A few real wars going on now: Tenn/S.Caro., Baylor/Ok.St, L'ville/DePaul, and M'land/Ga.Tech all razor-close. NCSU holding on to working lead over Wake, as is Texas over TTech.
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Tennessee 63 - South Carolina 55 = It took a while for the Vols to get their hands on the 'Cocks, but they finally found it.

Oak State trying to hold off Baylor with a few ticks left, and the Wolfpack up double-digits on the Deacs.
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Oklahoma State 82 - Baylor 75.
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Louisville 68 - DePaul 59. NCSU 11 seconds from upseting Wake, Ga. Tech 9/10ths from edging M'land, and Battle of Texas down to one possession with a minute left.
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Wow. Maryland 76 - Georgia Tech 74 = I haven't found a recap yet, but that means somebody had to have hit a three at the buzzer. Wow.

Wow. N.C. State 68 - Wake Forest 54 = It's a shock that this crappy (no offense, Jerry) Wolfpack team won at all, but this qualifies as a spanking to boot. Wow.

Texas 71 - Texas Tech 67 = No wow here for any reason. It's an OK win for the Longhorns, but proves little regarding their recent problems.
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I think that this year's tournament is going to be a good one. Even the top teams have real chinks in their armor.
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Yeah, I don't see any really dominant team out there myself. Even leaving out the darkhorses, I could give you a dozen or more schools that could make the Final Four.
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Late early and last update: Kansas kicking Colorado's butts, and no surprise there. Illinois hanging tough with Purdue, and no surprise there either.

See you Monday, fellas. Enjoy.
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That is a tough one. :-)

sorry couldn't resist.
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None taken. This is why we still watch the games.

BTW, NC State is a .25% favorite to win the ACC tourney!

Just .75% worse than UNC :-)
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I'd put a few bucks on State. Long shot but the ACC has not been the ACC this year.
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My oldest daughter Theresa has worked on U of Washington football & basketball stats crew since 1999. She and the UW crew also do stats for the Rose Bowl game - and they worked the BCS championship game in January at the Rose Bowl.
Here is Theresa at UW-UCLA basketball game Saturday evening with the ESPN GameDay crew in the background.
Mrs Ripper and I were there, too. Huskies are schizo squad - they can beat anyone in the country and can lose to a high school jayvee team.

Image
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Like it or not, guys, but without the Heels in it, it simply cannot be. :-)

Thanks for the photo of your daughter, Ripper. Best of luck to her, and the team too . . . they need it. And don't feel lonely about that schizo squad of yours: This year, you are far from alone there, as teams from Alabama-Birmingham to the 'Zags have been the same.

Weekend update to follow shortly.
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First off, to finish something from Saturday, yes indeed, Cliff Tucker hit a trey for Maryland at the buzzer to steal a W from the 'reck. We have seen this stuff before, but rarely from a backup guard who never takes the shot. Good for him . . . he now has at least one thing to tell his grandchildren.

Alright already, let's get to the balance of the meaningful action this weekend. For the rest of Saturday we saw:

Kansas 94 - Colorado 74 = Sorry, I said "meaningful" didn't I, and this has damn little. It's a good enough win for the Jayhawks, I reckon, but totally expected, and unlikely to affect their NCAA seeding one dang bit, one way or the other.

Mississippi State 60 - LSU 59 = Speaking of schizo teams, Ripper, what about these Bulldogs? They are tied atop the SEC West with the Razorbacks, yet eek out this game against the Tigers . . . who remain perfect in conference play, at 0-12.

Memphis 76 - SMU 63 = The meaningful thing here is that these Tigers are still in the hunt for the CUSA, just one back of UTEP. The meaningless thing here was Coach Doherty going postal on the Memphis fans behind the visitor's bench. My take? STFU, Matt.

Penn State 55 - Michigan 51 = Now here's a real shock to me. For a while there I thought the Logans were getting their act together, but I was obviously wrong. Or maybe the Nuttin'ly Lions are finally getting theirs instead. Hey, after losing 12 inna row, this gives them a two-game winning streak, against Northwestern and now UM . . . both on the road. ON THE ROAD!!

