I'm pressed for time again today, so let me hit the highlights, starting with:
Dayton 74 - # 16 Alabama 62 = Well, I need to trust my instincts to distrust any and all SEC West teams. I thought the Flyers could keep this one tight, but I never figured they would so totally roll back the Tide . Let's face it . . . considering the hype (or lack of same re Dayton), this is a complete blowout.
# 12 Florida 78 - Arizona 72 (OT) = I told you to figure on a fight here. It even went extra rounds. A good win for the Gators, and another disappointment for the Desert 'Cats. Speaking of 'Cats . . .
Vanderbilt 87 - Davidson 83 = These 'Cats didn't win either, but they sure gave the Comms a damn good contest, and the scare I predicted.
Ohio 84 - Oakland 82 = Another one I thought would be close.
Purdue 65 - Western Carolina 60 = I didn't pick this one yesterday, mainly because I really didn't think the Catamounts could mount much against the Boilermakers. See, I can be wrong too!
Maryland 78 - Mount St. Mary's 75 = And I didn't pick this one either, for much the same reason. Now, I am old enough to remember when Jim Phelan was the nation's winninngest coach at MSM, but that was a ways back now. And despite my knowledge of how the Terps are struggling lately, I never figured they'd have this kind of struggle here. This is one of those embarrassing wins. Another one was . . .
# 24 Illinois 48 - St. Bonaventure 43 = Man, I missed this by a mile too. This one should not have lasted until the half, yet it went down to the wire. My only rerdeeming grace is that I DID say I wasn't sure the Illini were for real. Hey, maybe they aren't.
Iona 80 - Denver 78 (OT) = And maybe the Gaels are not as real as the experts felt. Still, I told you I had that funny feeling about this one, and my gut didn't fail me this time.
Oklahoma State 72 - Missouri State 67 = Nor this time, as it was about as good a match-up as you can reasonabley expect.
There's not a lot of quality games this evening, but the few with potential are:
Cleveland State vs. Robert Morris = Here's just another of those I get that feeling for.
# 8 U Conn vs. # 25 Harvard = The Crimson are ranked for the very first time in their long history. Good for them.
However, despite my misgivings about the Huskies, I can't see that lasting past this one up in Storrs (Of course in Storrs. I'm beginning to suspect Jim Calhoun's wearing one of those tracking bracelets.
). Yet I also don't think Haa'vaad's gonna just roll over and play dead either. Keep an eye on this one, as it could turn into one of those unexpected shockers. Hey, if UCF can beat UConn, these guys can too.
Oral Roberts vs. Oklahoma = Ehh, maybe it's just the slim pickin's tonight, but this one popped a bit for me. Don't ask me why.
West Virginia vs. Kansas State = I do know why this one popped. These are two programs trying to rebuild after having good success in recent years. A win here would get neither one back, but it would be a step in a positive direction. Both teams and coaches want this one, so I figure on an all-out war.
Talk to you later, guys. In the meantime . . . enjoy.