College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

[The Poet]

Yo, Justin! Re your Bruins, I just saw a post from some yahoo on Yahoo stating that it's time to fire Howland and "bring back Larry Brown." I answered him by asking if he didn't have enough Tar Heels already.

[The Poet]

There were a few notable scores from last night, but none more that:


Long Beach State 86 - # 9 (for now) Pittsburgh 74 = Wow. I have expressed my doubts clearly in the past about the Panthers, but I never expected this. Pitt normally does not lose such games, especially at home. Coupled with other doubts I've already voiced about some Big East teams, I'm wondering if this foretells a down year for them.

# 25 Florida State 79 - Stetson 66 = And I find this surprising not so much with the margin of victory as with the fact that the 'Noles are supposed to have defensive strength, so to allow Stetson to score 66 when they themselves couldn't break 80 is a bit disturbing.

Indiana 94 - Evansville 73 = This is the opposite situation here. The Hoosiers are improving, but not yet that much. Meanwhile, Evansville did handle a "down" Butler squad, and for them to have such a lousy first half to kill their chances . . . in their house, no less . . . is confusing.

N. C. State 60 - Princeton 58 = In Raleigh, to boot. OK, like Indiana, the 'Pack is a year or so away, it is only Gottleib's 3rd game as coach, the team is down a few key players for various reason AND lost their outside threat to a twisted ankle before the fans had settled in, AND even a "down" Princeton team is tough to play. But for this to come down to a jumper with 4 ticks left, and THEN white-knuckle time watching a half-court heave for the win fall short. Ehhh, I hope Jerry's happy about the W. Me, I'm not so much, and NOT because I live an hour from Princeton either.

Oklahoma State 90 - UTSA 85 (OT) = Hey, I thought the Cowboys were supposed to be building a basketball power down there. For them to let a bunch of Rick Barnes' rejects ( ) take them to OT . . . well, I can't see it.

San Francisco 83 - San Jose State 81 // Savannah State 73 - Jacksonville 70 (OT X 2) = Yeah, I don't think we'll be talking much about ANY of these teams come March, but give all four props for putting on a show.

N. C. Asheville 126 - Mars Hill 75 = And though Asheville could earn themselves another automatic bid in March, so we'd talk about them for a day or so, I'm not so much interested in that regard as to the fact they not only BROKE 100, they shattered the century mark. It makes me feel a little better about my Heels "holding" them to 75 a earlier this week.


We already have a few interesting scores from today's action, including:


Purdue 91 - Iona 90 = This might shock Boilermaker (or Big Ten) fans, but it's not that big a deal. Purdue seems more lost so far WITH Hummel than they were without him, and the Gaels were predicted to potentially be this year's mid-major giant killer. There's nothing shocking about this one.

Northwestern 88 - LSU 82 = Nor this one. The Brainiacs of the Big Ten had a great start last year, while LSU has become another one of those irrelevant SEC programs. Maybe the Tigers should ease up with the football for a while, and try to convince Shaq to come back and finish school.

# 16 Alabama vs. Maryland = This one has tipped off already, and so far in the first half the Terps have lived up to their mascot's rep and gotten off to a sloooooow start. As this one's in Puerto Rico, there's no reason for them to be so cold. I'd figure the Tide could take it anyway, yet I do expect the Terps to make some sort of game of it eventually.

VCU vs. Seton Hall = I have no faith in the Pirates however, and believe VCU will take this with relative ease.

# 19 Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State = The Bulldogs have already lost a game I thought they should have won, so I can't see them upsetting the Aggies.

# 4 U Conn vs. Maine = Here's my prediction here: One of these days Calhoun's dropouts will do two things . . . play somebody who's not a cupcake, and play on the road. And don't feed me that crap about the Big Mouth's regular season being tough enough as it is without playing tough competition out-of-league. Hey, why do you think so many of these Big Mouth teams fail so quickly in the NCAA Tournament? And for the defending champs to pu$$yfoot around like this, it's unforgivable.

Wichita State vs. Colorado = As has happened before to me, this one just pops out as having potential.

Georgia Tech vs. St. Joseph's = Same here, though the reason is more clear. These two programs have good histories, but poor recent pasts. I wouldn't mind seeing them both improve, yet even if they haven't they may match up well.

# 24 Missouri vs. Niagara = Niagara falls. Sloooowly I turned . . . step by step, inch by inch. 'Nuff said?

# 7 (for now) Florida vs. North Florida = I have a feeling the Gators will rebound from their loss to the Buckeyes.

Murray State vs. Tennessee Temple = And I again wish Joe's Racers good luck, as they continue their march through hell.

# 17 Michigan vs. Western Illinois = And here I want to see if the Wolverines can score more than a football team.

# 15 Arizona vs. St. John's = I've not been overly impressed with the Desert 'Cats so far, and the Johnnies have played better early than they were expected to, what with so many of their vaunted recruits being deemed ineligable. Plus, this is in MSG, so you know who the crowd will be behind. That said, though I can see the locals giving 'Zona some problems, I don't think they can pull off the upset. But hey, I've been wrong before, and you never know.

USC vs. San Diego State = The Trojans are likely mid-PAC12 at best, and the Aztecs are likely a bit down from last year's surprising squad . . . though they are already 3-0 at home, and looking for the 4th tonight. Keep half-an-eye on this one, if you are able to keep half an eye open that late anyway.


That's it for now. Enjoy.

[jcruse64]

Billy Kennedy's Aggies are having a tough time with Miss St tonight. They are laying it n the Aggies early and often. Not looking good.

Also saw that the Terps got nailed by Bama.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

Billy Kennedy's Aggies are having a tough time with Miss St tonight. They are laying it n the Aggies early and often. Not looking good.

Also saw that the Terps got nailed by Bama.

Yeah, One big surprise to me, and one mild one:

Mississippi State 69 - # 19 (for now) Texas A&M 60 = The Bulldogs lost by ten at home to Akron, and I figured they'd have a long season. They may still, and this upset over the Aggies doesn't make their year. But it helps.

