SATURDAY'S GAMES
Next weekend is the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, if you follow racing. This Saturday, we have some intriguing matchups on many levels of college basketball. Whether you love Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, George Washington, Saint Joseph's, Campbell, Oakland, or whoever... I got you covered if they played today. Let's take a college basketball tour of America, shall we?
MEN'S DIVISION
Today, we will start with the unbeatens. Then, we have some SEC action with Kentucky and South Carolina. I'll have my hometown Houston Cougars in action. I will also have other games played around the nation. But, let's do the unbeatens first. The games with the unbeatens will be colored in one of my favorite colors- blue.
"G's Up, Hoyas Down" #1 Duke at Georgetown
Duke is going to Washington D.C. for this Big East battle. What about Washington D.C.? It's going to be cold outside in our nation's capital. Since it gets cold with this Winter Sport, this is why you play bigtime basketball indoors. Whoever wins this game will feel like they've imbued a great deal of power. Duke is the powerhouse in this match, but can the Blue Devils be the Commander-in-Chief on Georgetown? Georgetown is glad to be in a city in which they can be as powerful as they want to be. They aren't above the White House, but this House of Representatives are a bunch of Hoyas who will impose their will against any opposition- big or small. At the half, it was G-Town leading Duke 42-28. Can you believe it, player? I don't know about Pittsburgh's game, but you can damn well bet Duke's not going to let this slide. The game came down to clutch plays, free throws, and defensive supremacy. This game was really exciting down the stretch. Credit Duke for making a game out of this, but this was about as much of a stunner as Texas stunning USC in the Rose Bowl. This is despite J.J. Redick getting 41 points for Duke. That NBA caliber of scoring still means nothing if the supporting cast doesn't do their part. So, BIG upset, and Georgetown's first defeat of #1 since 1985 against 1985 Saint Jospeh's (or St. John's, maybe?). (87-84; GEORGETOWN)
* #2 Florida at Tennessee ---RIVALRY GAME---
This is an SEC rivalry you may know of in football. Florida and Tennessee share a pretty healthy rivalry. The Gators don't want to feel like Duke just did earlier today. Tennessee hopes to Volunteer to cover Duke in Vols Orange. I may like orange juice (especially since I'm a little sick today), but Florida didn't like seeing their unbeaten streak covered in Volunteer orange. Upset city, baby! Speaking of Upset City, you may as well add Florida as part of the city's population. (80-76; TENNESSEE)
* #9 Pittsburgh at St. John's
St. John's is the pride of New York City. Pittsburgh is the pride of... well, Pittsburgh. It's the Steel boys ready to touch down in New "Yauk." St. John's is on the rise, trust me. The Red Storm will invade any team with easy money lay-ups, and million-dollar threes. Pittsburgh is already rich, because Panthers cannot be afforded. It's raining men? It's rainging baskets, baby! Early on, the Red Storm had upset intentions. They were saying that "if we could knock off Louisville, we can knock off Pittsburgh as well." I think they led over Pittsburgh by a count of 25-17 or something like that. The Steel City Kitties fought their way back, but St. John's banged in free throws to make it 53-50. Pittsburgh has now lost six straight times at Madison Square Garden against St. John's. Those New Yorkers got her done like only NYC knows how. (55-50; ST. JOHN'S)
* South Carolina at Kentucky
Kentucky picked up a nice win last time out against Georgia. Now, the Wildcats want to take the fight to South Carolina, the defending NIT champs. And while the NIT is nice, the Gamecocks believe the NCAA is better. This game is played in a place called... uh, Rupp Arena. And when there's a home game at Rupp Arena, it can be hell trying to play there if you're the Away team. Lexington, get off your bottoms and stand up for your Kentucky Wildcats! For Kentucky, this was a feel good win. In fact, I can hear myself humming "Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz... The wild kittens got it done and have won two straight, which is much better than losing three straight. (80-78; KENTUCKY)
* Houston at UAB
