Getting Ready

       If there was a team that I'd bet not to lose at home, it would have been the Billikens at Chaifetz Arena. SLU got Duquensed by Duquense at home. Good for the Dukes in that it was their first time since 1962 beating a top 10 team. I don' necessarily subscribe to the idea of losing before the Tournament but if this is what SLU needs in order for them to get to the second or third weekend than so be it. Fairly surprised to see Memphis lose on the road in Houston. If there was a game Pastner wants to win, I gather it would've been in his old hometown. Memphis looked flat. Thing is before the AAC tournament the Tigers play host to Louisville, at Cincinatti, and then host SMU. Strange Memphis is lately. They are 2-2 in their last four games beating Temple only by three points in overtime and Rutgers by five points. Memphis is tricky. They're showing me now the flaws. Talent wise, I think unlimited and can turn it on and play with anyone. Still wouldn't want to see any American Athletic Conference Team in the NCAA tournament.
       Five of six ranked teams in the top 25 lost last night, Louisville being the exception. Florida Gulf Coast lost on the road at Lipscomb getting schalacked by 21, opening the door for Mercer to take sole possession of the Atlantic Sun. Surprisingly Mercer, at home no less, lost in overtime to North Florida last night. So tonights finish between East Tennessee/SC Upstate at Hodge will be a very important game for the FGCU Eagles and the Mercer Bears. Vermont flexed its America East muscles last night taking care of second place Stony Brook 69-53. Big win for the Catamounts. Big wins for High Point and Utah Valley.  I don't know if Weber State will ever exact any revenge for losing at Sacramento State but they did exact a win by beating the Hornets at the Dee last night 79-67. Weber now goes 13-4 in Big Sky play. Was surprised to see the Thunderbirds of Southern Utah take Montana State to overtime last night in Bozeman. SUU eventually lost but they maybe the worst team in all of D1 basketball team dropping to 1-25 overall. Interesting to listen to college basketball on the radio. Two nights ago I gave UNLV's broadcast a listen. Considerable homers with a decent play by play guy and a shaky color guy. Last night I tuned into USC's broadcast and was impressed with their tandem. Granted not too much going well for the Trojans but have to say their overall broadcast was much better than the Runnin' Rebels. March is tomorrow. Can't wait.
   

  This is also the annual ladder season...brought to you by...Werner. Just thought I'd be the first to remind you.

30-0 Pretty Shocking

       Wichita State has now won 30 games out of 30. Potentially 35-0 going into the NCAA tournament if they win the last 2 remaining games in conference play and then go onto win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Not since 1991 has a team entered the NCAA tournament with an undefeated record. I am getting ahead of myself but consider this. Since the Runnin' Rebels entered the 1991 tournament undefeated there have been 23 college basketball seasons. Since then there have been about 7,500 teams with a chance to have done what Wichita State has done. How can anyone dismiss what the Shockers are doing right now while maintaing any iota of credibility? Now one can easily point out that the MVC is Creighton-less and blah blah blah. In my life I'd love to see a team run the table. Will the Shockers do it? I'm pulling for them.

       St. John's losing to Nova on the road ok. Real tough for the St. John's fan last night losing at home to Xavier. Not taking anything away from Xavier but a tough loss nonetheless. Props to Robert Morris(NEC) locking up their conference regular season title.
       With just two games left in an insane finish to the Big South conference VMI and High Point are tied for the league's best record. VMI visits High Point tonight. VMI has won 7 of 8 and High Point 8 of 9.
       The Atlantic Sun may come down to East Tennessee State at USC Upstate. On Friday night these teams will square off and will be a factor deciding the regular season champ in the event that FGCU and Mercer finish tied.
       Vermont will host the Seawolves of Stony Brook thursday night at Patrick Gymnasium. Vermont leads Stony Brook by one game in the America East and the last loss the Catamounts had were 8 games ago at the hands of the Seawolves.
       The OVC, WAC, CAA and Patriot leagues have fascinating finishes to their conferences as well.
       Georgia State wins again courtesy of the 3pt shot from Manny Atkins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFwlFlZHLaA The Panthers now 13-1 in the Sun Belt.
       Stephen F. Austin remains undefeated in league play at 14-0. I had thought that Northwestern State would be the team to beat in the Southland this year and nearly pulled off the win on the road but Jacob Parker had other thoughts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7-DJhZVsXc

