College Basketball: 1/29 to 2/4

[JohnBM01]

Last week, I apologize for being sick trying to make scores. The problem was that I've been all sleepy and had a cold. I wasn't able to get in as many scores to you all, much less scores in time. I can't guarantee that this will never happen again, but I will say that I'll try to get you scores even if I have to do "Rapid Fire." Of course, my "Rapid Fire" is basically the two teams, a score, and who won.

LAST WEEK...
* I liked Texas at Oklahoma, but I thought it was going to be an upset. Sure enough, it was. Oklahoma got it done by 10. * Kentucky (will be featured in the Sunday Sampler) is now getting themselves a win streak going after losing three straight games, the first since 1999. They've been getting better and surely hope to make it to March Madness for a National Title shot. * They may be Division 1 Independents, but Savannah State really disappointed. On Saturday, they lost to a college or university called Allen. When you're on the highest level (Div. 1) and you lose to someone either not in Division 1 or even the NCAA, that's sad. Even Virginia took that shameful loss to Chaminade back in the 1980s. But this is sad considering Savannah State have a tough time winning in basketball or football. * Conference USA deemed officials at the Houston @ UAB game the week before. Tom Penders (Houston, Coach) stayed home against Marshall and won. This is all for Houston to try to make the NCAA Tournament after making the NIT last season. If Houston makes it to the Final Four (which isn't really likely, though I want Houston to make it that far), it would be their sixth in the school's history. And oh yeah, five times- no championship. * The Tennessee Lady Volunteers lost to Duke on Monday, then lose again to Kentucky (I believe). This is sad considering that Pat Summit got 900 wins recently, then lose two straight. * Gonzaga remains underrated on the national stage. If the NCAA Championship game was Gonzaga vs. Duke, many would probably say that it would be Duke who gets it done against Gonzaga. But what did we learn from college football this year? Underrated teams can still win, even if the more glamourous team is an overall favorite.

It's time for another week of hoops. This is a special week, because what comes after January? February. Come February, it's time to start thinking about who will be in the NCAA Tournament, who will miss the NCAA and make the NIT, and who simply isn't going to ANYBODY'S tournament. So, we're on that road to the big tournaments. But we can't begin without letting who know who made noise on Sunday. So let's do the Sampler, eh, player?

SUNDAY SAMPLER

SS-MEN
* Arkansas at Kentucky (78-76; KENTUCKY)
* #1? Indiana at Minnesota (62-41; MINNESOTA) *upset!*
* Rider at Niagara (84-70; NIAGARA)
* West Virginia at St. John's (61-61; West Virginia)
* Buffalo at Kent State (70-52; KENT STATE)
SS-WOMEN
* North Carolina at Duke ---RIVALRY GAME--- (74-70; North Carolina)
* Virginia Tech at Miami (77-62; MIAMI)
* Massachusetts at Temple (80-54; TEMPLE)
* Arkansas at South Carolina (61-52; SOUTH CAROLINA)
* Maryland at Wake Forest (79-70, OT; Maryland)

The final two days of January and start of February is underway. So let's do hoops!

Before I prep for Monday's games, ESPN College GameNight talked about teams you can stick a fork into and call them done. Among them include the following ((?) = unsure): Louisville, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Iowa State, and St. John's(?).

 

[JohnBM01]

MONDAY'S GAMES
I've heard that our "BlazinXtreme" survived some bad car crash. So, get well soon, buddy! If Oakland plays, I'll be sure to feature them within the course of this report.

MEN'S DIVISION
"Fading Fast?" Louisville at #4 Villanova
Kentucky won yesterday, so let's see how their friends... uh, rivals did on the road. Basketball is religion in Kentucky, and while the U of Kentucky knows this well, so do former national champions Louisville. These Louisville Sluggers wanted to bat Villanova out the park. There's no Albert Pujols about THESE Cardinals, but the Louisville Cardinals are looking to make it into the NCAA and avoid the NIT. They are a good team, they just been stumbling in their Big East debut. Playing in the Big East means you'll have to play teams like Connecticut, Villanova, Pittsburgh, and even Notre Dame. Villanova and (the University of) Kentucky have something in common- they both agree that if you're going to play sports and give yourself an intimidating nickname- let it be Wildcats. Louisville isn't scared of anybody, and they can prove it in this upset attempt. And if they lose, they lose fighting. This is even considered that Louisville has Taquan Dean ready for action and reporting for duty. The game was played at Wachovia Center, home to the Philadelphia 76ers, Flyers, and this Villanova "home" game. (-; )