When Tom Penders (Houston; Coach) hit the deck inside the last minute of the First Half, it may have taken the wind out of Houston's sails. The Cougars now suffered another tough loss as the UAB Blazers took down the kitties from H-Town. (82-79; ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM)
* DePaul at Providence
Chicago meets Providence in this Big East matchup. In college football, there are no universities in the greater Chicago area, unless you're talking about the Chicago Maroons in Division 3. College basketball has several Chicago institutions such as Chicago State, Illinois-Chicago, and this team- DePaul University. DePaul University is a Jesuit institution. This means that DePaul is an institution which services itself to religion and faith to God or Jesus. The Blue Demons will need more than prayer to win their games, because Providence wants to have their way with DePaul. Providence calls Providence, RI home. It's also a haven for devoted Friars who look to stay fresh in the Big East. The boys in black and silver got it done, but BOY WAS IT CLOSE! (76-75; PROVIDENCE)
* Purdue at Indiana ---RIVALRY GAME---
West Lafayette... Bloomington. West Lafayette, IN... Bloomington, IN. Big Ten... Big Ten. Sounds like a rivalry to me. Sure enough, these two proud Indiana institutions are ready to go at it. The Purdue Boilermakers are sort of the lamest ducks in the Big Ten. They may even be jive turkeys too. If Purdue can rip a win against their bitter rivals, it would really boost Purdue's morale. Indiana ripped a few upsets in the past, and if you're a Hoosier, this one is a no contest. But as we've seen before, not everything is what it is. (62-49; INDIANA)
* Iliinois at Northwestern
The Fighting Illini of Illinois returned to winning, taking Northwestern's Wildcats straight to Hell. (58-47; Illinois)
* Nebraska at Kansas
Rock chalk Jayhawk KU... however that chant goes, the Jayhawks made sure the Nebraska Cornhuskers hated hearing that chant against them. It was too late as Kansas got it done. Which was worse? This game, or Texas beating Colorado or Texas Tech? (96-54; KANSAS)
* #25 Iowa at #12 Michigan State
This game wasn't even close. The Michigan State Spartans played at home against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Sure enough, Iowa will fall from the Top 25 ranks. This was ugly. Don't even look at the score. (85-55; MICHIGAN STATE)
* Michigan at Minnesota ---RIVALRY GAME---
In football, this is the battle for the Little Brown Jug. The Golden Gophers need a little jug of good luck medicine, as they took a fall to the Michigan Wolverines. A win like this is something to enjoy taking back to the University of Michigan, wouldn't you say? (71-55; Michigan)
* Wake Forest at North Carolina State
At one point, Wake Forest was one of the biggest threats in college hoops, much less the ACC. Now the Demon Deacons continue facing setbacks as North Carolina State's Wolfpack thrown WF to the ground. (92-82; NORTH CAROLINA STATE)
* Texas at Baylor ---RIVALRY GAME---
The Baylor Bears have a better Women's team than a men's team. That's something even the Texas Longhorns can tell you in this rivalry. (66-47; Texas)
* Gonzaga at San Diego
GTPlanet, let's go on a West Coast swing, shall we? Much like Texas was the big dog in the Big XII in football, Gonzaga's the big dog in this one. The Bulldogs headed to a city VERY CLOSE to the Mexican border, San Diego, CA. Or as it's called in "Street Fury," "Day-go." The Toreros of the University of San Diego sensed upset... but almost got it done. Gonzaga survived by the skin of their teeth as the Bulldogs held through. (64-63; Gonzaga)
* Oregon at Washington
The Washington Huskies' fight song is called "Bow Down to Washington." That's something the Oregon Ducks failed to do... and paid for it. Dearly. (78-59; WASHINGTON)
* Syracuse at Villanova
I thought Syracuse didn't suck at basketball... the Orange got crushed real major thanks to the homebound Wildcats. (80-65; VILLANOVA)
* Ohio State at Penn State
Ohio State won themselves some easy money by downing Penn State. The Nittany Lions lost to the better Buckeyes. (75-64; Ohio State)
* Memphis at Southern Mississippi
Oh, Memphis is going to the NCAA Tournament for sure. They are really going to be one of the 65 teams to have a chance at National Championship glory. The Tigers need to keep this going by taking down their opponents in conference. That includes Southern Mississippi's Golden Eagles. It wasn't a sweat for Memphis as they won nicely.(-; Memphis)
* North Dakota State at Wisconsin