# 16 Alabama 62 - Maryland 42 = The Tide win doesn't shock me, as I knew the Terps were down again this year. But I did think they'd make more of a game of it. They didn't, following their 20-point first half with a 22-point second.

Other action I noted:

# 17 MIchigan 59 - Western Illinois 55 = Another bucket or two either way and here'd have been another stunner. Once again the Logans showed an inability to score the ball. They can't keep this up for long without taking one in the snout.

Penn 78 - Rider 72 (OT) = Aside from being a war, this one's a surprise because I did not think Rider could make this much of a game of it.

Seton Hall 69 - VCU 54 = And this one's one because I did not think the Pirates had a chance in hell. Yet not only did they prevail, they won handily.

# 15 Arizona 81 - St. John's 72 = But this one seems about right to me. As I've said, I'm not totally sold on the Desert 'Cats yet, while the Johnnies can play tough in MSG or the Louie Dome. If you're a 'Zona fan, be happy with it and move on.

San Diego State 56 - USC 54 = And this one was the struggle I expected, though I could not predict they'd both struggle so much offensively. A nice win for the Aztecs, and hopefully a learning loss for the Trojans.


As with yesterday, we already have some scores today:


Purdue 85 - Temple 77 = Not the nail-biter the Boilermakers had against the Gaels, but maybe a tighter fight with the Owls than they'd hoped for, I'd imagine.

Tulsa vs. Northwestern = With under 4 to play as I type, this one's still to close to call . . . which is what you'd think.

# 19 (for now) Texas A&M vs. St. John's = And closing in on the half, the Johnnies are hanging within 2 or 3 possessions with the Aggies. Maybe yesterday we'd not thought this, but it's easier to believe today.

# 6 Duke vs. Davidson = In Cameron, so these Wildcats only have a shot if they can borrow little brother Seth Curry for the night.

Seton Hall vs. St. Joseph's = Here's one of those that could be a damn nice tight contest.

TCU vs. Virginia = And this one too, if the Cav guards can hit a few open jumpers.

Maryland vs. Colorado = The Terps are likely cheesed at the way they stunk up the joint last evening, so hopefully they can give the Buffs a better showing.

# 15 Arizona vs. Mississippi State = Much like the Aggies/RedStorm one above, I wouldn't have given the 'Dogs much chance yesterday against these 'Cats. But that was yesterday, and they are playing today. Keep your eye on this one, as it could be interesting before it's all done.

# 13 Xavier vs. Miami OH = So could this one . . . save for the fact that it's all done before the tipoff.

Houston vs. Arkansas = Hmmmm. Again, this one popped out. I can see it being pretty damn close, wire to wire.

# 21 Marquette vs. Winthrop = And I can see this being pretty damn over by the half.

VCU vs. Georgia Tech = Two teams that need a victory now, and if they both show up this could be some fun.

Akron vs. Valparaiso = I'd give the Zips a definite edge here, but Valpo won't just roll over.

New Mexico vs. Arizona State = In Tempe. The Sun Devils may be on their way up a little, and the Lobos might be on their way down some from last season. Here's another one with potential.

# 16 Alabama vs. Wichita State = Here too, believe it or not. The Shockers may not be able to pull of the shocker, but I think they'll give the Tide some game.

# 3 Ohio State vs. Jackson State = And I think Jack State will show up for this game too . . . if their bus does not break down. Aside from that, it won't matter jack $#!+.


If I get a chance, I'll look at early match-ups on Saturday. If not, I'll get to them tomorrow. Either way . . . enjoy.

[The Poet]

Northwestern take Tulsa 69- 65 in a good close game. In another, Ole Miss bests Drake 63-59.

With about 5 minutes gone in the second stanza, St. John's is within a bucket of the Aggies.


There's really only one early game of note tomorrow:


# 2 Kentucky vs. Penn State = And that note will be sour for the Nittany Lions, who've had enough problems of late to need this. The game's at the Mohegan Sun in CT, but don't place your bets. I've no idea what the line is, yet I doubt PSU can cover.

[The Poet]

Texas A&M 58 - St. John's 57 = Wow. The Aggies hit a jumper with 6 seconds left to go ahead by one. Then, with 2 ticks left, they foul a Johnnie to send him to the line for a pair. He clunks them both, and A&M dodges a bullet. You want to bet Steve Lavin's a bit p!$$ed?

[The Poet]

Aside from those already reported, here are the scores from Friday that struck me:


Mississippi State 67 - # 16 (though not for long) Arizona 57 = Those Bulldogs seem to have found their feet all of a sudden. This one is a bit of a shock, though I've said I have limited faith in 'Zona before now. Coupled with other early-season struggles involving PAC-12 teams, this year may be just as long as the prior several have been.

# 13 Xavier 66 - Miami OH 60 = It is much the same situation here also. As much as I do respect the Musketeers for having a quality mid-major program, I felt their pre-season ranking was a tad elevated. Coupled with their win over Morgan State by only a 74-63 margin, this 2-possession victory may indicate I'm not a total fool. Hey, it's early, and the X-Men could become monsters, but I'll need to see it first.

Valparaiso 62 - Akron 59 = And this surprises me too. I felt the Zips might be one of those "noisy" mid-majors, largely based on their road win over Miss. State, so thought they'd handle Valpo with relative ease. But they went cold at the precise wrong time, allowing Valpo to score the final 8 points. Well, looks like young Bryce Drew has a few more miracles left in his bag.

New Mexico 76 - Arizona State 71 = And this surprises me none at all. I figured it would be a tight contest, and it was.

Houston 87 - Arkansas 78 = And I figured this one would be tight too, and it was closer than the final score might indicate. The Cougars and the Hogs were tied 36-all at the break.

Maryland 78 - Colorado 71 = And this is probably about what one should have expected. Neither team is lousy, and neither is great either. I'm glad for the Terps getting a needed victory, but I don't expect this is any big statement one way or the other.

# 6 Duke 82 - Davidson 69 = When you consider the fact that this was in Cameron, and the fact that the Wildcats held a 35-34 lead at the half, and the assumption that the Blue Devils are a Final Four contender, this is not a very impressive margin of victory. As with Michigan State, Dook's one big run gave them a bulge to work with. I have no problem with that per se. Yet coupled with that squeaker against Belmont, it should perhaps give the folks in Durham pause.

