Here’s the first batch, nice and fresh. Let them cool, though!
–UPSET–Syracuse 77, No. 8 Georgetown 70. ‘Cuse manhandled G’Town in the first half and managed to withstand every single run that the Hoyas put together in the second. Impressive performance for Syracuse, but they’re not on the good side of the bubble yet, and they have to have more consistency from Donte Green and Paul Harris. Both of those guys had some big shots, but also made some very bad decisions throughout the game. Georgetown, you have been exposed.
–UPSET–Oklahoma State 59, No. 16 Texas A&M 54. Alright, we now know that A&M is an inconsistent team that cannot be trusted.
–No. 3 Kansas 69, Colorado 45. Kansas beats Colorado the way that they best beat opponents: with balance. Mario Chalmers led all KU scorers…with just 13.
–No. 4 Tennessee 74, Georgia 71. The margin itself is a head scratcher. The tough game is supposed to be NEXT week, Vols. (Against Memphis.)
–No. 5 North Carolina 92, Virginia Tech 53. The game was over at the first TV timeout. Hansbrough adds a tame 23, while Virginia Tech’s at-large chances sink down the drain. Va. Tech shot just 26 percent from the floor.
–No. 7 Stanford 67, Arizona 66. Best game of the day so far; it was pretty much the Bayless and Budinger show for ‘Zona. My real issue with this game was the fact that it appeared as though three different refs came out for the second half. In the first half it was all physical—and pretty refreshing—on both ends of the floor. The physical play in the second half definitely hurt Arizona, who loss Jordan Hill to a foul out. Arizona…will they be a 6 seed or an 11? We really have no idea right now.
–No. 9 Butler 51, Cleveland State 46. Butler avenges one of their two losses of the season (Wright State was the other) and improves to a stunning 24-2. Matt Howard—another player you should get yourself familiar with—went for 17 and 8 to help the cause. Also, if you’re trying to figure out where Butler can finish for seeding, consider: there’s only two more losses, tops, that they will suffer. They’re likely going to finish with a 30-3 record, maybe better, and should receive a 4.
–No. 14 Drake 65, Northern Iowa 55. No second-loss blues for the Bulldogs, who might slip into the 20s in the rankings by Monday. I hope I’m wrong though. With the win, Drake ensures itself of its first regular season title in the Missouri Valley since 1971.
–No. 15 Wisconsin 65, Minnesota 56. I put Wiscy as a lock earlier in the week, but the taking care of business against upset-minded Minny really cements their March status.
–No. 17 Connecticut 74, South Florida 73 (OT). First half: 27-26, UConn. Second half: 39-38, South Florida. Overtime: 9-8, UConn. Fiesty little Bulls, aren’t they? Craig Austrie hits a Ray Alenn-esque runner in the lane with .2 seconds to go in overtime to keep UConn’s nine-game winning streak alive. (Along with their hopes of getting a 5 seed or better.)
–No. 24 Vanderbilt 61, Florida 58. The win almost definitely makes Vandy (22-4) a lock. Florida oh Florida, where have you gone? Gators have dropped four out of five.
Notable:
Kent State 72, Ohio 62. Golden Flashes will be in The Tournament if they don’t do anything really stupid in the next three weks.
Indiana State 76, Illinois State 72. ISU’s at-large chances go poof.
Clemson 71, North Carolina State 64. The at-large field continues to shrink. Buh-bye, Wolfpack.
Maryland 82, Florida State 72. Same to FSU (who was done anyway). Maryland: are they in right now? Gotta be.
