[The Poet]

Not a lot of games last night, and no surprises either. Well, maybe one:

Cincinnati 71 - DePaul 68 = OK, so it was in the Rosemont, but for the Blue Demons to come so close to their first conference win does not speak well of the Bearcats.

Xavier 65 - Georgia 57 = Early in the year I almost gave up on the X-Men. Shows just how dumb I am. You can view this as another big win for them, or another funky loss for the SEC.

Clemson 77 - Boston College 69 = A good showing from two of the "also-rans" in the ACC. The game may neither clinch a bid or lose one for either team, but it does help the Tigers' chances.

Kentucky 73 - Tennessee 61 = No shock here at all. Despite their struggles, UK is a better team . . . especially in Rupp.

Purdue 67 - Indiana 53 = And that's pretty much the same tale here. The 'Makers still can't score worth a doodly, but they didn't have to against the Hoosiers.

Princeton 62 - Pennsylvania 59 (OT) = A nice, hard-fought win for the Tigers to keep them in the early Ivy lead.

San Diego State 85 - Utah 53 = Now that's more like it, Aztecs. I guess Steve Fisher saw the same thing I did, and lit a fire under your butts.


There is entirely too much good action tonight for me to do it all justice, especially as I have to devote so many keystrokes to THE GAME. So I have cherry-picked these:


Temple vs. Fordham = I don't expect the Owls to have a problem with the Rams, but it is of some importance for Fran's team to spank them and continue to regain some respect earlier losses took away.

Northwestern vs. Michigan = And this one may have minimal national importance, but the teams are well-matched so should put on a good show.

Georgetown vs. Syracuse = But this one, here's a true big game. Not THE BIG GAME, yet still an important one that may later decide the difference between, say, a # 2 or a # 4 seed in the NCAAs. If this one is not tight, I will be shocked.

Notre Dame vs. Louisville = And the stakes are just as high in this Big East clash. The Irish have been better than expected, and the Cards have been the 2011 version of The Card-iac Kids. I figure it will be close, so maybe Pitino will get a shot at pulling another one out of his butt.

James Madison vs. Drexel = Though it seems as if these two are out of the running for the CAC, they are still good teams and I figure on a nice game here.

Dayton vs. Rhode Island = And in the A-10, it's the same situation. This one should be fun.

UAB vs. Marshall = Pretty much the same story here, although the Blazers still have a good shot at the CUSA title. But don't expect the Herd to let them run amok.

Ball State vs. Bowling Green = Here's a key game in the MAC race, and both squads want the W. Another good chance for a thriller here.

Wake Forest vs. Miami = Though this could be competitive, I'm more interested to see if the Deacs can earn a second victory in the ACC. They don't have all that many chances left, and this one in Greensboro might be their best shot.

Florida vs. South Carolina = If this SEC season holds to form, the Gators will get screwed by the 'Cocks tonight, and further confuse the conference . . . and the experts . . . and me. I'm not calling for the upset, as I'm not certain it would be one anyway, but it is worth keeping an eye on.

Nebraska vs. Baylor = The Bears are not going to catch both the Longhorns and the Jayhawks in the Big 12. The 'Huskers aren't even gonna sniff them. Yet this one should be a decent game regardless of these facts.

Arkansas vs. Mississippi State = Back in the SEC again, which means the only thing you can bet on is that one will win, and the other will lose. This applies particularly to these two teams, since they seem to be of .500 quality in conference play anyway.

Maryland vs. Longwood = What? Longwood?? What is this November game doing in February? Uhhhh, ummmmm, I think I'll go with the Terps here.

Villanova vs Rutgers = It is in Piscataway, which is the only advantage the Scarlet Knight will have tonight. Still, the Wildcats have not been dominating, so it may be close for a while. It should not end that way.

Wisconsin vs. Iowa = I can't see this one being much of a game, unless the Hawkeyes can somehow grab an early lead at home, and thus force the Badgers to try and speed up. As good as they are, that's one thing they cannot do.

Texas A&M vs. Colorado = However, although the Aggies have gotten more press, and more respect, than have the Buffaloes, this one could actually go either way. Not only can those bison play a bit, they host the lowlanders up in Boulder. Break out the O2 tanks, fellas.

Texas vs. Oklahoma = And this one is in Norman. Big freakin' deal. If the Longhorns do not gore the Sooners sooner, they will almost certainly stick it to them later.

BYU vs. Air Force = Yeah, OK. The Cougars are playing tonight. Another big freakin' deal. Take a look at their schedule, both conference and non-conference, and tell me how in the high holy hell they've "earned" an RPI rating of # 2, and a Strength of Schedule rating of # 10 in the nation. Are these guys on crack? Sheesh. If the Falcons only lose by 10 or so, I will be pleasantly surprised. But again . . . big deal.

Utah State vs. Idaho = And lest you think that comment above is some anti-Mormon rant, consider this: The Aggies have not lost a game since Georgetown dropped them by nearly 20 back on December 4th. This is mainly due to the fact that the Aggies have not PLAYED anybody worth a crap since they lost to the Hoyas. But still, those idiots who are allowed to decide such stuff think they are a Top 25 team. Well, let's see them put their own money on 'em down in Vegas, come Tourney time. Please.

Now, for the main event: THE GAME!!!

North Carolina vs. Duke = Two weeks ago, I would not have given my Heels more than a snowball's chance to win this game in Durham . . . or anywhere else, for that matter. But UNC has romped in their last 3 games, and perhaps have actually turned that corner Roy said they would. Meanwhile, Duke showed against St. John's that, if their outside shots are not dropping, they can be out-quicked and out-hustled, and out-classed even. Carolina does have the athletes to beat the Blue Devils down the court, and beat them to rebounds and loose balls, and if they don't take a step backwards they can do that. But the Tar Heel D will give Duke open looks from outside, so if they are canning their 3s it may turn real ugly, real fast. The X-factor may be the Cameron Crazies, and the news is not all good for the home team either. Those Crazies are renowned for their clever (and often tactless) taunts launched at the opposition, and I fully expect them to fire some pointed "Drew" darts at the Heels this evening. The tactic may backfire, however, since the team has had time to fully process the betrayal, and those taunts will merely anger them. If they can focus that anger in a positive way, it can only help their chances. You still have to give Duke the edge tonight, but I don't believe Kyrie Irving's pre-season prediction of another 30-point thrubbing will occur. This one may very well hinge on who steps up and makes plays in the last 5 minutes.


That's all for now. See you tomorrow, rain or shine. Until then, enjoy. Screw Drew.