Georgia Tech 73 - VCU 60 = As with the Terps, the Jackets have been a "down" program of late. This is no proof they are on their way back, but it is a decent win for them.


Already today Kentucky has spanked Penn State 85-47, to nobody's surprise, while Princeton is doing a comperable number so far on Buffalo down in Jadwin Gym. There's too many games for me to note all that may be good, so I'll just go with:


ODU vs. South Florida = These two should be pretty competitive, start to finish.

# 8 Louisville vs. Butler = And though I'd give Pitino's Cardinals a definite edge here, this one may be better than he'd like it to be.

Virginia vs. Drexel = I may be weeeeellllll off here, but I just have that feeling about this one.

# 20 Cincinnati vs. Presbyterian = Give the Blue Hose credit for once more being willing to play with the Big Boys. Give the Bearcats credit for being willing to sign a check over to them.

# 5 Syracuse vs. Colgate = You don't need to wonder where the yellow went this time of year. As is usual, the Orange are facing another cupcake in the Carrier Dome, as this one follows wars against Fordham, Manhattan, and Albany. Did you know that the 'Cuse won't play at someone else's home until they face N.C. State on Dec. 17th? Gawd-awful, you ask me.

Long Beach State vs. San Diego State = Like that UVA/Drexel game, I have that itch here also.

Duquesne vs. Akron = And here I go scratching it again.

# 18 Vanderbilt vs. N. C. State = I don't know if Vandy's early upset loss was an abberation or not, and I don't know if the 'Pack can continue to play as well as they have to date. So my interest in this one lies in the hope I'll get some sort of answer . . . and hopefully, a game at least close enough for Jerry to enjoy.

Charleston vs. Clemson = As I access my inner Simpsons, I avow that this just might be a match-up between the two best teams . . . in South Carolina. Could be a lotta fun too.

# 14 Wisconsin vs. Wofford = The Terriers just lost big to the Georgia Bulldogs, so I don't think they'll have much chance against the Big Bad Badgers. In fact, their only shot is to come out hot, grab a sizable early lead, and force the Glaciers to try and run a little. It's likely Wisconsin will own the boards, so Wofford's gonna hafta force some TOs for those extra possessions. Can that happen? Yes. Will it? I don't think so.

# 22 Gonzaga vs. Hawaii = If Mark Few can get his 'Zags off the beach, they shold have few problems arching over the Rainbows.


I'll come back later with some Sunday action. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

With all the early-season tip-off tourneys and invitationals, many of Sunday's match-ups are yet TBD, depending on the outcome of games. For instance, Kentucky will face the winner of the ODU/South Florida contest . . . and win. There are a lot of others like that. So all I can give you are the "givens" up tomorrow:


Washington vs. Saint Louis = One might think a Husky would have no problem tearing a Billiken to shreds. Yet the PAC-12 as a whole has been as a hole so far, and SL can hoop a bit. This may be a nice game, at least midway through the 2nd half.

# 4 U Conn vs. Coppin State = Kay-riest! Did you read what I said about Syracuse above? Well, as for these Huskies, they've obviously been neutered too. This is their 4th home cupcake to open their defense of the crown, following Columbia, Wagner, and Maine, and they won't hit the road until they face South Florida on 12/28. Plus, they have NO ranked teams out-of-conference scheduled for the entire season! I think they are over-ranked at #4. I also think they shall remain over-ranked until they actually have the nerve to play somebody, come January. Sheesh.

Iona vs. Maryland = Yesterday I probably would have given the Gaels a decided edge over the Terps, who have not played all that well. But UM played better against the Buffaloes, so now I think this may be a pretty good one afterall.

# 1 North Carolina vs. Mississippi Valley State = And I don't think this one will be much good at all, save maybe for us Tar Heels. And before you object that UNC should be lumped in the same boat as I put U Conn and the 'Cuse, note not only that this is their FIRST game in the Dean Dome, after opening up on the road on that flattop and that mountaintop in Asheville, but that they will host Wisconsin and visit Kentucky in the near future. So I think they've earned a little scrimmage against the Delta Devils.

LSU vs. Georgia Tech = Two so-so teams in two basketball-rich conferences. That could mean a decent game for us to enjoy.

# 25 Florida State vs. South Alabama = Though I'm not expecting the Semiholes to have much of a problem, I want to see if their defense does a better job than they did against Jacksonville and Stetson.

Murray State vs. UAB = Aside from being of interest to Joe, this might tell us a bit about the Racers' chances of having a good season. UAB should be at least a tough out, and maybe even too tough.

Iowa vs. Creighton = And this IMHO will just be a dogfight.

Duquesne vs. Valparaiso = Here's another one, at least potentially.

Temple vs. Wichita State = And here's another.

Michigan State vs. AR Little Rock = And here's the Spartans' shot to get to .500 after opening up with losses to UNC and Dook. Give Izzo credit though. He's willing to play these two, even though he's something like 1-for-11 in his last dozen against the Tobacco Road duo.

Tulsa vs. St. Joseph's = I could see this one going down to the last few possessions.

# 16 Alabama vs. Purdue = And I could see this one doing the same damn thing.

# 21 Marquette vs. Mississippi = And this might not be quite as close, but still should not be a blow-out.

Northwestern vs. Seton Hall = The Hall's played better than I'd expected so far. I think they're gonna hafta continue to in order to compete here.

Washington State vs. Portland = Do any of you remember last year, when Portland got off hot and even got ranked for a bit? Or was that the year before? Anyway, the Pilots have a shot at making some noise in the Great NW if they can take it to the "meh" Cougars. Keep your eye on this.


That's it for now. Though I may reply to any comments, I shan't be back until Monday afternoon. So until then . . . enjoy.