New Mexico 59 - Air Force 56 = Well, at least this ranked team edged out a win against this lousy Falcons team. How lousy? Well, they are now 1-11 in the Mountain West, and 9-16 overall. Yet somehow the AP voters seemed to think this squeeker warranted moving the Lobos UP in the rankings. Hey, not if I had a vote, you betcha!

California 64 - Oregon 49 = Coupled with that Battle of the Desert, coming up below, this keeps a few people interested in the Pac-10 anyway.

Brown 57 - Princeton 54 = And had the Tigers mauled the Bears, as I expected, this would have done much the same for the Ivy . . . i.e., kept the race interesting for another conference that won't do squat come March. But now Cornell has their fate totally in their own hands.

Kentucky 58 - Vanderbilt 56 = I put this last since, as usual, the Wildcats completely outclassed and dominated their hapless opponent from the tip-off to the final horn, and the issue was never in doubt. Why, it's men against boys, each and every time they take the court.


On Sunday, we had the following:

Arizona State 73 - Arizona 69 = A tight and well-fought battle, with the Sun Devils keeping that one lone one-half step behind Cal for the Pac-10, and one step ahead of the Trojans. If nothing else, the next few games will be meaningful, if not notable.

Marquette 79 - Cincinnati 76 - Another tight one, between two more of those bi-polar programs.

Duke 67 - Virginia Tech 55 = I thought this one might be a bit closer, and had the game not been held in that ramshackled stinky old tobacco barn in Durham, it may have been so. But it's awfully hard for a visiting team to concentrate with all those fruitbats and poultry flying about. :-)

Ohio State 74 - Michigan State 67 = And another tough fight between a pair of teams with Final Four aspirations.

Pittsburgh 70 - Villanova 65 = Pretty much the same as above, save that I'd have thought 'Nova could best the Panthers . . . and likely would, 3 outta 5.

Wisconsin 70 - Northwestern 63 = Hey, am I correct in thinking Northwestern was actually in the rankings earlier this year? Or was I dreaming that? Nah . . . I must have been dreaming, or drunk.

Tonight has very little going on at all, but there are two games for you to watch:

West Virginia vs. U. Conn = The Mountaineers are not as good as they want you to believe, and the Huskies are not as bad as they have played too often this season. Could be fairly close.

Kansas vs. Oklahoma = This one's in the House of Phog, so I wouldn't expect an upset. Truth be told, I wouldn't expect any sort of contest at all.

Though that's some mighty slim pickin's, I urge you, as always, enjoy.
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upcoming 'Nova-'Cuse game shaping up to be molto importante
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Hey, ya think? :-) For those of you not paying attention, the Orange (12-2) and the Wildcats (11-3) are fighting for the Big East regular season crown, and will bang heads Saturday night in the Dome. With both teams suffering some bad losses of late, I'm not certain either will receive a #1 NCAA seed, and with so many other teams in the hunt for the two spots remaining (assuming Kentucky and Kansas don't falter too badly), I'm not certain either one will deserve it. But it's overrated anyway, and boots you nothing but bragging rights past that first weekend. And speaking of the race for the Big East crown:

U. Conn 73 - West Virginia 62 = The Huskies don't have a shot at it, and the Mountaineers may have shot themselves out of it also with this loss. They both will need a good finish, plus a good run in MSG come tourney time, to have any hope of better than a 3 or 4-seed.

Kansas 81 - Oklahoma 68 = Just another day at the office for the Jayhawks, and that's about all you can say about it.


Tonight there are several games of some note, for various reasons:

Georgetown vs. Louisville = And speaking even more Big Mouth Conference, what about this one? The Hoyas are ranked, and have been all season, but did you realize the up-and-down Cardinals are actually ahead of them in conference play, 9-5 to 8-6? Plus, the game's in Freedom Hall. If Pitino wins, I won't consider it an upset, no matter what the "experts" say.

Virginia vs. Miami = It seems impossible now for the Cavaliars to claim their righful spot in the ACC basement, but the Hurricanes still have a good chance - if UNC and NCSU give them an opening.

Illinois vs. Michigan = After beating two ranked teams above them in the Big Ten standings, the Illini have now lost to the other two. I expect them to turn their slide around against the Logans, and solidify an at-large shortly.

Seton Hall vs. Rutgers = The Battle of New Jersey at The Rock tonight won't do the Scarlet Knights much practical good, but the Pirates could get a bid if they can add a few more wins to their 15-10 record.

