I checked the box score on that Kentucky loss: They shot .350 from the field, and only .09 from outside the arc, hitting but 2 of 22. There's your game.
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Texas down 8 at the break to A&M, and Cincy up 6 over WVA.
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Vandy all over the Hogs. A&M 10 better than Horns, and getting a little late. Sooners still giving Bears all they want, and Bearcats giving WVA a bit more than that. Oh, and my Heels hanging with Deacs . . . so far.
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Wichita State 76 - Southern Illinois 55 = This helps their at-large chance some.

Alabama is giving Ole Miss a tussle, which won't help the Rebels chance at all. And speaking of such, Heels now up 10 over Wake.
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Baylor 70 - Oklahoma 63 = It was a struggle, but they do what they need to do, sort of. Not very impressive, however.

Vanderbilt 89 - Arkansas 72 = Like the Commodores did here.
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West Virginia gets up by one over Cincy, but still about 8 left. Ariz. St./Cal a tight one at the half. Heels still haven't blown it, but there's 5 left, so there's time for that too.
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Longhorns down 10 with 6 left. 'Bama up 2 with 2 1/2 to go. Heels up 9, 4 minutes.
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UAB 76 - Tulane 55 = Here's one of your "at-large" . . . but not because of this one.
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Mississippi 76 - Alabama 73 = Yes, it was in Tuscaloosa, but it should not have been this hard.

Heels STILL haven't blown it, and they only have 1 1/2 left to do so.
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even bigger with the Kentucky loss Thomas:-)

Kentucky may be out of the running for a #1 seed depending on what happens at the Dome. If the 'Cuse win they should be a lock for a #1,
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Texas A&M 74 - Texas 58 = That's quite a spanking. Now maybe you're starting to understand why I had little faith in the Longhorns earlier in this thread.

West Virginia 74 - Cincinnati 68 = Pretty much the fight I expected, and puts a hole in Cincy's hopes for a bid. Speaking of that:

UNC 77 - Wake Forest 68 = What was that? What did you say? Though the Heels tried to give it away, missing too many dang free throws in an ugly finish, the Deacs could not capitalize. This hurts them, and only helps UNC by keeping them with a winning record . . . for now.

I'm worn out. I'll talk to you Monday. Until then, enjoy.
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As I said above, my brother, I don't think the loss takes a #1 from UK . . . yet. It does open the door a bit for someone else, but it has to be one of the right someones, and the Wildcats may need another L too.

Besides, worry about beating YOUR Wildcats, not what happened to these ones. If you don't, it's all moot anyway. :-)
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LETS GO SYRACUSE! Big game tonight from The Dome on ESPN
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Well...that was just a good old fashioned ass whooping.....
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Yeah, pretty much so. More to follow ASAP.
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I think Cuse will be my NCAA Tourney pick. They look awesome. :-)
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Well, my friends, if nothing else, it was an interesting weekend. Aside from all the upsets already mentioned (Irish over Hoyas, Vols over 'Cats, Heels over Deacs) there were others, big and small, as well as some other notable items - such as:

Syracuse 95 - Villanova = I'll put this first for several reasons. Imprimis, it's already been brought up prevoiusly, by Vic and the 'Freak. Secundus, if I don't, they'll both be p!$$ed at me, and I have p!$$ed off enough others in this thread already. And tertius, the win, coupled with some losses, has put the Orange #1 in the polls for the first time in 20 years, and may have just won them a #1-seed come Selection Sunday . . . if they don't blow it before then. As for 'Nova, their dreams of stealing a #1 quickly became a hope not to drop to a #3.

Oklahoma State 85 - Kansas 77 = And here's 1/2 the reason for that, with the Tennnessee win being the other 1/2. For those of you who did not believe before that this year's tourney might be up for grabs, well, you have some more evidence for that possibility now.

Kansas State 63 - Missouri 53 = A good win for K-State, and one some people think will get them a #1-seed. It won't, unless Duke gives it to them first, for at this point the field is set . . . UK, KU, 'Cuse, Dook, not necessarily in that order.

New Mexico 83 - BYU 81 = One dang good game, which might get the Lobos a 3-seed. Of course, as in all cases, that is dependent upon them not spitting the bit first.

Minnesota 62 - Illinois = Did this get the Gophers a bid. Not necessarily. Did it cost the Illini one? Again, not necessarily. But it does complicate things for the Committee, I'd imagine.

Nebraska 83 - Texas Tech 79 (OT) = And does this get the Huskers in? No way in hell. However, it may keep Tech out, since their decline from the ranked to the rank hit bottom with this loss to a team that totally sucks.

Marshall 121 - UCF 115 (3OT) = Wow. Talk about your good team struggling with one that sucks! The Herd may be in, seeing as how they are a solid 4th in the fairly solid CUSA, but they didn't need this to improve their shot, even though they did get the W . . . finally.

Cornell 68 - Pennsylvania 48 = I told you this was coming. OK, the fat lady hasn't sung yet, but Big Red has a 2-game lead in the IVY with 2 to play . . . at both Brown and Yale, both of whom have identical 5-7 and 11-18 records. Cornell will be the first team in the nation officially in the Dance.

California 62 - Arizona State 46 = The Bears now have the Pac-10 within grasp, as they have clinched at least a tie for the regular season for the first time since Pete Newell led them there 50 years ago. As for the Sun Devils . . . well, I said above that Sendek would have them ready for the game, and he did, for the first half. But they stayed in the lockerroom after the break, and only scored 16 points in the 2nd. Sheesh.

