[The Poet]

Hey hey hey, I might actually get a chance to do this today, and catch up a little on what we've missed. And in fact we've missed some good ones, such as on Tuesday 12/27:


Notre Dame 72 - Pittsburgh 59 = Considering how iffy the Panthers have played, this loss in South Bend is no shock. But I cannot figure out what in the hell is wrong with Jamie Dixon's team . . . and apparently he can't either. They normally don't choke until March, and unless the Irish are better than I believe a 13-point defeat is a choke, even on the road. There's no doubt their previous loss at home to Wagner was one.

St. John's 91 - Providence 67 = And I don't think the Friars are as good as they've been before, at least so far, and I KNOW the Johnnies are not much more than decent. This kind of a spanking is hard to understand, and I don't care that it was in Louie's house.

Georgia 92 - Winthrop 86 (OT) = In Athens, no less. If this is any indication, the Bulldogs need not even shw up for upcoming games against Kentucky and Florida.

Illinois 81 - Minnesota 72 (2OT) = Wow. What a start to the Big Ten+ season for both teams. Neither is likely to challenge for the league championship, but they both are likely to receive at-large consideration, so both wanted this early victory. Can't you tell?

Wisconsin 64 - Nebraska 40 = One of these teams IS likely to challenge for the conference lead, and the other is NOT. The Badgers got the glacial style of game they prefer (yeah, I know they've said they like to run more than in the past, but that's a load), while the 'Huskers could only manage 14 points in the 2nd half. Shucks, you can't win that way.


On Wednesday 12/28, two undefeated teams went down:

Georgetown 71 - Louisville 68 = Before the season started, nobody gave the young Hoyas much thought. If they haven't by now, then this will certainly get their attention. And keep in mind, this was in the KFC Yumi Crum Bucket also, which makes the drumstick all the crispier.

Michigan State 80 - Indiana 65 = And nobody gave either one of these two much thought back in November, especially after the Spartans dropped their first two. As for the Hoosiers, they were expected to be a year or so away still, yet surprised a lot of people by going undefeated to this point, which included their handing Kentucky their first loss. This was a game of runs that was much closer than the final, so you MSU fans should not get too up, nor you IU ones too down. I still don't know how real either of these two are, but I respect both programs and wish both well.

Oklahoma State 68 - SMU 58 (2OT) = I didn't see it, but it was probably an exciting game to watch, though it may not have been very entertaining. Hey, only 126 total points in 50 minutes of play? The Cowboys finally broke the Mustangs with a 10-0 run . . . in that 2nd OT, when they pitched a shutout.

Missouri State 77 - Creighton 65 = If you're looking for a surprise, here it is. The Bluejays are a much better team than the Bears, and should never have lost by a dozen to a squad struggling to stay above .500, particularly in Omaha. Not so much a surprise is . . .

U Conn 60 - South Florida 57 = The Huskies are NOT a Top Ten team, and if not for Calhoun's home-cooking of one batch of cupcakes after another they wouldn't be thought one either. Well, the picnic's over, and this visit to Tampa to face a "meh" Bulls team came within a possession of proving my contention. And speaking of over-ranked teams . . .

Baylor 54 - Mississippi State 52 = When it comes to cupcakes, those Dogs above have nothing on these Bears here. Baylor has to date faced only three quality opponents. If you total their margins of victory over BYU, WVA, and now THESE Dogs, you only come up with seven in all. Yeah, they're still one of the four undefeated teams left, but that ends soon . . . as it will for both Syracuse and Missouri, you can bet on it. Joe's Racers MAY stay unblemished for a while, but I would not bet on that.


Tonight we have a number of games that are interesting for one reason or another:


Campbell vs. N. C. State = The Fghting Camels are a pretty decent mid-major, and Jerry's Wolfpack is still trying to find themselves. It's in Raleigh, so give the 'Pack an edge, but expect a good one.

Harvard vs. Boston College = I don't expect a good one here, and not because the Eagles are an ACC team. They appear to suck, and the Crimson have played well. I could be wrong, but I think this will be over long before it's over.

Penn vs. Davidson = But now this match-up of Northern Ivy vs. Southern Ivy could be a lot more fun. I believe the Wildcats are better than the Quakers (they did beat Kansas in Lawrence, remember?), and the game's in Charlotte (well, Davidson, actually, but some of you don't even know where CHARLOTTE is, much less Davidson), but it might be fairly entertaining, though maybe not as entertaining as . . .

Yale vs. Wake Forest = Two more Mason/Dixon Ivies pair off, in Greensboro. One of them will win. I have little faith in either one, so this could be an all-out War Of Northern Aggression.

VCU vs. Akron = And this just looks to be a good match-up.

Florida vs. Rutgers = And this doesn't. The Gators have played better of late, and the Scarlet Knights are . . . well, the Scarlet Knights. It's in Piscataway, but that should make no difference whatsoever.

North Carolina vs. Elon = In fact, this one may be closer than the one above. The Heel should prevail with a reasonably comfortable margin before it's done, but don't expect the Phoenixes to totally flame out.

Michigan vs. Penn State = I've no idea what the Nittany Lions have this year, but I do know the Logans can struggle to score. Keep your eye on this one to see if an "upset" develops.

Kansas vs. Howard = And keep your eye off this one, unless you happen to actually be in Allen Fieldhouse tonight. Instead, watch . . .

Marshall vs. Belmont = Because this one should be a game, start to finish, just like . . .

Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State = With NI's D, I give them some edge. But I don't know who has the edge with . . .

Wisc.-Milwaukee vs. Valparaiso = Nor do I know which way to go with . . .

Oklahoma vs. Cincinnati = Both can play OK, and both can stink up an gym. Speaking of stinking up gyms . . .

Vanderbilt vs. Marquette = The Commodores have done a lot of that. The Golden Eagles have not. If Vandy can manage to show up (and I've stopped expecting that they will), this will be a hell of a game.

Oregon State vs Washington = This might too, though nobody seems to know, or believe in, ANY Pac-12 team, such as . . .

Oregon vs. Washington State = Both these games are in the state of Washington, which leads me to ask the same question that seems to enter my head each year when previewing the scheduling in this conference: Do they have agreements where teams from the same state share airplanes and busses to the games? Are they really that "green" on the Left Coast? But to finish with the West Coast games, perhaps the best on the docket is . . .

BYU vs St. Mary's = The Gaels stumbled against Denver, and again against Baylor, but otherwise they've been solid. The Cougars also lost to those Bears and to the Wisconsin Badgers, plus a stumble of their own in their opener at Utah State, yet have been solid themselves. This one in Moraga, wherever the hell that is, but wherever it is it ain't in Utah. If you can stay up this late you might catch a good one here.


That's it for today, my brothers. See you hopefully tomorrow. Until then, enjoy.