Syracuse vs. Providence = Although the Friars, on a given night, are capable of beating the Orange, I wouldn't bet on it. Since they beat U. Conn back on Jan. 27th, they have lost 6 inna row. Make that 7, after tonight.

Kansas State vs. Texas Tech = The money will likely be on K-State, but take Tech and the points. :-) Not only is the game in Lubbock, but in my eyes there's only one team for real in Kansas, and those guys ain't it.

Tennessee vs. Florida = And here's another matchup between one team with all the press and one just as capable, on a given night. Tennessee has stayed within the ranked all year, but both the Vols and the Gators are 8-4 in the SEC East, just one back of Vandy for second place. None of them are going to catch Kentucky, but it does add a bit of juice.

Enjoy, my brothers.
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A story popped up briefly last week, one that was baffling and confused, and which seemed both contradictory and incomplete. I considered reporting it then, but decided to wait a few days to see if any additional clarification would come forth - which to date has not. So in the interest of full disclosure, I will give you what little "they" gave me:

For a few hours last Thursday it looked like Ed Davis, a sophomore forward for UNC-CH, had signed with PTA Sports Management, a Chicago-based sports agency. Davis' photo and stats appeared on their website. However, Vincent Porter, the agency's head, quickly made it understood that this was not the case, and that his company had had absolutely no contact with Ed Davis, and that he was not even certain that Davis would be declaring for the draft, given both his underclass status and his recent hand injury which has cost him and the Tar Heels the balance of his season. Porter stated that he believes some outside party hacked into his website, since the information was not only false but because said information looked to have been a cut-and-paste job from a UNC media guide. Porter did admit that, though he hadn't had contact with Davis, he had talked to his family, principally his father Terry Davis, a former college player (Virginia Union) and NBA journeyman who played in 480 pro games between 1989 and 2001 (for Miami, Dallas, and Washington). According to the NCAA, there is no rule against an agent contacting the family of a college prospect, as long as no tangible benefits accrue to that family (travel, hotel, other compensations, whatever), and Porter and Terry Davis both stated that they violated no such regulations, just as both assured Ed Davis himself had not had contact, and certainly had made no signing agreement with this agency, either oral or written.

LIke I said, the story is puzzling, and may be a whole lotta nuttin'. If that is the case, then it is understandable that there seems to be no further word on it, and it should rightly go away. However, if there is even the slightest bit of validity to the briefly-alleged signing, then the University has only one option: Ed Davis must immediately be dismissed from the team, and his scholarship should be revoked. Shoot, the Heels have enough problems this season . . . they don't need this crap to boot, and will not tolerate it.

If anyone knows any more on this story, please enlighten us. Thank you.
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Here's the scores that caught my eye last night:

Florida 75 - Tennessee 62 = Like I said above, on any given night the Gators can beat most anyone. And come to think on it, the Volunteers have not been much of anything of late. Since they upset Kansas and edged an over-ranked Ole Miss team 'way back in January, they really haven't beaten anyone of note, and lost to several who are.

Illinois 51 - Michigan 44 = This win was expected. The score was not. Hey, maybe if it's a Wisconsin/Minnesota game, I'd buy it . . . but for these two Big Ten programs to score 95 points between them? Sheesh. Compare that to:

Syracuse 99 - Providence 85 = And like I said above, again, the Friars are capable of winning, but don't. Hell, they held a 55-47 lead early in the 2nd frame. Then the Orange went on a 26-2 run, and it was lights out in the Carrier Dome.

Seton Hall 76 - Rutgers 70 = No, it is NOT because these are two NJ teams that I take note of this score. Crap, I don't give a fark about either of these schools. But the win does get the Pirates one step closer to a possible at-large bid, and they haven't danced in a while.

Kansas State 83 - Texas Tech 64 = OK, so maybe K-State can cover the points. And maybe they are a little more for real than I give them credit. Yet sorry . . . I'm still not buying that there's any team in the B-12 but the Jayhawks.

