU did them a BIG favor, I think/hope. Also hope we stay out of the top 20 till after the Dance. Now, let's start another win streak . Tough 2 weeks coming up.

Well, Harvard has popped Penn.
Looking forward to seeing UK/Vandy tomorrow. I know Vandy's all over the place, but I will not be surprised to see a 2nd Cats loss here.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

Well, at least they lost at home, where the crowd's not gonna shout "over-rated" . Tough loss for the Racers, and they actually played the best H1 I've seen from them in a few games. Then go up by 13 early in H2, and I caught the faint whiff of the brakes, and a shift into cruise control. While there were some calls that no home team should be on the end of (horrible "contact" call with an emmy nomination by TSU's leading scorer, and the "foul" against Caanan in the last 15 secs as he drove in and the ball was knocked away and he knocked to the floor), the Racers BLEW it. Several minutes w/o a FG; not hitting freebies; lack of offense from the bench and EVERYONE else but Caanan. When TSU took the lead and at the 3:30 mark, I could see panic in their eyes AND their play ( we lucked into front row bench seats). The 1st year coach showed his inexperience with the serious lack of any plan on 2 inbounds plays with less than 30 secs left (although we almost caught the across-the-court-pass). My hat's off to TSU players and staff for coming in and being a road team giant killer. They deserved to win.

Quite simply, the Racers bought the hype, and thought the swagger would win the season out. TSU did them a BIG favor, I think/hope. Also hope we stay out of the top 20 till after the Dance. Now, let's start another win streak . Tough 2 weeks coming up.

Well, Harvard has popped Penn.
Looking forward to seeing UK/Vandy tomorrow. I know Vandy's all over the place, but I will not be surprised to see a 2nd Cats loss here.

Thanks for the play-by-play, Joe. I agree that a team can often learn more from a loss than a win, if they are capable of learning. And as the OVC may not get an at-large (whether they deserve one or not), it is important your Racers close out the season and league tourney, and forget about rankings and streaks. Play them one at a time, brother.

Aside from that 'Cats/Comms game, there are a lot of big games today. I'll try to get back ASAP with some of those.

[The Poet]

I picked four games from the slim pickin's last night, and hit gold with them all:


Harvard 56 - Penn 50 = As Joe observed earlier, the Crimson took out the Quakers, though I'd opine calling it a "pop" is a bit of a stretch. But they did what they needed to do to take control of the Ivy for now, as the win put them 2 1/2 up over Penn, as well as . . .

Cornell 85 - Yale 84 (OT) = A full 2 over the Eli following this upset at Ithaca to the Big Red. I am truly shocked that Yale could not take this one.

Loyola (MD) 87 - Iona 81 = And I'm a bit shocked that the Greyhounds beat the Gaels, but mainly because I've paid not attention to them so far this season, so they've snuck up on me out of nowhere. This huge win for them puts these 'Dawgs atop the MAAC.

Detroit 58 - Wisc. Milwaukee 57 = Aside from being the good tight contest I expected, this may have little import. Yet it is fun, when you consider this result makes it a 4-way tie for 3rd place in the Horizon. This race may also be affected by the first game I'll note below.


Early action today includes:


Butler 52 - Cleveland State 49 = This early final affects that Horizon race, as the Bulldogs were part of that 3rd place tie before this big win over the Vikings . . . which also knocked them down out of a loss-column tie with Valpo.

Louisville vs. West Virginia = At this moment it's just past halftime in Morgantown, with the Mountaineers up 10 over the psycho Cardinals. Anything can still happen, and I expect a war before it's done. If not, Pitino will be cheesed.

DePaul vs. Notre Dame = And midway through the 2nd the Irish are up a couple buckets over the Blue Demons. Again, anything can happen, as both teams have played good and bad games this year. I'd favor ND in South Bend, but their recent push may have made them complacent.

Virginia vs. North Carolina = The Heel have NO reason to be complacent in Chapel Hill, even before they p!$$ed away that Dook game. This one seems slow in starting, but I always only ask two things from my Tar Heels . . . the lead, and the ball. With that, I'm happy. UNC need a win to stay in that tie atop the ACC, and the Cavs need it to stay in touch with that. I'll keep you posted, you can believe that.

Miami vs. Florida State = The Seminoles dropped that shocker to BC, and also need a win to stay with the Heels and Blue Devils. Meanwhile, the 'Canes have one signature win on the road over Dook, and another at FSU today may punch them a ticket come March. This one could be fun, as well as important.

U. Conn vs. Syracuse = And even though the Huskies have come 'way back down to earth, they are capable of giving the Orange a contest in the Dome. At the moment it's tied, but it's too early to attribute any meaning to that.

AR Little Rock vs. Middle Tennessee State = And why would I put these two No-Names in with the Big Boys? Well, this is a huge game in the Sun Belt Conference, so in all fairness we ought to give them some thought.

Baylor vs. Missouri = Just as we ought to give these two some thought. Yeah, I know I've been busting on both of them all year as being over-ranked, yet the importance of this game on the conference and national levels is large. I'm hoping for a good one here.


I'll be back a bit later with updates and later games. Bye for now.