"5-Man Weave" Texas Tech at Kansas
Big East to Big XII. Got to make those transistions, player. Both Texas Tech and Kansas used to be major players, but both teams are having their issues this season. The Red Raiders of Texas Tech aren't doing Bobby Knight much justice this season, having stumbled a lot

* Howard at Morgan State
We're going to the Mid-East American Conference, or the MEAC. One can win games, the other is flirting with being the first team since 2004 Savannah State to finish the season winless. Here's some news... MORGAN STATE FINALLY WINS A GAME! Winless no more as the Bears get "W" #1 against Howard's Bison. Better late than never. (79-75; MORGAN STATE)

---RAPID FIRE---
* Florida A&M at Ohio State (-; OHIO STATE)
* Oral Roberts at UMKC (74-56; Oral Roberts)
+++JOHN'S NOTE: Oral Roberts is the toughest ticket in the Mid-Continent.

"Iona Iota" St. Peter's at Iona (76-72; St. Peter's)
* Wisconsin-Milwaukeee at Loyola UC (68-57; Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
+++JOHN'S NOTE: Toughest Horizon League team? Look at who won this game.

* Butler at Illinois-Chicago (67-39; Butler)
+++JOHN'S NOTE: Damn!

* Furman at Western Carolina (85-76; WESTERN CAROLINA)
* IPFW at Longwood (60-59; LONGWOOD)
+++JOHN'S NOTE: This gives the Longwood Lancers their fifth win of the season.

* Liberty at Charleston Southern (73-71; CHARLESTON SOUTHERN)
* Mercer at East Tennessee State (84-81; EAST TENNESSEE STATE)
* North Florida at Gardner-Webb (69-68; GARDNER-WEBB)
* Southeast Missouri State at Austin Peay (73-62; AUSTIN PEAY)





WOMEN'S DIVISION
We begin with a great woman's match... on paper. Find out why I seemed inconfident stating "great women's match" with my first game for the ladies.

* #10 Baylor at #5 LSU
Monday isn't exactly ladies' night, but it is time for a nice basketball game. When these ladies threw down, the LSU Lady Tigers were the queens of the jungle against the Baylor Lady Bears. (88-57; LOUISIANA STATE)

---RAPID FIRE---
* Texas Southern at Alabama A&M (64-50; ALABAMA A&M)
* Davidson at The College of Charleston (71-67; Davidson)
* Western Illinois at Oakland (66-57; OAKLAND)
+++JOHN'S NOTE: Did you know Oakland's Women are 9-11 on the year? This is not a bad record for "BlazinXtreme's" Oakland University. I believe that their record is better than the Oakland men. Still, just want to congratulate the Golden Grizzlies. For the women, Oakland's next game is at IUPUI.


Late updating. Get ready for Tuesday's games!

 

[JohnBM01]

TUESDAY'S GAMES
Hello again! We have some intriguing matches with top 25 stars. In addition, we have the Big East, Big XII, SEC, and even the Missouri Valley. So let's take a look at tonight's action.

MEN'S DIVISION
* #6 Illinois at Wisconsin
Rather than the Big East starting, I've gone with the Big Ten. Wisconsin's Badgers didn't have enough oomph to get up and go against the Illinois Fighting Illini. (66-51; Illinois)

* #7 Florida at Mississippi
Mississippi (or better referred to as Ole Miss) hasn't had good football since Eli Manning was drafted in the NFL. They haven't had good basketball since... well, the boys from Starksville are usually the better Mississippi team. Never count out the Rebels, though. The Miss boys look to hit... it off against Florida. Florida aren't technically rebellious, but the Gators don't do any silly favors for anybody. They certainly didn't give Ole Miss a break as Florida bit right through Mississippi. (69-58; Florida)

* Georgetown at DePaul
Not even close, players. The DePaul Blue Demons had their asses handed to by the ever-impressive Hoyas of Georgetown. (64-44; Georgetown)

* #9 Pittsburgh at #1 Connecticut
This game is played at Storrs, CT. The Connecticut Huskies are on the point. Looking to knock UConn off of Cloud Nine are a pack of Panthers from Pittsburgh. The kitties didn't fare too well against the puppies. And you'd may as well say that when Pitt faces a #1 team, they can't win. This loss makes them 0-13 against #1-ranked teams. (-; CONNECTICUT)

