College Basketball: 1/1 to 1/7 (First of 2006)

[JohnBM01]

Happy new year, GTPlanet! If 2005 was any indication, 2006 should be hot. Now that the celebrating of the new year is done, it's time to get back to college hoops.

LAST WEEK (and last year)

* How about this? George Washington and Washington (no relation) both suffered their first losses. Of course, this isn't football in which winning a great deal of games will get you into the big game. In college hoops, it's okay to take some losses, as long as you make it to the National Championship game, much less the Final Four. * On the local front (mine), the University of Houston is doing quite well, knocking off McNeese State. Later this year, if they want to be the class of Conference USA, they'll need to match up against the best team in conference- Memphis. The women's team is now 3-8 and need some help if they want to see the postseason. * North Carolina's women's team nearly took a big defeat when they almost lost to Old Dominion on the road. * Texas A&M is still unbeaten, but outside of the Top 25. Maybe this week, they can make a run to be a Top 25. * Northern Colorado's men's basketball team notched up their very first win in Division 1 basketball, so that's something to build on in the future. * Coppin State needs help, as they've lost 11 games and won none. * The best matchup last week had to be between Memphis and Gonzaga. But the Memphis Tigers got it done against the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Want your first games of 2006? While I'm eating this cocktail shrimp, enjoy your own appetizer- the Sunday Sampler. No, you can't have any of this shrimp I'm eating. ^_^

SUNDAY SAMPLER; men
* UTEP at Texas Tech (61-60; TEXAS TECH)
* San Diego at Eastern Washington (97-78; San Diego)

SUNDAY SAMPLER; women
* #4 Ohio State at #18 Purdue (61-59; PURDUE) {UPSET!}
* Michigan at Michigan State ---RIVALRY GAME--- (77-44; MICHIGAN STATE)

Let's do 2006, GTPlanet!

 

[JohnBM01]

MONDAY'S GAMES
Bowl Game action is all over the college sports schedule, but the college b-ballers had their say. There may not be a BCS in college basketball, but there are some big names playing as well as some big upsets, especially starting with the first Men's Game. Would you believe your eyes?

MEN'S DIVISION

"Don't Look Down..." #16(?) Texas at #4 Memphis
GTPlanet, we begin with a shocker. Texas doesn't dominate college basketball as they do in football, but Texas is capable of big things. Athlon Sports has Texas as the National Champion RUnner-Up. I'm sure that's a compliment the Longhorns will accept. The prognosticators don't play the games for Texas, Texas plays Texas basketball. They'll have to match up against Memphis basketball. If you follow the NBA, we're not talking about the Memphis Grizzlies, but the equally-impressive University of Memphis Tigers. They seem to equally be the best basketball team in Conference USA. As this game played out at FedEx Forum, Texas went from Austin to Memphis, and disgraced the Graceland Kitties. Hook em' horns! You dig, player? Texas rips the upset. A HELL of an upset, too. (69-58; Texas) *** upset! ***

* Bucknell at Duke
Bucknell, of the Patriot League is doing very well. The Bison have a tough matchup in Durham, NC (doesn't every team ^_^?) as they meet the #1-and-loving-it Duke Blue Devils. The spread was 34 as Duke rolls. (80-54; DUKE)

* Oakland at Valparaiso
Oakland University had quite a lot of trouble in 2005 except for their NCAA appearance in the 2005 March Madness. The Crusaders can only get better. Unfortunately, Valparaiso's Crusaders prevented the Golden Grizzlies from getting any moment. This was about as bad of a loss for Oakland as their game against Marquette, and Valpo is nowhere near as good as Marquette. Better luck next time, Oakland U. (95-64; VALPARAISO)

* Southern at Prairie View A&M
Obviously, they are better at football, but Southern's Jaguars got it done against Prairie View A&M's Panthers in this SWAC matchup. (73-65; Southern)

* Longwood at Richmond
Those Richmond Spiders are pretty hot! They knocked off the Longwood Lancers as the Atlantic 10 win this one. (74-60; RICHMOND)

* UMKC at Southern Utah
Southern Utah struck like lightning as the Thunderbirds did a great job against the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos. (97-63; SOUTHERN UTAH)

* Yale at Rice
The Rice Owls of Houston, TX defended the honor of Houston... and failed to Yale's Bulldogs. Way to go. (70-67; Yale)