February 25th, 2014

       Ever the critic of Virginia basketball, it is nice to see Tony Bennett coach. When he left Washington State after the 2009 season headed to Virginia, I was upset knowing that the ACC gained a good coach while the Pac 10 was losing one. Look at Washington State since Tony left. As we look at the Cavaliers schedule this year, they are currently 23-5 overall 14-1 atop the ACC conference. In looking at their non-conference wins, beating SMU, Davidson and maybe Hampton get your attention. They lost to VCU and Green Bay by 3 points apiece. The Cavs lost to Wisconsin by 10 at home 48-38 to which the score reminded me more of a WAC football game. But what has perhaps propelled Virginia's success was their blowout loss at Tennessee 87-52. I remember watching that game Dec. 30th feeling really bad for Coach Bennett. Yes, he had taken Virginia to the postseason the past two years but after this loss I wondered what was in store for Virginia. How would they be able to handle the ACC? I think their win at Pitt on Feb. 2nd also cemented more confidence. The Cavs won 14 of 15 and I would have never guessed their turnaround. 

         Interesting to watch the Mercer/FGCU game Friday. Having personally watched FGCU at SC Upstate the saturday prior, this game was huge for the Eagles. Mercer came into Ft. Myers leading the Atlantic Sun Conference holding a one game edge over FGCU. FGCU wound up beating the Bears(soundly I will add) but I have to question the methods of Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman. From start to finish Bob Hoffman was upset at the officials. Unreal. Look at the tape. Hand on hips. Constant complaining. Head shaking. Yelling. Constant disagreement. The officials were the reason you lost the game Bob, just ask Jim Boeheim. I guess the whole dressing in all black didn't help.

       A split on the dreadful Montana swing, I'll take for Weber State. Still leading the Big Sky at 12-4 with four games remaining in conference play.

       This got my attention. After Wichita State pounded Drake saturday night 83-54, Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti said, "If you're a skeptic about Wichita State, then that's on you." Coach Giac was an assistant with Gonzaga last year, when the Shockers beat them. "And they're much better this year." Who knows how good the Wheat Shockers really are so I could care less where they are ranked in the polls or where they will be seeded. They are 29-0 though.

       Huge win for Boise State in overtime over UNLV in what I thought was most exciting game I've seen this year.  I know the Mountain West has not produced many wins come the NCAA tournament but three teams at least will get in, if not four. 

       