[The Poet]

Once more, too many games, too little time. Here's my highlights from Saturday:


Presberterian 56 - Cincinnati 54 = Each year we have many surprises, and numerous shocks, but true stunners are rarer. Here's one. Don't get me wrong; I have a lot of respect for the Blue Hose, but it's not for their abilities and rather for their willingness to play anybody, anytime, anywhere. This should not have been a game at all. The Bearcats opened up a comfortable 15-point bulge with 10 minutes to play, as one would expect. Yet from that point it was not PU who stunk up the joint, but instead Cincy. And though they still held a 1-point edge with 7 ticks left, they left a Blue Hoser open for a game-winning trey . . . then could not answer to at least tie for the OT. Yeah, the Big East is the Monster of the East they always claim to be.

Cal Poly 42 - Southern Cal 36 = And this nearly qualifies as as big a stunner. It's so weird, it reminds me of an episode of Numbers, where they brought in some ringers from the Lakers. Plus, aside from losing, the Trojans were not just pitiful at scoring, they were absolutely atrocious. Shame, shame.

Duquesne 81 - Akron 76 = Now here we had a really good game, which I believe I predicted.

Charleston 72 - Clemson 69 = Here again, and not the shocker those not familiar with CoC hoops might believe.

Harvard 77 - Loyola Marymount = This one interests me because LM loses for the second time in a row, following a 7-point loss to Middle Tenn. State, and after embarrasssing then-#17 UCLA by 11 in the opener.

# 18 Vanderbilt 86 - N. C. State 79 = Maybe the Commodores are recovering from their shocking early loss too. Still, a decent showing by Jerry's Wolfpack. Besides, he should be happy enough with their victory over Clemson on the gridiron to not let this bother him.

Oregon State 100 - Texas 95 (OT) = I felt this would be an interesting match-up also. Seems it was.

San Diego State 77 - Long Beach State 73 (OT) = Ditto.

ODU 68 - South Florida 66 (OT) = Dit-three.


On Sunday we saw:



# 2 Kentucky 62 - ODU 52 = Ohhhh, baby! Those freshmen for the Cats are talented, but they are freshmen, so it took an upperclassman to come off the bench and save Cal's butt in this one. And don't let that 10-point final margin fool you, since it was much closer than that.

# 4 U Conn 87 - Coppin State 70 = In Hartford, no less. When you consider the fact that Coppin ain't no danged ODU, this one's just about as bad. A win's a win, but I don't think Calhoun's all that happy today.

# 16 Alabama 65 - Purdue 56 = I guess this one's about right. The Tide's been decent so far, and the Boilermakers have been iffy.

# 25 Florida State 80 - South Alabama 39 = I normally don't report on blow-outs, but I've been waiting for that vaunted Seminole defense to show up. Maybe it has started to do so. Either that, or South 'Bama didn't show up at all.

Belmont 87 - Middle Tennessee State 84 (2OT) = Now this Volunteer State marathon surprises me a bit. Yeah, Belmont pulled it out, finally, but it seems maybe I need to pay more attention to MTSU, to see if they can hoop a little more than I thought.

Saint Louis 77 - Washington 64 = I knew, and I said, that the Billikens could hoop some. Still, I hadn't the stones to call for an "upset" here. Good for them . . . and one more strike against the PAC-12.

Northwestern 80 - Seton Hall 73 = Well, the Hall did manage to compete with the Braini'cats, so I guess that's a moral victory for the Parish Pirates.

St. Joseph's 79 - Tulsa 75 = I called this one going down to the last possessions, and it certainly did so.

Temple 78 - Wichita State 74 = And I called this dogfight too.

Murray State 62 - UAB 55 = Well, I guess Joe's happy. His Racers finally played somebody that somebody else has actually heard of, and they came away with the W. Good on them!


Here's some selected Monday action:


Already # 15 Michigan has beaten # 8 (for 6 1/2 more days ) Memphis 73-61. I'm not surprised the Logans won, but do take note that they actually managed to score a little bit this evening. Also, Virginia's beaten Drake 60-52, if anybody cares. Otherwise:


# 6 Duke vs. Tennessee = Out in Maui. This one's already midway thru the 1st, with the Blue Devils and the Vols in a real fight. I give UT a chance here, since Dook does not travel often, or well, in the early season, but I really believe Coach K will wake them up after the break and have them pull away.

TCU vs. Mississippi = Eh, might be a pretty good game here.

N. C. State vs. Texas = And here too.

# 10 Florida vs. Wright State = The Raiders were spanked by Ohio State, and the Gators were at least slapped around by the Buckeyes themselves. Yet that won't make this one a contest. Gators gulp WS whole.

# 21 Missouri vs. Notre Dame = Baby Ben has departed South Bend, so I don't know what the Irish have. Still, I don't think the Tigers are the cat's meow either, so this could be decent.

Presbyterian vs. Davidson = The Blue Hose come off their huge win over the Bearcats, and the Wildcats hung real tough in Cameron against Dook . . . well, at least tougher than did the Presbers. This one interests me just because it does, since I want to see what each team has.

# 16 Marquette vs. Norfolk State = And this one interests me none at all.

# 3 Ohio State vs. North Florida = Nor this one.

# 18 Vanderbilt vs. Oregon State = OK now, this might be a little more like it. Might be, if Vandy struggles again, and if this OSU isn't the same crap we've come to expect from the PAC-12, like . . .

UCLA vs. Chaminade = No offense, Justin. Considering how they've played, I can't bet on your Bruins, though I wouldn't think they could possibly lose. Still, if Chaminade does pull it off, this won't be the upset it was when they beat Ralph Sampson's UVA squad.

# 20 California vs. Georgia = And while we're talking PAC-12, I can see this one being a pretty decent game too. The Bulldogs don't purely stink, and the Golden Bears haven't proven anything to me yet.

# 14 Kansas vs. Georgetown = Here again, I could see a pretty good one, for at least a half or so. The Jayhawks are a little down this season, though maybe not as much as the Hoyas. Still, I don't expect Georgetown to completely roll over and play dead. This is one to keep one's eye on, just to see what's cooking.


That's quick and dirty, and all I've time for. So go amuse yourselves for a while, and enjoy.

[mase]

Originally Posted by The Poet

# 14 Kansas vs. Georgetown = Here again, I could see a pretty good one, for at least a half or so. The Jayhawks are a little down this season, though maybe not as much as the Hoyas. Still, I don't expect Georgetown to completely roll over and play dead. This is one to keep one's eye on, just to see what's cooking.

