SATURDAY'S GAMES
GTPlanet, it's time to start thinking tournament because March is only two weeks away. Good matches are coming your way, and only good teams will advance. The focus on Bracketbusters will highlight the front end of this game report.
MEN'S DIVISION
GTPlanet, we begin with official Bracketbuster games. Now from yesterday, Nevada and Virginia Commonwealth won their games. Now, let's do the Saturday Bracketbusters.
BRACKETBUSTER SPECIAL - JUST SCORES
All of the following games are chances for teams to fill in spot #65 to compete in The Big Dance. The teams who will come close will be your winners. Some of Saturday's bracketbuster games are as follows:
^ #24 Bucknell at Northern Iowa (65-61, 2OT; NORTHERN IOWA) *upset!*
^ Butler at Kent State (80-76, OT; KENT STATE)
^ Fresno State at Creighton (67-62; CREIGHTON)
^ Missouri State at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (72-63, OT; Missouri State)
+++++JOHN'S NOTE: I think this is an upset because Wisconsin-Milwaukee is probably the best team in the Horizon League.
^ Northern Arizona at Western Kentucky (78-59; WESTERN KENTUCKY)
^ Louisiana Tech at Southern Illinois (55-51; Louisiana Tech)
^ George Mason at Wichita State (70-67; George Mason)
* Samford at Ohio (64-52; OHIO)
* Northwestern State at Utah State (66-63; UTAH STATE)
^ Buffalo at Iona (93-75; IONA)
Now for the rest of today's games.
"Worse Than Advertised" Louisville at Syracuse
Let's check in to the state of New York. Is anything bigger than the Big East (in basketball)? Well, the ACC is solid too, but you're supposed to say "yes, John. The Big East is the best." If the Big East is the best, we have two teams with pretty bad seasons. At one point, Louisville used to be undefeated... until they played at Rupp Arena against Kentucky (they'll be featured later, so stay tuned!). Even with a decisive win against Notre Dame (they will be featured later as well), the Louisville Cardinals still have work to do to make it into the Big Dance, or at least the NIT. Traditionally, Syracuse basketball is usually better than Syracuse football about 75% of the time. Orange basketball is sort of been crushed. They hope not to be turned into freshly CRUSHED orange when they welcome Louisville. And thanks to the khights who call the Carrier Dome their castle, the Orange were spared of danger. As for Louisville, they may end up in nobody's tournament. (79-66; SYRACUSE)
* Iowa State at #19 Oklahoma
Nothing's bigger than the Big XII, so let's get to a big game here. The Sooners of Oklahoma and Cyclones of Iowa State put on a good game, a great game, and a close game. Thankfully, Oklahoma survived the deadly Cyclones to win and maintain their #19 rank. They may go higher if some of the higher ranked teams fell (find out later as one Top Ten upset happened). (83-82; OKLAHOMA)
* Mississippi at Mississippi State ---RIVALRY GAME---
Their football teams need help, and their basketball teams would love to be in The Big Dance. And oh yeah, they hate each other. This is the Egg Bowl of college hoops. Mississippi usually can beat Mississippi State in football because the Rebels know what to do to win. And for the same reasons, that's why the MSU Bulldogs beat Ole Miss... bad. (84-55; MISSISSIPPI STATE)
* Charlotte at Fordham
Welcome to one of my favorite cities in the world- New York City. It's the first time ESPN televised a basketball game from Fordham University. As I have heard, Fordham's basketball court is the oldest arena in Division 1 basketball. Until Rose Hill Gym was built in 1925, and renovated in 2002. It used to be a World War II barrack. The first game at the arena was Boston College at Fordham (Fordham won). And if you ask me, I like Fordham's arena. I like arenas usually with big windows and such. You're more concentrated on basketball of course, but at least it's nice to have some windows around, just to add a little aura and provide some light to otherwise window-less arenas. For a place like New York City, who wouldn't want to see this