College Hoops Thread '09-'10

[The Poet]

No big shockers in last night's action, though there were a few items of some note:

Arizona 76 - Stanford 68 = After jerking around for the first half of the season, the Wildcats have started to play better, moving themselves into contention in the Pac-10 with:

California 78 - Arizona State 70 = And after playing pretty well for the most part of this month, the Sun Devils have dropped two inna row to fall into a 5-way tie for 3rd place in conference play. That's right . . . half of the Pac-10 is 4-4 now.

Arkansas 67 - Mississippi State 62 = Now here's a bit of a surprise, since the 'Backs have not played well this year. This is a good win for them . . . in a conference where they've got that snowball's chance of winning.

Mississippi 84 - Auburn 74 = Unlike the Rebels, who have a good shot at winning the West half of the SEC.

Georgia Tech 79 - Wake Forest 58 = It's getting so the ACC's as confusing as the Pac-10, albeit at a somewhat higher level. Both these teams have had great wins and crappy losses, and nobody knows who's gonna show up for the next game.

Oregon 71 - UCLA 66 (OT) = This loss by the Bruins put them in that 4-4 logjam previously mentioned, while the Ducks' victory jump them into a 3-way tie for 8th . . . at 3-5 in Pac-10 play.

Oregon State 51 - USC 45 = Same exact story here, only different teams in the same states, literal and figurative.

Pittsburgh 63 - St. John's 53 = Pretty much what one should have expected. Johnnies did OK, Panthers did OK enough to win.

Purdue 60 - Wisconsin 57 = And pretty much the same expectations met here too . . . a war until the end.

Virginia Tech 76 - Virginia 71 (OT) = And pretty much the same here too . . . the Cavs slip back into the pack, starting on their way down the basement steps of the ACC.

Gonzaga 71 - Santa Clara 64 = And pretty much a "WTF were they doing here?" for the 'Zags, who should have totally outclassed this sub .500 squad. Yet it took a 12-0 run by Gonzaga in the last 5:55 to pull this one out of the fire. Sheesh. I don't wanna hear no whinin' from them come March that they didn't get seeded high enough. Know what I mean?

Xavier 86 - Duquesne 50 = And pretty much the kind of game I normally ignore, except for the fact that I've become fascinated with this X-Men team. Who are they? Sometimes they play like world-beaters, and sometimes like scrubs. Guess they had their Wheaties yesterday.

There really not much to keep your attention tonight, as usual on mid-winter Fridays, unless you're really into the Ivy League race. In fact, the only game which piqued my noodle is the Butler/Wisc. Green Bay matchup, and it could be a good one. But as usual, there are a buttload of games on Saturday, so as usual I shall mention some that tip off early tomorrow:

U. Conn vs. Marquette = Wow. I mean, wow. Both these teams are good, and neither has been great except in spurts. Here's an early toss-up.

Temple vs. LaSalle = Here . . . not so much. The Owls are coming off their loss to Charlotte, so should be focused. And LaSalle has not been much of a challenge this year. Don't plan on any classic Big 5 magic in this one.

West Virginia vs. Louisville = The Mountaineers have a better team, yet the Cardinals have managed to show up for a few games so far, and do have some talent. Go with WVA, but not as heavy as one might think from the simple stats.

Georgetown vs. Duke = Again . . . wow. As has become the custom, once again all the pundits are lauding the Big East and dissing the ACC, and shall continue to do so . . .until the ACC once again escorts the Big East out of the NCAAs. This one should be a real battle, as both are quite good. Me, I cannot wait.

George Washington vs. Rhode Island = And why the hell would I bring this turkey up? Well, here's the thing. RI is 16-3, so may be better than you might believe. And GWU? They may only be a so-so 12-7, but they are an impressive 6-3 on the road. It's games like this one that can sneak up on you, if you're not paying attention.

Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky . . . State = Kentucky STATE?? Who are they? Where are they, save I presume somewhere in Kentucky? And most importantly, why are the Yellow Jackets playing a November game at the end of January? Ramblin' Wreck, indeed!


I'll give you more tomorrow afternoon. Until then, enjoy.