As I don't know how my remaining time will go, lemme flop-flip my normal post and cite today's action before I return to recent history. Tonight:
Georgetown vs. DePaul = Could be a really good game. After finding themselves, the young Hoyas have come back down to earth a bit. The Blue Demons are maybe not as good, yet have played quite well at times.
Michigan State vs. Michigan = Aside from the fact that these two are rumored to dislike each other, they have comparable talent. I'm not a fan of the Spartans, but I prefer them much more than the Wolverines, for various reasons. Yet I give them the edge here not so much because of that then for the fact the Logans cannot score the ball.
Auburn vs. LSU = These two are doing better than I expected so far, and as conference wins may get few and far between for both this one is huge. Look for a battle.
Iowa vs. Purdue = Different league, same story here.
Maryland vs. Florida State = A different different league, and aside from that spanking the 'Noles gave my Heels it is the same here too. Can FSU build upon their huge win, or can the Terps catch them complacent? Should be interesting.
Arkansas vs. Kentucky = And speaking of interesting, note that the Wildcats have survived several scares recently against inferior talent. Can they keep that up, or are they bound to stumble a few times? Keep your eye on this one, since the 'Hogs have a chance, even in Rupp.
Boise State vs. Colorado State = And this is one of those tight mid-major ones which can turn out to be the best match-up of the night.
Over the past few days I've missed a ton of games, and many of them very good. As I both can't and shan't bore you with all of them, I'll just mention a few key ones not already noted elsewhere. In the balance of Saturday action:
Auburn 69 - Mississippi 68 (2OT) = Quite a fight here, despite the low-scoring involved. A nice win for the Tigers, if not a great one.
Oklahoma 82 - Kansas State 73 = But this was a very good one for the Sooners. Can anyone in Manhattan KS tell me if Frank Martin's head has exploded yet?
Marquette 62 - Pittsburgh 57 = Though I predicted from the get-go that the Panthers wouldn't make much noise in March, I never thought they'd be so silent this soon.
Northwestern 81 - Michigan State 74 = Many of you may have been shocked by this. Me, my surprise is tempered by the fact that I foresaw the Spartans had had a great run, which was doomed to end soon. Izzo is a great coach, but even he can only do so much.
Richmond 76 - Temple 65 = As I stated at the time, I respect the Owls but root for the Spiders. They needed a good win like this one.
Marshall 65 - UCF 64 = I'm not so certain this is a good W for the Herd, but it sure beats a loss.
On Sunday 1/15:
Ohio State 80 - Indiana 63 = As with those Spartans above, I was glad to see the Hoosiers make themselves relevant but felt they'd done about all that could be reasonably expected. This whippin' lends them some perspective, let's assume.
Duke 73 - Clemson 66 = Maybe I should just hold my peace on this one, considering how my Heels did, but even down in Littlejohn this ain't much of a win for Dook against a weaker team. Shoot, just look at some of the teams Clemson's already lost to this year? Still, it's a W for the Blue Devils, even if K isn't happy about it.
On Monday 1/16:
Marquette 74 - Louisville 63 = The Cardinals grabbed an early double-digit lead, then p!$$ed it away, and into a double-digit loss. Though the old saw says it couldn't happen to a nicer guy, in Rick's case it easily could.
Syracuse 71 - Pittsburgh 63 = I suppose I could take the opportunity here to bash the Panthers again, yet when one considers how many bad losses they've already posted, and consider that this was against an undefeated team on their court, I think it is actually a pretty decent showing. And for those Orange fans who still believe your boys will go without a L all year, take warning as you look at both this and at . . .
Kansas 92 - Baylor 74 = Am I the only one who shrugs at this and thinks "OK, so?" I've told you and told you the Bears were (a) playing too many cupcakes, and (b) were escaping by the skin of their teeth when they dared face any decent competition. The Jayhawks have always been the class of the league, and this Bear-skinning shows they still are, until somebody else proves otherwise.
Well, that's all I've time for, but I welcome you guys picking out others I've missed. Believe me, there's a buttload. Until later then . . . enjoy.