College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

[The Poet]

Last night's limited action included:


# 12 Florida 90 - Rider 69 = I told you not to bother. Me, I'm surprised it was even this close.

U Mass 83 - Siena 78 = This one does surprise me a little too because so far this year Siena hasn't been all that good. That's why I didn't post it yesterday, figuring U Mass would roll. They won, but it was a decent fight.

VCU 73 - Richmond 51 = And this one surprises me a lot, not by the win but by the margin. The Spiders normally don't get spanked like this.

Iowa State 86 - Iowa 76 = No big shock here, although I thought it might be closer.

Wyoming 65 - Colorado 54 = As I did here, but blame the Buffaloes, not me. This was tied at 30 at the break, so that 11-point margin was all in the 2nd half. In Boulder, no less, which makes it an even poorer showing.

Fairfield 59 - ODU 51 = A decent enough game, at least compared to some others.

Idaho 74 - Oregon State 60 = Well, I try to give the Badgers a bit of respect, and they gnaw down the sapling before it even leafs. And this was in Corvallis too. Guess this does answer my query as to if they are for real, however.


Today's early games has yet to produce any finals, nor any surprises yet, so let me get to other Saturday games first. As usual, there are far too many to note them all, so I've cut it down from that to 'way too many:

Kent State vs. Western Carolina = This could be fun. The Catamounts are home in Cullowhee, and remember they lost to Purdue by only 5. Kent State's been decent so far also, and I feel it may be tight.

LIU vs. Columbia = And though this game also won't mean a lot over the long haul, it has potential too.

Butler vs. Ball State = The fans who'd jumped on the Bulldog bandwagon over the past two seasons are holding onto the railings and looking for a soft spot to land once they bail. Butler wants to reach .500 today, and the Lettermans want to improve to 6-2. Keep an eye on this one.

Wisc. Milwaukee vs. Northern Iowa = Both these teams are 8-1, so they have some confidence. As for me, I have more in NIU than the boys from Wisconsin. But speaking of that . . .

# 14 Wisconsin vs. UNLV = Talk about your contrast in styles! The Rebels are runnin' again, while the Badgers only will when they have their opponent totally outclassed. Otherwise, they channel the last Ice Age named for their state, and are glacial. They did manage to get the type of game against a running Tar Heel team, yet fell just short. Will they do the same today, or will UNLV chase them off the court? For this alone, it will be worth watching.

# 15 Pittsburgh vs. Oklahoma State = Several times this year I've said that the Panthers do not lose games like this one. But this one is not one of those ones, and the Cowboys might very well give them more than they want.

Arkansas vs. Oklahoma = Neither of these teams seem to be a national power, but neither one sucks. Expect a close one.

# 2 Ohio State vs. # 13 Kansas = The Jayhawks have not shown me nearly as much as the Buckeyes have to date. But the game is in Allen Fieldhouse, which is a hard place to play. Furthermore, Sullinger is still questionable with his bad back, so even if he does suit up he may not play effectively, if at all. Don't bet on the "upset", but don't be shocked if OSU takes its first L of the year.

# 20 Michigan vs. Oakland = Actually, I can see this being pretty tight, at least for a while. The Logans have struggled to score at times, which gives a scrappy team extra shots, and half-a-shot anyway at the upset. I don't expect that, but weirder things have happened.

# 17 Mississippi State vs. Troy = One of those weirder things would be Troy making a game of this one. Yeah, I have little faith in the Bulldogs, but come on!

Clemson vs. Arizona = I also have little faith in the Desert 'Cats, but even less in the Tigers. Hell, they couldn't even beat the 'Cocks on their own floor! AU may not be golden, but they win this one by several possessions.

# 25 Harvard vs. BU = The Crimson have no reason to be red-faced over their first loss to U Conn, and will rebound today.

Lehigh vs. Wagner = Here's just one of those that pop for me, don't ask why.

# 5 Louisville vs. Fairleigh-Dickinson = And this one will be fairly ridiculous.

# 10 Missouri vs. Navy = The Midshipmen sink again.

Villanova vs. Temple = Now this is more like it! We have a Battle of Brotherly Love here, so flip a coin.