"Tech-nical Foul Play" Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech
Both teams aren't very good right about now. In this battle, Georgia Tech were handed defeat as the Yellow Jackets fell to the VT Hokies. (63-62; VIRGINIA TECH)

* Nebraska at Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State's Cowboys haven't done very well in recent times. They just simply fell apart as Nebraska's Cornhuskers held off the Stillwater boys to win. (-; Nebraska)

* #24 Northern Iowa at Creighton
Just like DePaul, Marquette, and San Francisco, Creighton University is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in America. The purpose of such schools are to provide not only quality education, but also service and faith to God. But when the basketball arena opens for a hot game, a new religion is practiced each day in this Omaha, NE school. Whereas Greeks believed that man was the measure of all things, Creighton University believes that Blue Jays are the measure of all things great about college basketball. Their Missouri Valley conference rivals are Northern Iowa. The University of Northern Iowa is solid in almost any sport that they partake in, and surely Panthers' basketball is just as good as Panthers football. Sadly, this was an upset win in terms of rankings. Don't underrate UNI or Creighton. This is a big win for the Omaha brand. (63-55; CREIGHTON)

"Over the Hill" Western Kentucky at Florida International
The Florida International Golden Panthers weren't golden enough to tame Western Kentucky's Hilltoppers. (66-61; Western Kentucky)

* Lipscomb at Belmont
The Lipscomb Bison failed to take down fellow Patriot Leauge Tennessee(are both in Tennessee?) school, the Belmont Bruins. (81-65; BELMONT)

* Wake Forest at Miami
It used to be that Miami didn't stand a chance in basketball. Miami has five national championships with their storied football team, but the Hurricanes are on the rise in basketball. I would still love to visit the city of Miami. Then too, the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL is about as much of a Miami attraction as Pro Player's Stadium or the American Airlines Arena. Nothing attractive about Wake Forest, however. The Demon Deacons are demonically stinking this season. They are probably the Oklahoma State of the ACC. This loss doesn't make things better for the North Carolinans. (-; MIAMI)

"Group Huggins" South Florida at Cincinatti
South Florida's Bulls remain bulls*** in Big East conference play as they fall to 0-7 in conference. Cincinatti's Bearcats remain strong overall and in conference. (73-60; CINCINATTI)





WOMEN'S DIVISION
* #3 Connecticut at Louisville
The men are #1, but the ladies are #3. No worries. The Lady Huskies still will likely have their shot to play in Boston for the Women's national championship. They go closer by making short work of the Louisville Lady Cardinals. (75-68; Connecticut)

* DePaul at West Virginia
The Lady Mountaineers of West Virgina upset the DePaul Lady Blue Demons.

* Buffalo at Northern Illinois
Finally, we have a thrilling game to end this day's scores. DeKalb, IL is the home of Northern Illinois University, and a thrilling 3OT match. Forty minutes didn't solve anything, so tack on five more minutes. Still deadlocked, so add five more game minutes. That didn't work, so let's do 3OT. And in the end, the Lady Huskies of NIU played like lady matadors in taming the Buffalo Lady Bulls. (81-72; NORTHERN ILLINOIS)


Back to normal, so let me see if I can continue delivering like this. There weren't many men's games tonight. By the way... it's now February, so March is only weeks and weeks away. Getting tense now, GTP!

 

[dougiemeats]

* #6 Illinois at Wisconsin
Rather than the Big East starting, I've gone with the Big Ten. Wisconsin's Badgers didn't have enough oomph to get up and go against the Illinois Fighting Illini. (66-51; Illinois)

That was an important road win for the Illini. They need to do one very important thing in the Big Ten, and that is win their games at home. That should put them in good shape to win the Big Ten this year.

 

[JohnBM01]

I don't have Wednesday's scores up, but I've always thought the Big Ten was a football conference. There are some teams that are really stepping up in the Big Ten in Men's and even Women's basketball. Illinois and Indiana are especially solid, but Michigan State and Ohio State are quite well too. I'm not counting out the Madison boys, though. Wisconsin is probably the best team in the state. That even includes in-state talent such as Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wisconsin-Green Bay, and especially Marquette. On the women's side, you're looking at teams like Michigan State, Illinois perhaps, Ohio State is solid with the ladies, and maybe Penn State's women's team is better than the men.