* Cornell at Washington
The Washington Huskies must regroup after losing to Arizona in Double Overtime. They did just that as Seattle's puppies defeated the Cornell Big Red. (87-71; WASHINGTON)

* Florida Atlantic at Kennesaw State
So you think Florida Atlantic stinks in basketball? Well, you don't stink unless you beat a team you know you can beat and do beat. That's what the Owls of Boca Raton, FL's Florida Atlantic did to Georgia's Kennesaw State... Owls. So this is an Owl game. I'm not going to say "Bowl," because Bowl is normally associated with football.

* Howard at Georgia
Six points decided this one as Georgia's Bulldogs defeated the Howard Bison. Howard came all the way from Washington D.C. to lose in Athens, GA. Georgia loses their Bowl Game, but get their 10th win in basketball. This is a HELL of an improvement. Georgia's on the rise! (78-72; GEORGIA)

* American at St. Francis
American's Eagles met the St. Francis Red Flash. Please note that this is St. Francis of Pennsylvania and not St. Francis College in New York. American still got it done. Aren't you glad to be American? (62-52; American)

* Boston University at Holy Cross
Holy crap! Holy Cross got it done against Boston University! The Terriers lost by a lay up to the Crusaders. (57-55; HOLY CROSS)

* King College at Wofford
Two colleges collide as Wofford met King College. The Wofford Terriers of Wofford College were king as they dethroned King College. (60-40; WOFFORD)

* Wisconsin-Green Bay at Detroit
Both cities have NFL teams with sorry seasons this season, so if you're both looking for something to scratch that sports itch, welcome to college basketball. The Detroit Titans are quite good in the Horizon League, but could they prove it against Wisconsin-Green Bay's Phoenix? It took overtime to decide, but Detroit barely won. (60-57, OT; DETROIT)

* Clevland State at Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Wisconsin-Green Bay lost, so let's see how the better of the two Wisconsin Horizon League schools did. The Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers put up three quarters against Clevland State as they won very nicely. (75-68; WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE)

* Alcorn State at Texas Southern
The Texas Southern Tigers lose more in football than they do in basketball. This loss is a sad one for TSU, and a good one for Alcorn State, because this ends the Braves' winless streak. (84-76; Alcorn State)

* Wyoming at Denver
Denver is one of the Sun Belt's best teams. I'm sure this is a compliment the Denver Pioneers will accept as they downed the Wyoming Cowboys by a nickel. Easy money for Denver. (69-64; DENVER)

* UCSB at UC-Riverside
To end the Men's Scores, I'll end both in Calfornia. The University of California welcomes two of its unfamiliar Division 1 schools. Neither has a football team if you follow college football, but we have the University of California-Santa Barbara, and the University of California-Riverside. Most girls love gaucho pants as a a fashion trend. However, the UCSB Gauchos seemed to be a fad as the UC-Riverside Highlanders also break a winless streak. (81-78; UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-RIVERSIDE)

* UC-Davis at Long Beach State
The second of this set of California games takes us to Long Beach, California. I'd love to see the Long Beach Grand Prix in person if I travelled, but I'm sure the Long Beach State 49ers are just as exciting. UC-Davis' Aggies thought otherwise... and paid for it... BADLY. (77-48; LONG BEACH STATE)





WOMEN'S DIVISION
I'll pick six games. Four with ranked teams, then maybe two unranked units. Check out these ladies:

* Wake Forest at #2 Duke
Duke is #1 with the men, and #2 with the ladies. The Blue Devils still know how to get it done regardless of which gender is working the rock. The Wake Forest Lady Demon Deacons took this blowout loss pretty badly as Duke rolls. Cover your eyes. Put the kids to bed. This one was bad. (100-54; DUKE)

* Florida State at Florida ---RIVALRY GAME---
Florida and Florida State hate each other. This is better known in football whether the game is at The Swamp or at Doak Campbell Stadium. In this match, it's Florida's finest chicas going at it. The Lady Gators didn't get tamed, but the Lady Seminoles messed with the wrong animals. (72-62; FLORIDA)

* Manhattan at Maryland
Manhattan wanted to take a stroll into Comcast Arena to meet Maryland. The Lady Jaspers didn't have it so easy as the Lady Terrapins of Maryland won this game (82-49