# 1 Kentucky vs. Indiana = And I have a feeling this will be pretty damn good too. The Hoosiers have yet to get any love in the rankings, which surprises me. Maybe they are not "back" yet, but they have been playing very well. Of course, so have the Wildcats, so the upset may be unlikely. Yet I do think we'll see Calipari sweating before it's over.

Penn State vs. Duquesne = This is just another one that hopped off the page for me.

# 4 North Carolina vs. Long Beach State = In the Dean Dome, but that's not the only reason the Heels should be favored. However, don't expect another 2-for-1 win here. Remember, the 49ers beat Pitt already, and lost to KU by only 8, so they are by no stretch total cupcakes.

Davidson vs. Charlotte = A battle for the Queen City here, and I think it will be a good one.

Penn vs. UCLA = At 2-5, the Bruins were self-destructing even before Ben Howland dismissed forward Reeves Nelson from the team last night for "insubordination". Oooo-kay. Penn's not great, but aren't pushovers either. Thus this one is interesting on both counts.

# 3 Syracuse vs. George Washington = And this one is not, in any way.

Youngstown State vs. Buffalo = But this one could be. Again, don't ask me why, but it looks to be a fun one.

New Mexico vs. USC = As does this one.

Miami vs. West Virginia = And this one, with me giving a slim edge to the Mountaineers . . . more for what the 'Canes haven't shown me than for what WVA has.

# 22 Texas A&M vs. LA Monroe = The Aggies continue to hoe in high cotton, refusing to work hard for their supper. But a diet of cupcakes will eventually give you a tummyache. Not tonight, however.

Wake Forest vs. Seton Hall = Both of these teams have been down in recent years, and both have played much better than expected so far. I can see this one being an all-out war.

# 23 Gonzaga vs. Michigan State = This one too. The Spartans have recovered and won something like 7 in a row. I give them a good shot at knocking off the 'Zags, even in Spokane.

# 11 Marquette vs. Green Bay = But I can't see GB winning here, or even hanging tough for long.

Nevada vs. Montana = However, for you nightowls, this one ought to be a pretty good contest.


Lemme take a break before I come back with early finals and Sunday games. Later, brohs.

[The Poet]

Here are some early finals of note:


Duke 86 - Washington 80 = The Blue Devils tried several times to run away with this one, but the Huskies hung tough and made a real nice game of it. A quality win for Dook, though not that big a statement.

St. Joseph's 80 - Creighton 71 = But here's a statement for you. The Hawks stunk up the joint last year, and have already had some good victories this one. It's always nice to see programs with some history rebound.

Austin Peay 74 - Tennessee 70 = Wow. Who'd a thunk? The Governors lost their first nine games before finally winning one, and now they've made it two inna row, over the Vols. Maybe Bruce Pearl knew what he was doing when he "left" to become a bagboy at the grocery store.


Tomorrow's limited action has a few decent games scheduled:


Quinnipiac vs. Vermont = Both have some history, and both are fighting to stay above .500 early. Figure on a fight.

Iona vs. Marshall = These are two better teams here, both with post-season aspirations. This one ought to be a lot of fun.

N. C. State vs. N. C. Central = This one, not so much, but I gotta get Jerry's kids on here somehow.

Norfolk State vs. Virginia Tech = Not only does the game have some potential by itself despite the Hokies holding both the advantage and the home court, but it will be interesting (if maybe a bit morbid) to see how the team and crowd reacts following the latest tragedy there in Blacksburg.

Santa Clara vs. Washington State = I'm going with Santa Clara here, in a tight one.

# 21 Memphis vs. Murray State = Joe's Racers are 9-0. I figure it's about 70/30 they'll go 9-1 here. Still, the Tigers have shown they are vulnerable, so they do have a shot. Keep an eye on this one.

# 16 Alabama vs. Detroit = I give the guys from the Motor City less of a shot here, but as we've all seen, EVERY SEC-West team seems vulnerable. Keep maybe half-an-eye on this one.

Eastern Washington vs. CSU Fullerton = They seem to be fairly well-matched, so this could be decent also.