lovely city? Probably Charlotte. I'm sure the 49ers probably enjoyed themselves in town, but they want to give Fordham a sad loss. I believe Fordham University is a religious-type university much like Xavier, Creighton, Sacred Heart, or anything like that. The Rams are looking to get a BIG win against Charlotte. Did they did it? Or will they be denied? One exciting thing about this game is that the first five minutes of the game were nothing but three-point bombs by both teams. Two-pointers weren't available because some NBA-style three-point shooting was mainplace for the first five minutes of the game. Afterwards, the game was an indication as to how good Charlotte is as Fordham failed to land the upset. (81-75; Charlotte)
* Georgia Tech at Maryland
A wild Overtime finish helped secure a big win for the Maryland Terrapins, not to mention keeping their tournament hopes alive. Georgia Tech is pretty much done for and headed to the NIT at best. The Yellow Jackets might not make it to the NCAA tournament at this point. (87-74, OT; MARYLAND)
* Pittsburgh at Marquette
"(to whom this may concern), we are the Marquette Golden Eagles. Maybe we're not UConn or anybody, but we are deserving of an NCAA bid. We'd love to be part of March Madness because we welcomed #9 Pittsburgh to our wonderful Milwaukee-based university. We knocked off #1 UConn, we knocked off plenty of other teams... and if you think we're overrated, look what we did to the Pittsburgh Panthers! Let us into The Big Dance, please? Sincerely, Marquette University Golden Eagles." (84-82; MARQUETTE) *upset!*
* Dayton at La Salle
The Atlantic 10 sees two teams that can be also found in football. The Dayton Flyers wanted to fly high, but La Salle's Explorers found many ways to stop them... and they all worked. Brian Gregory's boys have to be really upset with how this season is going. (74-71; LA SALLE)
* Michigan at #?? Michigan State ---RIVALRY GAME---
Okay, let's get this straight. If you're from Ann Arbor, East Lansing HATES you. If you're from East Lansing, Ann Arbor HATES you. And guess what. Both schools hate each other. They can't seem to get along for some reason. Michigan rules the gridiron, but Wolverines can play basketball too. Michigan State isn't too good in football, but their basketball team is good. In fact, they are so good that they won something... the 2000 National Championship. The Spartans would love to win the 2006 title. But they need to stop their rivals to have a chance. No sweat. Blowout game. (90-71; MICHIGAN STATE)
* #18 Iowa at Minnesota
Iowa was hot, hot, hot... even while it can be cold in Iowa City with these nor'easters and all. It didn't stop the fact that the Hawkeyes were the Big Ten's hottest team. Much like a hot fashion trend, everyone wants to cash in on one's success. Iowa was the new Illinois... but that all changed because Minnesota had other plans. Iowa and Minnesota is a good football matchup, but Golden Gophers aren't exactly used to domination(74-61; MINNESOTA)
* Oral Roberts at Montana
Let's go non-conference for a moment. Oral Roberts is the best team in the Mid-Continent. They are made of 24K gold. So that's why if you see golden feathers, at least know they come from the Golden Eagles of ORU. If you see a beast from the northwestern quadrant of America, you know that Montana's Grizzlies are in town. Those Grizzlies feasted on Montana-fried Golden Eagles. Yummy! (88-74; MONTANA)
* Toledo at Detroit
I don't know if it was a Bracketbuster game, but Detroit's Titans stop a little more bleeding as the Toledo Rockets had liftoff... but then had a problem going up. (65-63; DETROIT)
* North Texas at Denver
Now, back to in-conference games. The North Texas Mean Green weren't mean enough to win because Denver Pioneered their way to victory. (79-73; DENVER)
* Hartford at Binghamton
The Hartford Hawks tamed the Binghamton Wildcats. This isn't a good loss to the alma mater of "Pardon the Interruption" co-host and future Monday Night Football commentator, Tony Kornheiser. (52-46; Hartford)