This is unbelievable. Many of you are probably thinking "how the hell can Wisconsin lose to... that cupcake North Dakota State?" But look at it like this. Did the North Dakota State Bisons come to play, or did the Wisconsin Badgers simply had a bad day? Whatever the case, this is a sad loss for one of the Big Ten's most talented basketball units. No, forget just basketball, one of the best in football and basketball. Big Ten basketball takes a huge blow thanks to North Dakota State, who simply came into the Kohl's Center and OWNED Wisconsin. (62-55; North Dakota State)
* George Washington at Charlotte
The George Washington Colonials remain pretty sweet by knocking off and knocking down the Charlotte 49ers. (83-69; George Washington)
* #12 West Virginia at #13 UCLA
So close, yet so far. The Bruins made her a close game until West Virginia's Mountaineers were just too tough. (60-56; West Virginia)
* Texas Tech at Oklahoma
You may as well chalk up Texas Tech for an NIT bid because the Red Raiders simply lost their spunk playing the Oklahoma Sooners. (60-48; OKLAHOMA)
* Alabama A&M at Southern
The Southern Jaguars are on the prowl! They said, "if we're going to nobody's postseason tournament, we're taking the Alabama A&M Bulldogs with us!" (72-65; SOUTHERN)
* Boston College at Miami
On the road, Boston College picked up a big win. Even though the Hurricanes have their duck mascot, Sebastian, they couldn't survive Hurricane B.C. Eagles. (65-61; Boston College)
* Virginia Tech at Maryland
Maybe Marcus Vick can help VT's basketball team after the Hokies fell to non-football power Maryland's Terrapins. (81-72; MARYLAND)
* Connecticut at Louisville
Louisville's Cardinals kept it close, but the Louisville Sluggers couldn't bat a home run upset of the Huskies. (71-58; Connecticut)
* La Salle at Saint Joseph's
The MAAC meets the Atlantic 10. The A10 is the bigger conference, but this is the battle of two Philadelphia area schools. (66-54; SAINT JOSEPH'S)
* Lehigh at Lafayette ---RIVALRY GAME---
GTPlanet, Lehigh and Lafayette just DO NOT like each other. In fact, they hate them so much, that they've hated each other for a long time. These two faced each other about 140 years in football. Well, this will be the 210-something game between these two for today's game. Fortunately, the players are nowhere near 210 years old. The game will be in the state of Pennsylvania. You may be thinking Louisiana when I state Lafayette, but this is is Pennsylvania's Lafayette school in Easton or Bethlehem, PA. The Leopards are ready to clash again and again with Lehigh as long as both schools are still standing. Still standing in this bad boy was Lehigh. A win on the road is always pleasing becaues you beat the other team AND their crowd. (76-58; Lehigh)
* George Mason at North Carolina-Wilmington
North Carolina-Wilmington is one of the biggest up and comers. The Seahawks are ready to sink their talons into another team. Let that "other team" be George Mason. The George Mason Patriots aren't afraid of any challenge. Shoot, George Mason will likely say "bring on ANYBODY! Doesn't matter if you're Morgan State or Connecticut. We accept any challenge!" (69-63; NORTH CAROLINA-WILMINGTON)
* Texas A&M at Iowa State
The long road north is where Texas A&M is heading to meet Iowa State. Texas A&M had some trouble going northbound, because the Aggies encountered some reported Cyclones in Ames, IA. Ames, IA is used to bad weather because the Cyclones only do damage to teams who mess with Iowa State. (86-81, OT; Texas A&M)
* Alabama at LSU
Grab a basketball, lace up those Jordans, see you on the court. We got college hoops in Louisiana. But then, we also have some SEC competitors. The Louisiana State Tigers are the Division 1 heartbeat of Louisiana. This Baton Rouge, LA unit met boys from Tuscaloosa, AL. The Crimson Tide are ready to wash away LSU. Did they? Not a chance! Tigers meow, purr, and scratch the competition with their sharp paws. Good kitties! (68-57; LOUISIANA STATE)
* Temple at Massachusetts
Let's head to Amherst, MA. The University of Massachusetts is the home of this game and this A10 matchup. This may be a 40-minute game, but the Minutemen aren't afraid to duke it out for well over one minute. Maybe they are the Minutemen because they can change the momentum of a game in a split minute. That's something the Temple Owls will need to be careful of. I don't know if Temple wants to be in the MAC for basketball too, but this was saddening for Temple. (60-34; MASSACHUSETTS)