* Old Dominion at Tennessee
Old Dominion almost upset North Carolina, but the Tennessee Lady Volunteers weren't having anything of the Lady Monarchs. (83-67; TENNESSEE)

* #25 Virginia Tech at North Carolina State
The Lady Wolfpack of NC State upset the Lady Hokies in this ACC matchup. They fell pretty hard too. (65-44; NORTH CAROLINA STATE)

 

[FoolKiller]

CF: It's the Super Bowl... uh, Rose Bowl! -college basketball scores temporarily unavilable-

I smell the delay of Rose Bowl celebration.

Here. let me help out with all the important scores.

UCF at KENTUCKY (59-57 Kentucky) - Game was won on a 15 footer by Rajon Rondo with two seconds remaining. UCF led by 11 points in the first half What the!?!?!?! At 15:57 in the first half the score was 7-0 UCF and Tubby Smith switched out all five players at once while giving the famous Tubby glare to his starters. All that can be said of the last three games that UK has played is THAT THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR STRUGGLING AGAINST A CUPCAKE TEAM, MUCH LESS THREE IN A ROW!!! 🤬 🤬


Oh yeah, some other teams played and half of them won their games.

 

[JohnBM01]

THURSDAY'S GAMES
GTPlanet, I'll have the Tuesday and Wednesday scores sometime later this week or into next week. Some of the highlights:

(Men's Highlights from Tuesday and Wednesday)
* Texas upset #4 Memphis on the road.
* Marquette Marque Makes Their Mark, upsetting Connecticut.
* Pittsburgh Remains Unbeaten facing Notre Dame in Double Overtime.
* Last night, Oakland lost by one to Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis (IUPUI).

(Women's Highlights from Tuesday and Wednesday)
* Baylor loses in an upset to Missouri.
* Tennessee remains unbeaten.

Alright, college football's done. So for many college sports fans, it's all about the time between tonight's games and the start of March Madness for both genders. Some of your favorite teams may have played two different basketball games. I am, of course, talking about Men's and Women's college hoops. For example, we begin with Michigan State. The men go to Illinois, and the women get Pennsylvania State. Whatever scores I can provide, I'll let you know who won, and maybe throw in a smarty-pants story. So enjoy these scores.



MEN'S DIVISION
We begin with BIG Conferences. First, two Big Ten unbeatens, then a few Big East games.

* #7 Michigan State at #6 Illinois
This is just like last night's Rose Bowl, with a few catches. No BCS, no National Championship (at least not yet), and football on hardwood. These two Big Ten teams are big alright. Both are undefeated, but only one will remain unbeaten. The Illinois Fighting Illini may stink at football, but their basketball just missed the National Title, losing to North Carolina. Illinois would love to make the Final Four AT LEAST. Michigan State may have a case, as the Spartans are looking to take down the boys of Champaign. Two unbeatens clash! And in the end, Illinois improves to 15-0. No upset, just a big win. (-; ILLINOIS)

* #3 Villanova at #8 Louisville
There's only one loss in Louisville's tally. I know I've been told that basketball is religion in Kentucky, but will Louisville have enough faith to upset #3 Villanova? Don't ask the Cardinals about faith because they believe in each other wholeheartedly and will not disappoing the loving fans in Louisville, KY. Perhaps they can make like a Louisville Slugger and bat the Villanova Wildcats out of town. Home run ball? Grand slam? Or Triple Play? We'll see. Into the game, Louisville were getting their asses kicked 21-9 with 10:41 left in the 1st. I'm sure their Lexington rivals are loving seeing Louisville get crushed. I think Dick Vitale or someone said that Louisville's schedule was soft because they were going into the Big East, which seems to be a tough road ahead for the Cardinals. Well, that road isn't going to get any tougher as Villanova isn't getting upset by anyone in Louisville colors. (-; Villanova)

* Providence at Georgetown
We stay with the Big East and head to the Nation's Capital. One you may have heard of in college hockey, then one in football. If you follow the Washington Wizards of the NBA, the arena Georgetown plays in should be familiar- the MCI Center. Providence College has a pretty nice looking college, and their team sports nice monochromatic colors. The black and silver is unmistakable- Friars basketball. Providence may wear black and silver, but they hope to be gold (or even platinum) against Georgetown. If you follow football, they are a Patriot League unit along with Colgate, Lehigh, and Lafayette among others. But in basketball, the Hoyas play in one of America's toughest conferences, the Big East. How big were those Hoyas? read on. (72-62; GEORGETOWN)

