Two Upsets Tonight

Let's get right to it.

6. Texas A&M: at #15 Texas. The Longhorns will win this game. Rebounding will be the key. First thing we need to say is that Kevin Durant is ready for the NBA. He can score from anywhere. He rebounds like a man (he's only 18), scores in the paint at will, and he can hit the 3-pointer. Need we mention that he shoots better than 80% from the charity stripe? Durant will definitely declare for the NBA draft after this season. He would be crazy not to. Kevin averages 24.7 points and 11.3 rebounds a game. Need we say more? Realistically, this kid could take the Longhorns to the Final Four. Is he more dominate than Greg Oden? Yes. No contest. So, back to this awesome game. OTs are just a test of will. Everyone is tired and just playing on emotion. These kind of games tend to bring out the weaknesses in teams. Anyway, Texas wins. Durant? 30 points and 16 boards. Amazing. Oh, and we called this one.

14. Duke: plays host to Maryland. We're calling an upset here. Both teams are on the upswing, but we like the intensity of the Terps. The Blue Satans will have to play outstanding D to have a chance. They won't, and McRoberts may be seen crying again during this Dook loss. Maybe McRoberts didn't cry, but we're pretty sure Dook Vitale will sob himself to sleep tonight as Maryland exposes the Satans' weakness at the guard position and wins. McRoberts? Well, he looked mediocre as usual with 10 points and 8 boards. Paulus? 20 points but only 2 assists (as many as McRoberts). Here's one more telling stat: Maryland had 25 assists, while Satan's team had only 9. We told you so. The Terps are all about confidence right now. Could they win the ACC Tourney? We'll talk about that in a week, but right now they are looking tough.

23. Vandy: at South Carolina. The Gamecocks are not good at home, and they cannot score worth crap. BUT, the Commodores struggle on the road. Vandy wins, though. Yeah, Vandy won, but it took an OT to do it. We've been to a couple of games in Columbia and its not like the crowd gets into it. What happened to the Commodores? This should have been an easy road win (sorry, Eric F.)

A couple of key games Thursday.

2. UCLA: at #13 Washington State. UCLA will rule the boards but Washington State will pull off the upset. The Cougars have only lost 1 at home this season.

7. Memphis: at UTEP. The Tigers should win this game and extend their winning streak to 18. But will they win? Yes.

8. UNC: at Georgia Tech. The Heels beat Tech by 16 last time out at Chapel Hill, but both teams are struggling a bit and looking for a big win. Lots of freshmen playing in this game. Our call? Carolina wins by less than 5. Maybe even OT.

9. Nevada: at Utah State. Utah State has not lost at home this season, but they cannot duel it out with a strong Nevada team. The Wolf Pack wins.

21. Virginia Tech: at #25 Virginia. Big game. Both teams are tied with UNC for first place in the ACC. Tech killed the Cavaliers by 27 in their last meeting. Virginia must share and shoot well this game. We think they will, and that the Cavs will win.

24. USC: at Washington. No contest. The Huskies do well at home, but don't look for an upset here as USC wins.

Nyter deres natt.

Things Fall Apart

If you are a regular, then you know we think Florida is not all that everyone is hyping them up to be. BUT, we are currently watching in shock as Tennessee is at this moment just destroying the Gators. The Vols are up by an outstanding and unbelievable 24 in the second half. The only downside to watching is that Dick Vitale is calling the game. So, we just pressed the handy mute button.

What is wrong with Florida? If they lose this one (and down by 25 at the 12 minute TV timeout it is looking likely) then they HAVE to win the SEC Tourney to get a number one seed in the Big Dance.

Here are our right-now, real-time predictions for number one seeds in the Tourney: Ohio State, Kansas, Wisconsin, Memphis.

OK, Vols up by 15 at the 8 minute mark. UF is looking like they want to win. Where were they for the first 30 minutes of this game?

# 12 Pitt beat West Virginia tonight. The Panthers are tied with Georgetown for first in the Big East.

UT by 12 with 5 minutes left. The Gators are making a run, even getting it down to a single-digit game, so the question is now, Who wants to win more?

#20 Air Force lost to the Mormons tonight, capping off a 3-game skid to end their regular season at 23-7. The Falcons peaked too early in the season. Off they go into the wild blue yonder.

The Vols are hanging on by 10 with less than 2 minutes left. Great game. If the Gators lose then they will be 1-3 in their last 4 games.

The Volunteers hold on to beat the Gators! Things definitely fell apart for Florida as they decided to start playing with about 10 minutes left in the game. It was not enough.

Three games tomorrow to watch:

6. Texas A&M: at #15 Texas. The Longhorns will win this game. Rebounding will be the key.

14. Duke: plays host to Maryland. We're calling an upset here. Both teams are on the upswing, but we like the intensity of the Terps. The Blue Satans will have to play outstanding D to have a chance. They won't, and McRoberts may be seen crying again during this Dook loss.

23. Vandy: at South Carolina. The Gamecocks are not good at home, and they cannot score worth crap. BUT, the Commodores struggle on the road. Vandy wins, though.

Tenha um dia bom.

Syracuse Prevails

The Orangemen, or Orange, or Orange Jullius, or whatever they are called, beat an extremely good Georgetown team tonight. Did we call the upset? Come and see:

3. Kansas: at Oklahoma. The Sooners are on a four-game slide. This could only mean one of two things: 1. they are extremely likely to be pissed off enough to pull off an upset; or 2. they are really bad, and suffering from the late-season slump. So, what's the call? If you hate Duke, then you want Kansas to win, since ex-Blue Satan Jeff Capel is the OK coach. If you like to take a chance, you could look to the 10-point loss the Sooners had against here-and-there but ranked Texas. Can they compete? Well, let's face it--ANYONE can compete when playing at home. Sleeping in your own bed the night before the game and having your girlfriend at the game waving at you from Section 5, seat A-1, can motivate any player. As bad as they are, the Sooners will be fired-up for this game. We're going to call this one an upset. Not because we like Capel, but because we have seen too many times how the basketball gods work. We're not going to stay up for this game, but at the half this is looking like all-Kansas, who leads by 14. One point: is there a clause in the ESPN college basketball contract that says that the announcers have to call Duke Coach Cry AND all former Dook players "classy"? Quote from this game: "We can't say enough how classy Jeff Capel and this Oklahoma program are." Yes, you CAN say it enough, and now we have heard it enough.

10. Georgetown: at Syracuse. The Hoyas are now good enough to be getting the best shot from every team it plays. This will be no exception. Call this one a "coaching battle." Our call? The Orange (please stop with the crappy team names--this one makes us think of that mall store Orange Julius) will grab more rebounds, and clog up the lane to bring the Hoyas down. Orange Julius wins! We called this one. Quite the physical game. Big East=Thugs. Slapping, bumping, pushing, elbowing--this looked like an UFC bout. The Orange Julius played great D. Georgetown celebrates its new #10 ranking with a big loss.

