[The Poet]

As Joe noted, there were a lot of good games over the weekend. But since I don't have all day to jot them all down, and you don't have all day to read about them all, I'll just note a few more that, for one reason or another, surprised me. Besides, what real meaning did the Oklahoma/Colorado or Oregon/Oregon State games truly have, in the long haul?

In the balance of Saturday's action:


Florida 75 - Arkansas 43 = I'm not surprised the Gators won, but for the Razorbacks to basically not even show up like this . . . well, that was not expected.

Florida State 67 - Boston College 51 = And this is nearly as drastic a failing by the Eagles . . . especially with the ACC lead on the line.

Maryland 79 - Clemson 77 = Now this is more like it . . . though I'd have thought the Terps could protect their home court a little better.

Minnesota 69 - Michigan 64 = And though I realize the young Wolverines have been playing a little better, there's not much excuse here for the Gophers.

San Francisco 96 - Gonzaga 91 (OT) = Now be honest with me: Did you ever think you'd see the Dons beat Gonzaga? OK, so maybe if you're old enough to remember Bill Russell on their team.

Texas Tech 72 - Nebraska 71 = And how did the Red Raiders steal one from the 'Huskers, who have been playing pretty good ball of late? Well, late is right now.

Rice 57 - UCF 50 = Here's another, though I'm not as shocked as some may be. The UCF Knights won 14 in a row, and made it into the Top 20. Now they have dropped their last four games, and have disappeared back to where they probably belonged all along. OK, so they were overrated . . . but to let the Owls "improve" to 9-10 by dropping you? Sheesh.

Wichita State 93 - Indiana State 83 (3OT) = Although I felt this was a toss-up from the get-go, I never thought it would be this great a game. Give them both some props.


On Sunday I only noticed two scores which puzzled me:


West Virginia 56 - South Florida 46 = Alright, so it's a win for the Mountaineers. And maybe they have been playing better than was expected coming into the season. But the Bulls have been purely awful, winning only 2 of their last 13 contests. OK, so they didn't win this one either, but they did keep it within striking distance. So don't tell ME that WVA's all that good.

Wisc. Milwaukee 86 - Butler 80 (OT) = And we all knew that Butler would not be nearly as good this year as they were in 2010. But there's no damn excuse for this one, which is just as bad as that SF/'Zags game above.


Tonight's action is fairly limited, but there are a handful of important games, mainly as they relate to standings at or near the top in conference play:


Furman vs. Wofford = Such as the Southern Conference. This one should be tight.

James Madison vs. Hofstra = Or in the CAC. Here's another tight one.

ODU vs. N.C. Wilmington = Again, Colonial Athletic action, and another decent matchup.

Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh = And here's one from one of those smaller, less important, conferences. It is in the Steel City, but the Irish have at least a shot at stealing one.

Baylor vs. Kansas State = The Bears have been up and down since Christmas. Still, that's better than the Manhattan Wildcats, who have been down and downer since before Christmas. This one is vital to both teams, if only for their confidence.

George Mason vs. Delaware = And we're back in the CAC again, with another game important to both. Furthermore, when you realize that the other 2 CAC teams still at .500 or better (VCU & Drexel) are also playing this evening, you may understand just what one day may mean to the NCAA hopes of all involved.


Back tomorrow with more. Enjoy.