There were a few notable scores from last night, but none more that:
Long Beach State 86 - # 9 (for now) Pittsburgh 74 = Wow. I have expressed my doubts clearly in the past about the Panthers, but I never expected this. Pitt normally does not lose such games, especially at home. Coupled with other doubts I've already voiced about some Big East teams, I'm wondering if this foretells a down year for them.
# 25 Florida State 79 - Stetson 66 = And I find this surprising not so much with the margin of victory as with the fact that the 'Noles are supposed to have defensive strength, so to allow Stetson to score 66 when they themselves couldn't break 80 is a bit disturbing.
Indiana 94 - Evansville 73 = This is the opposite situation here. The Hoosiers are improving, but not yet that much. Meanwhile, Evansville did handle a "down" Butler squad, and for them to have such a lousy first half to kill their chances . . . in their house, no less . . . is confusing.
N. C. State 60 - Princeton 58 = In Raleigh, to boot. OK, like Indiana, the 'Pack is a year or so away, it is only Gottleib's 3rd game as coach, the team is down a few key players for various reason AND lost their outside threat to a twisted ankle before the fans had settled in, AND even a "down" Princeton team is tough to play. But for this to come down to a jumper with 4 ticks left, and THEN white-knuckle time watching a half-court heave for the win fall short. Ehhh, I hope Jerry's happy about the W. Me, I'm not so much, and NOT because I live an hour from Princeton either.
Oklahoma State 90 - UTSA 85 (OT) = Hey, I thought the Cowboys were supposed to be building a basketball power down there. For them to let a bunch of Rick Barnes' rejects (
) take them to OT . . . well, I can't see it.
San Francisco 83 - San Jose State 81 // Savannah State 73 - Jacksonville 70 (OT X 2) = Yeah, I don't think we'll be talking much about ANY of these teams come March, but give all four props for putting on a show.
N. C. Asheville 126 - Mars Hill 75 = And though Asheville could earn themselves another automatic bid in March, so we'd talk about them for a day or so, I'm not so much interested in that regard as to the fact they not only BROKE 100, they shattered the century mark. It makes me feel a little better about my Heels "holding" them to 75 a earlier this week.
We already have a few interesting scores from today's action, including:
Purdue 91 - Iona 90 = This might shock Boilermaker (or Big Ten) fans, but it's not that big a deal. Purdue seems more lost so far WITH Hummel than they were without him, and the Gaels were predicted to potentially be this year's mid-major giant killer. There's nothing shocking about this one.
Northwestern 88 - LSU 82 = Nor this one. The Brainiacs of the Big Ten had a great start last year, while LSU has become another one of those irrelevant SEC programs. Maybe the Tigers should ease up with the football for a while, and try to convince Shaq to come back and finish school.
# 16 Alabama vs. Maryland = This one has tipped off already, and so far in the first half the Terps have lived up to their mascot's rep and gotten off to a sloooooow start. As this one's in Puerto Rico, there's no reason for them to be so cold. I'd figure the Tide could take it anyway, yet I do expect the Terps to make some sort of game of it eventually.
VCU vs. Seton Hall = I have no faith in the Pirates however, and believe VCU will take this with relative ease.
# 19 Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State = The Bulldogs have already lost a game I thought they should have won, so I can't see them upsetting the Aggies.
# 4 U Conn vs. Maine = Here's my prediction here: One of these days Calhoun's dropouts will do two things . . . play somebody who's not a cupcake, and play on the road. And don't feed me that crap about the Big Mouth's regular season being tough enough as it is without playing tough competition out-of-league. Hey, why do you think so many of these Big Mouth teams fail so quickly in the NCAA Tournament? And for the defending champs to pu$$yfoot around like this, it's unforgivable.
Wichita State vs. Colorado = As has happened before to me, this one just pops out as having potential.
Georgia Tech vs. St. Joseph's = Same here, though the reason is more clear. These two programs have good histories, but poor recent pasts. I wouldn't mind seeing them both improve, yet even if they haven't they may match up well.
# 24 Missouri vs. Niagara = Niagara falls.
Sloooowly I turned . . . step by step, inch by inch. 'Nuff said?
# 7 (for now) Florida vs. North Florida = I have a feeling the Gators will rebound from their loss to the Buckeyes.
Murray State vs. Tennessee Temple = And I again wish Joe's Racers good luck, as they continue their march through hell.
# 17 Michigan vs. Western Illinois = And here I want to see if the Wolverines can score more than a football team.
# 15 Arizona vs. St. John's = I've not been overly impressed with the Desert 'Cats so far, and the Johnnies have played better early than they were expected to, what with so many of their vaunted recruits being deemed ineligable. Plus, this is in MSG, so you know who the crowd will be behind. That said, though I can see the locals giving 'Zona some problems, I don't think they can pull off the upset. But hey, I've been wrong before, and you never know.
USC vs. San Diego State = The Trojans are likely mid-PAC12 at best, and the Aztecs are likely a bit down from last year's surprising squad . . . though they are already 3-0 at home, and looking for the 4th tonight. Keep half-an-eye on this one, if you are able to keep half an eye open that late anyway.
That's it for now. Enjoy.