Evansville 55 - Northern Iowa 54 = What possible reason could I have for tossing this turkey into the stew? Well, you may recall that, back on 2/13 when these Panthers lost to a .500 Bradley squad, I marginally rejoiced that this would finally get this so-so team out of the national rankings. Seems I was wrong . . . again . . . since they did manage to hold onto it by the skin of their fangs. However, now that they have lost again, and this time to a completely crappy team, I hold out hope once more that I'll not have to hear any hype about them until they lose out in the first weekend of March Madness. And as for Evansville, the win improves their record to 8-20, and that's Aces with me.


There are a fair number of meaningful games tonight, such as:

Ohio State vs. Penn State = OK, so maybe this ain't one of them, as it should not be a contest after the first 5 minutes. If the 2-game winning streak of the Nuttin'ly Lions does not end tonight, then the Buckeyes' bus had a flat on the way to State College.

Temple vs. Dayton = Remember all those games above, with one school getting all the hype, while the other is easily capable of beating them? Well, here we go again.

Florida State vs. UNC = This game is important for the Seminoles because they want to end the ACC season with a record better than .500, to assure an at-large bid. As for the Tar Heels, they just want to end the ACC season.

Virginia Tech vs. Boston College = Ibid.

Pittsburgh vs. Notre Dame = At this point the Panthers are likely a 3 or 4 seed come March, with dreams of making a push for a 2. As for the Irish, they hope for a push just to get in. Could be a real war.

Marquette vs. St. John's = The Golden Eagles have likely already secured an at-large, especially considering their wins over Xavier, Michigan, Georgetown, U. Conn, and Cincinnati, but it's better safe than sorry. As for the Johnnies, with their 15-11 overall and 5-9 conference standing, they need all the help they can get, so they'd better show up tonight.

Xavier vs. Saint Louis = What is this, a Catholic Athletic League game? No, it's just one more of those "hyped/not hyped" contests that could go either way. Should be a real crusade.

Purdue vs. Minnesota = The Boilermakers seem to think they already have a # 1 seed in the bag for the NCAAs, but they need to get past this one, then Michigan State, before they skate by the Hosers and the Nuttin'lys to end their regular season.

Villanova vs. South Florida = And the Wildcats have dreams of sneaking into that # 1 slot themselves, but they'd better not be looking ahead to that Orange matchup this weekend. The Bulls ain't great, but they ain't pushovers either, and that's no bull.

Texas vs. Oklahoma State = To tell you the God's honest truth, I don't have a clue about this game. Both teams have played like world-beaters, and both have played like garbage. This could be a war, and could be a blowout . . . for either team. Guess we'll see.

Texas A&M vs. Baylor = See above . . . not only re the 'Horns and Cowboys, but re that comment about there being only one truly real team in this conference.

Clemson vs. Maryland = And here's much the same story, in the ACC this time. Either team could take this one, though it's not easy to beat the Terps in College Park.

BYU vs. San Diego State = I'm gonna go out on a limb and pick the Aztecs in this one, even though the game's in Provo. They are not going to catch New Mexico in the Mountain West, but they can overtake the Cougars . . . if they start tonight.

But regardless who win . . . enjoy.
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Some pretty interesting games, and scores, from last night:

Baylor 70 - Texas A&M 66 = This isn't one of them, as it's about what you'd expect from this "flip a coin" matchup.

Ohio State 75 - Penn State 67 = And this isn't much more interesting, and that only because the Buckeyes really should have won by double-digits.

Temple 49 - Dayton 41 = And neither is this one, save for the fact that neither team could spit into the ocean without getting their chins wet. Combined they shot a woeful 32 of 110 from the field, for a abysmal 29%.

BYU 82 - San Diego State 68 = And this one's only of note because I picked the Aztecs. However, just like their namesakes, they were not around.

Boston College 80 - Virginia Tech 60 = OK, now we're talking! The Hokies have been a fairly decent and consistent team in the ACC, while BC has been . . . well, a team in the ACC. For the Eagles to win this, even in Chestnut Hill, is notable. For them to win by 20 is a shock.

Houston 92 - Memphis 75 = And here's another one for you. Memphis was still in the hunt for the CUSA, whereas Houston . . . well, this ain't your daddy's Cougars, Guy Lewis is long gone from the game, and Phi Slamma Jamma is no longer in de house. This double-digit loss stings the Tigers, bad, and Houston beats them for the first time in a dozen straight tries.