Bill Walton and other college basketball news

       There were a lot of games to chew on last night. Obviously, Syracuse finally lost. Look no further  than last week to Coach Boeheim's post game interview after the buzzer beater victory at Pitt. The same was echoed last night. The offense needs to get better. Dan Dakich also chimed in during a halftime show, "You can analyze the heck out of this game....but it just comes down to making shots".
       Belmont and Murray State are primed to meet up in the Ohio Valley Conference championship. But I have been tracking Morehead State. Last night the Eagles won at home in double overtime over Austin Peay. Here are the highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6sJamlPu4 Morehead State sits a game behind Belmont at 10-3 in the OVC East division. I think they should make some noise come OVC tournament time.
       It is interesting to watch George Mason University. Last night the Patriots lost their second game to St. Louis in overtime, again. Stan Van Gundy, color commentator for the broadcast last night said it was tough to watch Mason lose. He's right. I'm pro Billikens and St. Louis was lucky to escape Fairfax with the win. George Mason is 9-17 overall and are cellar-dwelling the A-10 at 2-10. However it is not as if they are rolling over and getting spanked by opponents. Of the 10 games lost in A-10 play six games were lost by six points or less. In 3 non conference losses, the Pats lost by five points or less. Just like recently fired Pat Knight said, "you have to win games" and like Parcells says, "you are what your record is". I'm sure there are similar situations around college basketball nonetheless interesting to plug George Mason into the equation.
       Creighton once again goes onto win. Last night in Milwaukee, Marquette came to play in one of those "signature win" games. Not to say any one game is more important than any others but if you're a team like Marquette, last night was a prime opportunity. And you could feel Marquette clawing back into the game down 5 points with 7:10 left. The crowd standing as one, roaring the chant of defense. Marquette gets a stop here the momentum will surely be with the Golden Eagles. Enter Greg McDermott. He gets the ball and makes a highly contested 3pt. shot with 6:53 left. It was at that moment that I knew, the game, the energy had shifted. Creighton wound up winning by 15. Very impressive.
       Weber State lost their second overtime game of the month in Big Sky play on the road in Pocatello. The Wildcats still sit atop the Big Sky at 11-3 but 4 of their remaining 6 games are away from the Dee. The all important Montana road trip begins tonight in Missoula concluding saturday in Bozeman. If this isn't the Wildcats year I don't know what will. Two overtime defeats and still leading the Big Sky. A big trip for Weber State this weekend is very much understated.
       I was able to catch some of the Oregon/Washington game last night. I can't get over how awesome Bill Walton is.  I'm happy to see that awful announcing was able to provide the clip I'm sharing with you. Here's Bill, as only Bill can be: http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2014/february/this-is-the-most-bill-walton-clip-ever.html. Love the love to Woody Guthrie.
       Vermont once again winning dealing New Hampshire a crushing loss. I'm surprised to see Ohio University sitting middle of the pack in the Mid-American. I thought they would be a little bit better in conference play. I have yet to touch upon UConn and Iona this year and by no means am I overlooking them.  Intriguing to look at Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall's coaching record. I live close to Wintrhop University and I think you should look at his coaching record. Not too shabby.

     

Flying with the Eagles

       I've got to say my first visit to Spartanburg South Carolina was pretty cool. It was a trip with high anticipation that did not disappoint. When I revisited the Florida Gulf Coast men's basketball schedule after moving to South Carolina, I had February 15th circled on my calendar. I knew I had to go see the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. For this college basketball fan I cannot translate or compare the run the eagles made to the sweet 16 last year. I have tried to no avail.

       We arrived in Spartanburg 3 hours before tipoff. With time to kill grabbed some grub at the local Waffle House. Some people dog the WH but this one was solid. After food, a little sightseeing. My brother and I took a ride to the Wofford College football facility, where the Carolina Panthers partake in their summer workouts. A wrong turn and we approached the baseball field where Wofford must have been playing host to a tournament as Morehead State was on the field playing George Mason. Then onto downtown where the Denny's headquarters building raises above the skyline. Ok, enough of Spartanburg, let's go to the game.

       The Hodge Center holds 818, not 878 as I previously mislead. Entering Hodge reminded me of the Bill Bradley Center at Ramapo College or Paramus High School. Not at all big but this is just another reason why College Basketball fascinates me. We got into the gym with 50 minutes before tip, allowing ourselves to watch warmups and the all important layup line before the refs. See, in college as well as high school hoops when the refs come out before tip, if you are dunking, it will result in a technical foul. Typically the refs come out to the floor with 20 minutes before tip. Florida Gulf Coast was in their "Dunk City" mode during warmups. What made the warmups better was that Hodge has no baseline seats, just concrete walls so needless to say watching dudes throw self passes for dunks was cool. (Trying to get Warmups video but having trouble) Fieler and McKnight were the most fun to watch. Granted most D1 teams can do all the tricks but this was Florida Gulf Coast and watching the layup line was well worth the admission. Getting recognized from Fieler and Comer was sweet and even my brother got into the mix yelling at Kevin Boyle, acknowledging his new jersey sweatshirt.