I do think Illinois is going to the NCAA Tournament in March. Depending upon how they play, the minimum point I see them is maybe the Sweet Sixteen. The maximum depends. If Illinois makes it to the title game, you know winning is the top priority after they missed out a winning chance against North Carolina.

A couple of quick game winners I'll share include the great job two Conference USA teams have done. * First off, Memphis may as well be the #1 C-USA team as the #3 Memphis Tigers defeated the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. * And locally, the University of Houston took down a talented UTEP team, whose football talent extends lovingly into basketball. Oliver Lafayette was on point for the Houston Cougars as he's the best player on the team. * I can also tell you that Texas' Longhorns continue to do well in the Big XII, maybe getting a little cocky having won against many Big XII teams despite losing to Oklahoma. If only the Texas/Oklahoma game was on a neutral court like their football rivalry...

In any event, I'll prepare as many scores as I can and update when I get a chance.

UPDATE: I'm sorry I forgot to mention Iowa in terms of Big Ten play. I also forgot to mention that UTEP and Memphis were tied for the Conference USA conference lead. UTEP is unbeaten in C-USA until they went into Houston. So now, Memphis is on top of the C-USA leaderboard. I don't know when (or if) UTEP and Memphis will happen, but Houston will play AT Memphis on March 4th. Much like you liked the Illinois win against Wisconsin, Houston's game in Memphis will be HUGE. And think about this- Houston's beaten LSU on the road and at home against Arizona. So they have firepower down the stretch. They just need to keep up the good work and limit the mistakes.

 

[JohnBM01]

You know, I've decided to come up with a new concept. Not many teams play on Friday or Sunday. So what I'll do is, I'll start a new "segment" and call Friday games as (to keep with the theme of food) "Friday Appetizers," because Saturday is the main course, you dig? This will also give me a chance to catch up on games I haven't posted yet. Trust me, I do tend to forget to post my scores. Either that, or (I admit) I get a little lazy. After the scores, if I forget about the rest of the week, I'll do a few highlights of games. So let's debut the Friday Appetizers so that we can get ready for the full course on Saturday.

FRIDAY APPETIZERS
FA-MEN
* Rider at Fairfield (-, OT; FAIRFIELD)
* Delaware State at South Carolina State (-; )
FA-WOMEN
* at (-; )
* at (-; )

THE WEEK SO FAR...
(Men) * There was a stunning game in Cincinatti as the Xavier Musketeers fell just shy of George Washington, who remains spotless in the Atlantic 10. * Even though Maryland's loss to North Carolina was an upset in terms of rankings, it really wasn't an upset as North Carolina is the much more solid team. To me, ANY team (besides Duke or any other quality team) who beats North Carolina is an upset. Like, look at North Carolina and Miami a week or so ago. If Miami beats North Carolina in football, it's no big deal. But if Miami beats North Carolina in basketball (which they did), then it's an upset since Miami isn't as stellar in hoops as they are on the field. * Saturday, Kentucky will leave their Wildcat den in Lexington to take a trip to see some other wild animals, the Florida Gators. Tubby Smith and his boys will try to outcoach and outdo Florida, but it won't be easy. * Notre Dame has only ONE Big East win and they face Louisville this Saturday with Taquan Dean back and ready for action. For Notre Dame, this isn't football, so they can't be an Independent and play whoever they want wherever they want like their football team. If you are in a conference you MUST match up against all your opposition. * Too bad South Florida is without a Big East win, as they lost to DePaul on Friday. These Big East debutantes aren't having it easy. * Can you say "Lone Star Showdown?" That's what you get when Texas and Texas A&M look at each other from different ends of the court. So, Texas loses at Oklahoma, smashes Missouri, and now they face Texas A&M. * On Tuesday, the Creighton Blue Jays created havoc over #24 Northern Iowa's Panthers. Northern Iowa is tough, and this was a nice win for the Creighton boys (Omaha, NE). * Memphis will go to Houston... but play Rice. Not the Houston Cougars... Memphis has the Coogs in Memphis March 4th. This is a big game for Rice as this private university matches up against the #3 Memphis Tigers.

(Women) North Carolina remains unbeaten as they took NC State down. * DePaul were upset by West Virginia. The DePaul girls of Chicago, IL fell to the Lady Mountaineers back on Tuesday (I believe).