Maryland 104 - Virginia Tech 100 (2OT) = The Hokies did not make it easy on the Terps, and I expected no less of them. But, wow. Terps finally beat them back, and guess what? They get ranked for it too! They are #22 in the AP. In the RPI, they are #25, with only about ten teams above them who are worse.

N.C. State 71 - Miami 66 = Here are two who are worse, but they are NOT above Maryland in the RPI. What they are after this game is 4-10 in the ACC, and in a 3-way tie with my Tar Heels for the cellar. But hey, I'm sure Jeff enjoyed it.

And all this was just on Saturday! The fun did not stop come Sunday:

Michigan State 53 - Purdue 44 = Did this win the Spartans a 3-seed? Maybe, if they don't stumble too badly. Did it cost the Boilermakers a 1-seed? Likely, unless Duke and K-State give it back. One thing for certain . . . that was one of the ugliest, most poorly-played games I have ever seen. If that game was any true judge, NEITHER team deserves ANY bid, AT ALL!

Duke 67 - Virginia 49 = The score was about what one might expect. What one could not expect was all the other crap that went down prior to this game, which made it so big when it comes to the Devils' possible seeding.

Louisville 78 - U. Conn 76 = Does this take the Cardinals off the bubble? Could be. Does it put the Huskies on it? Should be.

Clemson 53 - Florida State 50 = Another ugly game, and an ugly dilemma for the Selection Committee. Lessee . . . Dook and the Terps are gimmes, but there are 4 ACC teams tied with 8-6 conference records now. Who's a bubble squad, and who's not? Guess we'll find out.

Marquette 84 - Seton Hall 83 (OT) = You noticing a trend here? There was a lot of extra innings played, as there were a lot of teams on one side or the other of that dastardly bubble, and nobody wanted to throw in the towel. I think the Eagles are flying. I think the Pirates are sunk.

Xavier 78 - Richmond 76 (2OT) = See what I mean? Now, in a just world, both these are at-large locks. Yet who ever said the world was just?

Penn State 79 - Northwestern 60 = Penn State sucks, and has sucked all year. Northwestern was ranked for a time, believe it or not. I didn't then, and nobody does now. PSU would have to win the Big Ten tourney to make it to the Dance, and that ain't gonna happen. Northwestern will now also, since their present 7-10 conference record won't cut it . . . or shouldn't, anyway.


There are only a couple of games to note this evening:

Oklahoma vs. Texas = In the past six weeks, ever since they got that meaningless coveted #1 ranking, the 'Horns have lost 7 games and have fallen out of the ranked altogether. They will be dancing, but not in the front rows, so the balance of their games only changes their first partners. As for the Sooners . . . well, the sooner the season ends, the better.

Georgetown vs. West Virginia = The Hoyas lost some ground, and a lot of luster, with their recent losses to South Florida, Rutgers, and Notre Dame. They can go a long way to gaining some back, and improving their seeding to a solid #4, by taking the Mountaineers in Morgantown tonight.

AR Pine Bluff vs. Jackson State = OK, I can hear you now . . . "WTF?" Well, I agree, but the NCAA Selection Committee does not. See, they seem to think not only that the wanna-bes deserve at least one bid, but that the never-weres and never-will-bes do too. Jackson State leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference (sounds impressive, doesn't it?) with a 14-1 league mark . . . and a 16-11 overall record. AR Pine Bluff is chasing them for the coveted crown with their 13-2 conference record . . . and their 13-14 overall. So between them, they have won a total of 2 games out of conference. Yeah, they deserve to be invited to the Dance.


With that in mind, enjoy.
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Don't sound so excited Thomas, but trust me I wouldn't get pissed. :-)

Hey,number 1 is nice and all, but it's all about tourney time. What I liked a lot better is watching the talking heads on ESPN mention what I mentioned WEEKS ago in this very thread, what makes the 'Cuse tough is the balance on the team. They've got 7 essentially interchangable starters, who all post almost identical numbers. Concentrate on one, they just shift to another. Not to mention the 2-3 zone that's so hard to prepare for cause nobody ever sees it.

In contrast you've got Purdue who loses ONE freakin player and manages to score 16 points in an entire half......are you freaking kidding me? SIXTEEN POINTS????
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Buck Up!!:-):-)
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Well Vic (and Bryan, for that matter), I was gonna wait on this until the pairings came out, but lemme give you a preview now:

The Orange has sufficient talent and experience to make a good run in The Dance. Plus, Boeheim certainly has plenty of tourney experience himself - albeit too much of it negative to suit most 'Cuse fans - and has also become a better coach since he's gotten older, gotten the monkey off his back, and calmed down considerably. Syracuse will not be easy to knock out, but their biggest strength is also their biggest area of concern - that vaunted 2-3 Zone. True, many teams do not see that very often, at least not for more than a few possessions at a time, but a good coach will have his players ready for it because he will know exactly what to expect. And here's also where the potential pairings come into play too. A team that has good outside shooters (Duke, Vandy, Vols, New Mexico mebbe), or has a guard who can penetrate the seams and create havoc in the lane (Spartans, 'Nova, Kentucky, Terps) can quite quickly turn that "advantage" into a distinct liability. There's where problems can start for The Orange, for if the zone is NOT working, and they fall behind, they are not nearly as comfortable playing D any other way. If they fall 'way behind, or are down several possessions with the clock running out, they may not have the ability to force the action fullcourt to force necessary turnovers, or just merely to speed their opponent out of their preferred gameplan.

Hey, I've seen it before, and if you've been around as long as I have . . . well, pity on you, but more to the point, so have you. :-)

Regular update to follow.
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