       Onto the game. FGCU opened up with a 12-0 run. But Upstate countered with a 10-0 run of its own. It was an intense game that produced a solid shooting performance from the Eagles. "Dunk City" only provided 3 dunks, no alley oops either but Brett Comer had 2 sweet dishes(10 assists overall) and the Eagles won the game 84-80. Bernard Thompson, FGCU's leading scorer had 24, Fieler fouled out but had 17. The Eagles went 11-19 from distance and shot 59 percent from the floor. Ricardo Glenn made all of his shots from the floor for SC Upstate and finished with 24 points and 11 boards. The A-Sun's leading scorer the past 2 years, Torrey Craig had 14 points going 0-9 from deep for the Spartans. 

       In closing, despite no Coach Enfield and Sherwood Brown, FGCU did not cease to entertain. Granted they probably have a bigger target on their backs this year, the Eagles remain solid. Best of luck to them.

Smart

       Shaka Smart speaks about Marcus Smart incident and fan-player behavior:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I8px9C5Euo&feature=youtu.be Pretty good interview if you ask me. NOT smart was Arizona State. Look, the Sun Devils did come away with the win in double overtime, however I'm trying to decide what was NOT the smartest moves performed by everyone ASU. Obviously hindsight is a forty and Bachynski's block on McConnell was awesome but Carson dunking leaving time on the clock when he could have ran it out. Not Smart. ASU fans storming the court with time left on the clock. Not Smart. Allowing an opportunity for the Wildcats to hit a game tying three with plenty of time to set up for a decent inbound defensive set. Not Smart. Look, don't get at me for getting at the ASU fans. Oregon assistant coaches were spat at last week at Wells Fargo. When I tuned into the game an ASU fan threw one of those large cardboard heads at Nick Johnson(UofA) while he was on the floor. And the premature rushing of the court. I get it but at the same time I don't. All I can say ASU fan, enjoy this one. You deserve it. (vid of premature court rush)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG0bYm89O40
       BTW Harvard also escapes with a double OT W against Columbia.
       St. Louis will be tested at home playing host to VCU. Should be a good one and I would have planned to watch that but I'm heading west to South Carolina Upstate in a couple hours. The Spartans play host to Florida Gulf Coast. I'm sure the 878 will be rocking at Hodge.

TMI and Poor Organization

       Today, I am overloaded with an abundance of information so this blog will have limited organization. I'm going to be link happy today. First off, whoever the writers are at College Hoopedia are simply the best. Check this entry out for Larry Brown: http://www.collegehoopedia.com/blog/professional-grade-assessing-what-next-town-brown-has-done-smu. What a finish to the Syracuse game a few nights back via the buzzer beater. In this link you will see the buzzer beater of the layup variety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJcLtKBnk-s. Have just caught on to GazettesSports. Very thorough and informative. Tough loss for Long Beach at home. A frustrated Craig Neal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OFwK6zEcHM. He's right, New Mexico couldn't hit free throws which allowed Boise to get back in the game. Kudos to Boise, a much needed win. Speaking of free throws, I thought Seton Hall should have won the game last night had they knocked down one or two in certain situations. They were 11-18 from the stripe not terrible but wound up losing 68-67 to a very determined St. John's squad. Belmont, once again impressive winning last night. However I thought who would have a better game if they played each other. Chad Lang of Belmont: http://belmont.prestosports.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/bios/lang_chad_ojn2 or Justin McBride of Central Florida: http://www.ucfknights.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/justin_mcbride_852407.html. I would love it if the basketball gods somehow got this matchup together. Another win for Weber State. South Carolina wins their 2nd SEC game beating Vandy at home. Southern Cal losing only by 8 at home to the Utes. Creighton winning a close game at Butler but the more I hear about McDermott, he just really is that good. That and Butler isn't as good as recent years. Looking forward to Villanova playing at Creighton this Sunday. FGCU loses at ETSU. Raise the jolly roger, East Tennessee State is coming.