Speaking of rankings, let us walk you through this week's Coaches' poll:

1. Ohio State: stayed the same with a big win against Wisconsin.

2. UCLA: lots of people are sold on this team. We agree they are good. But #2? No.

3. Kansas: looking good.

4. Florida: lost to LSU but still stayed in the top-5. Uh, wrong. Let's see what they do this week against UT and UK.

5. Wisconsin: should be in the top-3. But, check this out: top-rebounder Brian Butch is going to be out 4-6 weeks with an elbow injury. Ouch.

6. Texas A&M: WHAT? OK, they beat a faltering Oklahoma State and not-good Baylor. Over-ranked.

7. Memphis: should be top-5. Better than Texas A&M and Florida by leaps and bounds.

8. UNC: they have to prove themselves this week away at Georgia Tech and at home with Duke. They need to step it up because they are right now in the midst of squandering a number 1 seed in the NCAA Tourney. The selection committee weighs the last 10 games of each team and the Heels have lost 3 of their last 10. Even if they win 2 this week then they will still have lost 3 of their last 10, but a win against the Blue Satans would put them as a number 1 seed somewhere.

9. Nevada: definitely a top-10 team. They will be tough in the Tourney.

10. Georgetown: lost tonight at Syracuse. They are still the team to beat in the Big East tournament. They should bounce back later this week against UCONN.

11. Southern Illinois: the hound dogs are good, BUT, their conference is not.

12. Pitt: a more accurate ranking for the Panthers should be in the 20's.

13. Washington State: they are facing their most challenging week of the season this week as they face #2 UCLA and # 24 USC.

14. Duke: another team that should be ranked in the 20's.

15. Texas: a good team. Number 15? More like 19.

16. Butler: no comment. However, if we were to comment, we would ask how long will this team have to look like a true mid-major to fall from the rankings?

17. Notre Dame: streaking Irish are looking good.

18. Oregon: the Ducks are in the right spot.

19. Louisville: not ranked last week and now 19? Did we miss something?

20. Air Force: questionable. Lost two games last week to unranked teams. They need a win against the Mormons this week to stay ranked.

21. Marquette: game at Pitt this week should prove Marquette belongs higher in the rankings.

21. Virginia Tech: perfect. The Hokies are peaking.

23. Vandy: should not be ranked. Lost to 1 bad team and barely beat another bad team this week.

24. USC: should be ranked in the teens.

25. Virginia: wishy-washy team. Play a hot Virginia Tech team this week at home.

Vederla dopo.

"We're Number One!"

Hail to the big man, as Greg notes above that his Ohio State team is indeed number one.

Big upset in the ACC. Let's see what happened:

1. Ohio State: hosts #2 Wisconsin. OSU has won 12 straight. The Badgers have lost 2 of their last 7 games. Greg Oden is a force to be reckoned with, so Win-consin will have their hands full. Both teams have a quality 8-deep roster. Team stats are about even. Sorry to our Badger friends (who also have the most impressive collection of straws we have ever seen) but Wisconsin will not win this game. Oden will step it up in this big-time showdown. Don't count out the cheese-lovers, though. We still like them for the Final Four. OSU needed a last-second shot to win this one. The lead was no higher than 6 for either team. Manchild Oden was pretty quiet (11 pts and 5 boards) but this was not a high-scoring affair. It will be interesting to see how far the Badgers fall after losing 2 games this week. Our thinking is that they should be ranked no lower than # 5. The Big 10 tourney will be quite exciting if this game is any indication. Both teams right now could vie for a #1 NCAA Tourney seed.

5. UNC: at Maryland. Must-win game for the Heels going into their last week of regular-season ACC play. The Terps are getting confident wins, and Carolina is looking vulnerable. We're going with the depth and outstanding guard play (SEE: Ty Lawson) of the Tar Heels. It won't be a blowout, but Ol' Roy and his team will eke out a win. The Heels lost, and they deserved to. First, they blew a chance to make this a blow-out in the first half by allowing the Turtles to rally while the Tar Heels watched. Second, who in the hell was supposed to be guarding DJ Strawberry?? We're guessing Ol' Roy is pretty pissed about the lousy defensive intensity his team showed today. Carolina needs to win games like this to prove they deserve a # 1 seed in the Big Dance. They have to beat Georgia Tech in Atlanta and Duke at home this week to secure a top seed. We'll see. It's hard to figure this team out. One telling stat: Maryland blocked 8 of the Heels' shots. That shows a lack of desire by UNC. Meanwhile, if Maryland can win just one of their two games this week then they are a #10 seed in the NCAA Tourney. Most likely in the West or Mid-West.

7. Memphis: play host to Houston. Not a difficult game to call. Memphis wins at home. Memphis beat Houston to win their 17th straight. Hello top 5!

17. Duke: at St. John's. The Blue Satans look like they may have found their desire to win, which is not good news for SJU. Duke wins. SJU scored only 10 points in the first half and looked like a high school team. However, they rallied in the second half--outscoring the Satans 40-33--but still lost by 17. Is Duke for real? We'll see this week, won't we?

21. Vandy: hosts Kentucky. The Commodores win. Vandy was actually down at the half, but they did win, as we said.

Two games tomorrow. Doesn't it seem like Kansas plays a lot of Monday games?

6. Kansas: at Oklahoma. The Sooners are on a four-game slide. This could only mean one of two things: 1. they are extremely likely to be pissed off enough to pull off an upset; or 2. they are really bad, and suffering from the late-season slump. So, what's the call? If you hate Duke, then you want Kansas to win, since ex-Blue Satan Jeff Capel is the OK coach. If you like to take a chance, you could look to the 10-point loss the Sooners had against here-and-there but ranked Texas. Can they compete? Well, let's face it--ANYONE can compete when playing at home. Sleeping in your own bed the night before the game and having your girlfriend at the game waving at you from Section 5, seat A-1can motivate any player. As bad as they are, the Sooners will be fired-up for this game. We're going to call this one an upset. Not because we like Capel, but because we have seen too many times how the basketball gods work.

12. Georgetown: at Syracuse. The Hoyas are now good enough to be getting the best shot from every team it plays. This will be no exception. Call this one a "coaching battle." Our call? The Orange (please stop with the crappy team names--this one makes us think of that mall store Orange Julius) will grab more rebounds, and clog up the lane to bring the Hoyas down. Orange Julius wins!

Veja-o amanhã.

