Well, let's see if these penny-ante gamblers bugging me for Lotto tickets will leave me be long enough to do this today. There were a ton of close and exciting games last night, but I'll only post a few more important results:
Michigan 66 - Northwestern 64 (OT) = The Logans did manage to eek out a victory, and actually managed to score over 65 points this time . . . even though it took them an extra 5 minutes to do so.
Memphis 60 - Southern Miss 58 = Another close victory, and one the Tigers need in their attempt to regain some of their pre-season juice.
Rutgers 62 - Pittsburgh 39 = Speaking of juice, the Panthers have become all pits and no meat. Considering some of the good wins the Scarlet Knights have had, it's no big shock they won this one. But scoring under 40 points, at home? That's just Pitt-iful.
Kentucky 68 - Auburn 53 = OK, yeah, it was on the road for the Wildcats. OK, yeah, it's a 15-point win. But still, I'm not all that impressed with this performance by the supposed #2 team in the nation.
Nebraska 70 - Penn State 58 = Woo-hoo, 'Huskers! You get your first Big Ten+ win, ever! Savor it, as there won't be many more, at least this season anyway.
Georgia Tech 82 - N. C. State 71 = Jerry's Wolfpack could not defend their home court, at least in the 1st half. They were down 11 at the break, and lost by that same margin.
Temple 72 - Saint Louis 67 = The Owls get what's at least a decent win here, my quibble being this: The Billikens began by winning 12 of their first 13 games, and created quite the buzz. But last night marked their 3rd loss out of the last 4, so maybe the Dollies have sprung a leak.
Alabama 69 - LSU 53 = Roll Tide, I guess. And look on the bright side, Tigers . . . at least you scored in this game.
There looks to be a lot of good match-ups going on tonight, but many of them involve teams nobody much cares about. If I skip yours, do't be hurt . . . be vocal, and post your own thoughts, dammit! Here's my picks for the highpoints:
Wisconsin vs. Purdue = The Badgers were supposed to be the ones to challenge the Buckeyes for the conference, yet have not shown they are capable of that . . . or WOULD not have, had not OSU itself disappointed expectation so far. Meanwhile, the Boilermakers have played a bit better than was thought, and have shown at times they can compete with most anybody. This game is big for both teams. Pick 'em, since I can't.
Clemson vs. Boston College = BC showed against UNC that they won't give up, even when behind. It did not help them much, but it's a good sign for a team that's struggled badly. Clemson has been a bit better, but they themselves have stumbled too. This one could be fun.
Murray State vs. Jacksonville State = If Joe's Racers drop this homegame, I don't wanna hear a peep out of him for a week!
Minnesota vs. Indiana = The Golden Gophers have been less than golden in league play, and go for an 0-5 start in Bloomington tonight. I'm gonna stick with the surprisingly good Hoosiers until they throw a shoe . . . or a chair.
Virginia vs. Duke = And speaking of being a pleasant surprise, what about those Cavs? They have at least a slim shot at competing with Dook and UNC for the ACC,
IF they continue to play like they have so far. A win in Cameron this evening would go a looooong way towards that goal. Me, I don't see it happening, but the Blue Devils are far from invincible, so you never know. Keep an eye on this one.
Oregon State vs. Arizona = A key Pac-12 battle in Tucson, with the Desert 'Cats hoping to keep pace with the TRUE Left Coast teams. This could be fun.
Oregon vs. Arizona State = This could be over by the half, for despite my respect for Herb Sendek his Sun Devils have not showm me much. Neither have the Ducks, but even in Tempe they should not lay an egg.
Tennessee vs. Mississippi State = The Vols are just barely above .500 this year, but are coming off a huge win over the Gators. The Bulldogs maintain a national ranking, yet lost their only SEC game thus far, and are thereby behind UT in that regard. MSU needs to win in Starkville tonight, whereas the Vols need to win anywhere anytime they can. I'm interested to see what happens here, as I've little faith in the 'Dawgs, and less in UT.
Gonzaga vs. St. Mary's = God, I hope the Gaels absolutely spank and skin the Bulldogs tonight. Don't get me wrong . . . I have a lot of respect for the 'Zags, and for the job Mark Few has done out there to build a quality mid-major program. But I am sick and tired of listening to these Great NW bozos bragging and whining all the damn time, saying crap like "We've got the best point guard/shooting guard/power foward in the nation!" or "We'll play anybody anywhere anytime, and beat them at our game or theirs!" . . . all this while giving us much more reason to dispute rather than to prove their claims. Yet dispite these repeated bouts of hubris, they are already at it again, first whining that they should be ranked, then whining that they should have been ranked sooner and/or higher. STFU and play, $#!+heads, and show me a Geroge Mason/Butler/VCU run before you run off at the mouth any more! And THAT'S why I hope St. Mary's pops them a good one in the piehole at home tonight.
That's it for me for now. Enjoy, fellas.
