College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

[The Poet]

Another early final:


Notre Dame 84 - DePaul 76 = A pretty good game on both sides, and another nice win for the Irish.

WVA still leads Louisville with about 3 left, but only by one possession. Speaking of one possession, FSU's up that over Miami at the break, as is my Heels over the Cavs.


As is normal, I can't cover all the upcoming games. Here's my picks:


Kansas State vs. Texas = This has all the makings of a battle. K-State's been iffy of late, and UT's been a little better. Should be fun in Austin.

Saint Louis vs. LaSalle = There's a logjam near the top of the A-10, and these two are in the midst of it. It's huge for them both. Me, I'll favor the Billikens, mainly because I like typing "Billikens" instead of all the Wildcats, Tigers, and Bears I usually get. Oh my!

VCU vs. ODU = As above, the Rams are in a 3-way for 1st in the Colonial, with ODU just one back. Need I say more?

Cincinnati vs. Marquette = A key Big East battle for these two "also-rans" for the league's elite.

Tennessee vs. Florida = I've learned not to have a lot of faith in the Gators, but I have even less in the Vols. Hey, strange things happen, but I don't think it shall here.

California vs. UCLA = Remember me speaking of bears above? Well, the Golden ones need to take care of the Bruins down in La-La to stay in the Pac-12 lead.

Maryland vs. Duke = And the Blue Devils need to defend home turf against the Terps to do the same in the ACC. If they're not still too jazzed by that win in Chapel Hill, they should be able to.

Oklahoma State vs. Kansas = I can't give the Cowboys much of a shot against the Jayhawks in Lawrence, can you?

San Diego State vs. UNLV = As Larry noted above, this is a huge game for the Aztecs against the Runnin' Rebels, and one that could go either way. You can pick one if you choose, but it's a gamble. But it is in Vegas, so you're in the right place for one.

Wichita State vs. Creighton = And here's another big game, with the two best teams in the MVC facing off in Omaha for the league lead. The Shockers hold it at this moment (21-4, 12-2), but just barely over the Bluejays (21-4, 11-3). For a "small" conference, they don't get much bigger.

Washington State vs. Oregon = When one considers how the Pac-12 has been slipping towards "small" status in hoops lately, you might think this one's huge too. Well, for the Ducks it is.

Michigan State vs. Ohio State = And here's another "small" conference match-up for you. With the Spartans 8-3 and the Buckeyes 9-2 in Big Ten+ play, they don't get a lot bigger. I'd give MSU a chance in Columbus, but they'd better bring their A game.

Harvard vs. Princeton = The Tigers don't look like they're going to compete for the Ivy this year, but they may be able to muddy the waters some if they can upset the Crimson in Jadwin Gym. You know they'd like to play spoilers, again, so this may be some fun.

Austin Peay vs. Murray State = Will Joe's Racers rebound from their first loss of the season? Well, if they can't beat the crappy Governors, they ought to just up and quit.

Xavier vs. Temple = And here's another key game in the jammed-up A-10, with the X-Men fully capable of knocking the Owls down into the rest of the pack . . . if they have exorcised the bad karma still floating around them from that Cincy brawl.

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt = OK, it's in Nashville, on that funky floating court suspended above the benches. OK, the Commodores have won a few big games. But do you really think they've shown enough consistency to pick them over the 'Cats? I'm not a gambling man, and certainly not a UK fan, but if you do I'll take some of that action.

Santa Clara vs. St. Mary's = The Left Coast Gaels got spanked pretty badly by Gonzaga, and may just take it out on the Broncos late tonight. As those Broncs have been whipped more than once already, and are pretty well broken, I'd expect as much.


One final while I was typing all that crap above:


Louisville 77 = West Virginia 74 = The Cardinals do just enough late to take this one, and hand the Mountaineers another heartbreaker. Not a bad game, if you like Big Mouth basketball.


Back a little later, guys. I gotta keep an eye on my Heels for a bit now.