No (ah) Way for Gators as Defending Champs Continue Slide

First of all, bad scouting by us. Glen "Big Baby" Davis has not played for LSU for several games (including today) because of an injury. Nevertheless, we still would have never in our wildest imagination have picked LSU to beat Florida. Let us tell you about it:

3. Florida: at LSU. Remember when LSU was ranked? Remember Glen "Big Baby" Davis? Oh, those were the days. Forward-wind to now and LSU is 14-13 and will not see any post-season play. Davis is still working hard, but his supporting cast stands around and watches. Gators win this one big. We like statistics. The details of a game are where the most interesting analysis can be found. Forget dunks and rallies--give us percentages. However, this game can be broken down as one team just wanting to win more than the other team. LSU, without their big-name player, Glen Davis, hustled and played hard for 40 minutes. That's it. No big news. Just a team on the mend going hard as hell against a defending national champion team that thinks they can waltz into any arena and show everyone their 2006 National Championship hats and be handed a win. We have seen bits and pieces of this type of attitude from the Gators all this season (SEE: slacking off on late game leads). Folks, this Gator team should not be in the top-10. Good? Yes, they are good. All THAT good? No. Congrats LSU.

4. UCLA: host Stanford. While the Cardinals did beat the Bruins a month ago, they are struggling as of late and will have a hard time with UCLA. Quality depth will be the key in this game as UCLA will win. BUT, it will be close. No upset, though. Close in the first half, but UCLA pulled away in the second half to beat Stanford.

6. Kansas: play host to Iowa State. No need to pontificate. Jayhawks win this one at home. And again, no need to expound. Kansas should pop into the top 4 next week.

8. Pitt: at #12 Georgetown. We have been waiting for this one. This is the game of the day. Battle of the two teams tied for first in the Big East. The Hoyas have won 10 straight, while the Panthers are struggling, having won their last 2 games against unranked and not-good teams by an average of only 3.5 points. We have said all year that Pitt is over-rated, and we still believe it. So, the Hoyas win this game. Hoyas prove once again that they are going to be hard to beat in the post-season as they also prove that Pitt is over-ranked. Of course, we have been saying that for many weeks now. Georgetown wins by 8.

9. Texas A&M: host Baylor. Baylor is 13-13 and have lost 4 of their last 5 games. Aggies roll. Baylor did a good job trying to run with the Aggies, and they may have succeeded if they had connected on just a couple of more 3-pointers. Credit the Bears for not backing down to A&M. The Aggies' lead was never more than 12, and hovered in the single digits for most of the game.

10. Nevada: at Boise State. Nevada has lost just 1 out of its last 19 games, BUT, they only beat Boise State by 4 in their last meeting. The Broncos have won 5 straight, and they are no joke. What happens? Upset. Boise State wins by less than 10. This game will rely on guard play. We were wrong. Nevada was challenged by Boise State in the first half, but pulled away after the break to beat the Broncos by 14. We were completely surprised by this game.

11. Washington State: at Oregon State. Yes, the Cougars just lost to Oregon, but they are still strong, and will rebound with a win over bottom-of-the-barrel OSU. Washington State back on track with a win at Oregon State.

13. Air Force: at TCU. The basic call is that the Falcons are very good and the Horned Frogs (what the heck?) are not. The Frogs have lost 11 straight, by-the-way. One of those losses was a 36-point slaughter by Air Force. Enough said? We think so. Falcons fly! Actually, the Falcons get shot down by the hot-shooting Frogs, who went 56% from the field to stun AF.

14. Southern Illinois: play host to Evansville. The Salukis' last loss was to Evansville, and it was a fluke. The hound dogs are going as far as the Sweet Sixteen this season, and the Aces (what kind of a team name is that?) will have 16 losses this season. No contest. Southern Illinois wins. Aces low as Southern Illinois wins. Yawn.

15. Butler: hosts Detroit. Butler is sucking wind, and sits a half game behind Wright State (not ranked) in the no-talent Horizon League. The Bulldogs have lost 3 of their last 5. So, what are they doing with a #15 ranking? That's what we want to know. Butler is bad. BUT, they will win this game. Does anyone care? We don't, since they won't see the second round of the Big Dance. They are a non-factor. Butler won. We said they would. They are still not good.

16. Marquette: at #23 Notre Dame. The Irish have just hung around the rankings this year, but they look like they are peaking. Marquette has lost 3 of their last 4. Lack of experience is what is killing the Golden Eagles. We think upset on this one. Notre Dame wins. And upset it is. ND is looking strong. Marquette played a very good game, though. This was a classic grind-it-out game which stayed close for 40 minutes. The Irish have won 4 in a row, and will need to bring that momentum to the Big East Tourney, where the team to beat, Georgetown, looks unbeatable at the moment.

19. Virginia: play host to Georgia Tech. Good game to watch. This is a battle of the guards. But, experience will prevail as the Cavaliers win. It was indeed a battle of the guards, but the Cavaliers guards, with their experience, outscored the Tech guards 49-19 to get a win. No surprise for us.

20. Texas: at Oklahoma. Texas is peaking. Oklahoma is not. Longhorns win. And, as we said, Texas wins.

22. BYU: at San Diego State. The Mormons are rolling with 8-straight wins. The Aztecs, however, have won 6 of their last 7. This game deserves a close look. Our call? Unless BYU starts hitting 3-pointers, San Diego State will win, especially if the Mormons start racking up the fouls. AND, the Aztecs have only lost 2 games at home this season, with one of them being to then-#15 Arizona. Aztecs win. We were right about the outcome, but the Mormons rained down the 3's, although they still lost. Another upset.

24. Oregon: host Washington. We wish someone would tell us how Oregon is even ranked. They have lost 5 of their last 7 games for goodness sakes! Washington is no better, entering this game with a 3-game losing streak. But, we really think the Huskies will win. Upset! We're not staying awake for the end of this game, but with 6 minutes to go, Oregon is up by 8. Don't count out the Huskies, though. We'll let you know tomorrow how it turned out.

25. Alabama: play host to Auburn. Both teams suck. The Tigers pounded Bama by 24 a month ago. Not much has changed since then. Bama loses and hopefully falls out of the rankings for good. We plead again to the Coaches' poll to put Bama out of the rankings as they lost, as we said they would.

EXTRA: Just for the sake of our friends from Wisconsin--where pretty much all they do is make cheese and shovel snow--there was quite a battle tonight between Wis-Milwaukee and Wis-Green Bay. Wis-Milwaukee, sporting a woeful 9-21 record, pulls an upset, beating a very bad Wis-Green Bay (16-14) by 1 point. Playing basketball in cold weather is no fun. Your hands get numb.

Sunday?

1. Ohio State: hosts #2 Wisconsin. OSU has won 12 straight. The Badgers have lost 2 of their last 7 games. Greg Oden is a force to be reckoned with, so Win-consin will have their hands full. Both teams have a quality 8-deep roster. Team stats are about even. Sorry to our Badger friends (who also have the most impressive collection of straws we have ever seen) but Wisconsin will not win this game. Oden will step it up in this big-time showdown. Don't count out the cheese-lovers, though. We still like them for the Final Four.

5. UNC: at Maryland. Must-win game for the Heels going into their last week of regular-season ACC play. The Terps are getting confident wins, and Carolina is looking vulnerable. We're going with the depth and outstanding guard play (SEE: Ty Lawson) of the Tar Heels. It won't be a blowout, but Ol' Roy and his team will eke out a win.