# 24 Illinois vs. Coppin State = And even though I'm still not sure about the Illini, I'd be stunned if they get their first loss in Champaign tomorrow.


That's about it for me. See you Monday, same time, same channel. Until then then, enjoy.

[jcruse64]

Yeah, I was shocked at The Peay winning the "in-state rivalry". Are to Vols that bad???

Nice try by Washington to come back on Dook, but not enough.

Rumble in the streets of Cincinnati-cross town rivals Xavier and Cincinnati go at it, and the bonus round is a round of MMA!!! Wow! Horrible, disappointing end to a game. Gonna be some suspensions from this one.

UK/IU just starting H2, and we got a game on here!!!

And...Go Racers!!!!!

[never_enough]

Well that sucked.

Umm freethrows, guard the 3 etc. UK didn't deserve that game. And Terrence Jones looked like his mom had just died before the game or something. Wonder what was wrong with him?

Good for IU. Still don't think they are that good, but that program needed this win big time.

[never_enough]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

Yeah, I was shocked at The Peay winning the "in-state rivalry". Are to Vols that bad???

Nice try by Washington to come back on Dook, but not enough.

Rumble in the streets of Cincinnati-cross town rivals Xavier and Cincinnati go at it, and the bonus round is a round of MMA!!! Wow! Horrible, disappointing end to a game. Gonna be some suspensions from this one.

UK/IU just starting H2, and we got a game on here!!!

And...Go Racers!!!!!

The Vols are confusing. They shouldn't be good, but some games they play really tough.

Cinci/Xavier fight didn't shock me. Anyone see the big white dudes eye after that? That bone might be broken.

[kelmac07]

UK looked horid today. IU looked very good...Zeller looks like a player.

[yourchoice]

Crazy fight tonight in the Xavier/Cinn game. There has to be a couple suspensions forthcoming and I wouldn't be surprised if a couple Bearcats get booted from their squad.

[jcruse64]

I agree with you; Cronin is way mad at the team. I think/hope that he does give one or two the boot.

UK showed the same problem in H1 of the UNC game-let 'em have the 3. I do NOT understand Calipari letting them do that, because they have shown that they can shut the 3 down, if they work at it. Don't even get me started on freebies. IU definitely deserved to win that game, and UK deserved to lose. They should have, and could have won it though. I hope a few guys are sitting at the freebie line today. You're right about Jones, too. Definitely not "there" for this game.

[never_enough]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

I agree with you; Cronin is way mad at the team. I think/hope that he does give one or two the boot.

UK showed the same problem in H1 of the UNC game-let 'em have the 3. I do NOT understand Calipari letting them do that, because they have shown that they can shut the 3 down, if they work at it. Don't even get me started on freebies. IU definitely deserved to win that game, and UK deserved to lose. They should have, and could have won it though. I hope a few guys are sitting at the freebie line today. You're right about Jones, too. Definitely not "there" for this game.

They hit their first 6 3's in the second half too!!! Thats just nuts. Just guard the damn 3. I'm with you and don't understand how this has gone on for two games in a row.

But in the end its their first road game and its a regular season game. I won't start to worry until losing on the road becomes a trend this year.

[jcruse64]

Woooooooooo!!!!!!!

Racers Win!!! 10-0!

Almost blew it!!!!

Work on the inbound and how to handle full court pressure this week, coach!!!



2 nice wins for the OVC this weekend.

'Cuse should move to # 1.

Nice.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by Resipsa

'Cuse should move to # 1.

Nice.

I respectfully disagree, brother. Yes, I figured they would likely do so, and they did (by a considerable margin), and their 10-0 record is the primary reason. But they haven't played the tough competition other teams have faced, and they've done that either in the Carrier Dome or MSG, with significant "home court" advantage. But let them have the top spot for as long as they can hold onto it. I never put much stock in it anyway, as it is simply bragging rights.

