College Basketball: January 2007

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JohnBM01

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Happy (late) new year, everyone! It's January. This means that college basketball is going to get a bit more serious as conference play takes form. Then later this month into next, it's time to get ready to potential Selection Sunday moments. The biggest news of January is that Bobby Knight hit 880 wins, which passes Dean Smith for the all-time Division 1 win record. Dean Smith still has three more Hall of Famers (4 to Knight's 1) and maybe one more NBA all-star than Knight (2 to Knight's 1).

With Wednesday approaching, one of the games will be Houston going up to Kentucky. It's my hometown's best team vs. FoolKiller's alma mater. This may get ugly for Houston as they are still trying to gel together this season. Could be ugly, but stranger things have happened before.

And on Monday, January 15th, I will turn 24 years old. Further adding to my probability of seeing gray hairs at some point... geez... Anyhow, let's do January!
 
BOOYAH!!!!

I didn't get to see the game, because it was on FSN South again (We get Ohio people!!!), but I did see the score and in good sports tradition I shall rub it in as immaturely as possible.

Whoston lost to Kentucky!!!! Neener neener neener, hah hah hah hah. My team beat your team.

:D

And I'm done.


In all seriousness, from what I heard Houston did a good job of keeping it close. But with Kentucky having their worst shooting game this year one has to wonder how hard that was. It sounds like it was a sloppy game on both sides with both teams missing nearly two-thirds of their shots and Houston sending Kentucky to the line 24 times (is that right?).

With those kinds of stats we should hold a slop tournament with the teams that play the sloppiest games.



In other news: LOUISVILLE LOST AGAIN!!! With the football team playing a bowl game and the entire supporting cast of band, pep squad, and cheerleaders out of town Notre Dame defeated the Cardinals at home in front of only 8,805 fans. This is the biggest Big East loss Louisville has suffered since joining the conference. Word around the 'ville is that the Cardinals are expected to get beat up in the Big East this year. Rick Pitino is their coach, right?
 
Houston's feeling like "who-ston" right now. Even more so since Lanny Smith is out for the season with knee troubles. Houston needs to get it together and QUICK if they want at least an NIT bid or a very low NCAA bid. Congrats to your Wildcats. And that's real.
 
Houston's feeling like "who-ston" right now. Even more so since Lanny Smith is out for the season with knee troubles. Houston needs to get it together and QUICK if they want at least an NIT bid or a very low NCAA bid. Congrats to your Wildcats. And that's real.
Hey, everybody has a down year. Or in the case of Kentucky football, decades, but you recover.

In all honesty the games that truly matter start now. They still have time to get it together.
 
College football is done. So I will try to better focus on college basketball for both men and women. I'm an equal opportunity college b-ball fan. Of course, I do the college basketball scores a lot different this season. I try to set up the reports like a newspaper. You know how the headlines come about and the article is below? I'll change it up again so it's more like a news paper. But I hope you all get to enjoy my reports as much as I enjoy hosting these discussions. Remember to get involved in these discussions. How do I know that I have people making my reports if you don't get share your love of college basketball with me?



These scores are for the fans. I'll connect with FoolKiller as Kentucky takes on the pathetic Auburn men's basketball team. Then, I'll see "what it do" with Max Powers when Pittsburgh goes to Chicago to meet DePaul. Let do this!


"For the Fans Pack"

--- The Baddest Cats in the SEC Are...
* Auburn at Kentucky (FoolKiller Special)
Time to get to work. Auburn and Kentucky won their Bowl games in basketball. Now it's time to see how these two teams do in hoops. Clearly, the toughest felines in the SEC are at the University of Kentucky. But some could argue that LSU is the better cat club in SEC basketball. At least for this match, Kentucky hopes to remain the sharpest cats in SEC basketball. The Wildcats have seven titles while Auburn has... none. Could Kentucky get her done? Not if Auburn's Tigers have their say. So the baddest cats in the SEC are... who else? Kentucky! (87-54; KENTUCKY)

--- Chi-Town Clash ---
* #7 Pittsburgh at DePaul (Max Powers Special)
Chicago, Illinois. The Windy City. It's a city with great basketball lineage. Remember when Michael Jordan tore it up in Chicago for the Bulls? There is also college basketball lineage in Chicago. It was a long time ago when Loyola University of Chicago won the National Championship. I initially didn't have much interest in Chicago, but I have some travelling interest to maybe see Chicago for myself when I hope to do some travel. Travelling into Chi-town was Pittsburgh. An NFL match here would be the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Chicago Bears. And considering how the Steelers have played in the 2006 season, this could be a no contest even though I love Ben Roethlisberger. (59-49; #7 Pittsburgh)


"Cameron Crazy Couple"
--- Some Assembly Required ---
* #?? Duke at Georgia Tech -men's hoops- (JTSnooks Special)
FoolKiller will love this. Nobody hates Duke more than FoolKiller. Unless of course... some [University of] North Carolina person shows me some love on GTPlanet. You know what you're getting with ACC football. ACC basketball is no different. The state of North Carolina is going to go to Georgia to face a big city team. That big city happens to be Altanta, Georgia. This is the city people like Ludacris, Young Jeezy, (Texas' own) Ciara, Lil' Jon, OutKast, and people like that represent. It's also the place to see Georgia Tech as they try to silence Duke. The Blue Devils lost their last game against Virginia Tech (just remembered). It's sad when you lose to Virginia Tech in hoops. Virginia Tech is better in football than men's hoops. Duke hopes not to be 0-2 in ACC play since 1996. Coach K isn't very pleased to see his Blue Devils struggle in their last game. Now let's meet the boys from the A.T.L. It's official name is the Georgia Institute of Technology. But most people better know it as Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is a school in which it's okay to be yellow. In fact, it shows that you mean business. There's no yellow in GT's all-around basketball play. That's because the Yellow Jackets aren't scared of anyone regardless of what their color exhibits. Do you think GT was scared of Duke? Hell no! Georgia Tech got her done in Atlanta. How do they party down in Atlanta when GT wins? (74-63; GEORGIA TECH) *upset!*

--- Duke Nuked 'Em ---
* Georgia Tech at #3 Duke -women's hoops-
So the Duke boys fell. Let's see how Duke's girls faired against GT's girls. I don't have to remind you their team nicknames as this is basically the women's version of this ACC match. Whereas Duke's men lost, Duke's girls cleaned up for them. (83-51; Duke)


OFF-TOPIC NOTE: I'd like to thank Duke University for lending my Houston Rockets Shane Battier. He's been a difference maker for my hometown NBA team.

-end "For the Fans Pack"



If you love upsets, check these scores out.


--- Marquette Proves Their Toughness ---
* Marquette at Connecticut
Before conference realignment, Marquette University was part of Conference USA. The 1977 (or 1971?) National Champions were part of the conference as Marquette was playing against other ex-Conference USA teams like Saint Louis, North Carolina-Charlotte, DePaul (now in the Big East), Louisville (now in the Big East), Cincinatti (now in the Big East), South Florida (now in the Big East), and Texas Christian. Marquette University has recently exploded and have evolved to a great dark horse in Big East play. The Golden Eagles are one of 28 different Jesuit colleges and universities (27 in America while only one is in Spain). They met the conference power known as Connecticut. Who would have imagined that Connecticut would win the National Championship in both the men's and women's divisions in the same season back in 2004? Connecticut is proven power. Marquette's women's team is also great, but Marquette has a chance to be great here. Dare I quote Louisville's motto: dare to be great. Marquette must dare to be great among the Connecticut Huskies. Why dare when you can make it happen? Marquette (or as I jokingly call them, Mar-queezy) got her done in Hartford! (73-69; Marquette) *upset!*

--- Underrated Butler Takes Illinois-Chicago Heat ---
* #12 Butler at Illinois-Chicago
I'll be honest with you. I never expected Butler to do so well this season. Something you need to remember about college basketball as opposed to Division 1-A college football- there are 119 or so Division 1-A/FBS teams. Division 1 has about 330 schools. Being the best 25 schools of over 330 D1 schools really says something. But being among those 25 means that you have unranked teams as well as higher-ranked (granted you aren't #1 in the nation) opposition. You need to hang tough when the going gets tough. And Iowa's Butler University hopes to stay cool under pressure when they go to Illinois-Chicago. The Butler Bulldogs have been the Bulldogs most people have talked about this season. Last year's most successful Bulldogs were those of the Gonzaga breed. Now it's about Butler's breed of puppies. But Butler will take on one of their own Horizon League counterparts in Chicago. The University of Illinois System presents the University of Illinois-Chicago. It is a school in which you can enjoy a great education in the Windy City. You can also see UIC sports. UIC has done a great job in men's soccer. I personally love their fight song. The UIC Flames hope to burn down Butler's streak of recent dominance. And you know the saying- "can't take the heat? Get out of the kitchen!" Butler got out of this kitchen... only without their continued winning streak in Overtime. (73-67, OT; ILLINOIS-CHICAGO) *upset!*

--- Tennessee Turmoil ---
* #16 Tennessee at Vanderbilt (RIVALRY GAME)
GTPlanet, bragging rights in the state of Tennessee are on the line. Are Tennessee the kings of basketball in the Volunteer State? Are Vanderbilt the kings of SEC basketball in Tennessee? Tennessee and Vandy don't like each other. Plain and simple. The Vanderbilt Commodores are Vander-Built. The boys of Nashville are head-and-shoulders against most other teams. A crosstown rivalry would be Vanderbilt vs. Belmont. Now let's see what Vandy can do against Tennessee. Tennessee is the Volunteer State. And is it any wonder that the Tennessee Volunteers are the toughest sons of guns in Tennessee? The Vols are probably better noted for Pat Summitt and their women's team. Not to mention Miss Candace Parker for the women's team. But Tennessee's boys are still not the team to mess with... unless you're Vanderbilt. (82-81; VANDERBILT)

--- Fear the Turtle? What About Hurricanes? ---
* Miami at Maryland -men's hoops-
(MEN'S GAME) Here is the men's report for this game. First off, Miami came into Comcast Arena(?) with a purpose- beat Maryland. These Hurricanes can do plenty of damage. For example, they damaged Maryland's winning hopes. It will take a lot of cleanup in College Park to repair this damage Miami left on them. (63-58; Miami) *upset!*

* Maryland at Miami -women's hoops-
(WOMEN'S GAME) The Lady Terrapins are tough to beat. They are unscathed. The remained that way as the Lady Hurricanes of Miami couldn't blow away Maryland. Just like Destiny's Child used to sing, Maryland's Lady Terrapins are survivors. (111-53; Maryland)



Check this game out here:

--- East-Coast Shootout ---
* High Point at Virginia Military Institute (VMI)
A shooting fest occured in this game. We got Cameron Hall as the arena for this battle. The score to this game is something you'd expect to see in the NBA. But with two 20-minute halves and a 35-second shot clock, inssanely high scores aren't possible all the time. We're going to Lexington here. Calm down, FoolKiller. I'm talking about Lexington, Virginia. The High Point Panthers may see some of their boys heading into the NBA after a scoring night like this. The VMI Keydets are looking to contain High Point. But in the end, High Point put up high-scoring to win in this NBA-like scoring game. Reggie Williams of VMI got a double-double with 40 points and 15 rebounds. High Point's Arizona "AZ" Reid got 32 points and 13 rebounds. The first half saw a 63-48 scoring lead by High Point. The second half saw VMI lead 56-52. But in the end, High Point was the better team. Talk about shooting lights out! What a game! (115-104; High Point)


For more scores from January 10th via Yahoo, click on these links:

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-10&c=all&refresh=0 (NCAA Men)
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-10&c=all&refresh=0 (NCAA Women)


My birthday is on January 15th, which is the same as one of my personal heroes- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On January 15th, I'll feature his alma mater as a feature school. Some of you probably know his alma mater if you've read some of my Division 2 football reports. But, I'll feature that school in a report on January 15th.


DIVISION 3 FOCUS

SPECIAL REPORT: Caltech Ends Insane Losing Streak
I was away a lot for my college basketball reports. So let me update this on some old news. Caltech (non-football; Division 3's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC)). The Caltech Beavers took on the Bard College Raptors and beat them 81-52. The losing streak is insane for Caltech. You think there are teams that are sorry? Check out what Caltech's losing streak meant. The California Institute of Technology defeated their first opponent since November 22, 2004. Since this November game, they have lost a total of 59-straight games. Caltech defeated their first NCAA Division 3 opponent since beating Principia College in the 1995-1996 season. They held onto a 207-straight losing streak against other NCAA opponents. They have one more streak to avert- 245-straight losses in conference play. On January 10, 2007, their opponent is a team with a great football team- Occidental College. This is a school in Los Angles, California. So far, the streak has been extended to a 246-straight losing streak in SCIAC play. This game wasn't even close.

California Institute of Technology - 40
#22 Occidental - 103

So if you think your team doesn't win games a lot? Imagine being in Caltech's shoes.



And that's all. Thanks for reading.
 
--- The Baddest Cats in the SEC Are...
* Auburn at Kentucky (FoolKiller Special)
Time to get to work. Auburn and Kentucky won their Bowl games in basketball. Now it's time to see how these two teams do in hoops. Clearly, the toughest felines in the SEC are at the University of Kentucky. But some could argue that LSU is the better cat club in SEC basketball. At least for this match, Kentucky hopes to remain the sharpest cats in SEC basketball. The Wildcats have seven titles while Auburn has... none. Could Kentucky get her done? Not if Auburn's Tigers have their say. So the baddest cats in the SEC are... who else? Kentucky! (87-54; KENTUCKY)
I knew we should beat Auburn, but I had no idea they were this bad. I think they had a horrible game though because they lead the SEC in assist and couldn't even get that done.