Well, these were updates and previews. I think this will save me time and get to talk about games than just reporting them. Well, get ready for Saturday, players. Dig that.

 

[JohnBM01]

SATURDAY'S GAMES


MEN'S DIVISION
Let's start with some of the first games for today.

* Notre Dame at Louisville
I hear that Louisville has snowy weather with this game. Isn't it funny that it can snow really bad outside, but the action is red hot on the court? Speaking of cold weather, Notre Dame's been frozen cold as they have only one Big East win, while Louisville has a handful. The Fighting Irish are used to snow, but not used to losing, especially in basketball. If you're from Lexingrton, KY, you can only hope your rivals can go down and stay down. Of course, I got Kentucky later in this report. But for now, let's see if the Cardinals can keep Notre Dame firmly rooted on the ground. Basketball is a winter sport, so it's no wonder why things can be hotter when there's a game on. At one point, Notre Dame and Louisville were continually bricking jump shots. In March Madness, Louisville's perimeter shooting is going to be quite a difference maker however high they go. It's 44-38 in favor of the redbirds. But at the half when I thought "FoolKiller" was enjoying looking at Louisville go down... Taquan Dean knocks down a freaky 3-point shot. So in the end... regulation solves nothing. Bring on Overtime! (89-86; LOUISVILLE)

* Texas A&M at Texas ---RIVALRY GAME---
It's the Lone Star Showdown, players! Austin's boys versus College Station's boys. Whoever wins this game, the state of Texas wins. But which schools? The two put aside their football differences and damn near kill each other on the basketball court. The Texas Longhorns are (83-70; TEXAS)

* Southern Illinois at Wichita State
After ND/Louisville, we have SIU and WSU. Southern Illinois are quite popular. They are good in football and basketball. The Salukis were ready to go into Wichita State. If you don't know what a Saluki is, it is a breed of dog from the Middle East (I believe). We're not in Kansas anymore... or are we? Just ask the Shockers where you are. You can certainly dig the fact that Wichita State is ready for Missouri Valley basketball action. It was 20-19 at the half for the Salukis. Afterwards... if you thought ND/Louisville was going to be the only Overtime, these two still couldn't decide an outright winner, so we have Overtime here too! In fact, we have DOUBLE OVERTIME in this house! (-; )

* Dayton at Charlotte
The Dayton Flyers are having a bad year as the Charlotte 49ers sent the Flyers flying home in sadness. The Atlantic 10 isn't so friendly to the Flyers this year. (-; CHARKLOTTE)

* Missouri at Texas Tech
The Red Raiders finally win in their dismal year against the struggling Missouri Tigers. (73-55; TEXAS TECH)

"What Can Blue Do For You?" Kentucky at #7 Florida
Good news, Kentucky fans! Kentucky blue and white are ready to invade the courts and light it up inside and out. Bad news... we're not playing at home this Saturday night. It's okay, though, right? It's because Wildcat fans follow Wildcat basketball wherever the kittens play. Hell, even if Kentucky played hoops on Mars, the Lexington boys will be lovingly followed back home on Earth. Some may even pay for the trip to go to Mars to see the game. Thankfully, the Wildcats don't have to play on Mars for this one, because we;re going to Gainesville, FL. You might recall some nice drag racing in Gainesville, but we're talking about the boys who play hoops. The Gators are ready to bite into somebody's ass tonight. As good as Kentucky is, if UK wins, this will be an upset since Florida is #7. Can Tubby Smith coach his boys? Can Rajon Rondo lead his boys? Saturday Night college basketball, players! Tubby Smith will be wired for sound on ESPN2 with the wonderful voice of Brad Nessler and the excitable Dick Vitale have the call for this game. Boy, this game was EXCITING! The wild kittens led 41-39 with a wonderful jumper in the paint. The Lexington kittens were ready to send the Gators into extinction. Rondo and Morris were the Cats' meow in this SEC street fight. Rajon Rondo fouls out even as Kentucky is already bleeding in this game. It's 1:35 left in the game as it's 93-75. Most points Florida scored on Kentucky in their history is 96. So here's some good news if you're Kentucky- at least they didn't surpass 96. Other than that, Kentucky had some trouble banging in the ball down the stretch. As good as the Wildcats are, (1) they played in a very tough place, and (2) Florida just had all guns blazing. Speaking of guns, Florida shot to kill. Florida shot plenty of tranquilizer darts at the Wildcat offense. One by one, they fell hard in Gainesville. Kentucky's next challenge will be at Rupp Arena against Tennessee on Tuesday. I personally wish them some better luck than the tough hand of cards Kentucky was dealt tonight. Only the Kansas loss was worse than this one. As for Florida, their home winning streak continues. Did Illinois keep their long streak alive? Find out later in this post. (95-80; FLORIDA)