As to other issues raised in posts above, let me first comment on that ugly mess between Xavier and Cincinnati. In one way, albeit a totally negative one, this was a throwback to the past. Basketball players are called ''cagers" because, back in the day, they often played their games behind chicken-wire barricades in an attempt to keep the fights in the bleachers from interrupting the fights on the court. Even after that time such nonsense would occur. I can particularly recall a nasty brawl between Duke and UNC when Frank McGuire was the coach in Chapel Hill, with McGuire himself out in the lane stomping on Dookies sprawled on the court. Yet I think we all agree there is NO PLACE FOR THIS NONSENSE IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS!! The suspensions that have been announced so far, IMHO, are not nearly strict enough, and I would hope the NCAA takes a hand to impose worse ones on players, coaches, and the schools themselves to dissuade such actions not only there but elsewhere.

Congratulations to Joe's Racers, not only for their victory over Memphis 76-72, but for edging into the rankings at No. 24.

And as for Kentucky:


Indiana 73 - Kentucky 72 = Am I the only person, at least outside the state of Indiana, who is not stunned by this? I told you the Hoosiers have been playing well, and had been too far under everybody's radar. I also said they had a shot at the upset, and that's exactly what they had . . . a three at the buzzer, to be precise. Congratulations to a program that's not had much to cheer about for too long a time. As for you Wildcat faithful, console yourself in the hope that your young talent may have learned something from this which will help them further down the road.


I've too much to cover properly, so will now limit myself to:

Kansas 78 - Ohio State 67 = Here also I said the Jayhawks had a shot, so am not shocked either. Even if the Buckeyes had Sully on the court it may have been tight, as KU's awfully tough at home. But don't despair, Buckeyes . . . you still have a great team, and I myself would have cast MY 1st-place vote for you this weekend, and not the Orange (for the reason above) despite this loss.

Wisconsin 62 - UNLV 51 = The Badgers got exactly the type of game they wanted here, and the Rebels were unable to run.

UCLA 77 - Penn 73 = In itself, this win for the Bruins means very little . . . except for the fact that it wasn't another loss. But that whole mess out in La-La-Land is so interesting, just to see what develops, that I find it fascinating.

Michigan State 74 - Gonzaga 67 = This is another one that didn't surprise me at all. The Spartans had a rough start, but you just KNEW that Izzo would get them playing well before too long.

North Carolina 84 - Long Beach State 78 = Hey, I said the 49ers were a scrappy bunch of guys. I consider this a good win for the Heels even if you don't, even if only for the fact that they had to come from behind and fight for the victory. It's also a "good loss" for LBS, as it shows they can hang tough with top teams on the road. Kudo to them. (As an aside, do you know the Tar Heel beat the 49ers twice this weekend? On Sunday the men's soccer team defeated Charlotte to win the NCAA National Championship. )


On Sunday:


Marshall 82 - Iona 63 = Now this one does shock me. I'm not surprised the Herd won, but I didn't think they'd spank the Gaels this badly.

N. C. State 65 - N. C. Central 60 = And this one surprises me too, with how poorly Jerry's Wolfpack played. In Raleigh, to boot! Yeah, OK, so the Eagles had five wins coming into the game, but not a single one of those was over a Division 1 opponent. Sorry, Jerry, but this is just pitiful.

Washington State 93 - Santa Clara 55 = And this is another shock. I never thought Santa Clara would lose so badly.

Murray State 76 - Memphis 72 = To recap this one mentioned above, here's the other surprise for me. OK, I wish the Racers all the best, and I know the Tigers have been up-and-down, but this one really snuck up on me.


There's not a lot tonight, though the Fordham/Siena and Portland State/Oregon games may be pretty good. So I'll leave it at that and just wish you a good evening. Enjoy.

[jcruse64]

I'm with you on Xavier/Cinci; I was reminded earlier of the kid from OSU getting booted after sucker-punching a Boise State trash talker in a football game. Should be something similar happening here with a couple of Cinci players. I'd like to see Xavier's coach get something for being dumb enough to let his kids go to media time after the brawl.

And yeah, I WAS surprised to see IU do that, but as a homer, I make it a point to ignore IU . I thought they did great, actually, and have a team this year capable of going far, given the talent, coaching, and their teamwork (it hurt to say that ).