7. Memphis: play host to Houston. Not a difficult game to call. Memphis wins at home.

17. Duke: at St. John's. The Blue Satans look like they may have found their desire to win, which is not good news for SJU. Duke wins.

21. Vandy: hosts Kentucky. The Commodores win.

Vederla domani.

The Butler Didn't Do It

Struggling Butler needs a win on Saturday after getting upset again by a non-ranked team (Loyola-Chicago) on Thursday. The Bulldogs have lost 3 of their last 5. We believe that they need to win their conference for an NCAA bid. Not looking like it.

Saturday's games:

3. Florida: at LSU. Remember when LSU was ranked? Remember Glen "Big Baby" Davis? Oh, those were the days. Forward-wind to now and LSU is 14-13 and will not see any post-season play. Davis is still working hard, but his supporting cast stands around and watches. Gators win this one big.

4. UCLA: host Stanford. While the Cardinals did beat the Bruins a month ago, they are struggling as of late and will have a hard time with UCLA. Quality depth will be the key in this game as UCLA will win. BUT, it will be close. No upset, though.

6. Kansas: play host to Iowa State. No need to pontificate. Jayhawks win this one at home.

8. Pitt: at #12 Georgetown. We have been waiting for this one. This is the game of the day. Battle of the two teams tied for first in the Big East. The Hoyas have won 10 straight, while the Panthers are struggling, having won their last 2 games against unranked and not-good teams by an average of only 3.5 points. We have said all year that Pitt is over-rated, and we still believe it. So, the Hoyas win this game.

9. Texas A&M: host Baylor. Baylor is 13-13 and have lost 4 of their last 5 games. Aggies roll.

10. Nevada: at Boise State. Nevada has lost just 1 out of its last 19 games, BUT, they only beat Boise State by 4 in their last meeting. The Broncos have won 5 straight, and they are no joke. What happens? Upset. Boise State wins by less than 10. This game will rely on guard play.

11. Washington State: at Oregon State. Yes, the Cougars just lost to Oregon, but they are still strong, and will rebound with a win over bottom-of-the-barrel OSU.

13. Air Force: at TCU. The basic call is that the Falcons are very good and the Horned Frogs (what the heck?) are not. The Frogs have lost 11 straight, by-the-way. One of those losses was a 36-point slaughter by Air Force. Enough said? We think so. Falcons fly!

14. Southern Illinois: play host to Evansville. The Salukis' last loss was to Evansville, and it was a fluke. The hound dogs are going as far as the Sweet Sixteen this season, and the Aces (what kind of a team name is that?) will have 16 losses this season. No contest. Southern Illinois wins.

15. Butler: hosts Detroit. Butler is sucking wind, and sits a half game behind Wright State (not ranked) in the no-talent Horizon League. The Bulldogs have lost 3 of their last 5. So, what are they doing with a #15 ranking? That's what we want to know. Butler is bad. BUT, they will win this game. Does anyone care? We don't, since they won't see the second round of the Big Dance. They are a non-factor.

16. Marquette: at #23 Notre Dame. The Irish have just hung around the rankings this year, but they look like they are peaking. Marquette has lost 3 of their last 4. Lack of experience is what is killing the Golden Eagles. We think upset on this one. Notre Dame wins.

19. Virginia: play host to Georgia Tech. Good game to watch. This is a battle of the guards. But, experience will prevail as the Cavaliers win.

20. Texas: at Oklahoma. Texas is peaking. Oklahoma is not. Longhorns win.

22. BYU: at San Diego State. The Mormons are rolling with 8-straight wins. The Aztecs, however, have won 6 of their last 7. This game deserves a close look. Our call? Unless BYU starts hitting 3-pointers, San Diego State will win, especially if the Mormons start racking up the fouls. AND, the Aztecs have only lost 2 games at home this season, with one of them being to then-#15 Arizona. Aztecs win.

24. Oregon: host Washington. We wish someone would tell us how Oregon is even ranked. They have lost 5 of their last 7 games for goodness sakes! Washington is no better, entering this game with a 3-game losing streak. But, we really think the Huskies will win. Upset!

25. Alabama: play host to Auburn. Both teams suck. The Tigers pounded Bama by 24 a month ago. Not much has changed since then. Bama loses and hopefully falls out of the rankings for good.

Bonne nuit!

Sidney Lowe is Hospitalized

Sidney Lowe is rising above expectations (and above Hapless-Herb Sendek) in his first year at NC State. Big game tonight at Chapel Hill. But, Lowe was taken to the hospital at the half for dehydration . We hope he is OK.

1. Ohio State: hosts Penn State. Number 1 in the Big Ten meets number 11 in the Big Ten. QUESTION: should it be the Big Eleven? No matter, Ohio State wins. OSU shows a dark side as they only win by 8 at home. Penn State was up at the half. Chink in the armour? We'll see. Oden dominated. Can he count on the rest of his team to help him out? We'll see.

3. Florida: at South Carolina. Would not want to be a Gamecock for this game. Florida will be looking to bounce back against tough loss to Vandy. And they will. Gators win. Sorry Eric F. South Carolina scored only 13 in the first half as they feel the wrath of a hurting UF team. Gators win by only 14, though. LIKE WE SAID, AND WE WILL SAY IT AGAIN, FLORIDA HAS A HARD TIME MAINTAINING FOCUS IN THE SECOND HALF, WHICH IS WHY THEY WILL NOT GO VERY FAR IN THE BIG DANCE. Uh, did you get that?

5. UNC: hosts NC State. While the Wolfpack had their moment against the Heels by beating them in Raleigh, the outcome of this game will be far different. Heels win. Can you say "revenge"? Heels just outran another team to take the top spot in the ACC (after Virginia loss to Miami tonight). State coach Sidney Lowe was taken to the hospital at the half with signs of dehydration. We know he would have wanted to be coaching until the last seconds of this huge game. Sidney, get better. You have done a great job by getting some big wins for the Wolfpack. We look forward to seeing him back on Saturday as his team plays at Florida State.

9. Texas A&M: play at Oklahoma State. A month ago the Aggies kicked the Cowboys, who have been trying to find themselves for a couple of weeks. If Oklahoma State can share the ball and out-rebound A&M then they have a very good chance. This would be a great opportunity for the Cowboys to get a fresh start. We're going with OSU on this one. It's just a feeling we have. That feeling we had? Well, it must have been gas from the chili we ate a couple of days ago. OSU is falling apart like Britney. Aggies win big.

12. Georgetown: at Cincy. The best team in the Big East (forget Pitt) should have no problem with the Bearcats. Hoyas win. Hoyas win by 10.

14. Southern Illinois: at Indiana State. Another easy call as the Salukis (hound dogs) beat the Sycamores. This is the battle of ridiculous and meaningless team names. Proving once again that the MVC is one of the worst conferences in D-1, the Hound Dogs only win against hapless Indiana State by 8.