The Hoyas have some unproven freshmen talent, but most of their experience graduated last year. I hate to say it but I agree that Kansas will likely win this one.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by mase

The Hoyas have some unproven freshmen talent, but most of their experience graduated last year. I hate to say it but I agree that Kansas will likely win this one.

Right on both counts, Kevin. But who was right about the game being decent?


# 12 Kansas 67 - Goergetown 63 = You can't much fault the Jayhawks for dropping one to Kentucky. You also can't have a ton of faith in them following a tight one like this over a team they maybe should have beaten by double-figures.


In other action yesterday:


UCLA 92 - Chaminade 60 = Means nothing, but I thought I'd get this out of the way for Justin right off the bat.

Davidson 68 - Presbyterian 54 = After shocking the Bearcats by two, the Blue Hose fall to the Wildcats by 14. Does this make Cincy's collapse even bigger? You tell me.

# 6 Duke 77 - Tennessee 67 = A win in Maui, where the Blue Devils don't seem to lose, but not a very dominant showing over a Vol team still in turmoil after all that Bruce Pearl mess last season. But they are Dook, so nobody's gonna pay any attention to that . . . yet.

# 10 Florida 78 - Wright State 65 = And pretty much the same danged story here. The Gators win, yet not by a safe enough margin to impress me. Still, it is better than . . .

# 21 Marquette 59 - Norfolk State 57 = Are you kidding me? This from a team that's supposed to compete with the Big Boys of the Big Mouth Conference? I don't think so.

# 18 Vanderbilt 64 - Oregon State 62 = OK, the Comms have more of an excuse here, but bottom line's the same. Are they ready to challenge UK or Fla. in the SEC? As much as I might like that, it looks doubtful so far.

N. C. State 77 - Texas 74 = And OK, the Longhorns are down this year. Blame Barnes for recruiting so much "one-and-done" talent, I think. Still, this is a very good win for Jerry's Wolfpack, who have been down for a lot longer.


Already again today we've got action, with # 8 Memphis edging in-state rival Tennessee in a real dogfight 99-97 in 2OT. All in all, I see no reason for the Vols to hang their heads, and not much reason for the Tigers to celebrate. Also, the Hoyas are starting to build a margin over Chaminade, as they should. Other games I find of note coming include:


Elon vs. Princeton = "Say what?", you ask. Well, you know the Tigers play tough, especially in Jadwin Gym (or Cameron North, as I call it ), but you've perhaps forgotten that the Phoenix beat South Carolina a week or so back. This might be a decent one.

# 17 Pittsburgh vs. LaSalle = And this one might be better than the Panthers would prefer. I already made the mistake once by saying Pitt does not lose games like this one, then they dropped one by 10 to Long Beach State, at home. Plus, the Explorers only lost by 7 on Villanova's court, so don't chalk this one up yet as a gimme.

# 6 Duke vs. # 15 Michigan = To my eyes, neither of these teams have played up to their rankings yet. It's not that they've been bad, but Dook's not owning other teams and the Logans have problems scoring too often. So this one out in Maui could be fun, even if only to see if one or the other will finally show up . . . if either is actually there at all to begin with.

# 7 Louisville vs. Arkansas State = Please.

# 1 North Carolina vs. Tennessee State = Please again, though I'm interested to see if my Heels can start to hit some 3s, hit more FTs, and defend a little better.

Cleveland State vs. Kent State = Now here, we might have us a game already.

Notre Dame vs. Georgia = And though these two didn't show up last night, that could bode well for some competition this night.

# 11 Wisconsin vs. Mo. Kansas City = Another .

# 14 Kansas vs. UCLA = Are the Jayhawks ready to find their feet? Are the Bruins ready to pull themselves up off the mat? This one's a hard call. It could be OK, it could be another stinker by the SoCal So-Sos. Me, I'd expect KU to romp, but I'm not convinced they are all that good, nor am I convinced that UCLA sucks. This makes it intriguing.

Richmond vs. Illinois = And here we have a good mid-major program facing a mid-pack major one. I can see this going down to the final 5 minutes, or less even.

# 9 Baylor vs. South Carolina State = I did not trust my memory so I had to stop and check on this. I was right. Much like Syracuse and U Conn, the Bears haven't faced much of anything so far, and all at home too. The only game that wasn't a total "gimme" was their 10-point win over San Diego State, and the Aztecs ain't the Aztecs of last year either. Don't watch this game, and refuse to watch any Baylor game until they finally get off the pot.

Boise State vs. Long Beach State = Here's just another one of those that hops off the page for me. Could be fun.

# 20 California vs. # 21 Missouri = And if these rankings have any relevance whatsoever, this one WILL be fun. Hey, I've not seen enough from either team to have much faith yet, but I'm willing to concede that they both can hoop a bit. If they both show up late tonight, this will be a war.


That's again all I can do today. So until later, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Would you believe a liquor store is busy on Thanksgiving Eve? I may get no chance to post anything today. Crap. Maybe I'll have to do a make-up on Firday, when I'm here all freakin' day.

[The Poet]

OK, let's see if I can catch up a little bit here. In Wednesday's games:


Colorado 76 - Air Force 73 (OT) = Just a damn fine contest up in the mountains, though the scoring was not as high as the altitude.

Murray State 64 - Alaska 62 = And too damn fine a contest to suit Joe, I'd presume.

San Diego State 61 - # 23 (or was) Arizona 57 = I don't think the Aztecs will have as good a season as last year's, but this is one good win for them, for sure. And one bad loss for the Desert 'Cat faithful.

# 9 Baylor 75 - Tx. Arlington 65 = And a win for the Bears, but it tells me more about what they aren't than what they are. Not very impressive, IMHO.

Butler 68 - Gardner-Webb 66 = And since we still don't know what Butler is this year, much less what G-W may be, I'm not sure what to make of this. A win's a win, but that's all it is.

Detroit 94 - Austin Peay 93 (OT) = Another nice exciting battle.