Side note: All three local teams for my area (Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana) had huge 20+ point wins. With teh way Duke looks it looks like basketball dominance may begin to drift back home, where it belongs. Of course, that is assuming that Louisville and Indiana can play more than one good game.

"Cameron Crazy Couple"
--- Some Assembly Required ---
* #?? Duke at Georgia Tech -men's hoops- (JTSnooks Special)
FoolKiller will love this. Nobody hates Duke more than FoolKiller.
<snip>
(74-63; GEORGIA TECH) *upset!*[/quote]
:lol: Two in a row and I still haven't heard a stat for when Duke last went 0-2 in conference play. During the Kentucky game last night they announced this score and all of Rupp erupted into cheers.

They may be blue at Duke, but all of Kentucky knows they is the devil.

Talk about shooting lights out! What a game! (115-104; High Point)
Me thinks that neither school has EVER heard of defense. It is great to put up 104 points, but if you let the other team get 115 you are still a loser.
 
Hi, FoolKiller. I told you I'd be here after football was done. Miami picked up a big win against a now 14-3 Maryland team. I'm not going to say that Duke's immunity has been removed, but they may have a chance to get themselves together. If I was a betting man, the odds favor Duke over Miami. They'll play IN Miami on January 14th. That is, of course, a day before my 24th birthday. Here is their schedule after Miami:

1/18 - Wake Forest
1/20 - at North Carolina State
1/25 - #17 Clemson (unbeaten this season so far)
1/28 - Boston College

So they have only one road game after Miami as far as their next five games. Duke is one of the most powerful teams in America. Their rivals, North Carolina, is currently #1 in the nation. It's no real shock for most followers of college basketball since UNC and Duke simply don't lose games. Most people would probably say that the only time both schools should lose is when UNC and Duke play each other. Speaking of UNC/Duke, Round 1 is AT Duke 2/7/2007. Meaning the Cameron Crazies giving the Tar Heels plenty of disrespect. Round 2 is their final game on 3/4 back at Chapel Hill.

Now on to the 115-104 game between High Point and the Virginia Military Institute. Usually, VMI is a pretty bad team. Their football is marginally better. High Point doesn't know about football because it's been so long since High Point University sponsored football. It isn't often you see a score like this. I usually consider an "NBA Score" to be more in the range of 80+, sometimes even 70+ for all-defense NBA games. The general range would be 70-120 for most NBA games. In college, most scores are usually 50+. Some games don't even go into 100 unless it's in Overtime or unless it's a blowout. But still, I still consider North Carolina-Wilmington as the best North Carolina basketball team not from a "BCS conference." They have been stumbling this year, but they are usually a great team. If you have "College Hoops 2K7," you can listen to their fight song.

I'll make my next set of reports. I think that I may have found my source of Division 3 basketball in case I want to key in on Division 3 action. Still looking for a Division 2 site I can use to talk Division 2 basketball if I can. I'm still amazed about how a team can lose 204 straight games. That's unheard of. Most teams usually give up their programs. Look at when Jaguar's F1 team couldn't win a damned race. They folded. The Caltech Bears have seen Hell and look to finally win. Still. Most people don't KNOW what a bad team is. And you NEVER lose faith in a team you love that fails to win games. You just don't.

You others are free to comment.
 
all-defense NBA games.
This is purely a myth used by parents to make their children think the world is a wonderful place. It goes side-by-side with candy cane forests and gum drop rivers.

:sly:
 
I don't have Thursday's scores complete. So what I'll do here is offer something extra. Joe Lunardi talked about the most underrated and most overrated teams. I didn't get to see the overrated teams. But here are five UNDERrated teams:

Kentucky
Arkansas
Southern California
Clemson
Washington State

So let's see how they do in this weekend's games.
 
I have provided NCAA Division 1 scores for both men and women at the following links. These scores cover Thursday and Friday action.

MEN'S RESULTS
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-11&c=all&refresh=0
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-12&c=all&refresh=0

WOMEN'S RESULTS
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-11&c=all&refresh=0
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-12&c=all&refresh=0

I will look to do Saturday action if I can. Of course, you are invited to offer your own scores and comments. I will surely offer my comments and such. Will you?
 
The threat of bad weather hitting southeast Texas has sort of impaired my ability to give you all good scores. So let me try to get this all done. I will begin with a women's shocker followed by a men's shocker. And speaking of Shockers, we got Wichita State's boys taking on Evansville at home. Do you prefer cats or dogs? Kentucky tries to show America that cats rule as they take on Mississippi State. This and more in today's report.

To better distinguish between men's games and women's games, I only put "Women's Hoops" or just "Women" to denote a woman's game. Most other scores are that of men's hoops. So let's do the weekend before my birthday!



Upset Pack

Chapel Hill Crime Wave
* Virginia Tech at #1 North Carolina
Thanks to Yahoo! Sports for providing this deal when I tried to look up some quick scores. I thought this was going to be an easy win for North Carolina, but the Tar Heels did something they usually don't do in college basketball often- lose. This is a demoralizing five-point spread the VT Hokies put on North Carolina. The boys in Durham must be laughing their butts off and celebrating. Find out why it's for good reason in the next score. (94-88; Virginia Tech) *#1 Ranked Upset!!!*


(Women's Hoops) Super Scintillating Senational
* #1 Maryland at #3 Duke
Duke basketball. The most powerful team other than North Carolina. That's true in the men's game, but what about when the fairer sex tries their hand at a little roundball? Enter Duke's women. The Lady Blue Devils will meet Maryland. Someone forgot to tell Duke that Maryland is... #1 and unbeaten. They are the defending champions of Division 1 women's basketball. The girls from College Park, MD know what being in control is about being in the general vincinity of Washington, D.C. The Lady Terrapins have shown little remorse in beating the teams they beat. They don't apologize for winning and winning big. ANY team that beats Duke and/or North Carolina (men and/or women) is good. But Duke wasn't good- they were great. The #1 seed in America falls on their face and saw their unbeaten streak taken away. The women may not have Coach K, but even Duke's ladies can get themselves a win. This is one of the rare times in which you can actually say that Duke or North Carolina upset a team. (81-62; #3 DUKE) *upset!*

Clem-Who?
* #17 Clemson at Maryland
The Maryland Terrapins lost in women's hoops. The men made up for it as the guys were housekeeping. Clemson is no longer unbeaten. The Tigers lost to some turtles. (92-87; MARYLAND) *upset!*




What a Shock...
* Evansville at Wichita State
Evansville had a pretty good basketball team in the past. The ESPNU Pride of the Program (I may release a thread or post talking about all the success and glory all Division 1 teams had) entry on Evansville shown that on March 17, 1989, Evansville knocked off (then) #6 Oregon. They are known as the Purple Aces. Evansville is in extreme southwestern Indiana. They'll meet some Kansas boys in this midwest battle. While it's snowing and crap in the Midwest, nothing warms up a cold day like a good basketball game. Like Iowa, the Wichita State boys are dressed in black and gold (or yellow?). Wichita State gets to play on my birtday (January 15th) against Creighton. The Shockers are ready to get buzzed and shock the living daylights out of Evansville. Wichita State was buzzing 10,000 volts of energy in taking down Evansville. Shockers win! (69-56; WICHITA STATE)

DID YOU KNOW...
...that on March 15th, 1981, Wichita State shocked (then) #3 Iowa? Part of the deal was that Iowa had no timeouts as they tried to call for a timeout anyways. What happens when you don't have a timeout and you call one anyways? Technical Foul. And Wichita State cashed in the upset right then and there.




--- BIG EAST REPORT---

West Virginia Might Be Walking into a Trap
* #2? West Virginia at Marquette
West Virginia doesn't have Pittsnoggle anymore(?). So WVU will try to emulate the success of their football team as they take on a team that had one shining moment in the football ranks- Marquette University. The threat of this Arctic Blast has impacted most of America mainly in the rockies up to the Midwest. In fact, as of the date of this typing (11:13:29 PM CST), some NBA games have been postponed along with some college games played around this time, including Oklahoma State at Nebraska. This game would thankfully be able to be complete without too much worry from the weather. Marquette is a true dark horse for Big East supremacy. Marquette gets West Virginia at home. But look at their next two games- at Louisville (Freedom Hall) on January 15th, then at Pittsburgh (the beautiful Petersen Events Center) January 21st. Both of those teams could be very imposing for Marquette, especially Pittsburgh. The Golden Eagles hope to remain golden in this game. The problem is that West Virginia wants their share of the cut. The Mountaineers want to escape from Milwaukee in victorious fashion. WVU didn't climb Mount Marquette very well as the Golden Eagles will go to Louisville this coming Monday. (81-63; MARQUETTE) *upset!*

Speaking of Louisville...
* Providence at Louisville
Get ready for a little match here. We got Providence College going to the University of Louisville. Louisville usually makes black look hot. But it is Providence who is colored up in monochromatic colors. Providence College is more of black/silver/white while Louisville's colors are more of black/red/white. Louisville, Kentucky. The home of a team that won themselves two National Championships in hoops. The Louisville faithful are still proud of seeing their football team go to a BCS Bowl Game and beat Wake Forest. The Cardinals usually excel in any sport. But last season, I don't think Louisville even made it to the Big East tournament. The team that had the worst season in Big East play last year was South Florida. I think Notre Dame stumbled that year as well. Providence isn't usually the hottest team in the Big East. I joked that Providence makes black look hot. Their season is looking pretty black against the pack. The Friars of Providence College hail from Providence, Rhode Island. A big team from small Rhode Island. Their crosstown rivals are the Ivy League's Brown University. Their in-state rivals would be the University of Rhode Island. Providence had some real financial struggles in fielding certain teams in NCAA play. Some of the dropped sports include (but not limited to) football and baseball. I think they don't have a lacrosse team either. There's one thing Providence DOES have- basketball. So get ready for a Big East thrashing! (78-63; LOUISVILLE)

It's Always Sunny in Pittsburgh
* Georgetown at #7 Pittsburgh
We got the Steel City and some cats made from steel. We also have a once-proud team from Washington, D.C. that is regaining their stride. G-Town and Pitt (that doesn't sound right...). You ready? Georgetown University seen one of their proud alums play for the Houston Rockets on Friday and win in a thriller. I'm talking about Dikembe Mutumbo. Guy is 40 years old and still has that blue and gray in him. Georgetown may easily be a lock to make the field of 65, though nothing is guaranteed. You still have to play high-quality Hoya basketball if you want to take Georgetown to the dance. Looking to return to the dance is Pittsburgh, who has been to the Big Dance since not making it in 2001. ESPN College Gameday was on site in Pittsburgh with Sean McD... and D. Vitale calling the match. Yeah. Pittsburgh has a number of stars whether they are "super scintillating sensational" or "diaper dandies." Pitt is ready to dunk the rock in your face. Be careful when you take the court and have to face some ravenous Panthers in the other court. They will do damage. They are #7 in the nation, but they were #1 in beating Georgetown. (79-69; PITTSBURGH)

end- "Big East Report"



Cats and Dogs Fighting... Can They EVER Get Along?
* Mississippi State at Kentucky
Hard to believe that Kentucky has only three losses heading into this game. Mississippi State is usually a powerful team. But are Mississippi State a true power? Not against Kentucky they aren't. MissSU are underdogs compared to the wonderful Kentucky boys. The Bulldogs are the best Bulldogs in SEC basketball. But they have to go to Rupp Arena and face Kentucky. About 23K or so pack Rupp Arena. Home games there almost seem like about 64K people are at Rupp Arena- like Commonwealth Stadium (Kentucky's football stadium). Did I mention that Kentucky only lost three times this season? Our resident Kentucky alum, FoolKiller[/B,] noted that the team is playing sloppy and not really at their best. The Wildcats still retain only three losses. If this team loses, they don't lose in buckets like Colorado's football team this past season. Speaking of buckets, Kentucky put up two more deuces to better Mississippi State. This is actually a good matchup. Remember that Mississippi State is the better basketball team in Mississippi. Good job, boys. You won a close one. Was this a clean win, or is there still work to do? (64-60; KENTUCKY)

SIDE NOTE: Here are the next five key SEC games:
1/16 - at South Carolina
1/28 - Tennessee
2/10 - Florida
2/13 - at Tennessee
2/17 - at Alabama

I noticed something about Kentucky's schedule. They play LSU, but they won't play in Baton Rouge. I wonder how much of a gut check it would be to play at LSU and try to knock off Glen Davis and his boys on the court in Louisiana. Their biggest match is March 4 at Florida. The defending National Champions beat down the Gamecocks of South Carolina 84-50. The Wildcats will need to turn up the heat and stay great if they want to make Selection Sunday (which they probably will).




For more Saturday, January 13th scores, check out these two sites:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-13&c=all&refresh=0 (Men)
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-13&c=all&refresh=0 (Women)


By the time I do my Sunday scores, it will likely be my birthday in Central Standard Time. If you care to wish me Happy Birthday, you can do so at my personal webpage (sign my Guestbook there) or in this thread. I appreciate your support and kindness.
 
Will someone pass the ball to Greg Oden? That would be fantastic. Yeah, I was thinking--instead of jacking up that three-pointer that will almost definitely miss, why don't you give it to that guy who scores on 60% of his FGs?
 
Let me start with a Happy Birthday! Eat lots of cake, drink lots of beer, and if anyone questions you on that tell them to bugger off! Just remember, birthday calories do not count.