19. Virginia: at Miami. This ACC conference is so fickle this year. Anyone, regardless of record, can win. Miami beat then-#24 Georgia Tech back in December, and they played a great game at Virginia, despite losing by 11. Virginia is tied for first in the ACC. And, the Cavaliers can wear out an opposing team as they go 11-deep. We'll go with Virginia. Ouch! Virginia looks vulnerable as they lose to pretty-darn-bad Miami. The ACC is tough. Miami drops some 3's and ends up winning.

21. Vandy: at Mississippi State. Yeah, the Commodores are coming off a big win over Florida, but don't count out the Bulldogs. They have won 3 straight, and 4 of their last 5. MSU goes 9 deep, and they can rebound with the best of them. Upset? OK, OK. We'll go ahead and call an upset. MSU wins at home. We do know our hoops. MSU wins and is peaking.

22. BYU: at Colorado State. The Mormons have won 7 straight, and Colorado State has lost 6 of its last 7. No brainer? We think so. BYU wins. We're in the East so we won't stay up to see how this game turns out, but, as of the half, BYU leads by 10.

25. Alabama: at Tennessee. Game to watch. With Chris Lofton back in the line-up, UT is going to be tough to beat at home. Alabama is not a top-25 team. UT wins. Did we mention we know our hoops? UT wins, proving our point that Alabama, like LSU, should just fade away and wave good-bye to the top-25.

Several games tomorrow night, but we are going to take the day off. See you Friday.

Gute nacht.

Spartans Upset Win-consin!

Michigan State pulls off a huge upset as they beat #2 Wisconsin tonight. How did they do it? Take a look:

2. Wisconsin: play at Michigan State. The Badgers will be so upset by not being picked #1 this week that they will take out their frustrations on the lowly Spartans. Win-consin wins again. So how did the Spartans win this game? In a word: rebounding. MSU got 13 more boards than the Badgers to pull off this major upset. Wisconsin did not help themselves by shooting a woeful 36%.

13. Air Force: at UNLV. Upset. UNLV is good, and the Falcons are suffering the mid-season blues. UNLV wins. Another upset call by us comes true. We do know our hoops, kids. Tell your friends. We are your source for college basketball. Gather 'round our website and win your NCAA Tourney office pool. We are a reasoned voice in the midst of hype and Dook Vitale.

18. West Virginia: at Providence. Experience and turnovers will be the Mountaineers' downfall. Providence wins. We called this upset as Providence wins. WVU missed an amazing 33 3-point attempts in this game, proving once again that you either live or die by the 3.

20. Texas: hosts Texas Tech. Sorry Bobby, your team will fall against the Longhorns, who are looking to prove themselves after just getting back into the rankings this week. We were right, but this was not a hard game to call. Texas Tech is struggling, as evidenced by their 29% shooting from the field. Bobby Knight say hello to the NIT.

23. Notre Dame: host DePaul. The Irish lost to DePaul less than 2 weeks ago, but they will not lose this one. ND wins. We were right again, as ND shared the ball and shot the rock much better than DePaul.

Wednesday, you ask?

1. Ohio State: hosts Penn State. Number 1 in the Big Ten meets number 11 in the Big Ten. QUESTION: should it be the Big Eleven? No matter, Ohio State wins.

3. Florida: at South Carolina. Would not want to be a Gamecock for this game. Florida will be looking to bounce back against tough loss to Vandy. And they will. Gators win. Sorry Eric F.

5. UNC: hosts NC State. While the Wolfpack had their moment against the Heels by beating them in Raleigh, the outcome of this game will be far different. Heels win. Can you say "revenge"?

9. Texas A&M: play at Oklahoma State. A month ago the Aggies kicked the Cowboys, who have been trying to find themselves for a couple of weeks. If Oklahoma State can share the ball and out-rebound A&M then they have a very good chance. This would be a great opportunity for the Cowboys to get a fresh start. We're going with OSU on this one. It's just a feeling we have.

12. Georgetown: at Cincy. The best team in the Big East (forget Pitt) should have no problem with the Bearcats. Hoyas win.

14. Southern Illinois: at Indiana State. Another easy call as the Salukis (hound dogs) beat the Sycamores. This is the battle of ridiculous and meaningless team names.

19. Virginia: at Miami. This ACC conference is so fickle this year. Anyone, regardless of record, can win. Miami beat then-#24 Georgia Tech back in December, and they played a great game at Virginia, despite losing by 11. Virginia is tied for first in the ACC. And, the Cavaliers can wear out an opposing team as they go 11-deep. We'll go with Virginia.

21. Vandy: at Mississippi State. Yeah, the Commodores are coming off a big win over Florida, but don't count out the Bulldogs. They have won 3 straight, and 4 of their last 5. MSU goes 9 deep, and they can rebound with the best of them. Upset? OK, OK. We'll go ahead and call an upset. MSU wins at home.

22. BYU: at Colorado State. The Mormons have won 7 straight, and Colorado State has lost 6 of its last 7. No brainer? We think so. BYU wins.

25. Alabama: at Tennessee. Game to watch. With Chris Lofton back in the line-up, UT is going to be tough to beat at home. Alabama is not a top-25 team. UT wins.

Boa noite.

Buckeye Luck

Greg "Manchild" Oden and his Ohio State Buckeyes come in first this week. Are they #1 for real? No. Win-consin is.

How about tonight's games?

8. Pitt: at Seton Hall. The Pirates look sketchy as of late, with the loss to Louisville and the close call at home with Washington--both this week. But let's face it, Seton Hall will need a miracle to pull off a win here. They can't seem to win at home or on the road. Pitt wins. Pitt entered this game after dropping from #5 to #8 in the Coaches' poll (they should really be about #15). And, the Panthers continue to look like they are over-ranked as they beat lowly Seton Hall by only 3. To be in the top-10 or 15, you have to be able to play deep, but Pitt showed how they will struggle if they lose a key player. Tonight it was Aaron Gray. The NCAA tourney will not be kind to this team. Depth and defensive are the keys to winning this season. Pitt has neither.

6. Kansas: play at Kansas State. ESPN at 9:00 EST. Watch this. KSU has lost one game at home this season, and they will be smelling revenge from the 27-point hurting that the Jayhawks put on them earlier in the season. The Wildcats are a good team, but their biggest flaw is not sharing the rock. If they can look to pass (especially the easy ones down low that lead to high-percentage shots), and if they can get some production from typically quiet guys like Akeem Wright, then they have a good chance to win. In fact, we're going to call the upset. Kansas State wins. OK, check the comments to our entry from yesterday. MUD said Kansas would win by 30. OK, the Jayhawks did win, but this was not even a blowout, as Kansas State led at the half. Yes, we were wrong about the outcome, but we do know more about hoops than our MUD-based friends. Let's also point out that Kansas continues to not share the ball, as we said--SIX assists tonight. AND, as we also said, if Kansas State can get production out of players like Akeem Wright then they have a good chance to win. While they did not win, Wright was high-scorer for Kansas State. MUD, we appreciate your love for Kansas, but we like to look at things with perspective. We have a favorite team as well, but our love for that team does not cloud our judgement. You may want to check us out come tourney time so that you will have a chance to win your office pool.