# 6 Duke 68 - # 14 Kansas 61 = And another nice win for the Blue Devils in Maui, plus another tough loss for the Jayhawks against good competition.

Georgetown 91 - # 8 (or used to be) Memphis 88 (OT) = The Hoyas may be a surprise to many this year. Or maybe the Tigers will be one, albeit a bad one.

Iona 104 - St. Joseph's 99 (2OT) = Dang, I wish I'd seen this game. The Gaels are supposed to be good this year, and the Hawks are already playing better this season than they did last one.

Loyola Marymount 79 - Idaho State 76 (OT) = I'm not sure this means much by itself, but when you consider LM beat UCLA by 11, then needed OT to edge Potato State by a trey . . . well, it puts the Bruins into an even worse light.

South Alabama 79 - LSU 75 (OT) = A good win by a mid-major over this SEC team, which pleases me no end. I've "hated" the Tigers since 1983, when some bozo slapped a hard foul on Kenny Smith's breakaway layup and snapped one of Jet's bones in the process . . . in a game where LSU had already lost. Any day those chippies lose is a good one for me, to this day.

# 15 Michigan 79 - UCLA 63 = Well, at least Justin's Bruins were sort of in this one against a ranked team. Yet it's poor consolation, considering their only W so far was against Chaminade.

Vermont 65 - ODU 63 (OT) = Anybody who didn't see this one as being a good one on the schedule just doesn't know his hoops. Thankfully, it did not disappoint.

# 5 Syracuse 69 - Virginia Tech 58 = I guess it's a good win for the Orange, though I'd have been more impressed had it not been in MSG, their second "home court".


In limited Turkey Day action:


UCF 74 - Charleston 63 = This one surprises me a bit, since CoC has a better program than UCF, so I'd have expected a win, or at least a tight loss.

# 4 U Conn 73 - N. C. Asheville 63 - Once again, I'm not very impressed by the performance of a supposed top team and defending champ. It's not that Asheville's a total cupcake, but they did lose to NCSU by 9 and UNC by 16 on their home court. Again, a 10-point victory beats a 1-point loss, but it is not much of a statement.

Fairfield 55 - Arizona State 44 = But this is a statement, if the statement you seek is regarding the continued struggles of PAC-12 teams. No disrespect to Farifield, but this performance by Sendek's squad is just putrid.

Saint Louis 62 - Boston College 51 = However, the statement being made by Rick Majerus and his Billikens is quite positively noisy so far. Remember, they also beat Washington by 13 earlier, so already have 2 "BCS" wins.

Santa Clara 79 - New Mexico 76 (OT) = A very good game, a good win for Santa Clara (who've shocked a few people in the past as well in early season upsets), and a tough loss for the Lobos coming off a nice season last year.

Dayton 80 - Wake Forest 76 = And a decent win for the Flyers, even though the Deacs haven't been the Deacs of old for a while. Still, Wake fans need not hang their heads over this close loss, as it may indicate they won't lose 23 more this year, like they did in 2010-11.

Oklahoma 74 - Washington State 59 = Ouch. OK, with all due respect for the Sooners, this is embarrassing. At this moment, the PAC-12 has started the season with an 33-23 overall record. Sorry, Left Coast fans, but that's just pitiful.


There are a ton of games today, several already in progress. But I'm gonna pause for lunch and be back shortly with them. Later, brohs.

[The Poet]

I'm back, and already have a final for today:


Minnesota 76 - Indiana State 69 = A pretty decent game, with the Gophers needing a big second half to take this one from Bird's old school. Not a great victory, but OK I guess.

At the moment, UCF is giving U Conn a lot more than they want, with only 3 minutes left. Opps . . . now they're up by 3 with 2:11 left. If they can hold on and take the Huskies, everybody will be shocked. I'll likely have a final before I finish talking about:


Texas Tech vs. DePaul = I figured this would be tight, and so far it is. I'll try to update this one too.

Villanova vs. Saint Louis = I figured this would be tight too, but so far the Billikens are rolling pretty good. There's still time for a 'Nova run, yet they need to start it soon.

Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State = This too looked tobe good, and at the moment the Hokies are up by a trey.

Miami vs. Mississippi = This tips off about now, and should also be decent.

# 22 Florida State vs. Harvard = And this one too, believe it or not. The 'Noles have a defensive edge, but the Crimson aren't the cupcakes they used to be.

Dayton vs. Fairfield = Here too, we should have a good match-up. Me, I give the Flyers the nod.

# 5 Syracuse vs. Stanford = So far, the Trees have been one of the PAC-12's few bright spots. I give them a shot at handing the Orange a loss here.

Rice vs. Northern Iowa = And I can see this one being pretty good also.

BYU vs. Nevada = And this one too.

# 3 Ohio State vs. Valparaiso = But I can't see Valpo hanging around more than a half in this one. The Buckeyes have entirely too much talent for that . . . if they show up, anyway.

Marshall vs. Cincinnati = However, I can see the Bearcats having some trouble here. They may surprise me and run away with it, but they've already proven they are vulnurable.

# 10 Florida vs. Jacksonville = I can't see the Gators having too much trouble building a double-digit lead here before the horn.

# 17 Pittsburgh vs. Penn = And the Panthers should hold off these in-state "rivals", in hoops if not academically.

Elon vs. N. C. State = But I can see Elon giving Jerry's Wolfpack a good game. I hope they can win it, yet a margin over 10 would surprise me a bit.

# 7 Louisville vs. Ohio = If this one'd not done by halftime, Pitino will have a heart-attack in the lockerroom.

Charleston vs. N. C. Asheville = But I can maybe see this one being close. I don't think Charleston has shown they are as good as they've been in the past, while Asheville has competed well against some tough competition.

Wake Forest vs. Arizona State = Here's a "down" ACC school against one from the "down" PAC-12. Should be fun, and will be interesting at least.

USC vs. UNLV = I have no idea what kind of team the Runnin' Rebels have this year, but 5 will get you 10 they can take the crappy Trojans.

# 24 Mississippi State vs. Tenn- Martin = After a rough home loss to open the season, the Bulldogs have turned things around fast. I can't see them bothered much here.

Campbell vs. Creighton = Maybe it's my imagination, but I foresee a nice one here.