I don't see 'Cuse staying at 1 for long, either. Don't really care if the Cats get it back, until it counts-when they cut the nets down after March Madness. It will be interesting to see how Ohio State and the Cats react to the losses. I hope there is a lot of freebie practice this week in Lexington.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

I'm with you on Xavier/Cinci; I was reminded earlier of the kid from OSU getting booted after sucker-punching a Boise State trash talker in a football game. Should be something similar happening here with a couple of Cinci players. I'd like to see Xavier's coach get something for being dumb enough to let his kids go to media time after the brawl.

And yeah, I WAS surprised to see IU do that, but as a homer, I make it a point to ignore IU. I thought they did great, actually, and have a team this year capable of going far, given the talent, coaching, and their teamwork (it hurt to say that).

I don't see 'Cuse staying at 1 for long, either. Don't really care if the Cats get it back, until it counts-when they cut the nets down after March Madness. It will be interesting to see how Ohio State and the Cats react to the losses. I hope there is a lot of freebie practice this week in Lexington.

I'm with you on all points too, save for that "net-cutting" one. Go Heels!


Tonight's limited action has a few meaningful or fun games:


# 20 Michigan vs. AR Pine Bluff = This one is neither, except that the Logans are presently ranked. They shall stay that way after this mis-match.

Presbyterian vs. South Carolina = But this one could be a lot of fun. The Blue Hose may be able to cover the 'Cocks, and will almost certainly give them game regardless.

Belmont vs. Middle Tenn. State = And here's another decent match-up which should be close.

# 14 Wisconsin vs. Wisc. Milwaukee = And this one could be closer than the Badgers would prefer. Both team are 8-2 at the moment. I figure the Beer Boys will lose to the men from Madison, but not by more than 2 or 3 possessions.

# 17 Mississippi State vs. Florida Atlantic = Skip this one. I don't have a lot of faith in the 'Dogs, but please.

UCSB vs. San Diego = And for you nightowls, this one may be pretty good.


That's about it for now. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Three ranked teams were in action last night, but only one performed as I assumed:


# 14 Wisconsin 60 - Wisc. Milwaukee 54 = I figured the Badgers would win a relatively close one, and they did.

# 17 Mississippi State 75 - Florida Atlantic 68 = But despite my doubts about the Bulldogs, I never thought they'd have so much trouble here. Hey, a couple of 3s here or there, and this would have gone the other way. It's much the same with . . .

# 20 Michigan 63 - AR Pine Bluff 50 = OK, so a 13-point win is better than a 1-point loss, but if the Wolverines think they can challenge in the Big Ten by playing this poorly, they shall be sadly disappointed.


Other scores of some note:


South Carolina 66 - Presbyterian 58 = The Blue Hose held onto the 'Cocks for over a half, and actually led 25-19 at the break. I felt it would be a decent game, and it was OK at least.

Middle Tenn State 65 - Belmont 62 = Here's another I thought would be good, and it totally lived up to expectations.

UCSB 65 - San Diego 61 = Ditto.


Today Iona and Richmond are already in action against each other, with the Gaels starting to break open a tight one midway through the 2nd half, leading by 11 as I type. Other match-ups include:


Cincinnati vs. Wright State = I have learned not to expect the Bearcats to be either good or bad, since they've been both so far. WS may again give them a fight, and I'm just hoping it's not another brawl.

# 2 Ohio State vs. South Carolina Upstate = Despite the absence of Sully from the lineup, I give the Buckeyes a slim edge here.

# 6 Baylor vs. Bethune-Cookman = Much as with the Orange, I can't see how the Bears have shown us they deserve this high a ranking. Again, as with Syracuse, they may actually be good, but we have been given no reason to believe so. Their 7-0 record has decent wins against San Diego State and Northwestern, but nobody else of note. That situation does not change tonight.

South Florida vs. Auburn = The Tigers are 4-1, but that loss was a stomping by the Seton Hall Pirates. Even on their home court, I can see the Bulls goring them this evening.

Eastern Washington vs. UCLA = And I shall continue to keep my eye on the Bruins, just to see whether or not their start from hell turns around.


