College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

[The Poet]

Not a lot of the scores from last night interest me much, as they were pretty much what you'd think. So then, I'll just hit a few:


Syracuse 56 - South Florida 48 = Joe says above the Bulls had no shot against the Orange in this game, and as I did not see it I can't dispute it. Yet it does seem by the scoring they hung pretty tough in the Dome, and weren't blown off the court. Were I Jim Boeheim, I'd be concerned about the poor shooting and getting outrebounded at home, and had not the Bulls had 19 turnovers, and the Orange had 19 more free throw attempts, this would have been a nail-biter. Hey, if wishes was fishes, right?

Temple 80 - LaSalle 79 (OT) = You young fellas may have no clue when I mention those Big Five battles one should expect, but if you live long enough, and see as many wars as this one, you'll start to understand.

Michigan State 66 - Minnesota 61 = And I expected a close one here too, which is turned out to be. I'm sure Izzo was happy to get out of town with this one.

Kansas 66 - Texas A&M 58 = OK, so I know it was in College Station, but that does not excuse such a relatively poor showing by the Jayhawks. Were they looking forward to that Mizzou game Saturday, or did the Aggies finally make it to the arena? If anybody saw this one, please tell me.

Northeastern 85 - George Mason 82 (OT) = This is one of two BIG upsets in small conferences that totally threw wrenches into league races. The Patriots are now tied at 14-3 with VCU for 2nd place in the CAC, behind Drexel at 15-2. In the meanwhile, the Huskies "improve" to 13-15 overall. With at-large bids of such rare value in these mid-majors, this one could be huge.

UTEP 76 - Southern Miss 68 (2OT) = As could this one in the CUSA, though they do tend to get a bit more at-large respect. This upset of the Golden Eagles puts them in a tie with Tulsa for 2nd at 9-4, with Memphis atop at 10-3. And those Miners get themselves above .500 by "improving" to 14-13. See, this is the kind of stuff I love about college hoops.

San Diego State 67 - Wyoming 58 (OT) = I had a feeling the Aztecs would have trouble again last night, but they did manage to outscore the Cowboys 12-3 in extra time. But I'd bet you Larry was sweating this one out, no doubt.


Tonight has a handful of games with some potential, especially:


Duke vs. Florida State = At 10-2 each, they are a whoppin' 1/2-game behind UNC for 1st place in the ACC race. This of course means the winner moves into a tie, and the loser will have to start hoping somebody else can help them out. As my Tar Heels get no chance to avenge themselves on the 'Noles, but do have a trip to Durham coming soon, I'm certainly rooting for the Blue Devils to help US out this evening down in Tallahassee. It won't be easy, and this ought to be a fight to the finish.

Alabama vs. Arkansas = Though not a comparable factor in the SEC race, this could be important for the post-season hopes of both teams. At 17-9 and 17-10 overall resp't., they are pretty bubbly, and need some more wins to feel safe. The Tide and 'Hogs should both know this, and ought to come out with some fire. Since they are a fairly even match, this may be a lot of fun.

Murray State vs. Tennessee State = Back on Feb. 8th Racer fans printed up T-shirts extolling their unbeaten record. On Feb. 9th the Tigers came into town and beat them 72-68. Although the OVC regular-season race is over already, this final game for TS in Nashville gives them a shot at capping a good season for them, while at the same time belling the cat that's been those Racers by giving them BOTH their losses. If you're not interested in this one, you don't belong on this thread at all.

Louisville vs. Cincinnati = Though the Cardinals are getting much more national respect than are the Bearcats, you should note the are both 9-5 in Big East play, tied a hair above mid-pack for 6th place. Louisville's been all over the ballpark this year, while Cincy came out of that brawl with crosstown Xavier on a roll that's only stumbled several times. Flip a coin on this one, for though I think UL's a better team, I don't know if they are consistent enough to show up.

Stanford vs. Colorado = Although there are a number of other Pac-12 games this evening, most of them are mis-matches which ought to go to the favorites quite easily. USC at 'Zona? Cal at Utah? C'mon. But here we have a close one between two pretty good teams. Both would be in line to earn at-large bids . . . were they not in the (justifiably?? ehhh . . .) lowly-regarded Pac-12. Hey, seems to me last year people complained that too many Pac-10 teams made the NCAAs, and they continued to complain . . . up until those Left Coast teams knocked THEIR brackets into hats. In any case, I'm looking for a good game in Boulder tonight.

BYU vs. Gonzaga = And this ought to be a good one also, and one with more conference-standings import that the one above. These two are tied for 2nd in the WCC at 11-3, a full game back of St. Mary's at 12-2. I'd have little problem with the Selection Committe going 2-deep in this conference, but if they go 3-deep, and somebody like Jerry's Wolfpack has to sit because they don't go deeper than 4 into the ACC, I'm sure he'd be p!$$ED, and I wouldn't much like it either. But aside from that aside, this one's key for these two as they strive to get back to The Dance, one way or another.


That's gonna do it for me today. Until later then . . . enjoy.