15. Butler: at Wisconsin-GB. Butler is average, but WGB is bad. Butler wins. Butler fell from 12 to 15 in the Coaches' poll this week, but we think they should not even be ranked. Smelly-bad WGB actually led at the half before Butler managed to win by 10. This Butler team may not even get an NCAA bid. Remember that they struggled to beat Florida Gulf Coast (not even a D-1 team) by 6 last week.

16. Marquette: hosts Villanova. Marquette wins. No need to spend any time on this one. Nova led at the half, but Marquette did win by 13. BTW, Marquette fell from #13 in the Coaches' poll this week after losing three games in a row. Our thought on Marquette? Not a top-25 team.

How about Tuesday?

2. Wisconsin: play at Michigan State. The Badgers will be so upset by not being picked #1 this week that they will take out their frustrations on the lowly Spartans. Win-consin wins again.

13. Air Force: at UNLV. Upset. UNLV is good, and the Falcons are suffering the mid-season blues. UNLV wins.

18. West Virginia: at Providence. Experience and turnovers will be the Mountaineers' downfall. Providence wins.

20. Texas: hosts Texas Tech. Sorry Bobby, your team will fall against the Longhorns, who are looking to prove themselves after just getting back into the rankings this week.

23. Notre Dame: host DePaul. The Irish lost to DePaul less than 2 weeks ago, but they will not lose this one. ND wins.

Goede nacht.

Hokies Feel Lowe

Don't know exactly what Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenburg is thinking when this photo was taken, but given the trouncing his team took at the hands of Sidney Lowe's "we-go-six-deep" NC State, you can probably figure it out.

2. Ohio State: at Minnesota. Have we mentioned how many lakes Minnesota has? OSU wins, though, despite the great ice-fishing talents of the Gophers. Yup. Some pretty nice lakes up in Minnesota. Ohio State wins, though, and will most likely be #1 tomorrow.

23. USC: at Arizona State. You have to feel sorry for this ASU team. They have not one even a game in conference this season. Are they channeling the Wake Forest team of last season? Unfortunately, they will not win this game either. You have to feel good for the Sun Devils. They get a win against a top-ranked team, they break a 15-game losing streak, and they are no longer at risk of going down in the archives of the Pac-10 as the only team not to win a game in-conference for a season. Herb Sendek, son of a coal-miner's daughter (true drama: from his bio) and disciple of Ricky P, deserves this small break, because, folks, he is not that good. But, for tonight, he is.

25. Virginia Tech: at North Carolina State. Both teams have beaten UNC, but State has lost 3 in a row. Hokies win. OK, if you're Virginia Tech going into this game--coming off the battle with UNC at Chapel Hill on Thursday, and given the fact that NC State beat the Hokies at Blacksburg only three weeks ago--there will be some challenges. The Tech players are probably tired, and the Wolfpack players and fans are going to be fired up. So, you take what you can get in the first half, then come out firing, using your arsenal of 9-deep to eventually wear down the extremely young and depth-challenged State players. Sounds good, right? Well, that's not exactly what happened today. Today, the Hokies looked like this may have been their first time playing together as a team. They were lost. They didn't defend or share or hustle or care (we're rhyming again--we got skills). The Hokies had a pitiful 10 assists; ONE Tech player scored in double figures (BTW: FOUR Hokies average double figures this season); and VT pulled down a whopping 20 rebounds (NOTE: they average 34 per game for the season). But what about DEFENSE? Sure, NC State got hot from the arc. No big deal. Just step out and play defense and make them beat you with something else. But no, that was not to be, as the Hokies just continued to let State shoot and shoot and shoot. Hell, the Wolfpack made the same percentage from 3-point range as they did from total FGs--66.7%. One out of every three of their shots were 3-pointers. Just one more mind-blowing stat for you: only one player off of the State bench scored. And how did he score? Well, he hit a 3-pointer, of course. Sorry for the rant, but if you're going to play in the ACC, and if you're going to be ranked in the top-25, then you should give a crap and try the best you can to win every game. The Hokies (we are assuming now that a Hokie is a type of sloth) need to step it up.

New poll tomorrow. The top 5 should be very interesting. Look for Duke to make a triumphal re-entry into the top-25 with horns blowing and Coach Cry riding in on a little donky with Dook Vitale waving palm stalks and McRoberts and company following behind arguing about who is Coach Cry's pet this season. We hope Virginia will be in the top-25, and that the sorry-ass Hokies will not.

Speaking of the Blue Satans, we watched Georgia Tech lose to Duke today. First off, let's just say Billy Packer, like Dook Vitale, has sold his soul to the Blue Satans. Even when that team from Durham was "cheating" Packer was approving. For instance, when yet another Dook player was on the positive end of a "charging" call, Packer said, "That was another great flop. They have had several of those today." Can you imagine if Packer thought Tyler Hansbrough had gotten a charging call by "flopping"? He would have been livid! But, as with most of the sold-out media, Coach AMEX and his team of whining and flopping Satans can do no wrong.

Four games tomorrow, so let's break them down for you:

5. Pitt: at Seton Hall. The Pirates look sketchy as of late, with the loss to Louisville and the close call at home with Washington--both this week. But let's face it, Seton Hall will need a miracle to pull off a win here. They can't seem to win at home or on the road. Pitt wins.

8. Kansas: play at Kansas State. ESPN at 9:00 EST. Watch this. KSU has lost one game at home this season, and they will be smelling revenge from the 27-point hurting that the Jayhawks put on them earlier in the season. The Wildcats are a good team, but their biggest flaw is not sharing the rock. If they can look to pass (especially the easy ones down low that lead to high-percentage shots), and if they can get some production from typically quiet guys like Akeem Wright, then they have a good chance to win. In fact, we're going to call the upset. Kansas State wins.

12. Butler: at Wisconsin-GB. Butler is average, but WGB is bad. Butler wins.

13. Marquette: hosts Villanova. Marquette wins. No need to spend any time on this one.

Arrivederci.

Gator, Interrupted

Day of upsets. Oh, sorry, Dick Vitale. IT'S A DAY OF UPSET CITY BAAABBBYYYY!!!!

Let's get to it, shall we?