6 Left

       As of this afternoon in snowy Clover, South Carolina there remain 6 undefeated teams in conference play. Syracuse, Wichita State, St.Louis, Delaware, Georgia State, and Stephen F. Austin.            
       Conference play is extremely compelling to me. Obviously for the one bid leagues it is the ultimate. Which brings me to the San Diego State team. Comfortable in the national polls, an undefeated mountain west conference record going into Laramie, the Aztecs showed me something last night. It was as if it had been a chore to show up, let alone play basketball. And I get that. That is why Wyoming does have a "home-court" advantage, if you choose to call it that. Judging by last nights crowd, it wasn't a sell out but nonetheless the arena-auditorium(that's the name) faithful supported their Cowboys to a 68-62 victory. It was kind of uncomfortably cool to watch the fans storm the court and celebrate a huge win for Wyoming, knowing that this probably will be their highlight of the season. And that is in no way demeaning the effort of everybody involved with Wyoming basketball, just observing. San Diego State fell behind early and surged back at the end of the game cutting the once 16 point lead to 4. If the Aztecs make a 3, their 4th to last offensive possession, I think the Aztecs win. However they did not and despite the loss, I have no questions with the Aztecs. Simply, they have met that proverbial wall and unless you lost money, you are probably the only one that cares. When the horn sounded and a hesitant crowd rushed the court, the Aztec players went straight to the locker room. No handshake, which I thought was odd at the time but then I think that the players had to believe they mailed it in and they wanted to get the heck out of there. Yes, they probably were tired with the elevation factor but they had to, right then, know what they did wrong.  By no means am I condoning their effort or performance just observing. Because if you were also watching the game, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
       Syracuse 10-0 in the ACC(23-0 overall), number one, check. And if you came here to read Syracuse basketball, this ain't the place. Wichita State Wheat Shockers 13-0 in the Valley(26-0 overall), number four in the polls, check. St. Louis Billikens 9-0 in the A-10(22-2 overall), number 12 in the polls(number 1 in my heart), check, and could have an absolute gush fest on why they are my favorite team to watch. Stephen F. Austin, check. The Lumberjacks play out of the Southland conference and are similar to Weber State in that they have really good runs in the regular season but can't get over their bugaboo. In Weber's case it seems to be Montana and in Stephen F. Austin's case it seems to be Northwestern State.  In any case the 'Jacks sit atop the Southland at 11-0(22-2 overall). Delaware, check. Ahh Delaware. The Fightin' Blue Hens lead the Colonial Athletic Association at 10-0(18-7 overall). Strange for Delaware in that they have lost two starters for the month of February, Jarvis Threatt(yes, Sedale is related, albeit a cousin) and Marvin King-Davis due to school violations. They should get these guys back in March. Georgia State 10-0 in the Sun Belt, (17-6 overall), check.  The Panthers coached by Ron Hunter, is in his second season at Georgia State and previously led IUPUI to the NCAA tournament and coached George Hill, for you NBA fans.
       Looking forward to the Duke-UNC game tonight but looking more forward to the George Washington-VCU game.

Solid Win for the Johnnies

       Does it make me less of a college basketball fan in that I was looking more forward to the Creighton/St. John's game last night more than the highly publicized Duke/Syracuse game last week? Of course not. And both games did not disappoint. Fine, if you're a blue jays or blue devils fan you probably wouldn't agree. This game peaked my interest for many reasons, mainly though, to see how St. John's would respond after losing to Creighton 63-60 a few weeks back in Omaha. The first half, in my opinion was probably the most entertaining half of college basketball I have watched all year. The fluidity was impeccable. 3 turnovers combined after the first half. Smarts. Defense. Hustle. Execution. Gee whiz, I'm sitting there watching the first half and loving every bit of it. That first half was truly a pleasure to watch. It was Creighton's first time at the "mecca" and they embraced it. But then something happened in the second half. Perhaps Lavin's methods or perhaps St. John's confidence. That was something I didn't notice in the 3 point loss by the Johnnie's in Omaha. St. John's prevailed 70-65 and this win clearly had to be important. Creighton, not so much. They still are a great team to be reckoned with. It was much a building block for Creighton as it was for St. John's. What struck me was Creighton's below par free throw percentage, McDermott not scoring a single point the final 8 or so minutes, and the refusal of Wragge. Wragge went 1 for 4 from the field. I saw a headline that read, "St. John's Shocks Creighton", proving not only the that headlines are headlines but also that anyone with a clue knows this couldn't be farther from the truth. With the exception of the blowout loss to Georgetown, the Johnnies haven't not been "uncompetitive". St. John's, in answer to my previous blog certainly embraced the challenge and must continue on this way if they want to play in the NCAA's. Creighton will have some fine tuning to do because they still are a dynamic team that has all the ingredients to get to the Final Four.