* West Virginia at South Florida
Big East action continues. West Virginia is still celebrating their upset of Georgia in the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl. While that game was sweet, the Mountaineers want to give their basketball fans something to be happy about. But there's a catch- WVU is going on the road. The road to hell, according to South Florida's Bulls. Yeah, it's said that West Virginia will go down. Says who? WVU got it done by four, now can the small talk. (57-54; West Virginia)

* St. Francis at Fairleigh Dickinson
St. Francis of Pennsylvania is on tap here. Remember that if the Pennsylvanian St. Francis plays, it's St. Francis. But if it's the St. Francis of New York, it's St. Francis College. Regardless, the Red Flash are ready to go play a game of chess. Wait... basketball... chess... oh! I know why I said that. It's because they play Fairleigh Dickinson, hoping to call Checkmate over the FDU Knights. (-; )

* Northern Iowa at Wichita State
NIU is a tough team. Maybe not a Top 25 team, but a potential sleeper. The Northenrn Iowa Panthers just rise to the occasion. They hope to do just that against their Kansas counterparts, the Wichita State Shockers. (-; )

* New Orleans at Denver
If you follow football, Denver is completely foreign, but New Orleans used to have a team. These are two Sun Belt teams, with Denver being the better unit. Just because I say they are better doesn't mean that the Pioneers aren't a lock. Never count out an upset by the New Orleans Privateers.

"You Want Cute? Buy a Puppy!" Boston University at UMBC
Forget that dog show with dogs that look pretty, because have our own dog show. And while there may not be dorky judges judging these puppies, we have judges called the fans of Maryland-Baltimore County. Someone made a thread about the UMBC crew, and if you're a fan of UMBC, they had a game against Boston University. Boston's in the house, but this is Boston University, not Boston College. The BU Terriers met some more dogs. Instead of having these doggies leashed up and paraded around the stage like little kids, these dogs will be unleashed... as will the UMBC Retrivers. UMBC did PLENTY of retriving... all the way to a one-point win in OT. Don't you just love UMBC basketball? (65-64, OT; MARYLAND-BALTIMORE COUNTY)

* Longwood at IPFW
Antoher Overtime game is next! This time, it's D1 newcomers Longwood and D1 Independents IPFW. This is sort of an NBA-style finish with the high score, but the Mastodons of IPFW were purely professional... all the way to the win. (92-90, OT; INDIANA-PURDUE-FORT WAYNE)

"Wildcat Wildfire" Binghampton at New Hampshire
From a win in Indiana to a New England match. Both teams' nicknames are the Wildcats, but which was better? If this was hockey, this would be a New Hampshire beatdown (granted Binghampton has a hockey team). But in this game, New Hampshire's good in hockey, good in football, but stunk bad in basketball. (62-49; Binghampton)

* Vermont at Stony Brook
I believe Stony Brook is in Staten Island, NY. I'm sure the Seawolves will do their best in this game. Well, the Seawolves sent Vermont back to Burlington, VT. Sad break for the Catamounts. (61-58; STONY BROOK)

"I'm Not Biased... I'm Always Wright" Wright State at Clevland State
GTPlanet, meet the Wright State Raiders. This is a Horizon League match in which the Vikings of Clevland State fell by three. (58-55; Wright State)

* Canisius at Marist
We've got the state of New York here, with two teams from different parts of the state. The Canisius Golden Griffins are more than mythical creatures, they are the gracious creatures who defeated the Marist Red Foxes. (76-67; Canisius)

"Stag Native" Siena at Fairfield
Here is another MAAC conference match as the Siena Saints met the Fairfield Stags. The Stags hooked them... uh, antlers... into Siena.

