Here's my choice of scores from last night, starting with one already referenced:
# 10 Missouri 81 - Villanova 71 = 'Nova made something of a game of this, so they weren't embarrassed. As for the Tigers, a decent enough win, but no huge statement.
Monmouth 69 - Navy 67 = My man King Rice gets his first victory as a head coach against the Midshipsmen. Only 900+ to go, and he can start to challenge Coach K.
Robert Morris 64 - Duquesne 60 = I believe I said this one could be fun. Seems it was too.
# 3 Syracuse 62 - Marshall 56 = And I believe I gave the Herd a tiny shot at taking this one in the Dome. Maybe if they hadn't scored a stinkin' 18 points in the first half, they would have.
# 4 North Carolina 97 - Evansville 48 = The ONLY reason I bring up this double-down blowout is to advise you that, speaking for myself anyway, a win like this is an embarrassment to a Tar Heel. Move along, nothing to see here.
U Mass 63 - East Carolina 58 = I figured this one to be close also, and 2 possessions count in my book anyway.
TCU 75 - Texas Tech 69 = Ditto.
Virginia 68 - George Mason 48 = But I was 'way off here. Yeah, I gave the Cavs an edge, and I realize GM's not the Cinderella they were back when. Yet I never expected such a spanking. Speaking of spankings . . .
Northern Iowa 80 - Iowa 60 = Again, I picked the winner, but I did not think they'd win so big.
# 13 Kansas 88 - Long Beach State 80 = Though I did not actually call for the upset here, I did figure the surfer boys could give the Jayhawks game. They did just that. And once again, speaking of giving game . . .
# 11 Marquette 79 - Washington 77 = This one's as big a shock to me as that UVA margin. OK, Marquette won, but they were more than just nervous about it, I am sure.
Louisiana Tech 94 - Northwestern State 93 (2OT) = And this one's just one of those hard-fought battles, with both teams deserving props.
Tonight's action will include:
# 12 Florida vs. Arizona = The Gators have not shown all that much against better teams, and 'Zona needs a big win to start turning their poor start around. Figure on a fight here.
# 7 Duke vs. Colorado State = And figure that Dook bounces back from their spanking by the Buckeyes.
Ohio vs. Oakland = This is just another of those that pop out at me. Might be fun.
Michigan State vs. Central Conn State = This one probably won't be, but as the Spartans have won 6 in a row since dropping openers to UNC and Duke we need to notice. The run goes to 7 this evening.
Vanderbilt vs. Davidson = The Commodore faithful likely had this one chalked up as a win before the season started. At this point, I'm not so sure of that. Keep an eye on the scoreboard, as the Wildcats may actually show up at home to give Vandy a scare . . . if not more.
Temple vs. Toledo = I just got that tingly feeling about this one too.
Boston U vs. St. Joseph's = Same here, I'm not sure why.
# 16 Alabama vs. Dayton = Can the Flyers regain altitude after being out-Raced by Joe's guys? If so, this could be tighter that the Tide would like. I give them the nod, but by 3 or 4 possessions only.
Georgia Tech vs. Georgia = This in-state rivalry pits two 4-4 teams against each other. Neither is all that good, but neither purely stinks either. Figure on a fun one here.
# 5 Louisville vs. IUPUI = But speaking of "stinks", this one has P-U written all over it.
# 14 Wisconsin vs. Green Bay = It's been a rough ride for the Badgers lately, losing to UNC and Marquette. They stop the bleeding tonight.
Wichita State vs. Tulsa = Another of those games with damn-good potential.
# 22 Texas A&M vs. Sam Houston State = Will the Aggies win? Sure. Will they ever play anybody that matters? Ehh, maybe. Consider that, to date, their best opponents resulted in a loss to Mississippi State and a 1-point victory over St. John's. And they are a Top 25 team? WTF?
Southern Miss vs. South Alabama = Here's another of those decent match-ups for you.
Oklahoma State vs. Missouri State = And for some odd reason I see this as maybe being one also.
Weber State vs. BYU = But I am more confident that this one shall be fun.
# 8 Xavier vs. Butler = And despite the fact that the 2-time national runner-up Bulldogs are presently 4-4, and despite the fact that I don't think they'll make a 3-peet of that, I do think they can hang with the Musketeers for most of the game anyway.
Iona vs. Denver = The Gaels are supposed to be giant-killers this year, and have beaten OK teams like Western Michigan, Maryland, and St. Joe's. Plus, their only loss was to Purdue by a point. Their visit to Colorado should be successful, yet for some odd reason I've got that funny feeling again.
# 24 Illinois vs. St. Bonaventure = But I don't have one here. I'm not sure the Illini are for real, but I'm fairly certain the Bonnies aren't. You can probably skip this one by the half.
San Diego State vs. San Diego = The Aztecs are likely the overwhelming favorite in everybody's book, including mine. However, these crosstown rivalries can sneak up on you if you're not careful. Keep your sleepy eyes on this one for a bit, just to see if a game shows up.
That's if for now. Enjoy.