* Mississippi State at Kentucky
Hard to believe that Kentucky has only three losses heading into this game. Mississippi State is usually a powerful team. But are Mississippi State a true power? Not against Kentucky they aren't. MissSU are underdogs compared to the wonderful Kentucky boys. The Bulldogs are the best Bulldogs in SEC basketball. But they have to go to Rupp Arena and face Kentucky. About 23K or so pack Rupp Arena. Home games there almost seem like about 64K people are at Rupp Arena- like Commonwealth Stadium (Kentucky's football stadium). Did I mention that Kentucky only lost three times this season? Our resident Kentucky alum, FoolKiller noted that the team is playing sloppy and not really at their best. The Wildcats still retain only three losses. If this team loses, they don't lose in buckets like Colorado's football team this past season. Speaking of buckets, Kentucky put up two more deuces to better Mississippi State. This is actually a good matchup. Remember that Mississippi State is the better basketball team in Mississippi. Good job, boys. You won a close one. Was this a clean win, or is there still work to do? (64-60; KENTUCKY)
Let me just point out that this gives Kentucky a 10 game winning streak, and they are 3-0 in SEC play.

That said. this game was too close for comfort. Most of this game was watched from a bar in Lexington, so I don't have details. The place wants to call itself a pub, The Pub is its name, but it appears to be a loud, obnoxious sports bar with overpriced bangers and mash. It also only had two TVs, which were only on one wall, so unless you sat in the right place you couldn't see well.

From what I saw, through my Guinness induced haze, most of the game played close, with the score being only a one point difference many times. While it wasn't as bad as the start of the season some of the players went back to their old habits. They played well enough this game, but time is short if they want to be the best possible team.

SIDE NOTE: Here are the next five key SEC games:
1/16 - at South Carolina
1/28 - Tennessee
2/10 - Florida
2/13 - at Tennessee
2/17 - at Alabama

This is why time is short. They should play well enough to beat South Carolina, but Tennessee is coming up. If they play well they can head into the dreaded February with no extra losses, but at the current level of play they will have a loss from the Vols. Unfortunately, they also have to play Vanderbilt this Saturday, and Vandy upset Tennessee. They can't be taken lightly. In February I predict 3-5 losses. Fortunately, at the worst it means I predict they will get out of the regular season with 20 wins. Unfortunately, even at their best a lot of losses just before tournament time can really hurt their standings.

I noticed something about Kentucky's schedule. They play LSU, but they won't play in Baton Rouge. I wonder how much of a gut check it would be to play at LSU and try to knock off Glen Davis and his boys on the court in Louisiana. Their biggest match is March 4 at Florida. The defending National Champions beat down the Gamecocks of South Carolina 84-50. The Wildcats will need to turn up the heat and stay great if they want to make Selection Sunday (which they probably will).
I see you have noticed what I am thinking of as Ugly February as well. It won't be a happy Valentine's Day if they can't improve. I just hope that the groundhog will grant my Wildcats an early Spring.

On the plus side, if we can beat Florida we will probably see a top 20 ranking. I won't hold my breath.
 
I hope everyone is okay with the Arctic Blast deal. My birthday on January 15th will likely be cold and wet. Sounds like football weather, huh? Well unfortunately, football is done, and I don't think even football players would be able to play with this Arctic Blast. I'll begin with my Feature School for this report.



John's Feature School: Morehouse College

I was born on January 15th. So was Shane McMahon (son of WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon). So was . So was . But someone important was born on 1/15- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Where did he go to school at before his "I Have a Dream" speech? No place other than Morehouse College. Morehouse College can be found in Atlanta, Georgia. Morehouse is part of the SIAC conference in NCAA Division 2. They are home of the Maroon Tigers. They are in the same conference as LeMoyne-Owen, Miles College, Paine, and the first-ever HBCU- Tuskegee University. Morehouse College is America's only all-male HBCU (historically-black colleges and universities). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a graduate of Morehouse back in 1948. He became a student of Morehouse at th eage of 15. He was an early admission student. While Dr. Martin Luther King was one of Morehouse's most prominent alums, there are also some other notable alumnus including Spike Lee, Maynard Jackson (first African-American mayor of Atlanta), John David Washington (NFL Player and son of Denzel Washington), and Edwin Moses. This is perhaps one of the proudest black colleges. In the SIAC, the Maroon Tigers finished 2-9 for 2006. Their basketball team has currently played nine games and are 2-7. The Maroon Tigers' basketball team (remember that Morehouse is an all-male school) recently dropped their third-straight decision. They will play on 1/15/2007 against LeMoyne Owen College at home. Here are Morehouse's next five opponents:

1/18 - at Kentucky State
1/20 - at Lane College
1/23 - Paine College
1/25 - Stillman College
1/27 - Tuskegee

Their biggest win was an 81-67 rout of Miles College. The Golden Bears were an easy win for the Morehouse Maroon Tigers. This was in 12/9/2006. Their worst loss was at home against Kentucky State. They lost in a 71-54 decision. The Frankfurt, KY outfit smashed Morehouse on 1/2/2007. Simply put, Morehouse College is one of the proudest black colleges in all of America.

Learn more about Morehouse College at: http://www.morehouse.edu/
Athletics: http://www.morehouse.edu/athletics/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morehouse_College

In February, I will try to talk more about other historically-black schools in honor of Black History Month.




Now back to some games.



--- Feisty Female Pack ---

(Extra) Baby Got an Atom Bomb
I forgot to report this on Saturday. Four Colorado State players were suspended and charged with misdemeanor conduct by planting a chemical bomb near the apartment of a teammate. More information can be found here: < http://www.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/stories/011307aan.html >.

(Women) Border War Battle in Alabama
* UAB (Alabama-Birmingham) at Southern Mississippi
The Lady Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi are going to host a team predicted to be 8th in C-USA women's ranks- UAB. But the irony? Irony is that UAB is leading the conference and simply Blazing their way through Conference USA. Also true is that UAB are 4-0 in conference. So these Blazer divas know what they're up against. Let's see what these ladies can do. But remember- come prepared. Come prepared because these girls don't play. A violent hit by Liz Biland (Southern Mississippi) on Carmen Guzman (UAB) went undetected by the referees. No Offensive Foul was called. The UAB coach was furious as she wanted an Offensive Foul called. I personally thought that either an Offensive Foul or a Technical Foul should have been called. But much to Guzman's credit, she was able to walk over to the bench with some help. She was back in the game and ready to play. To all the male chauvanists, yes. There is a such thing as a physical women's basketball game. Hell, I seen WNBA matches that were meat grinders. I'd imagine these C-USA rivals plain don't like each other since they are the only two C-USA schools in their respective states. Late in the game as Southern Mississippi was pulling away, Carmen Guzman picked up a Technical Foul. Give her credit. She's tough. Carmen Guzman is a young spitfire. A hellcat. Such a tough player. This is a tough loss for Alabama-Birmingham as they are now no longer unbeaten in conference play. The game ends in physical fashion. UAB played hard in this eventual blowout even in a losing effort. (74-52; SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI)

-end "Feisty Female Pack"



(Women) Kentucky's Men Won Yesterday... But What About Their Women Today?
* Mississippi at Kentucky
Time to key in on FoolKiller's team. Time to see what Kentucky's girls can do on the hardwood. Previously on The Adventures of Kentucky Basketball, Kentucky's proud men served a noble cause- to take down Mississippi State. When hope was fading and time was of the essence, Kentucky pulled through with a 64-60 win. Now it is time for the Kentucky Lady Wildcats to show what SEC basketball is about. Unlike the men, you don't really have that sense of "you know what you're getting" when you talk about Kentucky's women. Think about Connecticut and Tennessee for a moment. Their basketball is top rank. Both the men and the women play with power. There's just no way around it. Now let's meet Mississippi. These girls are from Oxford, MS. The rebellious Lady Rebels are ready to break some rules and make their own. For a game like this, it needed Overtime. I don't know if you can call this an upset or not, but Mississippi got her done by a close margin. (67-65, OT; Mississippi)


OTHER SCORES (men only):
* #15 Oregon at #10 Arizona (77-70; #15 Oregon) *upset!*
* #11 Duke at Miami (85-63- #11 Duke) *big win*
* Illinois at Michigan State (63-57; MICHIGAN STATE)
* Niagara at Rider (80-79; Niagara)
* Seton Hall at #23 Notre Dame (80-76; #23 NOTRE DAME)

How you like that, players?


I don't have too many scores to share. Remember that I'm mostly doing fewer games. But I still try to provide as many scores as possible. So here are some more scores from Sunday:

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-14&c=all&refresh=0
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-14&c=all&refresh=0

Thanks for the birthday love, FoolKiller. And Klostrophobic, I will monitor your Ohio State club to see how they do, especially what Greg Oden can do on both sides of the court. People invested a lot of interest in Oden's talent. Seems like he's truly worth it on the next level. So perhaps he'll be killer on the NBA level.
 
Their worst loss was at home against Kentucky State. They lost in a 71-54 decision. The Frankfurt, KY outfit smashed Morehouse on 1/2/2007. Simply put, Morehouse College is one of the proudest black colleges in all of America.
Ahem, check my location. I work in Louisville, and root them on in Lexington, but I live in the middle.


<--- :D

However, Kentucky State is mostly ignored locally. The only students I know are state government employees because state government pays for attendance at K-State (as we call it). The school is just too small to be sitting almost perfectly between Louisville and Kentucky (Lexington) to get any attention. If it were founded today they wouldn't set it in Frankfort, because it is advertising and athletics suicide.

Academically, they are a good school. The only issue I have with them is that their adminstrators act as if they should get special priveleges around town. My wife used to work at Pier 1 and the president actually came in and asked if she could get an item that woudl be on sale in a week for the sale price now. When they explained that they couldn't do it because, even if they wanted to, the computer wouldn't recognize it and it would cause their books to be short. At this point she gave them the, "Do you know who I am?" line, as if that makes the computer suddenly work differently. Fortunately it was my wife working there and not myself because anytime I hear that I say, "No, should I?" And that's if I am in a good mood. It just kills their ego. But in all honesty, a job title means nothing to me.

(Extra) Baby Got an Atom Bomb
I forgot to report this on Saturday. Four Colorado State players were suspended and charged with misdemeanor conduct by planting a chemical bomb near the apartment of a teammate. More information can be found here: < http://www.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/stories/011307aan.html >.
What the?! This just shows that women can be just as brutal as men.

(Women) Kentucky's Men Won Yesterday... But What About Their Women Today?
* Mississippi at Kentucky
Time to key in on FoolKiller's team. Time to see what Kentucky's girls can do on the hardwood. Previously on The Adventures of Kentucky Basketball, Kentucky's proud men served a noble cause- to take down Mississippi State. When hope was fading and time was of the essence, Kentucky pulled through with a 64-60 win. Now it is time for the Kentucky Lady Wildcats to show what SEC basketball is about. Unlike the men, you don't really have that sense of "you know what you're getting" when you talk about Kentucky's women. Think about Connecticut and Tennessee for a moment. Their basketball is top rank. Both the men and the women play with power. There's just no way around it. Now let's meet Mississippi. These girls are from Oxford, MS. The rebellious Lady Rebels are ready to break some rules and make their own. For a game like this, it needed Overtime. I don't know if you can call this an upset or not, but Mississippi got her done by a close margin. (67-65, OT; Mississippi)
Last year they were a threat but this year it is looking dismal.

And Klostrophobic, I will monitor your Ohio State club to see how they do, especially what Greg Oden can do on both sides of the court. People invested a lot of interest in Oden's talent. Seems like he's truly worth it on the next level. So perhaps he'll be killer on the NBA level.
All I can say about Oden and OSU (other than he appears to be an awesome player) is that I will be extremely upset if I see ANOTHER Florida vs Ohio State championship game this year. Actually, I don't want to see either team close to this championship game, or the Final Four for that matter. Thankfully basketball properly uses a playoff system, which reduces their chances of making it that far, despite their rankings.
 
In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Day (not to mention it's my birthday as well), I would like to pay special attention to black college basketball by men and women. My black college basketball report will begin early. Afterwards, I'll go to some of the other games.



--- Black College Basketball Report ---

RAPID FIRE Black College Results
All of these schools have black history to them that I'm aware of. It can be one HBCU vs. another, or simply one HBCU against a non-HBCU school.

(Men's Scores)
* Delaware State at Maryland Eastern-Shore (61-47; Delaware State)
*** SIDE NOTE: Delaware State is predicted to win the MEAC title. We'll see if they do. Win the title in your conference- automatic chance to go to the Big Dance. ***

* South Carolina State at Bethune-Cookman (68-56; South Carolina State)
* Jackson State at Prairie View A&M (74-62; Jackson State)
* Coppin State at Hampton (77-69, OT; HAMPTON)
* North Carolina A&T at Florida A&M (82-78; North Carolina A&T)
* Morgan State at Norfolk State (68-54; NORFOLK STATE)
* Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Alcorn State (61-57; ALCORN STATE)
* Grambling State at Texas Southern (55-47; TEXAS SOUTHERN)
* Fisk at Tennessee State (85-52; TENNESSEE STATE)
* Mississippi Valley State at Southern (72-64; SOUTHERN)


(Women's Scores)
* Maryland-Eastern Shore at Delaware State (45-32; Maryland-Eastern Shore)
* South Carolina State at Bethune-Cookman (77-56; South Carolina State)
* North Carolina at Florida A&M (75-62; FLORIDA A&M)
* Coppin State at Hampton (64-56, OT; Coppin State)
* Morgan State at Norfolk State (64-44; Morgan State)
* Grambling State at Texas Southern (53-44; Grambling State)
* Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Alcorn State (66-51; ALCORN STATE)
* Mississippi Valley State at Southern (80-69; Mississippi Valley State)
* Fisk at Tennessee State (79-21; TENNESSEE STATE)
* Murray State at Alabama A&M (61-59; Murray State)

-end "Black College Basketball Report"



Now for a special match. The inital thing I wanted to report was black college basketball. But we got a big match in the Big East.