* Penn State at #18 Ohio State
Want to see a blowout? Not even Joe Paterno can save the Pennsylvania State Nittany Lions from Ohio State's Buckeyes in basketball. (104-69; OHIO STATE)

* Eastern Washington at Northern Arizona
The Big Sky has Arizona and Washington represented. The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks can't cut down birds in the sky, but the Eastern Washington Eagles were no match for the 'Jacks. (105-95; NORTHERN ARIZONA)

* Princeton at Rice
To give my hometown a little love, the Rice Owls do something they rarely do- win. Princeton's Tigers were no match in this nice win. (52-41; RICE)

* Southern California at Arizona State
So, USC loses the Rose Bowl, but gets some consolation prizes, especially a Trojans' road win against the ASU Sun Devils. (66-65; Southern California)

* Nevada at Hawaii
The final score I'll provide for the men is in the WAC in paradise. The Hawaiian Warriors/Rainbow Warriors enjoyed the sunlight by upsetting Nevada. So Hawaii knocks off Michigan State, now this? An NIT might be in their future at the least. I'm sure the Wolfpack can't believe this loss actually happened. (73-69, OT; HAWAII)





WOMEN'S DIVISION
Girls can play basketball better than guys? Guys won't take that kindly, but at least it's time I give a shoutout to the ladies. The ladies are ready to do some hoops, some ladies even playing on the same night as the men. Did they fare any better? Read on, enthusiastic ones.

* Penn State at Michigan State
The Lady Sparans of Michigan State smashed the Lady Nittany Lions. (75-53; MICHIGAN STATE)

* Hawaii at Nevada
This game is the reverse of the Nevada vs. Hawaii Men's game. Instead of Hawaii, we're in Nevada. Doesn't matter. It's because the Hawaiian Lady Rainbow Warriors/Warriors still beat the Nevada Lady Wolfpack. Nevada loses in both genders in one night. Sucks to be Nevada... (79-74; Hawaii)

* Siena at Canisius
The Canisius Golden Griffins won on the road against Marist, so what about back home? The Lady Golden Griffins did a little housekeeping against Siena's Lady Saints. This was GOOD housekeeping too. (80-52; CANISIUS)

* Clevland State at Illinois-Chicago
Time for some hotties in cold Chicago. No fear, because the Illinois-Chicago Lady Flames warmed up the place against the Clevland State Lady Vikings. And it wasn't by much, either. (68-66; ILLINOIS-CHICAGO)

* Florida State at #2 Duke
Three straight ACC games coming up, and we start with #2 Duke defending their rank against Florida State. The Lady Seminoles fell apart to the Lady Blue Devils of Duke. (87-68; DUKE)

* Miami at Georgia Tech
The men are struggling, but can the Lady Yellow Jackets take down Miami? Miami's about hot action. They may not be their male NBA counterparts, but the Lady Hurricanes aren't afraid to turn up the heat. No wait... they REALLY weren't afraid. (75-63; Miami)

* #6 Maryland at # 19 Boston College
Save the best for last. Save the last dance (What I should have titled my Rose Bowl coverage). In Overtime, the Maryland Lady Terrapins dodged a scare against the Boston College Lady Eagles. (67-64; Maryland)



By the way, I wasn't over-celebrating... I just didn't have enough scores to take down to provide to this thread. It happens, player. Anyhow, congratulations to the Kentucky Wildcats with that report of yours.

 

[JohnBM01]

FRIDAY'S GAMES
This should be some better concentration on basketball now that college football is done. This is my first season doing college hoops, and I hope I've done well. So let's talk hoops, even if the pros are playing more than the student athletes.

MEN'S DIVISION

* Manhattan at Iona
Iona College is in the house as Manhattan comes to town. This is a conference match in the MAAC, the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference. I don't know too much about the conference, but the majority of the schools are mostly around the New England area. Both of these teams are based in the state of New York. New Rochelle, NY is where Iona College is as the boys from Manhattan are ready to go. The Iona Gaels aren't afraid to give it to you, and they'll show it against Manhattan. So if you're Iona, you'd better hope the Jaspers don't try to run away with the lead. (Manhattan)

* Grambling State at Southern ---RG: Bayou Classic---
Just like football, folks. We have two SWAC rivals from Louisiana. In football, these are two Division 1-AA units. In basketball, they are just as fierce. The Southern Jaguars of Baton Rouge, LA will likely be able to get in as many games despite the hurricane threat last year. Grambling State's Tigers bear the black and gold, looking to beat their bitter rivals in blue and white. Folks, these two just DO NOT like each other. Southern just blasted Grambling State. (SOUTHERN)





WOMEN'S DIVISION
Women's hoops on Friday night. You like? Let's see what you think about these games I have for you all.

