What a weekend. Big Monday starts tonight, and we’re really off and running. Some scores and recaps to start your Monday. Just let the winsome feeling of college basketball in January seep into your pores. That’s Tubby Smith using his only good jazz hand, for what it’s worth.
No. 4 Wake Forest 92, No. 3 North Carolina 89. The double-D faithful were getting pretty pissed over a lot of calls going to the road sky-blues. What a terrific game. Wake Forest is off to its best start in nearly three decades. Jeff Teague played superbly, but the way Wake was able to really spread UNC out is what helped it win the game. Of course, when the Heels shoot 35 percent from the floor and 26 percent from beyond the arc, a road game against a potential Final Four team isn’t going to come easily. Hansbrough did his best to frump his face and get on the floor amid the chaos, but last night was Wake’s call to the nation, saying, We are here and are for real.
No. 1 Pittsburgh 90, St. John’s 67. No one has ever cared less about a top-ranked team. If you’re looking to see what it’s got, Pitt plays on the road against Louisville Saturday.
No. 10 UCLA 64, Southern California 60. Couldn’t stay up for this one, but the box score shows a tough defensive battle. (Neither cracked 50 percent in anything except free throws.) USC’s best win is against 9-6 Georgia Tech.
No. 14 Purdue 65, Wisconsin 52. It was a little halting to see a Wisconsin team exposed so slowly and thoroughly by another.
No. 16 Xavier 86, Fordham 60. Had the opportunity to get to this game yesterday, but anticipating this kind of beatdown, I passed up the $10 tickets. The Rams are 2-12. That’s another reason. I’m so elite.
No. 22 Minnesota 79, Penn State 59. Not a believer in the Golden Gophers yet? They’ve played 16 games and won all but one. They are one of the best shot-blocking teams in the nation, coached by one of the best motivators in the game. Kind of sounds like UConn, but UConn they are not.
Notable:
Drake 74, Wichita State 69. The Bulldogs are 13-4, but not the team they were last season.
Michigan 64, Iowa 49. Hard not to believe that the Wolverines will be making a return to The Dance this year.
