[The Poet]

OK, since it has gotten to that point in the season where fewer things truly matter, although they may matter more, I'll just hit the highlights of the weekend action. On the balance of the games from Saturday 2/6:

Georgia 72 - Vanderbilt 58 = The fact that the Bulldogs won does not surprise me all that much, as they have proven they can, on occasion anyway, play a good game. But that large a margin over what should have been a superior Commodore team does puzzle me a bit.

Georgia Tech 73 - N.C. State 71 = And here's just one more tough loss for the Wolfpack.

Illinois 78 - Michigan State 73 = After winning 10 inna row, the Spartans have now lost 2 straight without Kalin Lucas on the floor. Since they have Purdue tomorrow, it may just get worse for them.

Oklahoma 80 - Texas 71 = And after reaching the #1 ranking for the first time in school history, the Longhorns have lost 4 of their last 6 games. It might get even worse for them also, tonight, as you will see below.

Texas A&M 78 - Baylor 71 = This does not make up for the Aggie losses to K-State and Texas, and certainly not the one to Oak State, but it doesn't hurt them in the least.

California 72 - UCLA 58 = And this is the only Pac-10 score I'll mention today, as it's the one that matters. It put the Bears back on top of the league at 7-4, with only 5 other teams on their short fuzzy tails with 6-5 records.

UNLV 73 - BYU 74 = And I've tried to tell you earlier that I did not BUY into BYU. Sure they have only 3 losses, but that makes 2 in the last 2 weeks. Furthermore, they just edged the Runnin' Rebels their first meeting, and just squeeked by Fresno State, UTEP, and San Diego State also. Finally, their schedule has more cupcakes than a kid's birthday party. And speaking of UTEP . . .

UTEP 73 - Tulsa 59 = Not only did the Miners spank their conference rivals, but it puts them in sole possession of the CUSA league lead . . . though Tulsa, UAB, and Memphis are still in the hunt.

On Sunday there were a few marquee games, including another stinker by my Heels, but only one with any real significance:

Syracuse 71 - Cincinnati 54 = Although neither the game nor the score was any shock at all, the win did move the Orange up to #2 in today's polls, right behind the Jayhawks. This is their highest ranking in a decade. Let's see now how long they can hold onto it.

There are only a few games to take note of tonight. To finish the point I started to make above:

Kansas vs. Texas = Like I said, it gets no easier for the 'Horns. Back on 2/1 Rick Barnes was quoted as saying that "sometimes adversity is good." That being the case, it will likely get even better for Texas this evening.

Villanova vs. West Virginia = And the Big East isn't totally Orange yet. Both these teams are still very much in the hunt, and 'Nova even gets to host the 'Cuse late this month.

Siena vs. Fairfield = And here's a key part of the race for the MAAC lead, as these two . . . along with Iona and St. Peter's . . . are the class of this conference.

As always, enjoy.