1. Florida: at Vanderbilt. If you knew very little about basketball and looked at this match-up on paper (or even with any kind of logic) you would say that the Gators would easily win. Let's do remember, however, that the Commodores (without Lionel Richie) almost beat Florida in Gatorland nary 3 weeks ago, so we all know that they COULD pull off the upset. But will they? We think they can, BUT, they need to get more players involved in the offense (one player alone cannot beat the Gators), limit turnovers, slow down the game, and rule the offensive boards. So WILL they? We're going to go out on a limb here to say that Vandy will pull off a major upset here. Dance on, Commodores. And they are dancing in Nashville tonight! A bit of drama in this game as Vandy coach Kevin Stallings got into it with Noah (the one without the ark), but you expect some heightened emotions in a game like this. Oh, and Vandy won. Who knew. Well, we did. Or at least we thought we knew. Our keys for a Commodore win were to limit turnovers (they did fair on that one), slow down the game (uh, not exactly), and rule the offensive boards (again, no). So, we got the outcome but not the reasons. Vandy looked tough. Are they peaking at the right time? GAME NOTE: neither Lionel nor Nicole Richie were on hand to cheer on the Commodores. Lady?

3. Wisconsin: host Penn State. Penn State has lost 10 in a row. They are not going to any post-season tournaments. BUT: they took Ohio State to the wire this week before losing by 2. But let's face reality. Win-consin just out-ranks PSU. The Badgers have more players that can score (although they do need to share the scoring load more in the NCAA tourney to be successful) and they have only lost 2 games this season. They are very good and very confident. Badgers win. No upset here as Win-consin wins by 26.

4. North Carolina: at #21 Boston College. Here's a couple of key factors in this game: number one, BC just lost to slowly-fading-out-of-the-NCAA-tourney Duke, and looked pretty damn lazy most of the game, so they will be more than ready to take on the Heels, especially at home; number two, looks like Brandan Wright will not be playing for UNC because of a shoulder injury. Losing 15 points and 7 rebounds a game there. NOTE: Brandan also did not play in the Heel's massacre of Arizona, at Arizona, and was not really missed. Bottom line? There are more than enough talented Carolina players who will be able to fill the loss of Wright. AND, the Heels are coming off a 1-point OT loss to the Virgina Tech Thugs--uh, we mean Hokies. So, who wins this game? We're going to have to say Boston College. One of those rare instances where we are glad we were wrong. Depsite listening to Dook Vitale for 2 hours and 3 minutes telling us how "special" BC's Jared Dudley is, it was a great down-to-the-wire game. "Special" Dudley missed 3 key free throws (after a flop) in the final seconds as UNC squeaked out a win. This was a tough arena for Carolina, and they showed that they are all that. NOTE: we actually heard Vitale say that the Heels were going to win the NCAA Tourney. He said, and we quote: "I just have a feeling about this Tar Heels team." We have that same feeling. Oh, and Brandan Wright did play, despite the sore shoulder, and scored 13. Nice.

5. Pitt: hosts Washington. Hard to call this game because they are both fairly decent. Pitt is overrated, and the Huskies beat a very good Stanford team on Sunday. We think the Pac-10 is a much more competitive conference than the Big-East (except for Georgetown). We wish we could cite some statistical reason why one team is better than the other. Pitt plays more folks, but Washington averages more points per game. And, we don't see what all the hype about the Panthers is about, so we'll call an upset here. Huskies win. This was close all the way, but Pitt shows us (or tries to show us) that they are worthy of being in the vicinity of the top-10. We'll see.

6. Texas A&M: at Oklahoma. The Aggies must out-rebound the Sooners to win this game. Both teams are coming off a tough loss. Maybe were crazy, but we're going with another upset here as OK wins. We are crazy. Aggies win, but only by 7.

7. UCLA: at #24 Arizona. This is a must-win game for the Wildcats. UCLA had a bad scare against Arizona State this week, so they may be showing that they have hit the late-season wall--especially after losing to West Virginia. We're going to call another upset here. Zona wins. Zona keeps slipping into the bubble-zone as they lose this game.

8. Kansas: plays host to Nebraska. While the Cornhuskers are not a bad team (probably NIT-bound) they cannot manage a win at Kansas. Jayhawks win. Rebounding will be the key. No upset here. Rebounding was a key, but the key factor in this Jayhawks win was scoring as Kansas pounds the Huskers by 53.

9. Memphis: at Gonzaga. We'd lean towards an upset here if the Zags' leading rebounder and second-leading scorer Josh Heytvelt was playing. However, Josh will be watching this game from his dorm room as he was suspended this week after being slapped with drug charges after a traffic stop. Memphis will win with no problem. The Zags tried to win by playing a whole bunch of guards, but they lost in OT. A representative from Domino's reported that Josh ordered a large mushroom pizza while watching this game.

10. Nevada: hosts Northern Iowa. No need to discuss. Nevada wins. And they did. And that's it.

12. Butler: hosts #15 Southern Illinois. The Salukis (hound dogs) are just too deep for the Bulldogs, as this game just reminds us once again why Butler is all hype. Rebounds, or lack thereof, will be Butler's downfall. Southern Illinois wins. HELLO??? Does anyone else see it? Butler does not belong anywhere near the top-25. We think this team will fall hard in the Big Dance. Southern Illinois wins. The Bulldogs bite the hound dogs.

13. Marquette: play host to Louisville. While this will be a great game, Marquette cannot lose three straight. We think the Golden Eagles will win, but if they cannot control their turnovers, then they will lose. We're still going with Marquette by a nose. This was, as we thought, a close game. Ricky P. had his team fired up for this one. Spoiled rotten Derrick Caracter stepped up for the Cardinals as his team pulled off the upset. Again, forget Pitt and Marquette because Georgetown is the best team in the Big East right now.

14. Air Force: hosts Colorado State. The Falcons have looked quite vulnerable as of late, but they should beat Colorado State (and that rhymed). We are talented in more areas than just college basketball. Air Force continues to unimpress. Yes, they won this one, but they didn't look like a top-25 team. Over-rated.

16. Georgetown: at Villanova. The Hoyas roll. No contest. This was a close one, wasn't it? The Hoyas get the tough win away. They are the best team in the Big East right now, hands down.

17. Oregon: at Stanford. The Cardinals should be ranked, and they will beat the Ducks. Please don't call PETA about that last statement. We in no way condone the beating of ducks or any other types of animals. The Ducks were beaten, but it was a humane beating with PETA representatives standing by for the entire game. No ducks were actually harmed during this game.

18. Kentucky: at Alabama. Watch this game if you can. Both teams are 18-7. Both teams have lost 2 straight. Both have lost to Florida in the past week. Pretty eerie, isn't it (start creepy music). The stars are aligning for this game. We could go on and on about how the stats place these two teams dead even (points scored, rebounds, assists, assist/turnover, etc., etc., etc.). Difficult game to call? You bet. Four of UK's seven losses have been away, while only one of Bama's seven losses has been at home. The Wildcats have an eight-man rotation, and the Crimson Tide has a seven-man rotation. So, after all of that, and given Bama's record at home. we're going to have to say that the Tide will roll! OK, maybe not roll, but they will win. We won't try and over-analyze like we did pre-game. All we have to say is that we were right.

