[Mark]

Originally Posted by The Poet

Bill Self is a good coach at one of the best programs in the country, but he and the Jayhawks sure dodged a slug against what should have been an overmatched Memphis team, escaping with a 57-55 squeaker of a win. They may indeed end up with the # 1 team in college ball before the season ends, yet they'd better play better than they did if they want to get there - they for sure ain't there now. And neither is the # 2 Michigan State Spartans, who had to come back to edge Gonzaga 75-71. Had the Zag Bulldogs not gotten their bigs into foul trouble, this would have been a loss for the national runners-up.

Aside from the early games already reported on above, all the other ranked teams blew their foes away, or pretty much so, with the exception of:

# 12 U. Conn 76 - Hofstra 67 = Hofstra is a decent mid-major, but c'mon!

# 17 Oklahoma 72 - LA Monroe 61 = Do you get the feeling that the Sooners are still looking around for Blake Griffin?

There is only one game tonight involving a ranked team, and that is:

# 3 Texas vs. Carolina . . . . . . . . Western

Watched the Hofstra/UConn game and the Memphis/KU game. Both great games, although I was not expecting that close of a game out of UConn. Come on guys...step it up!