Marquette Has a Dream of Their Own...
* Marquette at Louisille
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. He envisioned an America whereas instead of ridiculing and beating African-Americans, Americans would come together regardless of skin color. Who knows where America would be if it weren't for his help? Who knows where American sports would be without his words? The college basketball world has one team with an amazing dream- to dominate the Big East as a dark horse. Both teams have a combined total of three National Championships. Marquette has one, and Louisville has two. Marquette is the only recent non-football school to win the National Championship. Their glory time was in about 1977. Marquette used to be a Conference USA school before stepping up to the Big East challenge. They do have a club-level football team. But from what I've heard, attendance is pretty low. The Golden Eagles have been on a tear. I love Marquette and the hustle they are showing in the Big East. This Jesuit university is heading to the Bluegrass State to face a... red team? Louisville is red hot after beating Providence College on Saturday. Those Louisville sluggers are ready to bat one out of the park... I mean... the court. Wait... is that even possible? Hell, Louisville can do anything. The Cardinals have a dream of their own- smashing the dreams of Marquette. Marquette could easily be in the Top 25 if they can pick up a win against Louisville. Will Louisville get their hands full of Marquette? Louisville may not be in the western part of America, but this looks like a shootout in Arctic Blast-infected northwestern Kentucky. Let's get it! Marquette led 33-30 over Louisville after 20 minutes. With 7:29 left in regulation, Marquette was beating Louisville 60-46. The boys in Lexington must be loving this. I always think eagles are the most majestic fowl in the skiees. Golden Eagles are even more majestic... at least in this game. Past 5:30 left, Marquette got themselves a kiss (in the words of Bill Raftery) inside the paint to make it 62-52 in favor of Marquette. Louisville's primary color is Cardinal Red. These boys can smell blood and has a chance to tear apart Marquette late. The 'Ville got to get it going if the boys and girls in the greater Lexington area to be laughing at them to bed. It's 3:25 left as Louisville slammed down the rock to make it 64-57. They could have had a layup and the foul, but an offensive foul on Louisville denied their ability to make it a two-possession game. Man... Louisville fans HATED that call. Marquette has turned over the ball quite a lot. So one would imagine that Louisville needs to cash in on their mistakes. They didn't get it done at the line because with about 2:50 left in the game, the 'Ville can't connect either free throw. Now it's 67-60 in favor of Marquette as Louisville gave up a three... all to get one back. Two minute warning in the house! Freedom Hall's gettin' crazy! Now Louisville wants to foul Marquette to get them to the line. One minute left with the same score. Louisville needs to find some answers. Now it's 32.9 left and Louisville steps up to the Charity Stripe. Missed the first foul shot, but hits the second. Marquette gets fouled as they are now in the bonus. First shot is money. So is the second. Louisville needs some scores. Marquette stripped Louisville clean to make it 71-61 on a fast break dunk. 11.4 seconds left as Louisville's spirit was getting dumped on. Add two more great free throws by Marquette. Louisville fouled Marquette out of frustration with 5 seconds left. At the stripe, Marquette makes one out of two. So Louisville falls to 2-2 in conference with this loss. Marquette has won three in a row. But they have one HUGE obstacle ahead- #6 Pittsburgh. (74-65; Marquette)

DID YOU KNOW...
...that Pittsburgh leads the Big East and is unbeaten in conference play? They are currently 4-0 in Big East play.




Here is an NBA focus now.

NBA FOCUS
* Phoenix Suns at Memphis Grizzlies
It was 2:34 in the Second Quarter, it's 69-64, Phoenix. No, you read right- 120 to about 130 points with the FIRST HALF still under way! Can you imagine that? Last week, High Point and VMI put up mad numbers in the collegiate game. The game ended with a score of 137-122. This was a HELL of a shootout! (137-122: Phoenix Suns)


* My Houston Rockets will have to head up north to Dallas to meet the Mavericks Tuesday night. This is a friendly rivalry between myself and my good GTP friend, * McLaren *. Rockets are 25-13 on the season and 3rd Place in the Southwest. This team is looking VERY good without Yao Ming and with Tracy McGrady dropping buckets. Later on, Houston will have to match wits with Phoenix in Houston. That's not going to be fun. Rockets got to keep delivering if they want to potentially stop the Suns' winning streak (if no one else does it beforehand). This should be a Texas shootout like only the Houston vs. Dallas vs. San Antonio Triple Threat can provide.


For more scores, check out your Division 1 scores here:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-15&c=all&refresh=0 (Men)
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-15&c=all&refresh=0 (Women)


Thanks for the birthday love!
 
Here are some quick reports. Now that I'm back in school, I may not be here as often covering games for you. Alright, players. It goes like this. One Kentucky team won while another was shocked. Which ones? Welcome to my "Bluegrass Pack."


--- Kentuckians on the Road ---

Kentucky's Hungry for Some Poultry
* Kentucky at South Carolina
Rupp Arena is a great place to play basketball (if you're wearing the royal blue and white). But UK's beloved kittens will have to leave Rupp to go to South Carolina. Before seeing this report on Yahoo! Sports, I HAD to make this report special. The short-term report? The loser got their asses OWNED! The University of Kentucky is the flagship university in the Bluegrass State. Their motto is "Dream - Challenge - Succeed." Who said that their motto doesn't apply to UK sports? The Wildcats know what success is about having won seven National Championships. But they would go on the road to a two-time defending NIT champion. Hoping not to go to the NIT for a third-straight time is South Carolina. South Carolina convinced Kentucky to come down to Columbia, SC so that they can get away from the 23K+ fans at Rupp. Good job, USoCar. South Carolina knows that Wildcats love feasting on whatever they can get their hands on- especially Gamecocks. The game was close after one with Kentucky leading 37-27. UK won the first half, then DOMINATED the second half. I hate to say this, but... South Carolina = OWNED! (87-49; Kentucky)

*** STATISTICS *** The leading scorer for the Wildcats was Joe Crawford. He put up 23 points and was 9-12 in field goals. He missed only one free throw (2 for 3) and connected 60% of 3-point shots (3 for 5). Only three other Wildcats were in double figures including (from most points to least) Randolph Morris with 17 pts., Ramel Bradley with 15 pts., and Jodie Meeks with 12 pts. South Carolina's leading scorer was Tre Kelley with 19 points. He made 7 of 12 field goals, connected 50% of field goals (2 for 4), and made all three of his free throws.


(Women) Louisville's Divas Want Some Love in Tampa
* #15 Louisville at South Florida
Let's make ready for Tampa, Florida as Louisville meets South Florida. Louisville's ladies are #15 in the nation. Can they put out a Top 20 performance on the road in Tampa? Louisville's men lost to a hungry Marquette squad on Monday. The red-hot ladies get to show their stuff over the green and gold of South Florida. The Lady Cardinals are ready to heat up Tampa unlike anyone else. South Florida girls do it better, right? So let's see if USoFl gets it done tonight. Git-r-done! The Lady Bulls look ready to get her done. And in blowout fashion, South Florida stuns the Lady Cardinals. This is a tough week for Louisville. The men lose on my birthday, now the ranked ladies fall in Florida. It doesn't get any tougher for Louisville since they get Rutgers on January 21st, and then Pittsburgh on January 24. Both home games. Louisville must rebound from two straight days of Louisville basketball losses.
(74-58; SOUTH FLORIDA) *upset!*

*** BIG EAST WOMEN'S RANKS: Only #6 Connecticut are unbeaten in the Big East. This Louisville loss gives them two losses compared to their three wins. Marquette has a great Men's team. Their women's team is just as good as they are 4-1 in Big East play. The women's team are #19 in the nation. Despite this loss for Louisville, they have the most wins in Big East women's basketball with 17 wins. The worst team in the women's Big East ranks is Seton Hall with only one win and five losses. They are 9-8 on the year. ***

-end "Kentuckians on the Road"



--- Big City Pack ---
This collection of games involves home teams in major cities. So check this out.

Connecticut Looks to Rebound
* Connecticut at #6 Pittsburgh
The Steel City Kitties are ready for action. They got to go up against some puppies from Hartford, CT. Not a problem, right? Connecticut's just too good, huh? The Huskies better get their game faces on because they are going up against Max Powers' boys. Believe it or not, I wouldn't mind visiting Pittsburgh if I was a traveller. I love Hines Field where [the University of] Pittsburgh football team plays. But the Pitt Panthers will meet these UConn boys before meeting Louisville next. Pittsburgh won the game by 9. (63-54; PITTSBURGH)

Windy City Looks for a Whirlwind Win
* St. John's at DePaul
It's the kings of Queens at the Windy City. An NBA match between these two big cities would be the New York Knicks at the Chicago Bulls. It would be Starbury up against Ben Gordon and company. But this is college. St. John's University is in the shadow of Manhattan. This Jamaica, NY school has had great college basketball success in its past. They've been trying to rediscover themselves since. The Red Storm used to be known as the Redmen before they had to change up their nickname years ago. Their new logo is a joint effort by St. John's University and Nike. I personally liked the old logo better. Now let's meet the Chi-town boys. Chicago, Illinois has only one greater Chicago school with a football team- the University of Chicago (former National Champions in the early days of college football). DePaul University had football of their own before it was dropped. DePaul is one of the many Jesuit universities and colleges in America. DePaul used to be part of Conference USA before moving to the Big East. If you have "College Hoops 2K6" or its 2K7 variant, you can listen to their fight song if you have DePaul as the home team. The Blue Devils are ready to take on Mother Nature by driving St. John's back to New York City. They did just that as St. John's basketball is still knee-deep on the shores of college basketball Hell. (71-63; DePAUL)

Got Elvis?
* UAB at #17 Memphis
The University of Memphis proudly presents their wonderful men's basketball team. They will meet a team who has risen from NCAA Division 3 to Division 1 in a VERY short timeframe. The University of Alabama-Birmingham has some great athletics programs. I personally know them for their surprising football team. UAB's women's team had a whale of a game at Southern Mississippi. The men's Blazers are ready to burn up the trail of dominance left behind by Memphis. The Tigers of Graceland seem almost unstoppable- beating teams left and right. UAB did very little to help their cause in this beating. (79-54; #17 MEMPHIS)

Air Force May Need to Put Some Salt on Their Utah Wounds
* #13 Air Force at Utah
Utah football hasn't been the same since their unbeaten run in Urban Meyer's reign there. Utah basketball is sort of an underrated deal. Some would probably say that Air Force doesn't belong in the Top 15, let alone the Top 25. But they've played their way through all transgressions to succeed as best as possible. Now the Air Force Falcons are ready to bowl over Utah's Utes. Didn't happen, player! We got an upset in Salt Lake City! (85-79; UTAH) *upset!*


-end "Big City Pack"



Maryland Meets Foes From a Nearby State
* Maryland at Virginia
The state is Virginia. The city is Charlottesville. The home University is the U. of Virginia. They will meet the 2002 National Champions and defending Women's Champions- Maryland. Whereas the ladies suffered severe heartbreak a few days ago, the men have been enjoying life since knocking off Clemson and their unbeaten streak. Now it's time for Maryland's Terrapins to try to keep a good thing going. But it won't be easy as they took on Virginia. The thought of Virginia losing to Chaminade in the 1980s sort of sticks with me and most college basketball fans. Likewise, Houston's losses to North Carolina State and Georgetown stick with my hometown's best team. It's okay to have losses like these. The only thing that is important is to move on from losses like these and look to the future. Virginia's pathetic football season means that the Cavaliers will need to excel in another sport. They excelled in the John Paul Jones Arena to beat Maryland. (10?-9?; VIRGINIA)

DID YOU KNOW...
...that the University of Virginia have distinguished alumni including (but not limited to) Edgar Allan Poe, Katie Couric, Dawn Staley, Ronde and Tiki Barber, and Georgia O'Keeffe?


Indiana Wants Respect
* Iowa at Indiana
The Indiana Hoosiers are one of the most powerful clubs in the Big Ten. They have hosted the last National Champions to go unbeaten. There's never been a wire-to-wire men's National Champion since 1976 (set me straight if I'm wrong). I wonder what the Hoosiers of the American Bicentennial would say about the 21st Century Indiana squad. Iowa is fledgling. Imagine climbing a high ladder to some high point, then falling flat on your face. That's what Iowa is experiencing. And it isn't going to get any easier since they have to go to Ohio State on Saturday (I will keep a close eye on how the Buckeyes are doing for that game). The Hawkeyes have yet to spread their wings and fly away from disaster. For the Hawkeyes, they get #7 Ohio State and a new losing streak to end. (71-64; INDIANA)


More scores are available via Yahoo! sports at these sites:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-16&c=all&refresh=0 (Men)
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-16&c=all&refresh=0 (Women)


Thanks for the love, everyone. Have a nice day.
 