19. Indiana: at Michigan. Wow, all of these games are tough to call. Indiana will win this one, but not by much. It could even go to OT. The Hoosiers will control the boards, though. What is a "Hoosier"? Uh, the Hoosiers did not control the boards, and they lost.

20. Oklahoma State: hosts Missouri. The Cowboys take out the frustration of being embarrassed by Texas on the so-so Tigers. OK State wins. OK State probably started out too strong this season. They have the talent, and they can score, but ever since that 3OT game against Texas they have lost their center (uh, not the tall guy, but their spiritual center--like Zen, you know?) Losing to Mizzo is not a good sign. They need to regroup. Maybe a team retreat with a ropes course and some yoga?

22. West Virginia: plays host to Seton Hall. No need to comment. The Mountaineers win. Yee-ha! No comment again. Yee-ha.

Tomorrow, you ask?

2. Ohio State: at Minnesota. Have we mentioned how many lakes Minnesota has? OSU wins, though, despite the great ice-fishing talents of the Gophers.

23. USC: at Arizona State. You have to feel sorry for this ASU team. They have not one even a game in conference this season. Are they channeling the Wake Forest team of last season? Unfortunately, they will not win this game either.

25. Virginia Tech: at North Carolina State. Both teams have beaten UNC, but State has lost 3 in a row. Hokies win.

Oh, in case you care, Duke hosts Georgia Tech on Sunday. The Blue Satans were pretty fired up in their win against BC, but Tech has won four straight and beat Dook a little more than a month ago. We're not calling a win here. Just know that if that team from Durham does lose there will be some desperate need for therapists from around the country to help console those blue-painted Cameron Crazies. The Red Cross is reportedly on stand-by.

TTFN.

Will Vandy Dance?

Vanderbilt is a bubble team. They NEED to beat Florida in order to get into the NCAA Tourney. Can they do it? Come along and see:

1. Florida: at Vanderbilt. If you knew very little about basketball and looked at this match-up on paper (or even with any kind of logic) you would say that the Gators would easily win. Let's do remember, however, that the Commodores (without Lionel Richie) almost beat Florida in Gatorland nary 3 weeks ago, so we all know that they COULD pull off the upset. But will they? We think they can, BUT, they need to get more players involved in the offense (one player alone cannot beat the Gators), limit turnovers, slow down the game, and rule the offensive boards. So WILL they? We're going to go out on a limb here to say that Vandy will pull off a major upset here. Dance on, Commodores.

3. Wisconsin: host Penn State. Penn State has lost 10 in a row. They are not going to any post-season tournaments. BUT: they took Ohio State to the wire this week before losing by 2. But let's face reality. Win-consin just out-ranks PSU. The Badgers have more players that can score (although they do need to share the scoring load more in the NCAA tourney to be successful) and they have only lost 2 games this season. They are very good and very confident. Badgers win.

4. North Carolina: at #21 Boston College. Here's a couple of key factors in this game: number one, BC just lost to slowly-fading-out-of-the-NCAA-tourney Duke, and looked pretty damn lazy most of the game, so they will be more than ready to take on the Heels, especially at home; number two, looks like Brandan Wright will not be playing for UNC because of a shoulder injury. Losing 15 points and 7 rebounds a game there. NOTE: Brandan also did not play in the Heel's massacre of Arizona, at Arizona, and was not really missed. Bottom line? There are more than enough talented Carolina players who will be able to fill the loss of Wright. AND, the Heels are coming off a 1-point OT loss to the Virgina Tech Thugs--uh, we mean Hokies. So, who wins this game? We're going to have to say Boston College.

5. Pitt: hosts Washington. Hard to call this game because they are both fairly decent. Pitt is overrated, and the Huskies beat a very good Stanford team on Sunday. We think the Pac-10 is a much more competitive conference than the Big-East (except for Georgetown). We wish we could cite some statistical reason why one team is better than the other. Pitt plays more folks, but Washington averages more points per game. And, we don't see what all the hype about the Panthers is about, so we'll call an upset here. Huskies win.

6. Texas A&M: at Oklahoma. The Aggies must out-rebound the Sooners to win this game. Both teams are coming off a tough loss. Maybe were crazy, but we're going with another upset here as OK wins.

7. UCLA: at #24 Arizona. This is a must-win game for the Wildcats. UCLA had a bad scare against Arizona State this week, so they may be showing that they have hit the late-season wall--especially after losing to West Virginia. We're going to call another upset here. Zona wins.

8. Kansas: plays host to Nebraska. While the Cornhuskers are not a bad team (probably NIT-bound) they cannot manage a win at Kansas. Jayhawks win. Rebounding will be the key. No upset here.

9. Memphis: at Gonzaga. We'd lean towards an upset here if the Zags' leading rebounder and second-leading scorer Josh Heytvelt was playing. However, Josh will be watching this game from his dorm room as he was suspended this week after being slapped with drug charges after a traffic stop. Memphis will win with no problem.

10. Nevada: hosts Northern Iowa. No need to discuss. Nevada wins.

12. Butler: hosts #15 Southern Illinois. The Salukis (hound dogs) are just too deep for the Bulldogs, as this game just reminds us once again why Butler is all hype. Rebounds, or lack thereof, will be Butler's downfall. Southern Illinois wins.

13. Marquette: play host to Louisville. While this will be a great game, Marquette cannot lose three straight. We think the Golden Eagles will win, but if they cannot control their turnovers, then they will lose. We're still going with Marquette by a nose.

14. Air Force: hosts Colorado State. The Falcons have looked quite vulnerable as of late, but they should beat Colorado State (and that rhymed). We are talented in more areas than just college basketball.

16. Georgetown: at Villanova. The Hoyas roll. No contest.

17. Oregon: at Stanford. The Cardinals should be ranked, and they will beat the Ducks. Please don't call PETA about that last statement. We in no way condone the beating of ducks or any other types of animals.

18. Kentucky: at Alabama. Watch this game if you can. Both teams are 18-7. Both teams have lost 2 straight. Both have lost to Florida in the past week. Pretty eerie, isn't it (start creepy music). The stars are aligning for this game. We could go on and on about how the stats place these two teams dead even (points scored, rebounds, assists, assist/turnover, etc., etc., etc.). Difficult game to call? You bet. Four of UK's seven losses have been away, while only one of Bama's seven losses has been at home. The Wildcats have an eight-man rotation, and the Crimson Tide has a seven-man rotation. So, after all of that, and given Bama's record at home. we're going to have to say that the Tide will roll! OK, maybe not roll, but they will win.

19. Indiana: at Michigan. Wow, all of these games are tough to call. Indiana will win this one, but not by much. It could even go to OT. The Hoosiers will control the boards, though. What is a "Hoosier"?

20. Oklahoma State: hosts Missouri. The Cowboys take out the frustration of being embarrassed by Texas on the so-so Tigers. OK State wins.

22. West Virginia: plays host to Seton Hall. No need to comment. The Mountaineers win. Yee-ha!