OK, let's try to do this now. There were a lot of good close games, and too many to cover, so I'll again just hit the ones I feel most notable:
Texas 75 - Kansas State 64 = For a while these two teams were headed in different directions. Guess what? They still are. The 'Horns have won three in a row, and the Prairie 'Cats have lost 3 of their last 5 games. With 6-6 records, they are presently tied for 5th in the Big12Minus2 Conference. Both may get to Dance, but neither may Dance for long.
Charleston 86 - Davidson 78 = Though CoC's not been bad this year, they're not as good as they've been in the past. The Wildcats have been the class of the Southern Conference, but have stumbled a few times lately. Either one of these can get hot and make a run to the NCAAs, or get cold and fall flat. Keep an eye on this.
Tennessee 75 - Florida 70 = One of several big "upsets" this weekend, and one I would not have called. Yes, the Gators have been spotty, and the Vols have had a good win or three. But for UT to beat this ranked team in Gainesville? Beats me too.
UNLV 65 - San Diego State 63 = The sort of tough game Larry and I expected, and the tough loss Larry was hoping his Aztecs could avoid.
Wichita State 89 - Creighton 68 = Another "upset", though in my eyes only by the sizable margin by the Shockers on the road. And if you've followed college hoops, you know these two have been dooking it out like Dook/Carolina for decades, so it's really not a shocker at all.
Michigan State 58 - Ohio State 48 = But this one may be one, not so much for the Spartan win but for the fact the Buckeyes could not break 50 on their own court. Yet take nothing away from MSU's great win.
Princeton 70 - Harvard 62 = And take nothing away from this Tiger one in Jadwin Gym. Princeton may not be going anywhere this year, but you know they love to spoil things for the Crimson.
Youngstown State 71 - Valparaiso 53 = Much like that MSU/OSU one above, the result's not as surprising as is the margin. Valpo's been not all that much better a team, yet a spanking like this was not expected.
Kentucky 69 - Vanderbilt 63 = Do you give the Comms any props for making a decent game of this? Me, I won't give them much, considering how many times they've already disappointed me this year. On the other hand, it's hard to give much props to the 'Cats either. Yeah, they won. Good for them. But even on the road, the "best team in the country" should have maybe done better against one that's struggled as much as Vandy.
And speaking of struggling, on Sunday we saw:
Seton Hall 73 - Pittsburgh 66 = The Panthers looked for a week or so that they'd finally found their game. Well, apparently they haven't. Meanwhile, after losing 6 in a row, the Pirates are trying to make a late push for an at-large. As the Selection Committee may again give a .500 . . . or sub. . . . Big Mouth team a bid (the Hall's 6-7 in conference play), they do have a shot, if they don't blow it over the next few weeks.
Michigan 70 - Illinois 61 = And speaking of sub .500 in league play, the Illini are midpack in the Big Ten+ at 5-7, and with 5 of their last 6 being potential tough ones (Purdue, OSU, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin) they are in danger of getting that kiss-from-your-sis NIT invite.
Georgetown 71 - St. John's 61 = I did not see this one, so don't know if it was truly as close as Kevin says (though I've no reason to doubt him). As for me, I'll take a 10-point win any day. Yeah, the Johnnies have pretty much stunk this year, but remember they do have some young talent that did win as Cincinnati and at home over West Virginia, so they can hoop a bit . . . from time to time, anyway. Hey, on any given night, right?
And tonight's few games include a couple worth noting:
Syracuse vs. Louisville = Can Pitino's Cards get up for the Orange in the Crum Bucket, and get that one signature win they've failed to so far? (Hey, at this point it's hard to count those against Vandy, Pitt, or U Conn
) Maybe. They have enough talent, and Rick does know how to bust up that zone. This could be fun.
Iowa State vs. Baylor = And even though this one's in Waco, this one could be fun also. The Bears may have had their confidence shaken lately, and the Cyclones have played quite well on occasion. It's at least worth keeping watch on, for a half or so anyway, to see how things are shakin'.
MeNeese State vs. Northwestern State = Say what? Who? Well, these two look to be amongst the class of the Southland, with the Cowboys at 8-2 and the Demons at 7-4 in the East Division, good for 1st and a tie for 2nd place. And I'll let you find out for yourself which one's the Cowboys and which the Demons, and which one's hosting in Natchitoches. Where?
Mississippi Valley State vs. Southern = And this one pitting the 12-0 Delta Devils against the 9-3 Jaguars is a key one in the Southwestern Athletic Conference race. Yeah, you and I might not give a damn, but rest assured somebody does.
Kansas vs. Kansas State = In fact, you may not give a damn about this one either. The Jayhawks no longer have a stranglehold on the Big12NoMore lead, being tied at 10-2 with the Mizzou Tigers. And the 'Cats aren't going to challenge either one of those, as they've slipped into that mid-pack tie mentioned above with the 'Horns at 6-6. Still, this is in Manhattan, not Lawrence, and I also have been led to understand that these two teams don't much care for each other. The knives might come out tonight.
That's all for now. Enjoy.