Kentucky's Hungry for Some Poultry
* Kentucky at South Carolina
Rupp Arena is a great place to play basketball (if you're wearing the royal blue and white). But UK's beloved kittens will have to leave Rupp to go to South Carolina. Before seeing this report on Yahoo! Sports, I HAD to make this report special. The short-term report? The loser got their asses OWNED! The University of Kentucky is the flagship university in the Bluegrass State. Their motto is "Dream - Challenge - Succeed." Who said that their motto doesn't apply to UK sports? The Wildcats know what success is about having won seven National Championships. But they would go on the road to a two-time defending NIT champion. Hoping not to go to the NIT for a third-straight time is South Carolina. South Carolina convinced Kentucky to come down to Columbia, SC so that they can get away from the 23K+ fans at Rupp. Good job, USoCar. South Carolina knows that Wildcats love feasting on whatever they can get their hands on- especially Gamecocks. The game was close after one with Kentucky leading 37-27. UK won the first half, then DOMINATED the second half. I hate to say this, but... South Carolina = OWNED! (87-49; Kentucky)
OK, back in October, when we were making predictions, my prediction for this game was:
me
@ South Carolina* <<< (a day after I will turn 24 years old) - ?
A ? Apparently I made a bad prediction. Of course, how could I have expected this?

I went to bed with 12 minutes left when they were up by 16 points and could tell they had the game in the bag, I just didn't expect it to be a huge blow out like this. They keep playing this well and we might see them in a strong contention for some big SEC games.

*** STATISTICS *** The leading scorer for the Wildcats was Joe Crawford. He put up 23 points and was 9-12 in field goals. He missed only one free throw (2 for 3) and connected 60% of 3-point shots (3 for 5).
From that same post I also said:
me
Watch Joe Crawford. He was a star as a sophmore last year. He has potential to be a superstar, especially if he stays around for his senior year.
At least I got that right.

And while I won't quote any thing else from October, we both thought Louisville would be doing well. Of course, no one thought a Pitino team would play like this, well maybe in the pros.
 
I don't have Wednesday scores for you all right now, so I'll just comment. You yourself said that Joe Crawford is the one to watch. You don't put up numbers like that and get zero respect for it. Like I say about college basketball, it's more unpredictable than college football. You're going to lose games in college basketball unless you're the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. I'm glad your Wildcats are doing so well in terms of wins and losses. They have two more road blocks before Kentucky's home game against Tennessee. Your 'Cats get Vanderbilt this Saturday and at Georgia next Wednesday.

When I do complete my report, I will talk about...
* Houston's crosstown rivalry between Houston and Rice
* outlook on Wisconsin and Ohio State and their postseason hopes
* a shocking win in the Philadelphia area

I'll be back with my latest report.
 
Hello there! I'll try to give you scores from around the nation. I'll start in Houston with a rivalry game. Then, I'll try to tackle both coasts. I may even take you to the Midwest. First of all, allow me to start with an extra.

(Extra) NCAA March Madness 2007 is Out
NBA Live '07 has proven disappointing against teams like NBA 07 and NBA 2K7. College Hoops 2K7 has been a great game for any available console (though I don't have an XBOX360 to play the XBOX360 version). Now EA updates their college basketball franchise with NCAA March Madness 2007. Have you seen it in commercials? Only commercial I've seen involved a match set up as Kentucky at Florida. The guy at the controls was controlling a Kentucky player as a Wildcat slammed down the rock in Florida's (and the mascot's) face. Of course, the XBOX360 variant was shown. The latest edition of Game Informer magazine gave the XBOX360 version a 7.75. Their report indicated that the Broadcast camera angle is great, but not all that great for showing off character models. The sound quality has been told as Brad Nessler and D. Vitale providing great commentary, though repetitive. Playability is told to be much better than NBA Live '07, though not as impressive as its competition. The Entertainment bullet has been told that this game is an above-average baller. It's your call to start this game or be a benchwarmer. Let's just hope this game can start hitting some threes so it can overtake the College Hoops 2Kx series for best college basketball series on the market.



--- Rivalry Road Trip ---
I know most of you don't like me doing this, but I'm taking you all to my hometown. Nothing like a crosstown rivalry. So let's get it!

Basketball in H-Town Melts Arctic Blast
* Houston at Rice (RIVALRY GAME)
Houston, Texas. America's Space City. The fourth-largest city in America. And home to two crosstown rivals who flat out don't like each other. Houston hates Rice. Rice hates Houston. So how do you settle this without violence of any kind? Put them in a sporting event and invest your love and devotion to your school's star players. Houston hasn't been stars this season as Rice has a winning record compared to Houston. The Rice Owls don't have the significant history as their rivals, but they do have something over Houston- a long unbeaten streak against Houston at Autry Court. Houston's going to play hard in trying to beat Rice AT Rice since 1996. The city of Houston has endured icy and cold weather the past few days. But the Cougars want to heat things up in H-Town with college basketball. While the NBA sees the Phoenix Suns meet the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center, the college ranks will see Houston go to Rice for a hotly-contested match in the shadow of the Texas Medical Center. Who'll win this one? The game got chippy for the Houston Cougars as their massive lead had been shrinked to a one-possession deal. It was 69-68 with two remaining as Houston leads. Cougar players were getting into foul trouble. In the end, I think Houston defeated themselves and didn't really play at their finest. At this point, Houston's highest hopes may be for the NIT if this keeps up. Either that, play in nobody's March tourney. But look on the bright side if you are a Houstonian- Houston has had some close losses on the final score. Houston's journey isn't going to very well in future games. Houston lost this season's match. Houston will get their rematch at Hoffheinz Pavillion on January 31st. But for now, back to the drawing board. (76-71; RICE)

*** SIDE NOTE *** Houston has really fallen apart this season compared to last. Last year's team knocked off LSU on the road and Arizona at home. Now with injuries and sloppy play, Houston is an endangered species in Conference USA this season. Not just the men, but the women as well. I still support my hometown's best team, but it's another hometown team that's been picking up the slack. But on the bright side, they aren't losing in blowouts all that often. I don't think Houston is going to be the next 2004 Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the sense of a losing-record team making the Big Dance. They still have to play against teams like UTEP, Saint Louis (non-conference), and especially Memphis. Their season is looking like the Arctic Blast's effects on Southeast Texas- ice cold.


(Women) Cowgirls Looking to Lasso Up a Win Sooner or Later
* #7 Oklahoma at Oklahoma State (RIVALRY: Bedlam Game)
A synonym for bedlam is pandemonium. The Texas/Oklahoma is a grudge match in its own right. However, an in-state rivalry is usually much more intense. That is especially true when you're talking about two of the best teams in the state. The closer your rivals are, the more intense the rivalry gets. Only real exception would be Michigan and Ohio State. Oklahoma is looking to stifle Oklahoma State. Oklahoma is a Top 25 team in the women's ranks. So a loss here could be huge in overall and conference play. The Lady Sooners of Norman, Oklahoma are ready to make their way into Stillwater. Oklahoma hasn't been immune to the Arctic Blast conditions like here in Southeast Texas. Oklahoma State has a lovely football field. The Stillwater, OK school is ready to meet some girls from OU. The Cowgirls ready to take part in a little shootout. These are Cowgirls I am okay with dealing with since that cowgirl fashion trend was COMPLETELY overkilled last year by Dukes of Hazard fans. Speaking of hazards, there were too many for Oklahoma State to traverse safely as they got blown out at home. (76-60; #7 Oklahoma)

-end "Rivalry Road Trip"


(Extra) Who Would You Take in the Big Ten: Wisconsin or Ohio State?
Wisconsin already played Ohio State earlier in the season. Wisconsin beat their brains out in a blowout. Even the Sporting News College Basketball Preview has the Big Ten matchup with Ohio State as the best team, up against the second-best squad of Wisconsin. Say both of these teams make Selection Sunday (which is very likely at this point). Who would advance furthest? Ohio State's stock has risen greatly because of Greg Oden. Oden is only a Freshman at 7'11", 255 lbs. Struggling NBA teams would surely want to use someone like Oden. That is, if he decides to go to the NBA after this season. One of the big gamebreakers for Wisconsin is Forward Alando Tucker at 6'6" and 175 lbs.

If I were to choose, my heart would tell me Ohio State for two reasons. First of all, I want Greg Oden to really show off WHY he's worth all the attention in college and with the NBA scouts. Let's say Oden carries Ohio State to the Final Four. He will have generated as much attention as when Marquette made the Final Four three or so years ago under Dwayne Wade. People watching the March Madness tournament and hihglights will want to see him work magic with the rock. Then they're going to be thinking, "he's going to be a serious threat for all the other NBA teams he'll play against in the pros." My second reason is that if he decides NOT to jumpshift to the NBA after this season in college, Oden can surely help his team potentially win a National Championship. Glen Davis of LSU didn't go to the NBA because he wanted to give his Tigers a fighting chance at winning the National Championship. Greg Oden can surely help Ohio State hit paydirt if he doesn't see his team win the title this season.

In terms of Big Ten supremacy between these two teams, who would you take?



Philadelphia's Ready for Basketball
* #20 Notre Dame at Villanova
Philadelphia has about six area Division 1 schools in basketball- Saint Joseph's, Drexel, Pennsylvania, La Salle, Temple, and Villanova. Maybe the most popular school in Philly outside of Division 1 is likely the (non-football) Philadelphia Rams of Division 2. Their women's team has made some history a few years ago with a record number of wins. But back to Division 1 and back to a former National Champion. The Villanova Wildcats are coached under the handsome Jay Wright. Wright is probably right in that him and his well-coached team can put up a great fight in the Big East against #20 Notre Dame. The Sporting News College Basketball Preview lists Villanova as sixth best. They have Pittsburgh as the best in Big East men's play. Notre Dame was ranked much lower- 11th by SN. Villanova made it as far as the Minnesota Regional Final last season by losing to Florida (eventual National Champions), and Notre Dame had to settle for the NIT as they lost to Michigan in the Second Round. Wait a minute... Notre Dame losing to Michigan... in basketball AND football? Best believe. Especially considering the Fighting Irish certainly doesn't go down without a fight. Villanova had plenty of fight in their kitties. So much so that this game wasn't even close. Upset in Philadelphia! (10?-8?; VILLANOVA) *upset!*



I sort of overslept, so I wasn't able to get you all more scores. So take a look at these two websites to see how your favorite (or least favorite) NCAA Division 1 teams today and tonight:

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-17&c=all&refresh=0 (Men)
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-17&c=all&refresh=0 (Women)


See you Thursday... I hope.
 
The sound quality has been told as Brad Nessler and D. Vitale providing great commentary, though repetitive.
Great commentary? D. Vitale? Repetitive, yes. Great, well it hasn't ever happened in real life as far as I'm concerned.

Of course one of my biggest problems in sports journalism is that the reporters forget the rule of reporting the story, not being the story and so when it becomes part journalism and part entertainment (because we watch sports as entertainment) people like D. Vitale feel this urge to entertain as well. I would compare it to an imbedded reporter in a war talking like a drill sergeant through their entire report.

--- Rivalry Road Trip ---
I know most of you don't like me doing this, but I'm taking you all to my hometown. Nothing like a crosstown rivalry. So let's get it!
Hey, it's your post. [trash talk]Besides, if all we did was talk about good teams it would pretty much just be me in here.[/trash talk] :sly:

Seriously, though it's your post, talk about your team and brag on them if you want.
In the end, I think Houston defeated themselves and didn't really play at their finest. At this point, Houston's highest hopes may be for the NIT if this keeps up. Either that, play in nobody's March tourney.
Or not.

*** SIDE NOTE *** Houston has really fallen apart this season compared to last. Last year's team knocked off LSU on the road and Arizona at home. Now with injuries and sloppy play, Houston is an endangered species in Conference USA this season. Not just the men, but the women as well. I still support my hometown's best team, but it's another hometown team that's been picking up the slack. But on the bright side, they aren't losing in blowouts all that often. I don't think Houston is going to be the next 2004 Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the sense of a losing-record team making the Big Dance. They still have to play against teams like UTEP, Saint Louis (non-conference), and especially Memphis. Their season is looking like the Arctic Blast's effects on Southeast Texas- ice cold.
Two common phrases heard in Kentucky during the football season is, "Basketball starts in November," and "Well, there's always next season. I mean, it can't get worse, can it?" Heck, we still worry that this year might have been a fluke.

Just keep your head up and remain a fan. You can't be great every year, although it woudl be nice.

(Extra) Who Would You Take in the Big Ten: Wisconsin or Ohio State?
I am taking Team Oden, I mean Ohio State.

DISCLAIMER: I have yet to actually watch a Wisconsin game, but have seen Oden, er Ohio State play. I may change my mind the moment I catch a Wisconsin game.

See you Thursday... I hope.
Busy? Whatever it is, just take it easy. It isn't as if you get a paycheck and medical coverage for these write-ups.
 