* East Carolina at Alabama-Birmingham
Women's hoops kicks off with Conference USA, so let's meet the two teams. The East Carolina Lady Pirates are in UAB's house, looking to loot and plunder for the win. But can the Pirates defeat the Lady Blazers? The Lady Blazers weren't hot enough to stop the Lady Pirates. (East Carolina)

* Charlotte at Temple
Charlotte. It is a popular city in North Carolina, add "Ville" to it, and that's the name of the city you can find the University of Virginia, and in this instance... home to an Atlantic 10 team who was formerly part of Conference USA. Let's see if the Lady 49ers can dig for gold in Philadelphia. Technically, there's no gold rush in New England. But if there is gold, Charlotte will find it. Trouble is, that gold's protected by the Lady Owls of Temple. Temple will make anyone's life a living hell, especially their basketball programs. Charlotte was no different as the Lady Owls were wiser, better, stronger, and more proficient. Case closed. (7?-6?; TEMPLE)

* Clemson at North Carolina
North Carolina's had it pretty easy. Well, not tonight. It's in-conference play, meaning that they'll have to match up against teams like Maryland, Virginia Tech, Florida State, and teams like that... especially Duke. The Lady Tar Heels want an NCAA tournament appearance. They want to play in Boston for the [Women's] Final Four. They'll have to try to stay undefeated against Clemson. The Lady Tigers smell upset, surely wants to sustain one. If they get the "U," it would be NC's first loss of the season. (NORTH CAROLINA)


This has been a bit of a busy week trying to cover both college football and basketball. If I don't have scores, I'll let you know who won the game. Meanwhile, saying this is Saturday, I'm still working on the Saturday scores. And let me give you a hint about Saturday's games...

Two upsets have taken place so far today.

 

[Joey D]

God OU is really sucking it up this year, they keep losing.

 

[JohnBM01]

SATURDAY'S GAMES


MEN'S DIVISION
Today, I'll start off with the state of Kentucky and two rivals. How did Louisville do? How did Kentucky do? The Bluegrass State is up first, including a saddending upset

* #21 Kentucky at Kansas
We begin with the crew that "FoolKiller" follows. That would be Kentucky. (73-46; KANSAS) *upset!*

* #8 Louisville at Providence
Kentucky lost, so while Louisville's probably laughing at their rivals, they had their own business in Rhode Island. It's America's smallest state with one of their biggest basketball talent. You want to know about Providence College? Then let me help you. They are the boys who wear black and silver, and call themselves the Friars. Their website is { http://www.providence.edu } , and they strive to upset Louisville in a wild Saturday of upset losses (more on that later). If you prefer Cardinal Red and White, then Louisville's colors are your cup of tea. So who got it done, the boys in black/silver, or red/white? Louisville got a colorful win against the Friars. To be poetic, they fried the Friars. (72-67; Louisville)

* Cincinatti at Marquette
Marquette came off of knocking off Connecticut. Not easy. Will Cincinatti be easy too? Don't bet on it. In fact, the Marquette Golden Eagles played at their home in Milwaukee, WI. They faced another ex- Conference USA unit, Cincinatti. Cincinatti's talent includes rivals Cincinatti and Xavier. But the Bearcats came into Marquette with a purpose- to win. No sweat. Okay, maybe a little. Just look at this close fight. (70-66 Cincinatti)

"World's Largest Indoor Cocktail Party" #5 Florida at Georgia ---RIVALRY GAME---
I like eating cocktail shrimp with tasty cocktail sauce. While this game is a basketball rendition of one of the most classic rivalries in college football, I'm sure both teams still hate each other. The Georgia Bulldogs are on the rise after losing too many gosh darned games last season. The Florida Gators are still looking to be the class of the SEC, even if they aren't named Kentucky. (90-72; Florida)

* Purdue at Michigan
Purdue's told to be a Big Ten bottomdweller, but let's see if they played like bottomdwellers. The Michigan Wolverines are done with the football season, so all attention in Ann Arbor is with their basketball program, and maybe a few other college sports. Purdue's football season was well over even after Kyle Orton being in the draft. Their sad season is over, but the Boilermakers can still be great on another surface- hardwood. But on the road, Michigan won by three. Not a bad way to go out in style. (68-65; MICHIGAN)