That's about all for me. I will update you by saying Iona's about sewed up a win over the Spiders in Richmond with only 2 minutes left, so they have responded well from that whuppin' they took from Marshall. Otherwise, enjoy.

[The Poet]

I got hammered at work today (Hey, if YOU worked in a likker store, you'd get hammered too, right?), and have no time to post much. Thank goodness nothing much happened of any real import last night, and nothing much seems likely tonight. Yeah, Joe, I know your Racers are going up against Lipscomb in hopes of holding onto that #24 ranking, but even though the game may be fairly close, they ought to win. And if they don't, then they've nobody to blame but themselves, right?

So maybe I can catch up a bit tomorrow, or certainly on Saturday. Until then then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Aside from Joe's Racers handling Lipscomb fairly easily, 89-65, there were a few very close games last night but none of much import. And tonight the only game I see that interests me is the Cal/Weber State one, as I think the Wildcats have half-a-chance at giving the Golden Bears a good game.

There are a ton of contests tomorrow, yet none of the ones with an early tip-off seem to promise much. Michigan/Alabama A&M? Ohio State/South Carolina? Please. As my boss is here at the moment, and I cannot post for long, I guess that's a good thing too. He might even be here tomorrow, which will totally screw me up, but what's a guy to do? I can't lock him out . . . he has his own key. So if you don't hear back from me until next week, don't worry: I'm likely NOT back in the hospital. So until when then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Hey, I finally get a chance to talk a little hoops again. I found no scores that much interested me last night, but today has a ton of fun in store for us. Already Miami/Florida Atlantic have gone to OT, with several others surviving scares too:


Ohio State 74 - South Carolina 66 = I never thought the 'Cocks could stand up so well. Sully went out of the game with a bad foot, but I've not heard what the X-Rays says.

Mississippi State 80 - Detroit 75 = And once again the SEC West demonstrates why I've little faith in any of them.

Iona vs. Vermont = This has tipped off, and I expect a good one.

Purdue vs. Butler = Here too. Neither team seems as good as they've been, so the potential is there.

# 6 Baylor vs. BYU = Finally, the Bears actually play somebody. This is out in Utah, but even if it was in Texas I'd give the Mormons a shot at the "upset". At last look, BYU had a slim lead, but it's awfully early.

# 13 Florida vs. # 22 Texas A&M = And also at last, the Aggies have an opponent on their schedule. Don't be surprised if the Gators snap their feet off at the knees.

Temple vs. Texas = Like Purdue/Butler above, these two are "down", so this could be a nail-biter.

Arizona vs. Gonzaga = To a somewhat lesser degree, it's the same story here . . . by which I mean they are not as "down", yet are fairly evenly matched.

# 4 Louisville vs. Memphis = And if the Tigers can manage to actually show up for a game, this could give the Cardinals a scare.

Mississippi vs. Southern Miss = And this is just another of those potential fun ones that pop out at me.

# 18 Indiana vs. Notre Dame = Here also, though I'm giving the Hoosiers the edge until they prove me otherwise.

# 19 Illinois vs. UNLV = And this is sort of like that Louisville/Memphis one, in that the Runnin' Rebels are capable of beating anybody . . . if they can get into that runnin' game. The Illini may have all they can handle here, if not more.

ODU vs. UCF = Just another of those "poppers" for me.

# 25 Vanderbilt vs. Indiana State = Here's another potential close one, more for the fact that Vandy's been so inconsistent. If they are today, they could easily lose this one.

# 5 North Carolina vs. Appalachian State = The Mountaineers come out of the boonies down the Catawba, forge the Yadkin, and visit Chapel Hill. It may not be much of a game, though the Heels haven't practices all week due to exams (yeah, they have them there and even take them seriously ), and may be a bit rusty. But Jason Capel returns home as head coach for ASU, so the crowd will be into that anyway.

# 1 Syracuse vs. N. C. State = Believe it or not, but this game's in Raleigh, and not in the Carrier Dome! I wonder who made that scheduling error! I wish I could give Jerry's Wolfpack a chance against the Orange, but I don't think they have the experience to handle that zone of Boeheim's. But hey, I could be wrong.