I was unable to get in scores for Thursday. So what I'll do is provide RAPID FIRE scores. This is simply where I cover a bunch of random games without anything fancy. I will make comments if I need to really make any.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2007
(RAPID FIRE)

--- MEN ---
* California State-Northridge at California-Davis (93-88, 2OT; CALIFORNIA-DAVIS)
* Iona at Canisius (72-65; CANISIUS) <<< Iona College is still winless at 0-17 overall and 0-7 in MAAC
* Wright State at Clevland State (RIVALRY GAME?) (78-67; Wright State)
* North Texas at Florida International (67-66; FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL)
* UMKC at IUPUI (77-72; INDIANA UNIVERSITY-PURDUE UNIVERSITY-INDIANAPOLIS)
* Mercer at Jacksonville (87-77; JACKSONVILLE)
* Tennessee Tech at Eastern Illinois (76-64; Tennessee Tech)
* Florida Atlantic at Denver (90-85; DENVER)
* Wake Forest at #14 Duke (62-40; #14 DUKE)
* Winston-Salem at Norfolk State (81-71; Winston-Salem)

--- WOMEN ---
* Kentucky at #8 LSU (76-58; #8 LOUISIANA STATE)
* Western Kentucky at Arkansas-Little Rock (47-45; Western Kentucky)
* California-Davis at California State-Northridge (73-62; CALIFORNIA STATE-NORTHRIDGE)
* California-Irvine at California-Riverside (69-52; CALIFORNIA-RIVERSIDE)
* Lamar at Central Arkansas (74-71, OT; CENTRAL ARKANSAS)
* Florida Altantic at Denver (76-60; DENVER)
* Saint Louis at Duquesne (78-70; DUQUESNE)
* #14 Vanderbilt at #16 Georgia (-; ) *upset!* <<< The SEC has some GREAT women's teams.
* #22 Texas at Iowa State (67-56; IOWA STATE) *upset!*

* #23 Michigan State at Michigan (RIVALRY GAME) (66-48; #23 Michigan State)


More scores here:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-18&c=all&refresh=0
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-18&c=all&refresh=0


(Extra) College Hoops 2K7 Review by Game Informer (XBOX360)
You may remember in my last report that I covered Game Informer's review of NCAA March Madness 2007. The long-delayed review of College Hoops 2K7 was published in the latest GI. GI stated that the XBOX360 version of this game features generic characters that look more individualistic. They reported that the sounds in the game are smooth, yet robotic. The same crew of Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery, sideline reporter Bonnie Bernstein, Pontiac Game-Changing Performance guy Bryant(?) Gumble, and even Clark Kellogg make the vocal talent for this game. They stated that the playability has been improved in the juking department. I even learned how to make fadeaway jump shots in the PS2 version of the game. And in the Entertainment department, here is exactly what Game Informer said:

"If you want to relive the college basketball season from your console, this is your best bet." -Game Infomer review of "College Hoops 2K7" for the XBOX360

They gave the game an 8 out of 10. This game series still has a four-year streak of being the #1 rated college basketball game series on the market according to gamerankings.com. I seriously think that if creating your own school in CH2K7 was like the Create-a-School feature in the NCAA Football series, College Hoops would CRUSH EA Sports' college basketball offering.



Perhaps in my Friday report, I'll have Butler University as my Feature School. See you then. The threat of heavy rain and/or thunderstorms could impair my ability to give you Saturday scores. But we'll see what happens then.
 
(Extra) College Hoops 2K7 Review by Game Informer (XBOX360)
You may remember in my last report that I covered Game Informer's review of NCAA March Madness 2007. The long-delayed review of College Hoops 2K7 was published in the latest GI. GI stated that the XBOX360 version of this game features generic characters that look more individualistic. They reported that the sounds in the game are smooth, yet robotic. The same crew of Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery, sideline reporter Bonnie Bernstein, Pontiac Game-Changing Performance guy Bryant(?) Gumble, and even Clark Kellogg make the vocal talent for this game. They stated that the playability has been improved in the juking department. I even learned how to make fadeaway jump shots in the PS2 version of the game. And in the Entertainment department, here is exactly what Game Informer said:

"If you want to relive the college basketball season from your console, this is your best bet." -Game Infomer review of "College Hoops 2K7" for the XBOX360

They gave the game an 8 out of 10. This game series still has a four-year streak of being the #1 rated college basketball game series on the market according to gamerankings.com. I seriously think that if creating your own school in CH2K7 was like the Create-a-School feature in the NCAA Football series, College Hoops would CRUSH EA Sports' college basketball offering.
This sounds good.

I have a question though, is there any rumors of an NCAA basketball game for the Wii? I like Madden, can't wait for Tiger Woods, and I will probably at least rent a baseball game. I think that a creative developer could really get something nice going for the Wii with the motion sensing technology. Sports games can truly shine on the Wii and any developers that are thinking straight should definitely take advantage of that before Nintendo creates their own first party stuff. I know a lot of people have already bought Super Swing Golf instead of waiting for Tiger Woods and that delay might hurt EA. Personally, I want to swing away at real courses.

So, will someone create an innovative motion sensing based basketball game or am I going to be playing hoops with my Mii character this time next year?
 
Not too many games happen on Friday. I could only find a couple of interesting games. Here you go:

The Pride of Washington, D.C. Heads to New Jersey
* Georgetown at Seton Hall
Georgetown was predicted as one of the finest combatants in the Big East. The Hoyas shown why they are a threat by taking down the Seton Hall Pirates in a blowout. (74-58; Georgetown)

(Women) Comcastic Girls!
* Virginia at #3 Maryland
The Lady Terrapins of Comcast Center were looking to stay on top by taking on Virginia. Small potatoes. Maryland got her done... and big. (95-68; #3 MARYLAND)

More scores:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-19&c=all&refresh=0
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-19&c=all&refresh=0



Once again, the thread of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms could impair my ability to give you Saturday scores. So we'll see what happens.
 
We got college hoops, college hoops, and more college hoops. It's Saturday. The Barrett-Jackson collector car auction is taking place, the Dakar Rally is finishing up, the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is next week... and we got about 330 or so Division 1 college basketball teams in the NCAA. I can hopefully get every school from Air Force to Youngstown State for you all. So what do you say, boys and girls? You ready to hit this thing off? Then let's get it on, players!


Let's begin in Texas. The other day, I took you all to my hometown for some college basketball. Now, I'm taking you to my home state. I say home state because Houston took on Tulsa (probably while freezing their asses off). We begin with a stunner in northwestern Texas. Actually, there's been a lot of stunners. Care to come along for the ride?

--- Big XII Texas Pack ---
Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Baylor... if they played, I got their scores. All you need to do is read them and maybe drop me a line.


The Wicked Road Trip Continues for Texas
* #21 Texas at Villanova
This game was televised on CBS as we head into the greater Philadelphia area. The down South boys of Texas met the New Englanders in Villanova. When you come down south as a northerner, expect some southern un-hospitality. Likewise for southerners going up north. Southerners going up north describes this game in a nutshell. But what about the score? The Texas Longhorns lost at Oklahoma State in a triple overstime shootout. The Austin, TX unit continued their brutal road trip. I believe last season, Texas upset Villanova at Texas. So if that's true, then Villanova wants revenge. The only Wildcats of the Big East are a talented bunch. Find out if Villanova gets the revenge they have longed for as we kick this bad boy off. Texas kept it close, but you can kiss the #21 designation goodbye. It's kind of like getting dumped by a hot girl. Texas was hot, now after this game, they've been iced. (76-69; VILLANOVA) *upset!*

How Has Bobby Knight's Boys Been Doing Recently?
* #5 Kansas at Texas Tech
We return to Texas to go to Lubbock. Texas Tech's Red Raiders are going to try to upset Kansas. Why TRY to upset when Texas Tech did it? The Kansas Jayhawks went down in flames. Fried Jayhawk, anyone? (69-64; TEXAS TECH) *upset!*


Inconsistent Illini?
* #2 Wisconsin at Illinois
It's the dougiemeats special! Simply put, the Wisconsin Badgers handed Illinois their lunch. It wasn't a blowout, but the Fighting Illini dropped another decision in this match. (71-64; #2 Wisconsin)

The Greg Oden Show
* Iowa at #7 Ohio State
"Live from the Value City Arena in Columbus, OH... it's the Greg Oden Show! Today's guests- the rest of the Ohio State Buckeyes! Thad Matta! And some Iowa Hawkeyes. And now, the star of the show... GRRRRRREEEEEGGGG ODEN!" (cheers and applause) In fact, that's all Ohio State's fans could so as this blowout was complete. (82-69; #7 OHIO STATE)



--- 1900 Club ---
One team is already a member of the 1900 Club for 1900 wins. Another just joined that list. Let's meet them.

Kentucky Joins the Top 25, But Would They Retain That Rank?
* Vanderbilt at #25 Kentucky
It's the FoolKiller special, folks! Let's try to jazz up this game a bit. Imagine being at a fashion show in New York or Paris. Or perhaps imagine you're one of the paparazzi flashing mad amounts of pictures of trendy celebrities. What normally happens is that the stars on the red carpet are usually going to be shown in various amounts of media so that inspired divas can get their love. These two teams are going to showcase how much of a hot statement they are. Is the black and gold of Vanderbilt "in," or is the royal blue and white "in?" Let's meet the Tennessee boys first. Vanderbilt shows wicked style on the basketball court. Their basketball inspires a lot of future stars on the basketball court. The Commodores would tell you that they are DEFINITELY in... hopefully "in" for the NCAA Tournament. In the world of fashion, this phrase is common: "___ is the new black." Why black? It goes with most everything. It's a tried-and-true style that works for virtually anyone. Kentucky will tell you that blue and white has ALWAYS been "in" even before any other team claims they're the hottest statement going. Kentucky is sort of like their own fashion show. Their red carpet is Rupp Arena's hardwood. The paparazzi are in the stands taking mad pictures of their beloved team. And all the Wildcats can do are give the 23K+ fans something to remember Kentucky basketball by. Unfortunately, black and gold are the new black in this upset. Kentucky loses only their fourth game. (72-67; Vanderbilt) *upset!*


ACC Firefight
* Georgia Tech at #4 North Carolina
Want to see something scary? Come on over to Chapel Hill, NC. We got UNC taking on GT. The Georgia Insitute of Technology can be found basically in the heart of Atlanta. You can see some of downtown Atlanta if you go to their football field. The Yellow Jackets are ready to sting North Carolina with all they got. GT would kill North Carolina in football. But in basketball, this is usually a great matchup. One of the proudest North Carolina alums is Michael Jordan. One of the more recent basketball alums include Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls(?). It was only the 2004-2005 season when North Carolina knocked off Illinois in the title game. That specific Illinois squad that season won all of their regular season games except the last. Then they won all the NCAA tourney games... except the last. Looking to last longer than any chance of Paris Hilton getting a platinum or double platinum album are North Carolina's Tar Heels. North Carolina beat down GT in this one. And with this win, they join Kentucky as having 1,900 wins. My congratulations to this great team. (77-61; NORTH CAROLINA)

-end "1900 Club"



Packers-Town Meets Colts-Town
Wisconsin-Green Bay at #15 Butler
Green Bay may not be in the playoffs. While the Indianapolis Colts are readying themselves to actually knock off New England this time, let's meet another sensational story in Indianapolis- Butler University. Butler is only one of two Horizon League schools that have football programs. The other is Youngstown State. Football is big in Green Bay, WI, but I'll tell you about something I read about why UWGB didn't want a football team there. Wisconsin-Green Bay has excelled in basketball. I normally say that Wisconsin-Milwaukee is a great team. But they aren't having a great season. The Phoenix of Wisconsin-Green Bay are doing great. But so are Butler. I usually confuse Butler with Drake. Both schools have the same mascot, but I normally mismatch the cities. Butler University is in Indianapolis, IN, the host city of the Final Four back last season. Amid all the anticipation of the Colts/Patriots match on Sunday night, college basketball fans at Butler just want to see this squad beat Wisconsin-Green Bay so that they can hope the Colts can beat the Patriots. Don't be surprised if you saw fans leave early because this game was nowhere near close. (80-59; #18 BUTLER)


(Extra) John's Feature School: Butler University
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butler_University
Website: http://www.butler.edu/
Athletics: http://butlersports.cstv.com/

Butler University's success in men's basketball has prompted me to talk more about this team. The motto for Butler is "Education, Research, Service." Founded on November 1, 1855, it was first known as North Western Central University. Today's NWCU is Butler University, a private coeducational liberal arts school. Over 290 acres of land in America's fastest city make up Butler. Their basketball is played at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler was a #12 seed in the 2003 March Madness tournament. They knocked off #5 Mississippi State in Round 1 and #4 Louisville in Round 2. Maybe one of the more popular basketball alum of Butler is Thad Matta, the head coach of Ohio State. Butler's football team is part of the Pioneer Football League. The PFL will likely see Campbell University make their triumphant retun to football in the 2008 season under the Pioneer Football League banner. I don't think Butler has the most impressive football team, but they are up there with teams like Dayton and San Diego in that conference. It was rated as one of "America's Best Colleges" according to the U.S. News and World Report last year.

As for basketball, they are currently 17-2 on the year and 5-1 in conference. Their only conference loss was at Illinois-Chicago in Overtime. Butler is the leader in the Horizon League. Only Dayton, OH's Wright State University has a 5-1 record. Rounding out the Top 5 are Loyola University of Chicago (12-7; 4-3), Illinois-Chicago (13-7; 4-3), and Youngstown State (9-11; 4-4). Their final games this month include going to Detroit (good team with a terrible season) next Saturday, at home to get their revenge over Illinois-Chicago one week from this coming Monday, and then they go to Youngstown State one week from this coming Wednesday. And that's Butler for you.


(Extra) Why no Football at Wisconsin-Green Bay?
College football can be great fun to watch. However, it isn't very fun if you're in a happenin' NFL city and not have some collegiate pigskin there. You can see the Packers rule Lambeau Field any given Sunday or Monday night. But it's been said that Wisconsin-Green Bay initially didn't want a football team there for two reasons. First off, it's an expensive venture. That's understandable. What isn't is this- the initial founder of Wisconsin-Green Bay didn't want to see their football team get overshadowed by the Green Bay Packers. I do find that pretty dumb because I think most professional teams overshadow ANYTHING collegiate. Look at it like this. I don't think there is any other Division 1 football team in Wisconsin other than the University of Wisconsin. There's no pro teams in Madison, but I'm sure there would be talk about the Green Bay Packers of the NFL and the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA. And let's not forget the Milwaukee Brewers of the National League in MLB baseball. I forget most other teams there. But all I'm saying is that it is going to happen. Do you think the evening sports news in Green Bay is going to start with UWGB sports? Likely not. And it isn't like Wisconsin-Green Bay is its Big Ten Wisconsin brotheren. Or look here in Houston. There's hardly any talk about Texas Southern basketball in NCAA action or Houston Baptist University's NAIA basketball (they have no football team). So I say that if Wisconsin-Green Bay wants to add football so that maybe future Phoenix footballers can play for the Packers, then by all means (with appropriate funding) GO FOR IT!!!