* Memphis at Tulane
The Green Wave were no match for the blue-clad Memphis Tigers. This is sad if you're a Green wave fan. (105-65; Memphis)
* #10 Florida at Arkansas
UPSET!!! Florida's Gators went down in flames as the Arkansas Razorbacks got it done in this SEC clash. (85-81; Arkansas)
* #7 George Washington at Richmond
Back to the Atlantic 10. It's also business as usual since the George Washington Colonials beat another team. This time, the Richmond Spiders. GW is on a MAJOR roll! Believe that, homie. (64-51; George Washington)
* Holy Cross at American
Proud to be an American? You HAVE to be if you're in the Patriot League like Holy Cross and American are. Proud to be American is one thing, but American and winning is better. The American University Eagles didn't get the win as yet another Patriot League team wins. This time, it's the Holy Cross Crusaders. (69-62; Holy Cross)
"West Meets East" Long Beach State at Manhattan
Does it seem that more lesser teams seem to have higher scoring than most of the big schools? This one was an NBA-style scoring game. In the end, it was the Long Beach State 49ers picking up a win against their Jasper counterparts from Manhattan College. (108-94; Long Beach State)
* Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount
Never heard of these two schools? Let me introduce you to them. Goznaga almost needs no introduction. Gonzaga University is one of the 28 Jesuit Colleges and Universities. When it comes to hoops, basketball is religion.
Adam Morrison put up a career-high 44 points to get a share of their sixth straight WCC title. He trais only Chris Jackson (LSU 1989-1990) who has had six 40-point games. Morrison has 5 after this game. (79-70; Gonzaga)
"Trading Baskets: Meet Your New Daddy" Connecticut at West Virginia
Kevin Pittsnoggle of WVU recently became a father. He's the father to a baby boy. The little boy's daddy is probably a Mountaineer in training. Boys and girls, West Virginia battles Connecticut. The Connecticut Huskies have had only a few struggles. After this game, West Virginia is sort of struggling now. Can they pick it up in future games? (81-75; Connecticut)
* Southern at Alabama A&M
Dirty south is up. The hip-hop community may refer the south as the "Dirty South." If that's true, then the Southern Jaguars were fresh and clean in taking down the Alabama A&M Bulldogs on the road. (84-80; Southern)
* Tulsa at Houston
Hometown love now. Tulsa may be known as the Golden Hurricane, but at Hoffheinz Pavillion, Houston felt just a minor breeze and a few drops of sweat. Houston didn't just survive the Golden Hurricane, they basically gave them a Cougar beatdown. Ouch! (73-46; HOUSTON)
* UAB at Southern Mississippi
Talk about beatdowns... Southern Mississippi's seats were pretty empty as the Golden Eagles were burned straight to Hell as the UAB Blazers turned up the heat on Southern Miss. (89-50; Alabama-Birmingham)
* Oakland at Centenary
Let's face it. Centenary College sucks. Oakland hasn't had a good year either. So when two teams are pretty much stuck in neutral, one must advance. And in this case, give the Golden Grizzlies your full, undivided attention because if you think Oakland REALLY stinks, just ask Centenary as the Gents got swept by Oakland this season. (86-76; Oakland)
* Kentucky at South Carolina
South Carolina is the defending NIT champions, and that's where Kentucky is going if they don't get better. This game was close... yeah, right! South Carolina's red colors were painted over with Kentucky Blue. In other words, the Wildcats feasted on some South Carolina-styled Gamecocks. And if you ask the Lexington boys, it tastes pretty good. Win a game, have a dinner, get ready for the next game. Ah, all in the life of a Kentucky Wildcat basketball star... (79-66; Kentucky)
WOMEN'S DIVISION
Let's run down the divas of the hardwood. I selected eight games, so check them out! The girls are gearing up for that road trip to the Women's Final Four in Boston. We start with two Big XII games.
