College Hoops Thread '09-'10

[The Poet]

Were I to post all the close scores over the past few days I'd be at it all afternoon, so I'll just hit the highlights here. In the balance of the games Saturday:

Texas 72 - Texas A&M 67 (OT) = The Longhorns, ranked No. 1 for the very first time, did most definitely dodge a bullet from the Aggies, and on their own court even. The 'Horns took their first lead in the game in OT, and were down by as much as 13 in the first half . . . which may not sound like much, but it was their largest deficit of the season.

Kentucky 72 - Auburn 67 = However, the Wildcats once again showed their total dominance as they completely outclassed the powerful Auburn Tigers (9-9) to remain undefeated . . . of course. Their helpless opponent was down by an insurmountable 3 whole points when they finally got the ball back with a mere 37 seconds left, and if they had hit a desperation shot to tie the match they would only have prolonged their embarrassing slaughter. Watch out, UCLA . . . your 88-game winning streak is just outside of UK's grasp.

Northwestern 72 - Purdue 64 = This is likely third on my list here due to the fact that I believed the Boilermakers should have owned the court. Back when they were ranked 4th I said I felt that was too high . . . guess 6th was also.

Kansas State 87 - Colorado 81 = And this is fourth not only because I thought it might just be this close but also because there were an outrageous 94 FTs in this one. I'd have hated to be the pea in those whistles.

Ohio State 60 - Wisconsin 51 = The resurgence of the Buckeyes continues.

Michigan State 73 - Illinois 63 = Though closer than I expected, the Spartans keep pace.

Cincinnati 60 - Notre Dame 58 = After losing that heartbreaker to St. John's, Bearcats hand the Irish one.

Florida State 63 - Virginia Tech 58 = Just your typical Semi-Hokie matchup.

Virginia 75 - Miami 57 = Wait a second here . . . the Cavaliers are on top of the ACC, ahead of the Devils, the Heels, the Terps, the Deacs, the whoevers? Who'd a thunk? Not me. And to spank Miami by nearly 20? Whoa.

I found only a few games Sunday to note, given than others were totally expected:

Indiana 81 - Minnesota 78 (OT) = The Hoosiers are far from back, but this is a nice win.

Michigan 68 - U. Conn 63 = And this is a better one for the Logans.

Villanova 82 - Georgetown 77 = And this was just about what one would want in a 'Nova/Hoya match, but not exactly what I'd expect. That's a lot of points in a Georgetown game, given their history of stingy D.

Tonight there are only a handful of decent games scheduled. Fairfield has already beaten Canisius 76-74, and the Rider/Iona game may be about as good. But the two you guys will care about are:

Syracuse vs. Notre Dame = The Orange should own the Irish, but you never know in conference matchups.

Texas vs. Kansas State = The Longhorns have been winning, but things have gotten tougher for them lately, so this could be some fun here too.

Enjoy.