College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

[The Poet]

I can't really say any scores from last night were a surprise at all, and most were uninteresting blowouts, so I'll just note one of them:


Michigan 66 - Purdue 64 = Well, what do you know? The Wolverines not only win, but actually manage to break the 65-point barrier! Hey, they even could have won had they failed at that.


There are a lot of good matchups this evening, but as many of them involve teams who are not likely to go far I'll limit myself to the potentially more significant ones:


Penn State vs. Ohio State = No offense intended, but the Nittany Lions will mourn another funeral, with this one in Columbus being much less sad, albeit no less expected, than the one in State College.

Villanova vs. Louisville = The young Philly 'Cats have struggled mightily to find themselves, and the Cardinals have had their problems at times also. Even if this wasn't in the KFC Yumi Crum Bucket, you'd have to favor L'ville here. But as their fans know too well, anything can happen with this team.

BYU vs. Virginia Tech = The Hokies scored a big win on the road against UVA, and could make a huge step towards turning around their season with a home victory over the Cougars. I give them a decent shot at it. Yet I'd put no money on it however.

Dayton vs. St. Joseph's = Who will take wing tonight, the Flyers or the Hawks? They both have pretty good teams, and this should be a fun one.

Providence vs. Pittsburgh = OK, I know I began by dismissing games involving teams going nowhere fast, but as these two are "prominent" programs fighting to stay out of the Big East basement (1-6 and 0-7 resp't.), I feel it is worth noting.

Saint Louis vs. Xavier = Much like that mid-major one above, here's two schools capable of winning a game, or maybe even two, in March. But they have to get there first, so this one's big.

Florida State vs. Wake Forest = The Semiholes are on a roll, and are likely to continue in Winston-Salem tonight. Although the Deacs have played better than they did last year, and even better than was expected of them, their chances are pretty slim. But anything can happen in conference play, as the Hokies showed the Cavs last week. Pencil in FSU, yet don't ink it yet.

Missouri vs. Oklahoma State = And here's another team that ought to romp on the road. I do not believe for a second that the Tigers are the 2nd best team in the country, but they are better than the Cowboys, in Stillwater or not.

UCF vs. Tulsa = And these two are going to fight tooth-and-nail for a win here. The Knights lead the CUSA by a half-game at 5-1, but the Golden Hurricane are at 4-2, and need this to stay in the hunt (along with Southern Miss, Memphis, and Marshall, all at 4-1). Yeah, it's still early, but you can't make up losses. It's in Tulsa, which might make this closer than UCF would wish.

LSU vs. Mississippi State = Though I'm not a big believer in the Bulldogs, I'm less of one in the Tigers. If you wanna keep half-an-eye on it for a while, go ahead, but don't look for it to be a contest in the last 10 minutes.

Minnesota vs. Michigan State = You might have a better shot here, though again I feel the Spartans will prevail over the Golden Gophers. It might be only by 2 or 3 possessions, however.

Kansas State vs. Texas Tech = And the Prairie 'Cats should be able to take the Red Raiders to the woodshed, even if they don't know where one is in Lubbock.

Duke vs. Maryland = As should the Blue Devils, who should make soup of the Terps in College Park. Yeah, I know Dook has weaknesses, but UM seems to have next to nothing.

UNLV vs. Boise State = Is the court in Boise gawd-awful blue too? Even if it isn't, it will be for the Runnin' Rebels if the Broncos can corral them. As they've lost 7 of their last 9, I can't see that happening, so figure UNLV paints Boise red.

Colorado State vs. New Mexico = The Lobos won 13 in a row, and figured to be a factor in the Mountain West. But as 2 of their first 3 conference games were against SDSU and UNLV, and as both were Ls, they presently find themselves mid-pack. Nor do the Rams look to be pushovers either. Still, I feel NM can get back on the winning track tonight in Albuquerque . . . if they don't make that famous wrong turn.


That's my nonsense for today. Back later, brothers. Enjoy.