* #12 Maryland at Miami
You want a big battle? How do you like two middle-of-the-road ACC teams? The Hurricanes aren't known very well for their basketball, but are still not afraid to Full Court and 2-3 Zone the opposition. They'll have to do it against the 2002(?) National Champions- Maryland. This wouldn't be a merry occasion as the Terrapins came in #12, and lost. Not to mention lose big. So, Miami couldn't stop Louisville, but get in-conference opponent Maryland. (84-70; MIAMI) *upset!*

* Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Houston
Now for some local flavor. Local meaning, around my way. You can't get much better than Houston if you're in these parts. The juggernaut of Southeast Texas is Texas, but the Houston Cougars are trying to do something they haven't done since maybe the 1980s- go to the Final Four. That's the magic of college hoops. You can be a small-size school, but still have a shot at National Champion every dribble, every drive, every bomb. They meet the best Division 1 Independents- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Surely, the Islanders are not only enjoying the beautiful Houston weather today, but enjoying a chance to smash the Coogs. It happened, it happened... but Houston just wouldn't stay down. Big win for my hometown boys. (86-83; HOUSTON)

* #(top 15) North Carolina State at #25 North Carolina
How can North Carolina be #25 and North Carolina State in the Top 15? People say this could be an upset, but only in terms of rankings. Like, in football, if you lose and you're ranked, you'll fall pretty far depending upon how the voters see things. This is college basketball, where the only thing that matters is making the NCAA tournament. And if you can't make the NCAA, the NIT is always a nice consoloation. The Tar Heels would hate to be the NIT favorites because they are better off in the NCAA Tourney. North Carolina State wants to upset their rivals and hand them a Wolfpack feasting. Only thing that got served was fried Wolfpack. And a pounding as well... (82-69; NORTH CAROLINA)

* #6 Illinois at Iowa
If you like Iowa football, you may love Iowa basketball as well. Just give the Hawkeyes a chance to impress you. Frustrated with the 2006 Outback Bowl? Iowa is seeing a big oppurtunity waiting for them. The task- take the fight out of the Fighting Illini. It's easy in football, but not so in basketball. If you love Illinois, you have to loathe this performance. Last season, they were undefeated until playing Ohio State in their final regular season game. This time, they lost to the Hawkeyes. Big win, or sweet upset? You be the judge. (62-48; IOWA)

* #14 Oklahoma at Nebraska ---RG: RIVALRY GAME---
A big XII swing now. (59-58; NEBRASKA)

* Colorado at Texas
The score was 43-24 at the half. This was a position Colorado was used to in the Big XII title game in football. Only not as bad. Texas rolls, thanks for coming. (89-64; TEXAS)

* UCLA at Arizona State
It was a tight fit, but the Bruins of UCLA defended Los Angeles' honor playing against the Sun Devils. (61-60; California-Los Angeles)

* George Washington at Marshall
It's a beautiful Saturday here in Houston, but could be an ugly Saturday for either of these two. The George Washington Colonials were getting pounded, roughed up, dragged on the floor, and this was going to be a hellacious upset right? Wrong. Like the heart of a champion, Marshall was probably kicking themselves for not keeping down George Washington, but I'm sure GW will take a comeback over a beatdown any day of the week. Washington D.C. and Huntington, WV isn't too far, but GW are on Cloud Nine with this win. (-, OT; George Washington)

* City College of New York at Columbia
If you don't like New York City, this isn't your game. This is about the City College of New York and Columbia, two proud New York City schools. One is in Div. 3, the other in Div. 1. The Ivy League Columbia Lions met against one of the NCAA's first National Champions, the City College of New York Beavers. In fact, I think CCNY was the first and only school to win the NIT and NCAA Championships in the same year. That year would be 1955, if I'm not mistaken. Think I'm stuck in the past? Just ask CCNY. (82-72; COLUMBIA)

* Lehigh at American
Patriot Leauge action is underway as two patriotic universities duel in basketball. Those two know each other quite well, considering that they are real patriotic as Patriot League participants. The Lehigh Mountain Hawks flew into the skies of the American Eagles. Eagles are more majestic, but not in this game. Mountain Hawks soared to new heights, raining baskets all over the Washington D.C. boys. (70-59; Lehigh)