UAB vs. Wichita State = Both squads need a win badly, so here's another one to watch.

# 11 Wisconsin vs. Bradley = Bradley's not a complete dog, but the Badgers ought to handle them just fine.

Providence vs. Iowa State = Neither team will compete for the lead in their respective conferences, so this could be some fun also.

Washington State vs. New Mexico = WSU may have a fight on its hands, and could easily add to the PAC-12's woes.

Murray State vs. San Francisco = Sorry, Joe, but I can see your Racers having problems here. They struggled against Alaska, and the Dons are better than them.

# 1 North Carolina vs. South Carolina = My Heels go back on the road to take on the Gamecocks out in Sin City. Back in the day, when a young Dean Smith would go up against his old (and disgraced) boss Frank McGuire, this game would have been a dogfight, on the court and in the stands. Those days are long gone, and I can't see much of a fight breaking out here.

# 18 Vanderbilt vs. Monmouth = And although I'd like to see my (and Dean's) man make a game of this, I can't see one here either, despite the Comms earlier problems.

Southern Mississippi vs. New Mexico State = But this one could be decent.

Oklahoma vs. Santa Clara = And this one too, believe it or not. We're not talking football here, so the Left Coast boys have a shot at the Sooners.


Lemme go see what finals are up, and maybe what early games are on tap tomorrow. Later.

[The Poet]

Here's your headline for today:


UCF 68 - # 4 (and dropping) U. Conn 63 = Hahahahahahaha! I said from the get-go that the Huskies were over-ranked, considering that their success last year all hinged on the departed Kemba Walker's heroics in March. Still, this one is by far the biggest shock of the season to date.

DePaul 76 - Texas Tech 70 = Stayed tight start to finish, and a nice W for the Blue Demons.

Saint Louis 80 - Villanova 68 = As I stated earlier, the Billikens were handling the Philly 'Cats just fine, thank you very much. Yet it's a bit of a surprise, despite my respect for that old fat man Majerus. Hey, I have respect for that young thin man Jay Wright too, and thought his boys would at least show up. Seems like they didn't, however.

Virginia Tech 59 - Oklahoma State 57 = Another tight one tip-off to buzzer, and a nice win for the Hokies.

[The Poet]

And here's another early final of interest, at least to me:


Mississippi Valley State 90 - Tennessee State 89 (2OT) = Aside from being an all-out dogfight start to finish, and taking an extra 10 minutes to finally decide by one stinkin' point, the Delta Devils get their first victory of the season and survive to advance in the Las Vegas Invitational . . . the same tourney my Heels help kick off tonight in the nightcap with the Gamecocks. This is the same Delta Devils UNC spanked by 26 once they finally got back to the Dean Dome. Can you say "rematch"? Maybe you can, but I can't. First, I need my Heels to take them one at a time, thank you very much. And second, I'm far from certain that MVS can survive long enough to make that game, unless maybe they are paired up next. Either way, with this victory maybe it will allow the vaunted RPI Index to give them some credit . . . which may move UNC up from 94th in the nation, by that computer's count.


There's not a lot happening early tomorrow, and much of the action is of the "TBA" variety, awaiting the results of tourneys and invitationals so common this time of year. So unless somebody posts some comment for my reply, that should be it for me today. In either case, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Aside from that stunner yesterday, with Calhoun's Huskies falling to that Mickey Mouse team from Orlando (with a Jordan on the squad, but not his daddy by a ways), here's the scores that struck me:


Marshall 73 - Cincinnati 69 (OT) = I told you the Bearcats might have trouble with this one. Had I the stones, I may have picked the Herd to trample them. It's early in the year, and Cincy could rebound, but two mid-major losses already (Does Presbyterian count as a mid-major? ) does not bode well for their Big East chances.

Harvard 46 - # 22 (yeah, OK) Florida State 41 = And I told you that Haa-Vaad wasn't a cupcake also, though this win was as much a factor of the ugliness of the game overall. Hey, it was tied at 14 at the break! The Semiholes are supposed to be defensive monsters, so maybe they defended their own goal here.

# 7 Louisville 59 - Ohio 54 = Yes, I said Ohio, the Bobcats, and not OSU, the Buckeyes. Talk about your ugly wins, it can't get much worse than this without being an ugly loss.

Mississippi 64 - Miami 61 (OT) = I expected a good game in this one, and we got it.

New Mexico 72 - Washington State 62 = And I'm not surprised at all that PAC-12 teams continue to stink up the joint.

N. C. State 82 - Elon 67 = But this one surprises me a bit, albeit in a good way. Remember, Elon beat South Carolina earlier, and I figured Jerry's Wolfpack was only a step or two above the 'Cocks. Therefore I consider this a better win than you might.

Northern Iowa 64 - Rice 60 = Another good game, like I felt it would be.

Murray State 70 - San Francisco 67 = Congratulations to Joe's Racers for taking one I thought they'd lose . . . though I'm sure he had a few sweaty moments towards the end. After all, the Dons only scored 19 in the first half, and it looked like MSU would run away with it. But 'Frisco charged back hard in the second stanza to make a nail-biter out of it. Yet this does not detract from what is drfinitely a good win.

# 5 Syracuse 69 - Stanford 63 = And if this other Bay Area squad had played with the same drive, they would have given us the second big Big East upset of the day. I told you Stanford had a shot, and they actually had a good one . . . and would have won, had they just limited the Orange's run at the end.

Charleston 68 - N. C. Asheville 66 = Here's snother I predicted as good, and it certainly was. I'm still not sure what CoC's gonna have before the season's over, but I do know UNC-A has become a decent mid-major program that nobody seems to pay much attention to.

UNLV 66 - USC 55 = I told you 5 'ud get you 10 were you to bet the Rebels over the Trojans, and their 55 was actually 11 short of a push. I saw it coming, but I still don't understand why the Left Coast has fallen off the map so far.


I also still don't see any early games of interest today, with maybe the exception of Siena/Vermont. So I'll take a little break and be back later, once I do find a few contests worth watching.