February 9th, 2014

       Have to take time to comment on the Murray State Belmont game on Thursday night. I was conflicted in that I had the Oregon Arizona game on my mind and was concentrating on that. Then when I had flipped back over to the OVC contest the score was 93-83 in favor of Belmont with 48 seconds left, I figured the Bruins had the game wrapped up. Often the end of games like these actually take 20 minutes despite the clock reading 48 seconds but was prepared for it. Belmont wound up winning 99-96 in a game that may have gone to OT with the Racers missing a 3pt. shot at the buzzer. A good look actually that didn't fall for Murray State. It is interesting to note that had Belmont made free throws, the game wouldn't have got to the point where Murray could have tied it up at the buzzer. Either way an extremely entertaining finish. It's too bad, this year, the OVC will most likely only get one bid to the NCAA's. Too early to predict but both teams are real fun to watch and think the Racers and Bruins are NCAA worthy. Hopefully both programs will make it to the NCAA tournament.
       St.Louis wound up with one of those "escape" wins. They only wound up beating LaSalle by a bucket and are very fortunate to get it. Speaking A-10, wouldn't you know St.Joe's? Good win at home against the physical VCU team after calling them out last blog. Texas was probably due for a loss and they did lose by 18 on the road in Manhattan(that's the K-State Manhattan). UNLV keeping it ugly but a win is a win beating the pokes by 2. Vegas has won 5 of 6. Weber State goes to 10-2 in Big Sky play beating Northern Colorado at the Dee last night. I really have a hard time wrapping my head around LIU-Brooklyn's struggles in the NEC. Yesterday they lost at home making them 2-7 in conference play. I mean it's not as if they are losing close games a la LaSalle this year. Very surprised.  Long Beach state rebounded with a win last night in Riverside after losing a tough one by 3 in Irvine thursday night. The Beach now goes 6-3 in the Big West. USC lost at home by ten to UCLA. I hope that was another "message" sent by Steve Alford.
       SMU. Great win at home to beat the 7th ranked Cincinatti Bearcats last night. A friend of mine was at the game and the Moody Center was Pantera like "electric". I'd like to think that SMU can use this win and push through the American but I can't. It seems that although a "statement" game it was, I don't think it will propel SMU to the NCAA's. Good for Larry Brown and SMU fans but I'd be surprised if the Mustangs go to the NCAA's. More disturbing was the play by play man on ESPNU last night. It was as if he had to keep reminding us about the "historic" performance SMU was putting on. OK, do that but it was so uncomfortable. Hopefully the play by play guy will review the tape, realize it, and not do it again. Perhaps he was caught up in the emotion of it all and maybe he's a SMU guy but I hope the guy comes to and recognizes the overemphasis of his force-feeding, over informing "homer" type of call. Bad job.
       UTIP in the front of CUSA at 8-1 while Charlotte is middle of the pack at 5-4. Looking forward to the Creighton St.John's game later tonight. What an opportunity for the Red Storm. Florida Gulf Coast and Mercer(once again) atop the Atlantic Sun at 10-2.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