* #21 Texas A&M at #9 Oklahoma
The Lady Aggies fell hard to the Oklahoma Lady Sooners. The Lady Sooners locked up the Big XII Championship. My congratulations to Oklahoma. (73-59; OKLAHOMA)
* Texas at Oklahoma State
The Lady Longhorns hooked Oklahoma State. I'm normally getting tired of this cowgirl fashion trend (despite being a Texan where we're normally used to this), but the Cowgirls took a bad loss. T-shirts may say "Everyone loves a Cowgirl," but only if they don't lose to Texas. (61-56; Texas)
* California at Arizona State
This game wasn't close. The Lady Sun Devils made the California Golden Bears look more like pyrite (fool's gold). (62-43; )
* Youngstown State at Wisconsin-Milwaukee
The Wisconsin-Milwaukee men lose in an upset to Missouri State, but the Lady Panthers didn't lose. In fact, the Lady Penguins of Youngstown State couldn't match up to Wisconsin-Milwaukee. (67-44; WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE)
* Eastern Michigan at Toledo
The men would lose to Detroit, and sadly, the Lady Rockets suffered the same fate, but against Eastern Michigan. (-; )
* Dartmouth at Brown
The Dartmouth men (no score included) finally won a freaking game for once. The Lady Big Green lost to another color- the Brown Bears. (59-54, OT; BROWN)
* St. John's at DePaul
The Lady Blue Demons were demonic in silencing the St. John's Lady Red Storm. (70-67; DEPAUL)
* Butler at Illinois-Chicago
Finally, the Horizon League. It was a great day for Illinois-Chicago's hotties, the Lady Flames, to get it done against the Butler Lady Bulldogs. (85-66; ILLINOIS-CHICAGO)
Now that this week's scores are done, I figured I'll give you something a little extra. I won't do this often, but I want to share something after a bunch of scores, I'll come up with something called "A Little Extra."
A LITTLE EXTRA...
I've played "College Hoops 2K6" on my PS2. And let me tell you. The presentation value is incredible in this game. In addition, many of the arenas and their respective courts seem to look pretty authentic. If you're used to the "NCAA March Madness" series by EA Sports, there are distinct advantages to this game compared to its EA counterpart (I will use NCAA March Madness 2005 as my basis). Such as:
* beautiful presentation value and well-done Play-by-Play commentary
* many arenas and courts done up in lovely detail
* be able to play with Indepedent teams (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, IPFW, and Savannah State for example)
* can generate player names as well as feature some actual coaches like Phil Martelli (Saint Joseph's) and Tom Penders (Houston) for example.
* Create a school, and customize many deep elements from arena to coaches.
But then, there are notable disadvantages:
* many well-known schools are given fight songs of OTHER SCHOOLS! For example, the University of Illinois was given a fight song which sounds close to Ole Miss or something. The University of Houston's fight song is given Texas Tech's fight song. Dig me?
* gameplay mechanics are not as deep as the March Madness series
* Create-a-School could have been deeper, especially with better choices of logos.
* Bill Raferty's commentary. I'd prefer the tandem of Brad Nessler and Dick Vitale, but Verne Lundquist isn't bad.
Now some indirect features:
* features new teams such as Longwood, North Florida, Kennesaw State, and Utah Valley State.
So if you like college basketball, you might enjoy this game, but slightly favor March Madness more. I do think EA can learn from 2K Sports in designing the next installment of March Madness. Some of the arenas I've sampled to look at arenas include a few favorites among people who look at my threads. I've checked out Houston, Illinois (I forget), Oakland University (BlazinXtreme), and even Maryland-Baltimore County (???). Many of the arenas look authentic enough to say that that's how they actually look. Not many of them look phonied up like in NCAA March Madness games. A small percentage of arenas look either unauthentic or had sort of cookie-cutter arenas. Some examples include St. John's, George Washington, Savannah State, and that sort of thing.
