Yeah, there was a lot of good action over the weekend, though many of the "upsets" were no huge surprise to me. Take for instance:
Notre Dame 67 - Syracuse 58 = I told you and I told you and I told you that once the Orange got out of the Dome and started playing teams who knew their zone they would lose. The margin may be a bit more than I'd have expected, but the result was inevitable. And don't think the Irish are exactly new at this sort of thing. Though it hasn't happened since 1987, this marks the 8th time they have knocked off the #1 team in the nation, moving them into a tie for 4th in that accomplishment. (P.S., FYI, North Carolina leads that group with 12 such wins. One might argue which mark is more impressive. On the one hand, though the Irish have a long and successful basketball history, they cannot be put into the same league as the top dozen or so traditional powers. This makes their #1 upsets remarkable in that way. However, while it is admittedly difficult to beat the top team in the country under such circumstances, it is absolutely impossible to beat the top team when you ARE the top team. As the Heels have found themselves in that position often, they've had that limitation to overcome.
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Tennessee 60 - U Conn 57 = And if you think I'm shocked by this one, then you just haven't been paying any attention. True, the Vols have been pretty crappy. But I told you from Day One that the Huskies were OK at best, and much too highly regarded. Like Syracuse, their early success was largely based upon their dependence upon home court advantage, and their weaknesses would show up more readily on the road.
Florida State 76 - Duke 73 = And the only thing that might surprise me some here is that it was in Cameron, where Dook is hard to beat. Otherwise, I also said from Day One they would likely compete at a slightly lower level this season, and that FSU could challenge in the ACC with them and UNC.
Arkansas 66 - Michigan 64 = Here there's no surprise at all. What is the now, the 10th time the Logans have failed to break the 65-point ceiling? This ain't baseball here, so pitching can't keep you in it . . . you have to score the ball.
Missouri 89 - Baylor 88 = And though I'm no huge believer in the Tigers, I believed even less in the Bears. The only surprise here is that they lost by a single stinkin' point.
West Virginia 77 - Cincinnati 74 (OT) = And perhaps the surprise here is that the Bearcats managed to take it into extra innings.
Kansas 69 - Texas 66 = While here the surprise is that the 'Horns actually had a shot at this upset in Austin . . . which would actually have BEEN an upset, unlike those others.
Texas A&M 81 - Oklahoma 75 (OT) = I'm not sure there's anything of note here at all, but it was a fun game.
Washington State 77 - California 75 = OK, you want an upset? Well, here it is. Again, as last year, the jam for the Pac-12 has gotten jammier, as there are now 4 teams atop with 2 losses each.
Mississippi State 78 - Vanderbilt 77 (OT) = The Comms take a step backwards, and earned it. Hey, if you can't defend your home court, even when given a second chance in OT, you don't deserve the W.
Louisville 73 - Pittsburgh 62 = If you're looking for a surprise here, then it's in the continued collapse of the Panthers. Nobody, and I do mean NOBODY, thought they'd be 11-9, and 0-7 in Big East play. Pitt fails in the spring, not in the fall and winter.
Murray State 82 - SIU Edwardsville 65 = No surpirse at all to be found here, either in the result or in the fact that the cheese stands alone now. Joe's Racers remain as the only undefeated team left in Division 1 hoops, and I feel confident I told you somewhere up above they were the most likely candidate for that distinction. I do believe that, barring more injuries or something, they have a decent shot of going unbeated . . . until March, when somebody will hand them their lunch and point them towards the door.
South Dakota State 91 - North Dakota State 88 (OT) = I threw this in because I still don't know why it jumped out at me on Saturday as looking to be a good one. Hell, like a broken clock, I'm right twice a day.
Sunday's games:
N. C. State 78 - Miami 73 = Joe's old boy Gottfried continues to take Jerry's 'Pack back towards the promised land. OK, a win over the 'Canes means little in itself, but take note that NCSU is presently tied atop the ACC with Dook and FSU at 4-1, and are a half-game ahead of my 3-1 Heels. That will likely chance come Thursday, when they visit Chapel Hill, but I reckon it's pretty sweet at the moment.
Indiana 73 - Penn State 54 = Though some may think the passing of JoePa was a negative factor here, a distraction for the Lions they could not overcome, I myself feel the Hoosiers would have taken this one in Bloomington regardless of the circumstances.
Wisconsin 67 - Illinois 63 = The Badgers hand the Illini another loss, and get a win they needed badly.
Virginia Tech 47 - Virginia 45 = This one is a tiny surprise for me, as I felt the Cavs would be able to win this in-state rivalry at home. But judging by the score, it was as much a case of the Cavs losing as the Hokies winning, so there's my out.
Tonight has only a few games of note:
Syracuse vs. Cincinnati = It is entirely possible that the 'Cuse will get their second loss tonight . . . but only if the Bearcats show up. As it is on their court, they have little excuse not to, but they seem to show up only about a third of the time, so who knows? I think it might be tight, but the Orange rebounds . . . for now, anyway. Still, keep an eye on it.
Belmont vs. East Tennessee State = The Belmont Bruins were supposed to walk away with the Atlantic Sun this year, as usual. But they've yet to gel, despite returning veterans, and as in the Pac-12 there's a mob at the top, with 5 teams at either 6-2 or 5-3 in league play. These are two of them, so this is big for both.
Texas A&M vs. Kansas = In Lawrence, so I wouldn't think the Jayhawks would have the problems with the Aggies they just had with the Longhorns in Austin. But now that I think about it more, the x-factor may be that those Aggies need to know that if they are going to make a move, they have to start now. But now that I think about it more more, it's as hard to beat KU in Allen Fieldhouse as it is to beat Dook in Cameron Indoor Sty-dium. But now that I think about it more more more, the Semiholes just did just that. Ahh, fug it all. Kansas by a dozen.
Later then. Enjoy.