* #1 Connecticut at #21 Indiana
The University of Connecticut hasn't seen National Championship glory since since 2004. At least UConn knows what's at stake- success or failure. Of course, THAT'S WHY YOU PLAY THE GAME! The Connecticut Huskies headed into a rowdy Bloomington, IN. Not for their football team, but for their Hoosier hoops team who's won more championships than their football team ever did. UConn's Huskies were down early, but afterwards rose to power and stayed on top. You want an analogy? Here's one. UConn's fight back was more like in football when Texas was down against Oklahoma State all to dominate down the stretch. Connecticut wins as the Big Ten is bleeding. (88-80; Connecticut)

* Detroit at Illinois-Chicago
The Super Bowl will be in Detroit on Sunday, but Detroit's boys are on the road. The University of Detroit-Mercy is one of the 28 different Jesuit Colleges and Universities. They are seemingly about service to God as well as a quality education. Detroit may be known as the Titans, but their season has been rather Titan-ic. The Flames look to blow away the Detroit boys so they can return to MoTown watching the Super Bowl at home, and haivng a p*ssed off coach all the while. Detroit was supposed to be king of the Horizon League, but this year has been horrible for the Titans, especially in the Horizon League. I guess Wisconsin-Milwaukee is having the best time in the Horizon League. (63-57; ILLINOIS-CHICAGO)

* #20 Michigan at Iowa
When I did my college football coverage, I enjoyed covering Iowa as they were perhaps the ultimate Big Ten sleeper. While they slightly disappointed on the gridiron, the Hawkeye boys of basketball seem to be just as good as their football. In fact, they are "slightly" better. The ranked boys meet someone who they'd give a solid effort against in football- Michigan. Michigan isn't as solid in basketball as they are in football, but you can certainly believe the Wolverines aren't going to be hampered with "can't win in basketball" comments. Michigan is ready to potentially upset Iowa and let it all hang out on the court. But wait... Michigan is ranked, and Iowa isn't. So ranking-wise, Iowa will look for that "upset." 42-3? at the half, but Iowa BEAT MICHIGAN'S ASSES. The blowout occured in Iowa City. (94-66; IOWA)

* Oklahoma State at Kansas State
Wow... the Oklahoma State Cowboys WIN A GAME! The Kansas State Wildcats were looking at them like they were Savannah State, but lost to them like OkSU was North Carolina. (63-61; Oklahoma State)

* Siena at St. Peter's
The Siena College Saints had no answer to the colorful St. Peter's College Peacocks. (81-65; ST. PETER'S)

* #3 Memphis at Rice
Memphis makes their way into my hometown of Houston, Texas. Home sweet home for me. Houston sweet Houston. The Memphis Tigers are ready to meet ANY team from my hometown. So who's up to take on Memphis? Could it be Texas Southern? No. Could it be Houston? Not yet. Could it be Rice? Bingo! The Owls have the game of their lives tonight with a tall order against them. (-; Memphis)

* Florida State at #2 Duke
Cameron Indoor Stadium. You know the place, you know the team. But in the end, Florida State's Seminoles barely lose to the Duke Blue Devils. (97-96, OT; DUKE)

* Marquette at #4 Villanova
Marquette couldn't make their mark all over the Villanova Wildcats. Tough way to lose if you are a Golden Eagle. (72-67; VILLANOVA)

* Arizona at #1? UCLA
Let's check out historic Pauley Pavillion and those Los Angeles boys. Not USC, but UCLA. The Bruins are primed and poised to pimpslap Arizona's Wildcats. They did just that today. (84-73; CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES)

* Washington at Washington State
Players, I don't dig this. The Washington Huskies lost to Washington State earlier this season, and now the Cougars knocked off the Huskies again. I guess the power struggle in the state of Washington may shift in the favor of the Gonzaga crew if Washington keeps losing to Pac 10 cupcakes. (-; WASHINGTON STATE)

* Minnesota at #19 Ohio State
It was smooth sailing and smooth waters as the Ohio State Buckeyes cleaned up the Minnesota Golden Gophers. (67-53; OHIO STATE)