* Georgia Southern at Davidson
This is the matter of the Georgia Southern boys and the Davidson boys. Davidson College has some wonderful Wildcats that can play basketball. Those kittens had to prove their worth against Georgia Southern. Georgia Southern is probably better known in football, but the Eagles make a good basketball team as well. In the end, Georgia Southern took an ass-whipping. A BAD one. Davidson College rolls. (83-58; DAVIDSON)
* Kent State at Northern Illinois
Kent, OH is the Away school's location. So, this isn't Kentucky State. It's not even a Kentucky school. It is instead an Ohio unit going west. Looking for some Golden Flashes of victory, and looking to DeKalb, IL for those flashes. Northern Illinois won't just sit back and let Kent State own them. Oh, no. DeKalb is not too far from the Chicago, but the NIU Huskies were too far away to make something happen. (72-61; Kent State)
* Colorado at Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State's dismal year ends up in a loss to the Colorado Buffaloes. Chalk up another loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys. They can't buy one, even in Overtime. (80-78, OT; Colorado)
* California at Arizona
Cal's Golden Bears are good, but the Arizona Wildcats were better. Simple as that. (60-55; ARIZONA)
* St. Bonaventure at Fordham
New York City has more reason to celebrate. This is because the Fordham Rams defeated St. Bonaventure's Bonnies. They defeated the Bonnies even if it took double overtime to do it. (79-70, 2OT; FORDHAM)
* Centenary at Oakland
I'm telling you something. The Mid-Continent may be the Division 1-A football equivalent of the Sun Belt, but there are still some solid teams who can play hoops. Centenary College in Shreveport, LA traveled WAY north to Oakland University in Southeastern Michigan. The Gents are looking to make sure Oakland doesn't play in ANY post-season action. If you're Oakland, who do you call to make sure you end a Saturday winning? Why, GTP's own "BlazinXtreme" of course! Well, I don't know if he can help, but the Golden Grizzlies will appreciate any support. Oakland wants to be golden, and like a 351 Windsor or an LS2, they turned on the jets in this game. And in the end, warm up the bus, sweetheart! Centenary College = No problem! Situation under control. 10-4. Over and out. You dig? (78-63; OAKLAND)
WOMEN'S DIVISION
That was some wild action on the Men's side, eh? Here are some Women's games I've selected to fill this space.
* Marquette at West Virginia
The men didn't lose, but the West Virginia Lady Mountaineers lost. The culprit were the Marquette University Lady Golden Eagles. (80-75; Marquette)
* Army at Navy ---RIVALRY GAME---
It's the feminine version of the Commander-in-Chief trophy! This is rare in today's football, but the Lady Black Knights/Cadets of the United States Military Academy blew out the Navy Midship-Women. (83-69; Army)
* Tulane at Southeastern Louisiana
The Lady Green Wave of Tulane University defeated the Southeastern Louisiana (Golden?) Lions in this battle of Louisiana schools. (69-62; Tulane)
* Wright State at Loyola UC
The Lady Ramblers defeated their Ohio counterparts, the Wright State Lady Raiders in this Horizon League battle. (85-77, OT; LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO)
* Alabama A&M at Southern
Now we have the female version of this SWAC match. Switch the gender, and the Southern Lady Jaguars still devlivered against the Lady Bulldogs. (69-64; SOUTHERN)
What can I say? Duke, Florida, Pittsburgh, and even Wisconsin suffered some hellacious judgments this Saturday. I still think all of these teams are going nowhere close to the NIT come March. I see all of them being at least in the Sweet Sixteen. * And today, nice to see Kentucky going on. Life as usual, right? Hitting the courts and beating the opposition and the odds. Way to go, Lexington. * Never heard of North Dakota State? They made their impact today at the Kohl center. This was a hellacious upset. How many Mid-Continent or Independents can knock off a Big Ten team like Wisconsin? Not many, I can tell you that. Hell, Wisconsin's FOOTBALL team can pound North Dakota State, maybe even the Badger's hockey team as well. But this was shocking. * Oakland gets another win, keeping that smile super-glued on Blazin's face. * Next Saturday, I might be at the Houston Auto Show, so my picks may come at a lazy pace. See you next week!
