[The Poet]

Nothing much to note about the games already in progress, except that the Dayton/Xavier one was a 3-point war at the half, just like I expected. All the others are too soon to mention, so I'll get into the rest of today's action, listed roughly by start-times:

Missouri vs. Oklahoma = Both are decent squads, so should be a close one.

Tennessee vs. Mississippi State = Yeah, here too.

Kansas vs. Texas Tech = Maybe not so much here, though Tech has played good enough to have the chance to give the Jayhawks their second rough Saturday. I don't predict that, but I didn't predict last week's shocker either.

UNC vs. Georgia Tech = The Tar Heels are without Zeller for a while, yet they have enough help down low to compensate. Their problem has been inconsistent play outside and poor judgement, coupled with lackluster attitude. They have not yet lost in Chapel Hill, and need this trend to continue to remain respectable in the ACC . . . not to mention nationally.

Temple vs. U. Mass. = In the past this has been one hell of a matchup. I can't see this Mass team playing with the Owls however, but stranger things do happen.

California vs. Washington = The Bears sit atop the Pac-10 (for what that's worth), and the Huskies are the team that supposed to be there. Should be a nice contest.

Mississippi State vs. Georgia = The Bulldogs have problems getting over the hump at times, so I'd go with the Delta boys here.

Michigan State vs. Illinois = The Spartans have gotten more hype, but both these teams are 4-0 in conference play. I'm going with MSU to change that, to their benefit.

Maryland vs. Boston College = The Terps have had some better wins, but this can go either way.

Siena vs. Fairfield = Hey, I know a lot of you guys pay little attention to these mid-majors, but games like this are tons of fun.

Notre Dame vs. Cincinnati = Mid-pack conference teams that both need the win. If both show up, this is a fight to the finish . . . with the Irish having the slight edge.

Kentucky vs. Auburn = And if this isn't over by halftime, it certainly should be by the middle of the second stanza.

Baylor vs. Oklahoma State = The Bears got into the rankings, then promptly lost. Don't be shocked if the Cowboys do it to them again.

Kansas State vs. Colorado = K-State has the better team, and should win by double-digits. But they ain't as good as some believe, so who knows? Hey, that's why they play the games.

Arizona vs. Oregon = As you may have noticed, I'm finding this story developing out in the desert to be fascinating. To think that 'Zona and UCLA are crappy . . . well, it's just weird to an old fart like me.

Stanford vs. Washington State = Hell, this whole Pac-10 collapse it worth noting. It seems possible that, out of the nine (remember, USC put themselves on probation for the postseason), only the eventual conference champ may get an NCAA bid. No at-large for the Pac-10? Un-freakin'-believable!

Purdue vs. Northwestern = I had no faith in Northwestern back when they snuck into the ranked, and I have none here. The Boilermakers will own them.

BYU vs. Colorado State = I can't see this as being much of a contest either.

Florida State vs. Virginia Tech = Now we're talking! This could go down to the last minute.

Texas vs. Texas A&M = Early on a lot of people were anticipating this game, big-time. And who knows? If that earlier A&M team makes it to Austin, this could be closer than the 'Horns would prefer. I give them the edge, but with in-state conference games it's often who decides to play, not who has the better talent.

Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina = Nobody talks about these SEC squads much, but they are both 2-0 in conference play. That's gonna change today, no doubt.

Arizona State vs. Oregon State = Herb Sendek has pretty much owned the Great Northwest this season. If he keeps this up, the Sun Devils can really thumb their noses at those other desert rats . . . uh, I mean " 'cats."

Wisconsin vs. Ohio State = With Turner's back back, the Buckeyes may be also. If nothing else, they shall badger the Badgers.

Miami vs. Virginia = The Cavs have already surprised me once this week, so I'm not about to call this one.

LSU vs. Florida = The Tigers are not a factor in the SEC, and the early joy the Gators felt has tarnished much too much to suit them. In the greater scheme of things, this matchup doesn't mean much, but it should be fun regardless.

Gonzaga vs. San Diego = If Few's boys win by fewer than 10, he should make them walk home.

Portland vs. St. Mary's = Portland crept into the rankings for a couple of seconds early on, and St. Mary's maybe should have too. Nobody much cares, but here's another good game.


Now for the Sunday action, there is not nearly as much going on. However, there are several key games scheduled:

Georgetown vs. Villanova = Do I really need to say any more than that? Hoyas vs. 'Nova. Oh baby!

U. Conn vs. Michigan = The boys from Storrs should own this one, since the Wolverines are merely "meh" this year. But be warned . . . U. Conn is not the U. Conn you've come to expect.

St. John's vs. DePaul = This is interesting to me more due to the coaches than the teams. Here we have one program whose coach just got fired going up against one whose coach has been embattled for years. If you're not in the NYC area, you likely have no idea how often, and how loudly, the Johnnie fans have called for Norm Robert's head.

Providence vs. Marquette = Not the marquee teams in the Big East, but two decent ones who should give us a good game.

Indiana vs. Minnesota = The Hoosiers are still just a shadow of their past glory, and can't match the muscle of Minnesota.

Duke vs. Wake Forest = This is in Cameron, and the Blue Devils have the advantage in talent and experience. But this is Dook/Deaks we're talkin' about here, so don't bet the farm on it, either direction.

I'm gonna go check on the action now, and update you on that. Enjoy.