Out of the limited number of games last night, only a few scores struck me:
Pitt 78 - U. Conn. 63 = Going into this, I thought it was a toss-up, yet it seems the only thing tossed up was the Huskies' lunch. The victory by the Panthers does not surprise me, but the size of the margin does a bit. Guess this is a reality check in Storrs.
Penn. State 69 - Indiana 60 = As I expected, a pretty close game.
Portland 66 - Nevada 62 = Here's one I did not preview, and for damn good reason: I didn't think the Wolf Pack had a shot in hell at giving the Pilots any sort of game at all. Portland came in with a 10-3 record, with Nevada at a sickly 3-9. They are now 3-10, but can consider this a moral victory, if such a thing exists.
In today's action, Purdue has already crushed Michigan 80-57, and at last check N.C. State was doing much the same to Alabama A&M. Other games of some importance, or at least interest, include:
# 5 Syracuse vs. Providence = The Orange should prevail, even by double-digits, but the Friars ain't all that bad themselves, so should give us a fairly good one here.
# 11 Kentucky vs. Coppin State = And if this one's still a game at the half, I'll be surprised.
# 14 Minnesota vs. Wisconsin = As one would normally expect of these two, here shall be a war. There will be blood in the lane before it's over.
Cincinnati vs. DePaul = The Bearcats are better, and will probably win by a bunch. Yet the Blue Demons can be dangerous, and 4 of their 6 losses were by anywhere from 7 to 2 stinkin' points.
Xavier vs. Albany = The Musketeers don't seem to be as good as they have been in the past, while the Great Danes may be a little better. However, a little better will likely be a little too little. Pick the X-Men to open it up in the 2nd half.
South Florida vs. Seton Hall = Both the Bulls and the Pirates are about .500 teams, and with Big Mouth play just starting they won't remain that "good" for long. This might mean we'd expect a close one, and it may well be. But Seton Hall has had so much crap hit them in the last year (the latest being having their star senior shot!) they may be in shock, and won't show up at all. Don't be surprised if this becomes a laffer.
Florida vs. Fairfield = The Gators should be on an entirely different level than are the Stags, and they may be planning on a walk-over here. It could happen. Yet Fairfield, after losing three inna row to "better" competition (Rutgers, Penn State, St. Joe's), they have run off 7 Ws. They will lose, but they might just give Billy Donovan some anxious moments.
Valparaiso vs. Ball State = The Valpo Crusaders are OK, and the Ball State Lettermen . . . uh, Cardinals . . . aren't terrible. This one could be fun.
North Carolina vs. Rutgers = I am assuming that the Tar Heels managed to get into Newark Liberty International Snowbank to make this game at The Garden. If so, then I also hope that, aside from getting there, they also show up. They have more talent than does the Scarlet Knights, and have even begun to play a bit better. But Rutgers hasn't played badly themselves, losing only to Princeton and St. Joe's so far, while beating decent teams like Fairfield, Miami, and St. Peter's. If both teams play to their potential, the Heels will win big. If only one plays up to snuff, Roy better hope it is his kids.
Sam Houston State vs. Air Force = To be honest, I don't know a damn thing about either team. But their records are similar, so I hope they can give us some sort of action.
Oh, and at the half, it was NCSU 42-'Bama A&M 20. But 'Bama's scored the first point of the second, so it ain't over yet!
Back tomorrow, so until then . . . enjoy.