[The Poet]

There are a ton of "Who gives a fark?" match-ups today, which I'll skip. For instance, does anybody but a Boilermaker care that Purdue spanked Coppin State? But here's some (prolly too many) for one to note:


# 4 (yeah, right) U Conn vs. # 22 (ehhh, OK) Florida State = This could have been a pretty decent championship game in this funky new tourney, save for the fact that it is the consolation game. Both teams spit the bit yesterday, though it is arguable that the Huskies spat it a good deal further. However, the size of the trophy does not affect the quality of the game, and this has good potential. You'd want to think both teams will be focused anyway, and both coaches would be p!$$ed. As for that championship contest . . .

Harvard vs. UCF = I have respect for any Ivy League team that can compete on a "national" level, and have a homegrown regard for any team which has a Jordan on the court. Other than that, I don't much care either way. That does not affect the possibility of a really good game here, however.

Penn State vs. St. Joseph's = And this could be a pretty good one too, as I think they'll match up well.

Northeastern vs. St. John's = And this could be better than Steve Lavin would wish.

# 25 Texas A&M vs. TAMU Corpus Christi = If I recall rightly, TAMU-CC pulled off a big upset over somebody last year. Today? Well, I'm not sure this would be as big a one, and I don't think it will be one at all. Aggies, comfortably.

# 19 Gonzaga vs. Western Michigan = OK, can somebody tell me how the 'Zags have managed to go 3-0 so far? Hey, I don't mean "How are they still undefeated?", but rather "Why have they only played thrice?". What are they waiting on, Christmas? Were they also involved in the NBA lockout somehow? Other than that, I really don't care how badly . . . or narrowly . . . they beat WMU.

# 20 California vs. Denver = And I don't care much here either, as a Golden Bear victory still won't tell us how much they deserve their ranking, one way or the other.

Bradley vs. Nevada = But here, well I don't know exactly why, yet I've got that feeling we could have a good 'un.

Charlotte vs. Wright State = And here too.

Detroit vs. Akron = And again here.

U Mass vs. Charleston = And again.

# 2 Kentucky vs. Portland = And . . . well, I guess the folks in Rupp will enjoy it.

USC vs. USC = That's right. The Gamecocks versus the Trojans in the consolation game out in Las Vegas. This should be a fairly close game, and I will go with USC ove USC in this one.

Iowa State vs. Rice = Here's another of those games I just have that feeling about. No, about which I just have that feeling, for all you grammarians out there.

TCU vs. Houston = And this in-state battle could be OK too, though I think the Cougars will eventually de-horn the Frogs.

# 11 Wisconsin vs. BYU = This also may be closer than the Badgers want, but I'm not sure I can recommend watching it. Both teams can have the tendency to plod, so unless you enjoy half-court contests in the 60s this may not be your cup of tea.

Tulsa vs. Missouri State = Here again, I don't have any clue why this popped out at me, but it did.

New Mexico State vs. San Francisco = I've a better idea why I like the potential for a battle here. I think they match up fairly well.

San Diego State vs. UCSB = Yet here again, I don't know why, but I feel the Aztecs will have a bit of a fight on their hands here.

Utah vs. N. C. Asheville = And for some reason I've latched onto the Bulldogs this year, which I'm not able to explain. Why would this 2-4 squad fascinate me so? Still, facing the 1-4 Utes gives us a shot at a decent struggle.

Northern Iowa vs. Providence = And here's just one more of those with that potential.

Southern Mississippi vs. Murray State = I foresee anther tough trial for Joe's Racers here, but I won't pick against them again . . . yet.

# 1 North Carolina vs. UNLV = The championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational, with the 6-0 Runnin' Rebels playing within walking distance of their home court. Meanwhile, the 5-0 Heels put 3,000 fans into the available 8,000 seats last night, so there's that going for them. These teams both like to run, and so far this year they are # 1 and # 2 in the nation for assists. The game will likely hinge on rebounds and TOs, as do many games. This will be Carolina's biggest test since that flattop game against the Spartans. They may falter, but I really don't think they will. Heels by 3 or 4 possessions.


Lunchtime. I'll likely be back shortly with early scores, and some select games from Sunday. Later.

[The Poet]

Well, that Vermont/Siena game was what I expected, with VT taking it 64-62. Also, that FSU/UConn one is also what I thought . . . it just went into OT tied at 71. The 'Noles had a 3-point edge, but fouled Husky freshman Boatright on a trey-attempt with 7.3 left, and he hit all 3 from the stripe.


Sunday games to note:


Wake Forest vs. Texas Tech = This should be a nice match-up, and may tell us more about both teams.

Michigan State vs. Eastern Michigan = This may not tell us much about the Spartans, but they still need the W.

Arizona State vs. DePaul = So far, the Blue Demons have played better than the Sun Devils, so I'llhave to go with the northern fallen angels.

# 24 Mississippi State vs. North Texas = I don't yet believe in the Bulldogs, but I can't see this being much of a contest.

# 21 Missouri vs. Binghamton = Yet it might be more of one than this turkey.

New Mexico vs. Boston College = However, this one has the potential to entertain, if the Eagles manage to show up.

# 17 Pittsburgh vs. Robert Morris = So watch that one above, and skip this.

St. Bonaventure vs. Virginia Tech = Though I think the Hokies have better talent, I can see this one being pretty decent, at least for a while.

Santa Clara vs. Villanova = Same here.

Butler vs. Indiana = Two teams headed in different directions. I still believe the Hoosiers are a year or so away, but I'll give them the edge in this one.

Oklahoma vs. Saint Louis = And the way the Billikens have been playing, one would need to be a Sooner to think the Sooners would be able to skate.

# 13 Alabama vs. VCU = The Tide's been better than expected, and VCU has not yet been what they've been in the past. Much as I'd like to do otherwise, I'll go with the Tide.


Lemme see what's happening in that OT contest. I may be back, but if not . . . enjoy.

[The Poet]

It's over in the Bahamas, with the Huskies holding on by the skin of their teeth to edge the 'Noles 78-76 in OT. It is likely bitter-sweet for them, but I guess it's better than the bitter-bitter Semihole sensation.

'Bye until Monday afternoon.