There were a number of close games last night, such as Siena/Albany, Yale/Sacred Heart, Fordham/Hampton, Long Island/Lafayette, and Elon/UNC-G, but only one had much long-term potential significance:
Detroit 69 - St. John's 63 = Detroit has a decent mid-major program, so the win's no surprise. The Red Storm has aspirations to get back to their glory days, but after winning their first 3 they've now lost 5 of 6. Wait 'til next year . . . or the next.
Tonight's games include:
# 4 North Carolina vs. Evansville = E'ville's not a total cupcake, but the Heels should not have too much trouble handling them this evening. But "should not" and "will not" are two different matters, so pay attention for a half or so.
# 10 Missouri vs. Villanova = Part of me wants to do what I did with Georgetown, and call for an upset here, but so far Wright's team hasn't shown me quite enough for that. Still, I can't see a blowout here, and thus it could be a lotta fun before it's over.
Kent State vs. James Madison = And this one should be fun, with the two pretty evenly matched.
# 3 Syracuse vs. Marshall = I give the Herd half-a-shot at giving the Orange their first loss. I don't think they can do so, not in the Dome, but keep your eye on the scoreboard here too.
Texas Tech vs. TCU = Though I'd not think either one of these will make noise come March, they ought to raise a bit of ruckus tonight.
# 15 Pittsburgh vs. Virginia Military = Don't even bother, unless you're a Panther.
George Mason vs. Virginia = I'd expect this one to be a close one too, with maybe a slight edge going to the Cavs . . . who've not played badly at all.
Robert Morris vs. Duquesne = This is another one of those with the potential to be exciting.
U Mass vs. East Carolina = Here too.
Iowa vs. Northern Iowa = But here, my gut tells me the Hawkeyes will be overmatched with the defensive intensity of NIU.
# 21 Memphis vs. Miami = The Tigers have not played up to their early hype. But the 'Canes have not played well enough for me to pick them here. It could be close for a while, and if Memphis does not show up, like they've not shown up a couple of times already, Miami has a shot. Me, I wouldn't bet on it, but you boys can if you like.
# 13 Kansas vs. Long Beach State = Actually, if you're looking for the upset, you might just have a better shot here. I personally think the Jayhawks will roll, but as with Memphis they have to show up to do so. If you're feeling lucky, take LBS and the points . . . whatever that may be.
# 11 Marquette vs. Washington = So far this season nobody, and I do mean NOBODY, in the PAC-12 has shown me all that much. Go with the Golden Eagles here, by a sizable margin.
That's my picks for the good, or at least meaningful, action tonight. Enjoy.