Quote:
Originally Posted by jcruse64
Well,
that was a nice slap to the back of the head of Calipari & Co  . |
Indeed. And to be honest (for a change
), my only problem with it was that Cal and Calhoun couldn't both lose.
For those who don't know what we're talking about, I shall start my update with some Wednesday scores, including:
U. Conn 84 - Kentucky 67 = The Huskies came into this season unranked and with low expectations. That has been dramatically changed in the last few days, what with back-to-back wins over the Spartans and the Wildcats. I would never have predicted this. But in my defense, nobody else did either. And I did predict that UK would not be as good as they were last year. So it's not a "glass half-empty or half-full" issue . . . I just need a different glass.
I did not think U. Conn would win either game, and I certainly did not think they would spank UK this badly.
# 2 Michigan State 76 - # 13 Washington 71 = Those aforementioned Spartans bounce back with a nice win against the presumed class of the Pac-10, and had to come back from 15 or so down to do so. Is it early-season growing pains? Are they overrated, or these Huskies "underrated"? Ask me again in a few months.
# 7 Villanova 82 - UCLA 70 = I'm not sure what this means. 'Nova hasn't exactly been a world-beater so far, and the Bruins may be as weak as they were in their last campaign, yet may be improved, and so this win by a dozen either may or may not be a good one. But it is a W, regardless.
# 24 Tennessee 77 - VCU 72 = Again, this one bothers me. VCU has often been a quality mid-major, but this is awfully close against a ranked team. Plus, the Vols only beat Missouri State by 4, so they could be in trouble once the SEC kicks off their wars. It is worth keeping an eye on, for sure.
Cincinnati 54 - Savannah State 41 = It is not rare, but it is uncommon, for two college teams to score under 100 points collectively. I won't diss Savannah for their showing, but the Bearcats should be concerned.
Presbyterian 69 - Princeton 67 = The Tigers are supposed to contend for the Ivy this year, and they may do so. Nobody can fault them for losing to Duke in Cameron, but this one and the L against James Madison does not bode well.
Rhode Island 74 - Drexel 68 = I had me that feeling this could be a good one, and seems like it was. Watch out for these Rams . . . they won't be an easy out.
St. John's 78 - Ball State 73 (OT) = Some contests are a game of 2 halves, but this was one of three. The Johnnies outscored BS 34-22 in the first, ended up tied in regulation by going 29-41 in the second, then won with a 15-10 extra session. As this was part of the so-called Great Alaska Shootout, maybe it was a factor of only one side of the gym being heated, thus making it "cold" at one end.
On Turkey Day, we had a few games that weren't turkeys:
California 57 - # 21 Temple 50 = All the talk last season was about how weak the Pac-10 had become. I never totally bought into that, and their performance in the NCAAs showed they were not the pansies everyone thought. As for the Owls, I questioned their relatively high regard from the get-go. Hey, they ain't bad, don't get me wrong. But aside from this loss, keep in mind they only got by Seton Hall 62-56 earlier, so may not be the giant-killers some of their fans hoped.
Notre Dame 89 - Georgia 83 (2OT) = Here was a total war between the Irish and the Bulldogs, and those in the seats got their money's worth. My only problem is, with two "name" teams going head-to-head, that's really not a lot of points for 50 minutes of play.
Oklahoma State 60 - DePaul 56 = Another good game, and a nice win for the 'Boys from Stillwater.
Murray State 55 - Stanford 52 = And I don't care if the Pac-10's down or not, this win by the Racers over the Tree is a good one.
Boston College 67 = Texas A&M 65 = And here's a good one for a projected mid-pack ACC squad.
UNLV 80 - Tulsa 71 = It's much too soon to know if either of these will do much this year, but both have had success in the past, and they gave us a decent matchup.
Today, the Wisconsin Badgers have already rained on BC's one-day parade by knocking them out of the Old Spice Classic (
) 65-55 with a strong second-half comeback. To follow we have:
# 3 Ohio State vs. Miami OH = Oh oh. Unless you're a Buckeye, don't waste your time, as this Battle of Ohio won't be one.
# 4 Kansas State vs. Texas Southern = Nor will this border war.
# 6 Kansas vs. Ohio U. = And even though OU took out the Hoyas last March, don't look for them to shoot down the Jayhawks.
# 7 Villanova vs. # 24 Tennessee = This one could be a real good fight, though when one considers how iffy both teams have played so far, it may not have the significance one might believe.
# 9 Syracuse vs. Michigan = On paper, the Orange should own the Wolverines. But there's two buts, or perhaps just two cheeks to one butt. First, both team are undefeated so far. Second, neither team has actually played anybody so far. This is the first test for both squads, so is worth watching in that regard at least.
# 10 Purdue vs. Southern Illinois = Here's another feasting on leftover turkey.
# 18 San Diego State vs. San Diego Christian = I wouldn't watch this one if you paid me. Well, maybe if you paid me, but not otherwise.
#21 Temple vs. Georgia = Now here, here's a game I'd watch. At this point, both teams have something to prove, and I expect both to come out focused.
# 23 BYU vs. South Florida = Persuant to our previous discussion regarding cupcake schedules, quiz me this one: Are the Stormin' Mormons ever gonna play somebody?
UCLA vs. VCU = This is one of those game that might tell us if either, or both, of these programs are coming back. Could be a tight one.
Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech = And I'd almost bet you this will be a good one.
California vs. Notre Dame = Here's another good shot at a nice one.
UTEP vs. Georgia Tech = And again.
Richmond vs. Wright State = Ditto.
Santa Clara vs. Arizona = Dit-three.
Tulsa vs. Stanford = Ibid.
Weber State vs. Arizona State = And here, coupled with a handful already mentioned above, could give us a better indication regarding the strength or weakness of the Pac-10.
UAB vs. Arkansas = Another potential very nice game.
St. Mary's vs. Texas Tech = Not only have the Gaels already beaten St. John's, they embarassed Chi. State 121-52 . . . for what that's worth. The Red Raiders may win down in South Padre, but they won't do it in a walk.
UNLV vs. Murray State = A generation back, and this would be a laffer. Today, it could be a squeaker.
That's all I got for now. I migth pop back after I gag down my lunch, but in any case . . . enjoy.