[The Poet]

So do you know what happened last night, guys? Not such big news as the night before, but a few things worth noticing:

Charlotte 74 - Temple 64 = I told you those '49ers are dangerous. Guess the Owls didn't believe me.

Duke 70 - Florida State 56 = OK, so this one you had down in pencil before the tip-off. Me, I had it inked.

Florida 87 - Georgia 71 = Decent win for the Gators, who are trying to regain some balance. They started off with a string of Ws, then lost 3, won 3, lost 2, and now have won 4. As for the Bulldogs, they have good wins against Ga. Tech and UT, plus gave UK, Ole Miss, and Miss. State good games, but didn't show it last night. Hey, I guess they are who they are, no more and no less.

Ohio State 65 - Iowa 57 = I can't truly class this as a "bad" win for the Buckeyes, but I did expect a bigger margin . . . even in Iowa City.

Memphis 75 - Marshall 72 = Did I not tell you this would be a game?

New Mexico 76 - BYU 72 = I still don't much care, but give the Lobos some credit for putting the fear of God into those Mormons. New Mexico has a good team, yet were never as good as their proir ranking. Same goes for the Cougars. The Mountain West may be better than the Pac-10 this season, but that does not make them one of the Big Boys.

Oklahoma State 76 - Texas A&M 69 = And here's a good W for Oak State. Those Aggies haven't beaten any team better than "meh" since the end of November, and here have lost to one.

Providence 81 - U. Conn 66 = So maybe this is the shocker of the night, though I did say that the Friars are better than you think. But this good? Hey, 15 points is damn close to a spanking.

Vanderbilt 85 - Tennessee 76 = So maybe this is another shock, albeit a minor one. Both teams have had good and bad games, and so perhaps the biggest part of the "shock" is that 9-point margin . . . in Knoxville, not Nashville.

Texas 95 - Texas Tech 83 = So maybe this is a third minor shock, though not that the 'Horns got off their mini-slide but because they only beat this so-so squad by a dozen . . . in Austin.

And what do we have in store tonight? Well, I see a handful with some potential:

Pittsburgh vs. St. John's = The Panthers have not been as good as they should, and the Johnnies have snuck up on a few people this year. I wouldn't bet it, but I wouldn't have a stroke if this one was fairly close.

Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest = Just your typical ACC slugfest, as is:

Virginia Tech vs. Virginia = The Cavs are the surprise of the conference so far. That may last the night, but it will not last until March.

Wisconsin vs. Purdue = And here's your Big Ten battle. Better alert the rescue squad.

Stanford vs. Arizona = This Pac-10 fiasco is fascinating. Both these teams are 10-9 overall, and 4-3 in conference play. And speaking of 4-3 in conference:

California vs. Arizona State = The Sun Devils are also 4-3, whereas the Bears have a commanding Pac-10 lead . . . at 5-2. But getting back to that 4-3 thing:

USC vs. Oregon State = The Trojans are also 4-3, as are:

UCLA vs. Oregon = Their crosstown rivals, the Bruins. Jesus, just close your eyes and throw a dart, why don'tcha?

Miss. State vs. Arkansas = The Razorbacks have been Piglets this year, so go with the OTHER Bulldogs in the SEC.

Mississippi vs. Auburn = Again, my heart's with Lebo's boys, but my head's with the Ole Miss Rebels.

Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara = This should be no contest. THESE Bulldogs, meaning the 'Zags (to distinguish them from all the other Dogs, Cats, Bears, or Birds out there), are not the only decent team in the WCC . . . but Santa Clara is not one of the others.

And as always, enjoy.