--- Chicago Challenge ---
All games are either in Chicago or feature greater Chicago teams. Let's get ready to do this!

Red vs. Blue
* Louisville at DePaul
We're going to Chicago for the first of three different games played in Chicago. The Chicago Bears are ready to take on the New Orleans Saints to determine this year's Super Bowl in Miami. DePaul University is all about basketball since there's no more Blue Demons' football. Louisville has two National Championships and look to cover Chicago in Cardinal red. Mission accomplished. (59-50; Louisville)

Detroit Has a Terrible Season... But Could Make Things Better in Chicago
* Detroit at Illinois-Chicago
The University of Detroit-Mercy College is looking to take on a hot University of Illinois-Chicago squad. The Titans of Detroit are looking to extinguish UIC's Flames. They picked up a feel-good win for a floundering squad. (66-54; Detroit)

A Former National Champion Looks to Keep a Good Thing Going
* IPFW at Loyola UC
IPFW stands for "Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne." These Mastodons from Fort Wayne, IN are ready to hammer a former National Champion. In fact, I think no greater Chicago area school was won the NCAA Tournament except for Loyola UC. Back in either the 1950s or the 1960s, the Loyola University of Chicago saw their Ramblers win it all. The Ramblers of today made the Mastodons extinct. (69-53; LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO)

Chicago State Meets one of Their Former Conference Foes
* Chicago State at Western Illinois (-; )
Before this season began, Chicago State was part of the Mid-Continent Conference. Now the Cougars are Independent. At least they were Independents that could still win games. Just ask Western Illinois' Leathernecks. (82-72; Chicago State)

end "Chicago Challenge"


The Apple Cup of Basketball
Washington at Washington State
If Washington beats Washington State in football, it's not really a problem. But if the Washington State Cougars beat the Washington Huskies, then something's wrong with the boys from Seattle. This is a TERRIBLE loss. (75-47; WASHINGTON STATE) *most disappointing loss*


Houston Looks to Rebound After Self-Destruction Against Rice
* Houston at Tulsa
After a rough night at Rice, Houston goes north in freezing cold Tulsa. The Cougars wear Scarlet Red, so they are hot no matter what the weather is. Houston's already endured enough bad weather, so a Golden Hurricane is the next worst thing for Houston. Houston weathered the storm to win. (69-67; Houston)


(RAPID FIRE)
-MEN-
* Charlotte at George Washington (76-68; GEORGE WASHINGTON)
* Colgate at Bucknell (50-36; BUCKNELL)
* Drexel at Delaware (69-61; Drexel)
* Boston College at #19 Clemson (74-54; #19 CLEMSON)
* Florida A&M at Maryland-Eastern Shore (65-55; Florida A&M)
* #17 Duke at North Carolina State (79-56; #17 Duke)

*** NOTE *** The Top 4 in NCAA Division 1 Men's basketball won their games, so no upsets.


-WOMEN-
* #25 Kansas State at #13 Baylor (79-70; #13 BAYLOR)
* #19 Marquette at Providence (79-77; #19 Marquette)
* #?? TCU at Wyoming (66-51; WYOMING) *upset!*
* South Alabama at Denver (54-34; DENVER)


More scores here:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-20&c=all&refresh=0
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-20&c=all&refresh=0


See you next time!
 
This is the next-to-last week of January. While the NFL conference championship games are underway, most college hoops fans probably would be switching between college hoops and playoff action. Or if you were at a game and came back to GTPlanet to see if I covered your game, then you probably don't care what the NFL is doing because all you care about is college hoops. I'm just here to scratch your itch.

EXTRAS GOOF: I said "Bryant Gumbel" in my recap of College Hoops 2K7. I'm sorry. I meant to say "Greg Gumbel." My apologies.


#24 Marquette Proves They are for Real at Against #6 Pittsburgh
* #24 Marquette at #6 Pittsburgh
This is the Max Powers special! In my view, Marquette and Pittsburgh are going to the Big East tournament and the NCAA Tournament. These are two Big East teams I love. Pittsburgh is a power in football and basketball. Marquette as once a powerful football team before they dropped it. However, Marquette has proven something to me in knocking off a handful of teams. So let's see what we got here. What we have is the Steel City. Pittsburgh may be saddened at the performance of their Steelers as NFL Playoffs are underway. Pitt shouldn't be ashamed. Whereas a Pittsburgh pro team may stumble, the University of Pittsburgh has risen. The University of Pittsburgh seems like a beautiful place to go to school. Would I go there? Maybe if I had better grades. Realize something. I'm not a very good student. So it isn't like I can go to the big time schools and go watch bigtime college sports. Anyhow, the Pittsburgh Panthers are more than just academic. They are #6 in the nation and look to show the nation WHY they are #6. But look out, Pitt. Objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear. Check your rear view mirrors for Marquette. Marquette is the most recent non-football school to win the National Championship. Marquette is a Catholic Jesuit university in Milwaukee. In 1977, Marquette defeated North Carolina 67-59 to win the National Championship. Marquette is on the rise in men's and women's basketball. The Golden Eagles have flown majestically in Big East basketball. This team is full of surprises, and they'll need PLENTY of surprises to stun the Steel City Kitties. This game was on CBS as Verne Lundquist and Billy ??? had the call. Halftime saw a 32-27 score led by Marquette. Could Marquette get it done with 20 more minutes left? Marquette was known as a terrible three-point team, but the way they played seemed like the way Washington State beat down Washington yesterday. Marquette kept shooting themselves in the foot with bad free throw shooting (both teams struggled from the foul line). There was a lot of physicality in the game ranging from across-the-back calls and elbows. Marquette hasn't lost the lead or been tied all the way up to about 3:37 left in the game. At this time point, Marquette led 60-51. Pittsburgh may have a tough one to swallow. The beautiful Petersen Events Center could see an ugly Pitt loss. When I tuned back into the game, it's 12.9 left in the game as Marquette was at the stripe leading 62-61. First free throw hit. Marquette knocked down both free throws. Can Pitt get it done? Now 8.6 seconds left as Pitt goes to the line. Bottoms on the first... rims out on the second. A foul was called with 3.5 left as Pittsburgh had a chance to tie the game. Ramon hits the first... then the second. Now it's a tied game! One more chance to win or Overtime. WE'RE GOING TO OVERTIME! Pittsburgh was terrible until they caught fire late. The two announcers joked that the Overtime tip-off was a terrible toss. Pittsburgh took their first lead since it was 10-9 by virtue of the Pitt free throw. Now it's an actual GAME. Marquette is still looking to prove they are for real. It was less than 30 seconds left as Pittsburgh led 74-73. Shot clock was dead. Now it's 00.9 seconds left. One free throw, tie. Both- great win chances. What a game! Down the stretch, Marquette can happilly return to Milwaukee with a winning road trip. Marquette had to EARN this one. (77-74; #24 Marquette) *upset!*


DID YOU KNOW...
(1) ...that Osumane Barro of Marquette University is from Dakar, Senegal- the final stage of the Dakar Rally?
(2) ...that as good as as Pittsburgh is, they have NEVER made it to the NCAA Championship game?
(3) ...that Pittsburgh had an offensive play in which a Pitt player had a guy sit up on another guy's shoulders to make a better dump-off pass to a Pittsburgh Panther? This was a move in 1949 that was actually pretty cool. Of course, such a move today is outlawed. I couldn't help but laugh!



(Extra) Now THAT is How Verne Lundquist Should Sound!
Anyone who seen the Marquette/Pittsburgh game probably heard Verne Lundquist go to work. Now compare what he brings to commentary compared to what he brings in the "College Hoops 2Kx" series. There's almost no comparison. Verne doesn't have as much depth and emotion as what he brings in "College Hoops 2Kx." Compare it to Brad Nessler in college football and basketball in EA Sports' "NCAA Football" and "NCAA March Madness" series. If Nessler brings quality commentary to a real broadcast, he normally provides the same quality announcing for EA Sports games. And he does just that. Bill Raftery is a colorful character that brings great commentary for the "College Hoops 2Kx" series. But Verne Lundquist sounds flat and uninterested in this game series.


(Women) Could Houston's Women Pick Up the Slack For the Guys?
* Houston at Rice (RIVALRY GAME) -women's hoops-
The men led Rice by as many as 24 to eventually lose. Also below .500 are Houston's women's team. Can the Houston divas finish what the Houston men started? There's hope that
By the look of things, I think it was 30 seconds left as Rice led 70-50. A terrible year for both Cougar squads. But this is only Round 1. If you believe in rubber games in basketball, Houston will likely be back and in better shape to beat down the boys and girls northwest of the Texas Medical Center. But this was just sad. (70-56; RICE)

New Orleans Has Hills to Climb... Not Just the NFL Team!
* New Orleans at Western Kentucky
Alright, players. Y'all know what this is. This is Western Kentucky looking to take down the boys from New Orleans. This is New Orleans ready to turn WKU into gumbo. This is a game in Bowling Green, KY. So let's get it! Western Kentucky is currently 14-6 on the year. They are among one of the most successful schools in college basketball. Maybe even one of the finest "mid-majors" in college hoops. The Hilltoppers have topped many teams so far. The most recent success has been WKU's winning of the Sun Belt title in 200?. But more importantly, they locked up a National Championship in basketball back in 2002. As much as Western Kentucky been a great sports school, New Orleans had to topple hills of their own. Recently, a woman gave birth to a miracle baby despite the devastation of the Hurricanes in 2005. Having to endure through dozens of hardships since then, the University of New Orleans has done very well. Well is not enough for UNO. They want to be great. Great is something that tells you that not many people are in the same league as you are. It is a feeling of great gratitude. It's the way Privateers want to go through life and sports. Unfortunately, Western Kentucky was great-er in this match. WKU picks up their 15th win of the season. (73-70; WESTERN KENTUCKY)

DID YOU KNOW...
...that the University of New Orleans is closer to water than Tulane University? This, even though hurricanes pelted Tulane harder than UNO. The University of New Orleans was told to be not as impacted as Tulane. Tulane University is on the southwestern end of the Crescent City. Tulane is near the Mississippi River while the University of New Orleans is overlooked by Lake Pontchatrain east of the Lake Pontchatrain Causeway.


(OFF-TOPIC) Tough for the New Orleans Saints... they got blown out at Chicago 39-14. So half of Super Bowl 41 in Miami is set. The other half is Patriots/Colts. So my condolences to the Saints and the Privateers.


OTHER GAMES (all men)
* Syracuse at St. John's (RIVALRY GAME?) (54/64-60/50; ST. JOHN'S)
* Wake Forest at Virginia (88-76; VIRGINIA)
* Xavier at Saint Joseph's (82-74; SAINT JOSEPH'S)
* Navy at Army (RIVALRY: Commander in Chief Trophy) (53-50; ARMY)

Learn other results here:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-21&c=all&refresh=0 (Men)
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-21&c=all&refresh=0 (Women)

See you around!
 
Kentucky Joins the Top 25, But Would They Retain That Rank?
* Vanderbilt at #25 Kentucky
It's the FoolKiller special, folks! Let's try to jazz up this game a bit. Imagine being at a fashion show in New York or Paris. Or perhaps imagine you're one of the paparazzi flashing mad amounts of pictures of trendy celebrities. What normally happens is that the stars on the red carpet are usually going to be shown in various amounts of media so that inspired divas can get their love. These two teams are going to showcase how much of a hot statement they are. Is the black and gold of Vanderbilt "in," or is the royal blue and white "in?" Let's meet the Tennessee boys first. Vanderbilt shows wicked style on the basketball court. Their basketball inspires a lot of future stars on the basketball court. The Commodores would tell you that they are DEFINITELY in... hopefully "in" for the NCAA Tournament. In the world of fashion, this phrase is common: "___ is the new black." Why black? It goes with most everything. It's a tried-and-true style that works for virtually anyone. Kentucky will tell you that blue and white has ALWAYS been "in" even before any other team claims they're the hottest statement going. Kentucky is sort of like their own fashion show. Their red carpet is Rupp Arena's hardwood. The paparazzi are in the stands taking mad pictures of their beloved team. And all the Wildcats can do are give the 23K+ fans something to remember Kentucky basketball by. Unfortunately, black and gold are the new black in this upset. Kentucky loses only their fourth game. (72-67; Vanderbilt) *upset!*

I honestly can't say much about this game as I was out at dinner and a movie with my wife as payment for her going out with me at 5:00 AM to get a Wii Sunday morning. I do know that Rupp was crowded as we were only a few blocks away and traffic was a pain.

It shouldn't have been a loss, but I think Vandy has been underestimated a lot this season when they are showing that they are much better than usual.
 
I apologize for not being able to make my Monday report. Check out all the scores from Monday and Monday night here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-20&c=all&refresh=0 (Men)
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-20&c=all&refresh=0 (Women)


I'll make up for this by talking about how the SEC is doing so far.


