College Hoops Thread '09-'10

[The Poet]

Yes indeedy, there were a number of really good contests between the "also-rans" last night, but who truly cares if Alabama State and Grambling State won in OT, or that St. Peter's beat Niagara in 2OT, or that Bethune-Cookman edged N.C. A&T by one? I don't, but if you do, then props to your boys, no matter which side the final score fell. The two games of national note last night were also good games:

Villanova 92 - Louisville 84 = And Louisville did show up, as this one was closer than the final may indicate. The Cardinals squandered a 17-point first-half lead, and Scottie Reynolds scored 16 in the final 6 minutes to pull 'Nova in front. Even with that, Louisville had two chances to tie it late with 3-pointers, but missed them both. A nice game, and a nice W for the boys from Philly.

Oklahoma 62 - Oklahoma State 57 (OT) = The Sooners tried to leave the court sooner than they should, and wasted a 5-point lead with 30 ticks left, letting the Cowboys tie it up to force the extra session. But then it was the 'Boys who got poked, scoring only 3 stinkin' points in five minutes.

There are not a slew of games tonight either, yet there are more marquee matchups than last evening gave to us:

Kentucky vs. Florida = I see this as the same as the 'Nova/Louisville one . . . if the Gators show up, they could put the umpteenth scare into the Wildcats.

Purdue vs. Ohio State = The Boilermakers no longer have that "undefeated" pressure on them, and the Buckeyes still haven't figured out how to play without Turner. This should be over sooner rather than later.

Kansas State vs. Texas A&M = Either team is capable of winning, and neither is dominant. Should be tons of fun.

Florida State vs. N.C. State = The Seminoles have gotten more respect, but Lowe has his guys playing better than others expected, plus the Wolfpack needs the W more. I predict a close one.

Maryland vs. Wake Forest = If you know the ACC, 'nuff said.

Illinois vs. Penn State = The Illini are 3-0 in conference, and the Lions 0-3. These percentages will not change.

Baylor vs. Colorado = The Bears have the better team. However, they are not accustomed to playing as a ranked team, so they might stumble early. They should prevail though.

Enjoy.