# 21 Michigan State vs. Bowling Green = The Falcons may be able to give the Spartans a good 10 minutes or so, but Izzo's got them playing so much better I can't see much more than that.

Lamar vs. Rice = Again, this one jumped out as being a pretty decent match-up.

Villanova vs. St. Joseph's = And these Big Five games are always fun. Both teams are fighting to earn a bit more respect, so look for a donnybrook in Philly tonight.

# 24 Murray State vs. Arkansas State = I don't believe Joe's Racers will have much of a problem here.

Oakland vs. Valparaiso = Just another one with the po' to be good.

# 23 Alabama vs. Kansas State = It's not in Manhattan, but it is in KC. That might be enough of an edge to push the struggling Wildcats over the Tide. After all, this IS another of those SEC West teams, remember?

New Mexico vs. Oklahoma State = These two teams have been making efforts to move up a notch in college hoops, and both have had some success at it. A win here helps either program, and I look for a tight one.


I'm breaking for lunch now, and hope to get back with more early finals, plus a glimpse at Sunday games. Later.

[The Poet]

A few more early finals:


Miami 93 - Florida Atlantic 90 (2OT) = The 'Canes hold on in a high wind by the skin of their teeth. A win's a win, but with ACC play starting soon this does not bode well for UM.

Iona 73 - Vermont 72 = Just about exactly the tight one I expected.


With time running out, both Purdue/Butler and Baylor/BYU are too close to call. But at the half the Gators are all over the Aggies, 50-25. Color me totally unsurprised.


Tomorrow has limited action, but a few games of interest include:


Wake Forest vs. Gardner-Webb = The Deacs have played better than was expected, but I can see them being tested here, believe it or not.

# 8 Xavier vs. Oral Roberts = I don't know how many Musketeers have been suspended for this game due to that fight with Cincy, which may affect the Preachers' odds. But either way, this could be decent for a while anyway.

# 9 U Conn vs. Holy Cross = Calhoun's home cooking continues, and Holy Cross should be crucified.

# 10 Missouri vs. William & Mary = This might last a half or so, but I'd not think much longer than that.

Loyola Marymount vs. Florida State = As the Semiholes have not played as well as was expected, this one may be more fight than they'd prefer. I give them an edge, but not a huge one.

Virginia vs. Oregon = Unlike FSU, UVA has played above all expectations so far. Even out in Eugene, they can give the Ducks a run for their money. The Cavs may not win, but they won't go down without a fight.

Eastern Illinois vs. Northwestern = This one may depend on how the Smarty 'Cats rebound from their poor showing today. I did not mention it above, but they just edged Central Conn. State by 6 points. EI's a better team, so if this game today did not focus NW they might just get knocked off.

Montana State vs. Pepperdine = These two teams are just above .500 now, and both want to stay there. It's in Malibu, so maybe the Waves have a slim advantage in that, but otherwise it has potential to be a blast.

Portland State vs. Oregon State = Though it is in Corvallis, I'm not sure what sort of home court advantage that means for OSU in this in-state game. I can see it lasting well into the 2nd half at least, and maybe going down to the last few possessions.


While typing this nonsense, two other finals happened:


Baylor 86 - BYU 83 = Like I said, BYU had a chance at the upset. They didn't pull it off, but they scared the Bears for sure.

Butler 67 - Purdue 65 = And like I said, I expected a good one here, and that's just what we got.

At last look, the Gators were still 18-up on the Aggies with 5 minutes gone in the 2nd, but I'm not gonna hang around here all damn day just to give you sports desk updates. So that's it from me for now. Have a great balance of the weekend, and enjoy.

[The Poet]

Swamped at work again today, and have no time for posting. Much of my time was spent getting a small Christmas order together for one customer. It is all liquor, mostly various types of scotch and vodka, with some Hennessy and a little gin and liquers thrown in. In total, it's about 140 liters of booze.

I'm glad I won't be at THAT party. Maybe I'll get a chance to catch up on the action tomorrow or the next day, but you can feel free to post your own comments. Sorry, but that's the holidays for you.