SEC Look-In

--- SEC Men ---
Currently in the men's rankings, #1 Florida leads the way in the East, and Alabama leads in the West. Here are the East rankings in order according to what Yahoo! Sports has provided:

LEGEND: (overall win/loss; conference win/loss)

MEN'S SEC EAST:
* #1 Florida (17-2; 4-0) (only unbeaten in conference play)
* Kentucky (15-4; 4-1)
* Vanderbilt (13-6; 3-2)
* Georgia (11-6; 3-2)
* Tennessee (14-5; 2-2)
* South Carolina (10-7; 0-4)

MEN'S SEC WEST:
* #12 Alabama (15-3; 2-2)
* #21 Louisiana State (13-5; 2-2)
* Mississippi State (11-6; 2-2)
* Arkansas (13-6; 2-3)
* Auburn (12-8; 2-3)
* Mississippi (12-7; 1-4)

So overall, the SEC East seems to be the better conference since 4 out of 6 (2 out of 3) have winning records. Alabama, LSU, and Mississippi State all have records at the 0.500 mark. Only South Carolina has yet to win an SEC conference game. * I think Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, and LSU are likely going to the Big Dance in March. The teams I've kept a close eye on were Kentucky and LSU. Glen Davis has been the man who may be the next Shaq as far as a big man looking to carry LSU to glory. He's called "Big Baby," but I call him "Baby Shaq" because of his physique. For Kentucky, they just need to keep bringing the pain to the other teams in conference play. If they do that and carry their weight through The Big Dance, then Kentucky may easily go past the Sweet Sixteen. * Georgia and Auburn are great football rivals. But in basketball, both teams have been pretty surprising. It usually used to be that Auburn was the worst SEC basketball team. Now in the West, it's Mississippi. It's really a toss-up there. Anyhow, Auburn has done pretty well for the most part. They have one more win than Georgia overall, but Georgia won one more game than Auburn in conference play. Sure like to see if these two could likely be dark horses. * Alabama is doing great in basketball. They are 15-3 and lead the SEC West. They will go to Auburn tonight (saying that it's Tuesday) for their Iron Bowl rivalry, at home against Arkansas this Saturday, then next Wednesday may be their toughest test- AT #21 LSU.



--- SEC Women ---
Now for the women. I didn't know that there is no East and West divisions for the SEC in the Women's class. The top 5 SEC women's teams are #22 Mississippi (16-4; 5-0), #4 Tennessee (17-2; 4-0), #8 LSU (18-2; 4-1), Arkansas (18-3; 4-1), and #15 Vanderbilt (17-3; 3-2). The remainder of the SEC from sixth to last go in the order of #14 Georgia, Kentucky, Auburn*, Mississippi State*, South Carolina*, Florida**, and Alabama**. The single asterisk (*) meant teams with a losing record in conference, and double asterisks (**) are teams with losing records in conference and overall. Only Florida and Alabama are winless in conference play. Maybe my favorite SEC women's player is Candice (or Candace?) Parker for Tennessee. She's the leading player in points-per-game with 19.8, 8.8 in rebounding, 62.5% from downtown, and with 2.9 in blocks. She is a completely dynamic player. I'd love to see how well she would do in the WNBA. Maybe my Houston Comets can pick her up. ^_^

One of the schools I normally follow in the SEC is Kentucky. I can't let down FoolKiller, so let me talk about his team. The team leader in the most categories is Ms. Elliot. She has 14 points per game, makes 58.4% in free throws, and has 1.3 in blocks. The other dynamic player is Ms. Pfeiffer (no relation to Michelle Pfeiffer). She leads in free throws with 87.8% and is 34.3% in 3-point shooting. So obviously, Pfeiffer is not the girl to send to the foul line if you're down late. According to the Kentucky Kernel, Lady Wildcat basketball is not where it needs to be. Read this article: < http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/news;...ntuckywomensbasketballte&prov=uwire&type=lgns >. So maybe there's still hope for the Lady 'Cats as January is slowly melting into February. Will they make Selection Sunday? We'll see later this year.


And that's your SEC Look-in. I'll try to give you scores for Tuesday if I can get a hold of any to report. Enjoy your Tuesday action. Or maybe you'll be watching the State of the Union address by President Bush tonight and alternate between games and the State of the Union address. Whatever it is, take care.
 
The State of the Union address had all sorts of tidbits from President Bush to your eyes and ears. Now are you ready for some college hoops? I'd like to begin with a match between two rival states. Then, I have a match between two more rival states. It's rainy and cold here in Houston. Let's see if I can make the rain go away and the stars shine with these scores.



Bad Blood Between Bitter Rival States
* #24 Indiana at Illinois (RIVALRY GAME)
Either you're an Indiana person, or an Illinois person. These two rival states just don't like each other. The wonderful voice of Northwestern University's Brent Musburger was on display as well as the play-by-play of Steve Lavin. Indiana has one of the most heralded college basketball teams in history. What most people don't know about Indiana athletics is that Indiana also has a spirited men's college soccer program. Them and non-football school, Saint Louis University, are in a class of their own in what most internationals call football. The Hoosiers are ready to give some growing pains to their rival west of the Indiana state line. These boys in crimson had to deal with Illinois' men in orange. So close, yet so far a few years ago. Illinois won EVERY GAME except against Ohio State. Then, they won every tournament game except the National Championship. Almost kind of like (hate talking about it, but it's true) how Houston won 26 or straight games until they fell in the Championship game that specific '80s season. Illinois bounced back from it. Illinois is not Duke or North Carolina, but their basketball is usually on point. The official name of the school is the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign. Just don't forget that they are the Fighting Illini. It is the school for my good GTPlanet friend, dougiemeats. So let's see what his boys could do against Indiana. This was a terribly low-shooting game. But what matters is who won. So who did? The boys in orange, thank you very much. A Top 25 goes down in Champaign! (53-41; ILLINOIS) *upset!*



* Murray State at Tennessee Tech
(63-52; TENNESSEE TECH)

The Iron Bowl Classic
* #12 Alabama at Auburn (RIVALRY: Battle for Alabama)
One of the announcers for this game knows the football rivalry pretty well, and that's Brad Nessler. He's alongside Jimmy Dykes. What we got here are two teams that don't like each other one bit. This is one of the same-state rivalries in America. Other such rivalries include Illinois/Northwestern, Texas/(every other Big XII Texas team), Florida/Florida State, Kentucky/Louisville, California/Stanford, Washington/Washington State... you go from there. Fact is, if you go to Alabama, you hate Auburn. If you go to Auburn, you hate Alabama. So what happens when you have hate on such a level? You have to settle it at some point. Auburn has won five-straight over Alabama in their football rivalry. But this is usually a no contest for Alabama in basketball. No "Bear" Bryant needed here. The Alabama Crimson Tide are #12 in the nation. But you know what they say about the bigger they are... it's incentive for the Auburn Tigers to stop being sorry and start being champions. What do you say, boys and girls? Let's kick some ass! The score was 36-35 at the half in favor of the Crimson Tide. Most people (like myself for school) had tuned away from the State of the Union address to see how this ESPN game was called. There were "over-rated" chants against Alabama. The #12 team getting blasted by the second-worst SEC team. Auburn gets Florida on Saturday. I swear the cheering is going to tear apart the roof at Auburn. This was a sad display by a Top 15 team against a sorry-ass team. This football school smashed Alabama... bad. (81-57; AUBURN) *upset!*
and * most disappointing loss *


* San Diego State at UNLV
The 1990 National Champions, UNLV, will meet up against San Diego State. This is a good football match because both are terrible in football. Pathetic excuses for teams. It's the Thomas and Mack Center and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. The Thomas and Mack Center
On a clutch buzzer-beating deuce, San Diego State prevented a deadlock by making it 37-35 after one half. The second half saw UNLV pull away to win. (68-61; NEVADA-LAS VEGAS)

Air Force Look to Fly at Mach 3 Against TCU
* Texas Christian (TCU) at #16 Air Force
This is a sad day for college basketball in Texas. The Horned Frogs of TCU got their asses handed to by Air Force. Maybe the Falcons ARE for real. (72-39; #16 AIR FORCE) *ownage!*




Let's take a break away from the men and focus in on the women. For this report, we have four Big East schools in this report. Only one with a football program (though not in the Big East in football).

(Women) Back in Black
* Providence at Seton Hall -women-
Providence College is ready to rock and roll. The divas rocking the black, silver, and white are reluctant to give Seton Hall quite a migrane headache. The Lady Friars are done tuning up their guitars as they're ready to jam all over Seton Hall. Seton Hall University is really within the greater New York City area, but the Lady Pirates want their jam session in NYC. As much as I'm not a rock fanatic, it was the Lady Pirates who rocked harder. (60-46; SETON HALL)

--- RAPID FIRE ---
* #?? Notre Dame at St. John's (71-68; ST. JOHN'S) *upset!*
* #?? Virginia Tech at Miami (92-85; Virginia Tech)
* Davidson at Georgia Southern (101-92; Davidson)
* Villanova at Providence (82-73; Villanova)
* Notre Dame at #?? Marquette (71-62; #?? MARQUETTE)



For more scores:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-23&c=all&refresh=0
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-23&c=all&refresh=0


I'll likely do an editorial in my next report. So take care.
 
Next Wednesday will be the final day of January. This Wednesday will offer a variety of games from around the nation and back. We begin in SEC country as we kick off an SEC package. Check it out.


--- SEC Pack ---
Georgia's Men's Team Stinks... But Who Smelled Like Roses in This One?
* #2? Kentucky at Georgia
Kentucky again. How about it? Our resident UK grad, FoolKiller was at Petit Le Mans last year in his Kentucky garb. He reported that the Georgia faithful gave him some bad looks. As we saw in football, Kentucky beat Georgia's football team in complete shock. If this was a women's match, Georgia would be extreme favorites over Kentucky. Here's the deal. Kentucky's football team beat Georgia in Kentucky. Could Georgia's men's basketball team beat Kentucky in Georgia? This is Athens, GA. The University of Kentucky stumbled against Vanderbilt in their last match. All the Wildcats hope doesn't happen is that the team doesn't drop consecutive decisions. There will be very few Kentucky fans as they'll head to Georgia. Some of you may remember a song called "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Well, Kentucky must be the devils here. And if that's true, Georgia wants to be angellic in giving Kentucky hell. The boys of Athens, GA are still trying to repair their less-than-stellar football teams. But while the football efforts are taking form, the Bulldogs are out to bite through another SEC opponent. Georgia is perhaps the most improved SEC team. It sort of seems like football schools with lackluster seasons kind of see their basketball squad do pretty well. Florida has all the hardware. Georgia played Kentucky hard in this game. Overtime was needed in this match. And in the end, Georgia wins on a hole shot. Some people in Lexington are going to be scratching their heads while their rivals in Louisville are probably enjoying every moment of Kentucky falling to an inferior Georgia squad. (78-69, OT; GEORGIA) *upset!*


*** COMMENTS *** I must speak too soon. Here I am praising Kentucky on a great season, and now they've been dropping games. I usually say that everyone loses games in basketball. You play so many games at a time. No one is going to be the shining example of perpetual motion. People break down as much as most cars do. Question is, how will you get up after being down? That's what Kentucky has to answer and answer quickly. They better answer quick because Tennessee is coming to Lexington this coming Sunday. And one of Kentucky's own, Chris Lofton, is ready to throw down in the house Adolph Rupp built.


Vandy Looks for Candy-Sweet Upset in Baton Rouge
* Vanderbilt at LSU
It's a pretty lively time to make ready for action in Louisiana. You got Mardi Gras action taking form. You also have the Bayou Bengals who aren't going to roll over and play with yarn. These kittens are ready to fight their way to the Big Dance under Glen Davis. But look out. Vanderbilt hit (to use mob terms) Kentucky on January 20th. Now, the Commodores from Nashville want to do a hit on LSU. Speaking of hits, LSU has plenty of heavy-hitters besides Glen Davis. Glen is the man, but what about boys like Tasmin Mitchell and Garrett Temple? The Tigers aren't all Glen Davis. The purple and gold are ready to uproot Baton Rouge. But in the end, it was (64-53; Vanderbilt) *upset!*


Florida Responds to Danger
* #1 Florida at Mississippi State
(70-67; #1 Florida)

-end "SEC Pack"


Let's take a score break and get to my next feature school.

John's Feature School: Marquette University
Where were you in 1977? This was the year in which Marquette realized their destiny under the coaching of Al McGuire. But what about when Marquette isn't buzzing with basketball greatness? Usually, this Catholic Jesuit university nestled in Milwaukee, WI is home to students looking to shape our world in a positive form. Cure diseases. Participate in governmental functions. Make Hall of Fames in other sports. Doesn't matter. Marquette used to have a football team that managed to play in a big time Bowl game one year. As of late, football still lives at Marquette... but at the club level. Their rivals are no doubt the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in club play. Reports indicate that Marquette football interest has been pretty low considering how well Marquette's basketball has been. Both of Marquette's basketball teams are doing impressive up to this point. Sporting News picked Pittsburgh and Georgetown over Marquette. The Golden Eagles' men's team will go to Georgetown University on February 10th to see if they can prove Sporting News wrong for picking Georgetown over Marquette. Then on March 3rd, Marquette will get Pittsburgh at home. Marquette has a 90% chance for both teams to make Selection Sunday. Marquette has to completely implode for them not to go to the Big Dance. This is a solid team that needs only minor improvements to be much better than advertised.

Website: http://www.marquette.edu/
Athletics: http://gomarquette.cstv.com/



Dikembe Mutumbo Would Be Proud...
* DePaul at Georgetown
A former Georgetown Hoya's acheivements were recognized by the U.S. President. Now it's his future Hoyas that took down DePaul's Blue Demons. (6?-4?; GEORGETOWN)


For more scores:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-01-24&c=all&refresh=0 (Men)
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/scoreboard?d=2007-01-24&c=all&refresh=0 (Women)



Time for the b-ballers to hit the hardwood for Throwdown Thursday. I'll have the results for you when I get to them.
 
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