* Temple at La Salle
If I kept saying La Salle is in the MAAC, my apologies. They are in the MAAC in football, but the Explorers downed one of their own Philadelphia schools, the Temple Owls. (62-56; LA SALLE)

* Cincinatti at #11 West Virginia
It was 33-28 at the Half in favor of the Mountaineers. Afterwards, Cincinatti's Bearcats continue their rough season since the controversial firing of Bob Huggins. (66-57; WEST VIRGINIA)

* Ole Miss at Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers got Kentucky next, but not without laying waste to the ole Rebels of Ole Miss. (86-72; TENNESSEE)

* Clemson at North Carolina
The North Carolina Tar Heels had easy sailing against the Clemson Tigers. But this coming Tuesday, it's the big one, baby! North Carolina vs. Duke! The Battle of Tobacco Road! (76-61; NORTH CAROLINA)

* Indiana State at #25 Northen Iowa
Let the Panthers roar. Their loud roar made some noise as the Indiana State Sycamores couldn't bear the power of UNI. (83-56; NORTHERN IOWA)

* Santa Clara at Gonzaga
One great team, one cupcake conference. The Gonzaga Bulldogs have a Rivalry Game coming up, but not without taming the Santa Clara Broncos. (85-71; GONZAGA)

* Michigan State at Northwestern
The Spartans can't wait for another National Championship oppurtunity, because beating Northwestern's Wildcats kept their confidence up. (77-66; Michigan State)

* Boston College at Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech is better in football than Hokies' basketball. Hokies basketball were schooled by Boston College's Eagles. It was close, though. (74-73; Boston College)

* LSU at Alabama
The Alabama Crimson Tide saw their Brodie Croyle play in the college football All-Star Challenge, but the Tide felt like all-stars in downing the LSU Tigers. (67-62; ALABAMA)

* Wake Forest at Virginia
Wake Forest is going down the drain while Virginia is sort of on the rise. The Demon Deacons are having a horrible season as they go 1-8 (?) in the ACC as Virginia's Cavaliers keeps on pounding. (75-73; VIRGINIA)

* St. Bonaventure at Saint Joseph's
Welcome to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I don't know where to find St. Bonaventure, but I do know that Saint Joseph's is about three things- Spirit, Intellect, and Purpose. If you look at commercials for Saint Joseph's University, you'll know what it is like to be a Hawk. Looking to take on the Philly birds are St. Bonaventure. Who knows what will happen when the Bonnies come to town? St. Joseph's cleaned up the Bonnies in the City of Brotherly Love. No Brotherly Love lost for these two. (82-51; SAINT JOSEPH'S)

* Penn State at Illinois
The Penn State Nittany Lions are feeling so freaking proud of their butts as they pick up a big road win by upsetting the Illinois Fighting Illini. To think that Illinois beating Wisconsin was big, what a major tailspin. It wasn't just a tailspin, Illinois spun out and smacked the wall with a loss like this. Illinois was going to win, but even though they banged in a 3-ball to prevent an upset, it wasn't made in time. Penn State... not just for football anymore. (6?-6?; Penn State)

* Utah at New Mexico
Hear the roar of the New Mexico Lobos as they sent the Utah Utes packing. (64-53; NEW MEXICO)

* American at Lehigh
Don't make the Lehigh Mountain Hawks laugh. If you make them, you end up losing like the American Eagles. (65-58; LEHIGH)

* Houston at East Carolina
The Houston Cougars were on the road, but managed to bring the game into Overtime against the East Carolina Pirates. And in OT, Houston pulled the trick. That's yet another win as the Cougars try to get into the NCAA Tournament come March. (64-60, OT; Houston)

* St. John's at Providence
Providence rose to prominence as the St. John's Red Storm felt like a breeze to Providence College. (81-73; PROVIDENCE)





WOMEN'S DIVISION

---RAPID FIRE---
* Navy at Army ---RIVALRY GAME--- (78-72, OT; ARMY)
* Baylor at Oklahoma State (81-51; Baylor)
* DePaul at Rutgers (67-57; RUTGERS)
* Texas at Colorado (69-64; Texas)
* Southern California at Arizona State (79-72; ARIZONA STATE)
* Idaho State at Montana (105-55; MONTANA)



Get some of my Final Thoughts when I get my next week thread going.