College Hoops Thread '10-'11

[The Poet]

Too much to cover, and too little time.


Syracuse 66 - U. Conn 58 = As noted, a big and badly-needed win for the Orange. And as for the Huskies, this drops the supposedly # 6 team in the nation to a tie for # 8 in the Big Mouth Conference, and a whole 1/2-game ahead of St. John's.

Oklahoma State 76 - Missouri 70 = Also as noted, a nice victory for the Cowboys, but it only drops the # 14 team into a tie for 7th in the Big 12. Does anybody but me pay any attention to stuff like this?

Indiana 60 - Minnesota 57 = But the Golden Gophers should consider themselves lucky in comparision. This huge win by the Hoosiers only puts the # 18 team into a tie for 5th in the Big Ten, and at 5-5 only 4 1/2 out of the league lead.

Iowa 72 - Michigan State 52 = So, not only did the Hoosiers get their 3rd conference victory, the Hawkeyes got their 2nd against a Spartan team that has completely fallen off the map. All of a sudden, it seems as if Tom Izzo wants to try and copy Roy Williams' run of last year.

Duke 80 - Maryland 62 = The Blue Devils rebound from their recent whipping to give pretty much the same to the Terps, and regain the top of the ACC over my Heels by a 1/2-game.

Georgia 60 - Arkansas 59 = In the short run, this win by the 'Dawgs over the Hogs means very little, since they both are wallowing in the SEC. But over the long haul, both will need all of these they can get to earn an at-large come March. They both may make it anyway, yet better safe than sorry.

Charlotte 66 - Xavier 62 = This one in the A-10 may have been the biggest upset of the evening. The Musketeers are fighting for the lead with Duquesne in the conference, while the 49ers have been digging a hole all year long. I don't care that this one was in The Queen City or not . . . there's no explaining it.

San Diego State 56 - Colorado State 54 = I had me a feeling this would be a close one, and as even a blind hog finds an acorn on occasion, I turned out to be right. The Aztecs eek out a win over a pesky flock of Rams, and keep their tie with BYU for the Mountain West. Speaking of which . . .

BYU 69 - Wyoming 62 = Are you kidding me? There are high-school teams who could beat Wyoming better than this. Hey, there are teams that stink, and others that purely suck. Last week the Cougars lost a game, and moved UP in the polls. A win like this one, and they need to move down.

Virginia 49 - Clemson 47 = Speaking of moving down, the Clemson Tigers were starting to get some notice nationally, especially after beating Florida State badly last weekend. Well, that's over with for now. This is a huge W for the Cavs, who with a 12-10 record have not had many.

Tulsa 68 - Memphis 65 = And at 12-10 themselves, this is equally huge for the Golden Hurricanes. As for the Tigers, their growing pains continue. However, they still remain in the hunt for the CUSA crown, and as nobody seems willing to step up and grab it, that race may go down to the wire.

Villanova 75 - Marquette 70 = And with the exception of league-leading Pitt, the same is true of the Big East. Would you believe that, below the Panthers, there are ten teams with conference records between 6-3 and 5-5? Talk about your dogfight!


There is some big-name action tonight, and some important conference action in the smaller leagues:

Valparaiso vs. Cleveland State = And this one in the Horizon is a big as the small ones get. Valpo is a 1/2-game back of the Vikings for the lead, so this road game is huge for them both.

IPFW vs. IUPUI = This alphabetical battle is also vital for both, as they fight for 2nd place in the Summit.

Wofford vs. Charleston = Here we have another key matchup, with two of the premier teams in the Southern Conference.

Liberty vs. Coastal Carolina = The Big South Conference here, and the same big game.

Belmont vs. Jacksonville = Once more, in the Atlantic Sun now.

Murray State vs. Tennessee State = And even once more, with Joe's Racers facing a key game in the Ohio Valley. All these games cited take on added significance when you realize that none of these conferences are likely to receive more than one bid to the NCAAs each, so they must make hay while the sun still shines on their hopes.

Ohio State vs. Michigan = OK, so one of these two teams is pretty confident that it will get themselves a ticket to The Dance. The other? Not so much. Yet the young Wolverines have started to play some decent ball of late, and they do have a shot at improving their odds by pulling off the upset tonight, and give the Buckeyes their 1st loss of the year. I don't expect it, but remember that they DID take Kansas to OT not so long ago . . . and remember how many games OSU has won by a point or three also.

Notre Dame vs. DePaul = And one of these teams thinks they have already earned a bid, whereas the other knows they'd have to steal the conference tournament crown to get one. I'm not saying the Irish already have the victory in hand, but I wouldn't bet a dime on the Blue Demons' chances.

Arizona vs. Stanford = And if the desert 'Cats want to get a bit more respect, they had better chop down that big-a$$ Tree out in NoCal this evening. I'd give them the edge, even on the road, but keep two things in mind: The Cardinal did edge Pac-10 co-leader Washington on home court, and whatever their talent may be, they are doubtlessly a LOT smarter than the guys from 'Zona.

Washington vs. Oregon State = The Huskies are on the road in Corvallis also, but I wouldn't expect the Beavers to give them much of a game. Shoot, they haven't given much of anybody one so far, so why start now? Oh wait . . . they did beat the "Rodney Dangerfield" Wildcats, didn't they. Nevermind.

Gonzaga vs. Portland = These two teams are not where they wanted to be . . . mired in the middle of the WCC. Though both have played well from time to time, both have also dropped games they were not expected to lose. Neither one may make much noise for the rest of this season, yet both still have some hopes. So, no matter what else transpires after this evening, you can plan on a fight tonight.


I could do twice as much, both on last night's and tonight's action, but I'm out of time and out of energy. Feel free to post your own picks, brothers, and until later . . . enjoy.