* LSU at #2 Connecticut
Connecticut survived by the skin of their Huskie teeth as the LSU Tigers pushed them to the edge. (67-66; CONNECTICUT)

* Washington State at #10 Washington
Is Washington running out of gas? The Huskies disappoitningly lost to one of the Pac-10's sorriest teams, the Washington State Cougars. (78-71; Washington) *upset!*

* Belmont at North Florida
Time to hit the Belmont Stakes. Actually, no need for horses who have nothing better to do but make Mr. Ed impersonations. We're talking about Belmont's (nickname) against the North Florida Ospreys. All's well that ends well, right? So no sweat here as Belmont pulls through. (78-72; Belmont)

* Charlotte at Dayton
The Charlotte 49ers struck gold in Dayton, OH. They got that gold at the expense of taking out the Dayton Flyers. (72-65; Charlotte)

* Coppin State at Bethune-Cookman
Bethune-Cookman College welcomed Coppin State. The Wildcats looked to beat a winless team. Winless no more, as the Coppin State Eagles got it done by a dime. (75-65; Coppin State) -Biggest Win-

* Youngstown State at Detroit
NCAA or NIT bound, Detroit's Titans won't stop until they beat all their opposition... including the Youngstown State Penguins. (68-63; DETROIT)

* Chicago State at Oakland
Oakland's won five games so far, can they make it six? The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies meet a team whose logo looks like an elementary school logo, Chicago State. Where else in college sports will you see cats and bears play? Well, these cats are special, they are the Chicago State Cougars. Didn't matter to Oakland, because if people don't think Oakland can make another postseason in the NCAA (or maybe the NIT), this win will shut them up. So after Oakland lost to IUPUI only by one, they tamed the Cougars by a good number. Celebrate! (86-79; OAKLAND)

* Lamar at Texas State
The dismal Texas State Bobcats remain dismal as they lost to one of my old universities- the Lamar Cardinals. (87-53; Lamar)

* Mount St. Mary's at St. Francis College
The U? What about the Mount? Yeah, what about? The Terriers of St. Francis College met the Mountianeers of Mount St. Mary. Call them Mount St. "merry" after this win, because Mt. St. Mary's was all smiles after this win. (60-43; Mount St. Mary's)











WOMEN'S DIVISION

* Connecticut at Tennessee
Sad loss for one big team. Actually, both are big. The Lady Volunteers of Tennessee remained big to win against the Lady Huskies. (89-80; TENNESSEE)

* Villanova at Louisville
The boys lost to Louisville earlier this week, but the Lady Cardinals did what the guys couldn't over Villanova- defeat the Wildcats. (63-57; LOUISVILLE)

* Seton Hall at #12 Notre Dame
Seton Hall and New Jersey had plenty of reason to be happy as the Lady Pirates took the fight out of the Lady Fighting Irish. (73-61; Seton Hall) * upset! *

* BYU at #22 Utah ---RG: Holy War---
It's the hardwood, feminine version of the classic Brigham Young/Utah rivalry. And in the end, another upset happened. Doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl, you had a target on your back if you were ranked. The Lady Cougars of BYU got it done against their hated rivals, the Utah Utes. (61-60; Brigham Young)

* Minnesota at LSU
The guys barely lost to Connecticut, but the Lady Tigers of LSU didn't barely win anything. They blown out the Lady Golden Gophers of their Big Ten counterpart. (66-45; LOUISIANA STATE)

* Denver at New Orleans
The Lady Pioneers call the Mile High City home, and the New Orleans Lady Privateers walked on thin ice all game. (59-47; Denver)

* Cleveland State at Loyola UC
Chicago is the site, and Cleveland State's Lady Vikings didn't have an answer for the Lady Ramblers. (73-65; LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO)

 

[FoolKiller]

SATURDAY'S GAMES


MEN'S DIVISION* #21 Kentucky at Kansas
We begin with the crew that "FoolKiller" follows. That would be Kentucky. (73-46; KANSAS) *upset!*

If this keeps up my alma mater might be looking for a new basketball coach.

I'll go cry in the corner now.