LSU 65 - Arkansas 54 = And these Tigers' strive for perfection ends. LSU stops their 12-game losing streak and are now on the move, improving to 1-12 in conference play. Hey, better late than never. As for the Razorbacks, who are fighting Miss. State for the SEC West, this one's a briar in their snouts for sure.

Notre Dame 68 - Pittsburgh 53 = The Irish have been OK at times this year, but Pitt had supposedly gotten over its early struggles and finally found itself. Well, hell . . . look what they found last night!

Purdue 59 - Minnesota 58 = OK, I know the Gophers are not a bad team. I know the game was in the Twin Cities. I know the Boilermakers lost a key figure, Hummel (get it?), to a knee injury in the first stanza. And I know a win's a win. But hell, this is a team that thinks it rates an # 1 seed in the NCAAs! So, where were they? As for the Gophers, this is their 3rd 1-point loss this season. That's gotta hurt.

Maryland 88 - Clemson 79 = The Terps have been playing decent ball all season, and so far Gary Williams hasn't exploded. And shoot, they even have a shot of stealing the ACC regular season from Dook! Here's one of those teams nobody's paying much attention to who can make some noise come March . . . if Gary doesn't wig out, again.

Xavier 73 - Saint Louis 71 = This one was precisely the Holy War I expected it to be. See, even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then . . . but which am I, the ham or the nut?

UTEP 59 - Southern Mississippi 56 = The Miners pretty much have the CUSA sewn up already, while the Golden Eagles are merely "meh". So how does one explain this scare for UTEP? Hey, $#!+ happens.

Marquette 63 - St. John's 61 (OT) = Well, the Johnnies did show up for this key game, and missed it by thaaaaat much. Now they'll need one heck of a run in the Big East tourney to get themselves a bid.

Texas 69 - Oklahoma State 59 = I guess this is a good-enough win for the Longhorns, and may indicate that they are putting their mid-season swoon behind them. I still don't see them doing much come March, past that first weekend anyway, and Oak State may not even make it that far. But hey, you never know . . . that's why they play 'em.

Villanova 76 - South Florida 49 = OK, this win by itself has no significance, but it does keep 'Nova in the hunt for the Big East crown. What with them one game back of the Orange, that contest in the Carrier Dome Saturday is not big . . . it's HUGE!

VCU 76 - James Madison 62 = And what's so big about this one? Well, every March you hear about these mid-major bubble teams who do not get a bid. Consider if you will these Rams. VCU is 4th in the Colonial Athletic Conference, which ain't exactly one of the marquee leagues, with their 11-6 record, yet they are 20-7 overall. Furthermore, they have wins this season over Oklahoma, Nevada, Rhode Island, Richmond, and Akron, and there's some decent teams in that group. But today there RPI is listed at 63rd. That's tough.


There are a good number of key games tonight, but they are key only in races for the smaller conferences. For instances, we have Wofford/Charleston, Campbell/Jacksonville, and LA Lafayette/North Texas: all may have significance when it comes to who dances and who sits come March. But for the Big Boys, we have these this evening:

Duke vs. Tulsa = The Blue Devils take a break from ACC action, but if they want to steal a # 1 seed they had better not take a total break. Tulsa has a pretty good team. Yet this one's in Durham, and Dook's 15-0 in Cameron this season. Don't chalk it down, but pencil it in.

Vanderbilt vs. Georgia = Vandy's had a few bad losses, and the Bulldogs have had a few good wins. I'd expect the Commodores to win, but ya never know with these two.

Kentucky vs. South Carolina = The Gamecocks gave the Wildcats their first loss of the season, and their last one . . . so far. Do not expect it to happen again tonight in Lexington.

Wisconsin vs. Indiana = You may have noticed a bunch of games lately with scores more seemly of football than hoops. This may be another, since Wisconsin is glacial in more ways than one, and the Posers are . . . well, crap.

California vs. Arizona = The Bears host this .500 team from the desert while holding a slim 1/2-game lead for the Pac-10 over the other one, who visit sub.-500 Stanford not too far away from Berkeley. If these northern bruins (as opposed to those Southland ones in LA) and the Sun Devils both win . . . or lose, come to think of it . . . their head-to-head Saturday could be for all the marbles.

So there you go. As always, enjoy.
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Go Campbell. I hope they make it. See not just a Duke fan. :-)
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