       Boise State did it again. First it was the Runnin' Rebels, on the road. This time it was against the 5th ranked Aztecs at home. Both in the same week, the Broncos had given up a big lead in the second half and lost the game. Boise State had led by as many as 14 points in the second half and the Broncs took a 57-43 lead with 13:37 left. They were in command. Yet, the Aztecs, I thought were ranked #5 for a reason. They staged a fun comeback but the home fans at the Taco Bell Center seemed as if they were waiting for the collapse. Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt3Y23YCjFs. Granted the Broncos did have a shot to win but if you could gauge "feeling", you just knew it wouldn't drop. Xavier Thames is a joy to watch and what a find to Polee for the late onions. Boise State blew an 11 point lead late four nights ago, albeit on the road. But this game felt and looked worse. I cannot doubt the resolve of Boise but these past two games will either propel them forward or take their season to the depths of despair. On the bright side credit the Boise State band for their varied array of tunes. Well not that varied but they seemed to be in a punk/ska mood. Welcome to paradise, zootsuit riot, the impression that I get, here in you bedroom, sellout, and hey ska were played in between timeouts and station breaks. But of course Goodman's sing, sing, sing  and my all time favorite from Bruce Channel "Hey Baby" were also played. Another reason why college sports, to me cannot be topped.
       Todd Mayo, from Marquette is very entertaining to watch play. 
       The idea that St.Joe's could compete for an at large bid after beating UMass at home had to have been ripped to shreds last night losing to St.Louis. If I had it my way, I'd take St.Louis into a 7 game series with any team in the country. 
       It's tough to say what conference is the "best" but the Big 12 has been a lot of fun to watch this year especially Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia. Obviously it's Kansas' league to lose and I wouldn't be true to form if I didn't point out that the crossing guards of Baylor are 2-7 in the league.
       Haven't even looked into it yet but I just noticed Nebraska-Omaha played Peru State. Wow. 
       Props to Loyola(MD) for handing American their first loss in conference play.
       With all the crap that is talked about refs and that's why this game was lost or won, especially in the Syracuse victory over Duke, I can not only say I am guilty of it but am really surprised that Purdue beat Minnesota last night.
       Oh, Virginia beat BC at home, cool. They should. In fact actually impressed they didn't let a hangover occur after beating Pitt on the road.
       How will Weber State come out after getting their 9th Big Sky victory ripped out of their heart?
       Arizona Oregon will be a fun game to watch later tonight. Oregon can go fly a kite but this game obviously has to be huge for them. But will Arizona approach the game with the same urgency?

Dylan Garrity Does it Again

       Wouldn't you know, as I trolled the Weber State loss again via YouTube, I came across this gem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-etJ-0rqPsM. Here's another video of the winning shot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNjn25vPOG0. Somewhere in a dimension that we cannot see or feel, I know Brad Barton is smiling. I was going to blog today but I got my answer. See you tomorrow.

Insanity in Sacramento, Weber State loses 2nd game in Big Sky

       In what maybe the wildest ending to any overtime game, Dylan Garrity hit a backcourt heave to lead the Hornets of Sacrmento State to victory over Weber State. Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGVomz0XAfA The two three-pointers were not the only wild part of the end of Saturday’s game as three technical fouls were called in the final 15 seconds of overtime. Sacramento State led 71-70 when Davion Berry was fouled with 15 seconds remaining. Sacramento State head coach Brian Katz was also called for a technical foul. Berry missed both technical free throws but made the two free throws on the foul and the Wildcats led 72-71. With 6.3 seconds left, Berry stole the ball and quickly called a timeout. The Wildcats were called for a technical for calling the timeout when they didn’t have one. Then, WSU head coach Randy Rahe was whistled for a technical for running on the court. Sacramento State’s Mikh McKinney hit all four free throws to give the Hornets a 75-72 lead before the wild finish.
       Earlier in the evening the Duke had lost to Syracuse in an overtime game. However this finish in the Big Sky was much better. Unfortunately for Weber State fans, including me, this was a tough loss to take. If there's any consolation after this unfortunate loss, at least the Wildcats remain atop the Big Sky Conference at 8-2.