12 Feb13 - One Moment In Time

Volume XVI, No. 15 - 12 Feb13 - [] Top 25 Ballot

One Moment In Time

Michigan State isn't pretty, but it's excellent defensively. The Spartans held Ohio State to 26% shooting (including 2/16 on three-pointers) in their 58-@48 road win over the Buckeyes (and forged a tie with OSU atop the BIG 10 standings). North Carolina seemed to have the game in hand with a 10-point lead over Duke, but a closing 13-2 run from the Blue Devils (including an own-goal from cTyler Zeller[23p11r] and bAustin Rivers[29p5r]' buzzer-beating game-winning-three) stunned the Tar Heels, 85-@84 (creating a three-way tie atop the ACC standings along with UNC and Florida State). Kentucky destroyed Florida, @78-58, in its finest performance of the season while holding the Gator guards to 6-for-27 on 3s; then the Wildcats took Vanderbilt's best shot and rallied for a 69-@63 road win (opening a THREE-GAME GAP on the rest of the SEC). Syracuse escaped at home, @64-61(OT) over Georgetown (despite being outrebounded 30-to-48, thanks to 29p5r from bKris Joseph).
     Gonzaga got one back with a @73-59 win over St. Mary's as freshman gKevin Pangos had 27 points (but the Bulldogs still trail the Gaels in the WCC standings). Wichita State all but locked up the MVC with a crushing 89-@68 road win over Creighton (opening a two-game gap with only three games left to play). UNLV and San Diego State haven't settled anything in the MWC -- the Rebels' @65-63 home win matched their earlier road loss to the Aztecs (and they're both locked in a three-way tie for the league lead along with New Mexico). Oregon routed Washington, @82-57 (but still trails WU and California in the PAC-12).

Baylor did even worse the second time around against the BIG 12 co-leaders: 7-0 fJeff Withey had 25p5r6to as Kansas won going away 68-@54; then Missouri shot 14-for-28 on threes in its @72-57 blowout win. Murray State finally gave into the pressure of staying undefeated, falling @68-72 at home to Tennessee State (despite 31p from gIsaiah Canaan). Florida State gave back its edge in the ACC with a sorry 60-@64 loss to 8-17 Boston College. Florida was still hung over from its loss to Kentucky when it fell for the second time to Tennessee, @70-75. Creighton's slump had already started with a loss at Evansville, 57-@65. Southern Mississippi gave back its lead in C-USA with a road loss at UAB, 61-@71 -- (while Memphis beat the same Blazers, @79-45, to pull into a tie for first place).
     Temple's @85-72 win over Xavier (thanks to 30p from gRamone Moore) didn't have the national implications that were anticipated at the start of the season (but it did set up the Owls alone in first place in the competitive A-10).

tIan Hummer(20p9r6a) keyed Princeton's @70-62 upset of Harvard -- the first home win for the Tigers over a nationally ranked team since 1977 [#2 Notre Dame -- an awesome game; I was a freshman.] (The Crimson still has a one-game lead over Yale just past midconference, but one more slip-up and it'll be in a playoff scenario for the second straight season.)

Valparaiso's 59-@41 win completed the sweep of Cleveland State and suddenly it's the Crusaders in the driver's seat of the HORIZON race. Loyola(Maryland) pulled into a tie for the MAAC lead with an @87-81 win over Iona (despite 22p16r5to from cMike Glover). Vermont is in a virtual tie for the AMERICA EAST lead after its @68-49 drubbing of Stony Brook.
     Hats off to UNC-Asheville -- the Bulldogs (thanks to their fine backcourt of pMatt Dickey and pJ.P. Primm) are the first team to clinch their conference regular season title, opening a FOUR-GAME GAP in the BIG SOUTH with only three games left to play.

Louisville's 6-game BIG EAST win streak is on the line (Monday) when it hosts Syracuse. Michigan State (Thursday vs Wisconsin) and Ohio State (Saturday at Michigan) try to beat back the suitors and keep the BIG 10 race all to themselves. Baylor tries to re-establish some cred with two home games (Monday vs Iowa State, Saturday vs Kansas State). New Mexico gets its shot to take control of the MWC when it visits San Diego State (Wednesday) and hosts UNLV (Saturday). George Mason and VCU try to sort things out atop the COLONIAL (Tuesday).
     In BRACKETBUSTERS, the shine has come off its matchup with St. Mary's now that Murray State is no longer undefeated; Wichita State at Davidson may be an even better game. (A win probably secures an NCAA bid for either team; for everyone else, a win isn't a bid but a loss means the Bubble or worse.) Plunging Creighton (vs Long Beach State and [pCasper Ware]) and Cleveland State (vs Drexel) can't afford to lose at home. Don't miss Iona's pScott Machado or Weber State's pDamian Lillard.
     It's Charlie Brown and the football once again on Saturday -- don't expect Clemson to break its 0-55 streak in Chapel Hill at North Carolina.

-- Ron

Key games this week:

Monday:

Syracuse-@Louisville, Kansas-@KansasSt(KS), @Baylor-IowaSt, @Southern-MSValleySt,

Tuesday:

Florida-@Alabama, @GeoMason-VCU(VA), @KentSt-Buffalo, @JamesMadison-GeorgiaSt, @CoCarolina-UNCAsheville, @Nevada-CalStBakersfield,

Wednesday:

NCarolina-@MiamiFL, @Indiana-Northwestern, @StMarys-LoyolaMarymount(CA), @SanDiegoSt-NewMexico, Temple-@StBonaventure, @SEMissouri-MurraySt, @Illinois-Purdue, @OhioU-BowlingGreen(OH), @SoMississippi-Tulsa, @Tennessee-Arkansas, @StephenFAustin-TXArlington(TX),

Thursday:

@Duke-NCState(NC), @MichiganSt-Wisconsin, @California-Oregon, @Stanford-OregonSt, @Bucknell-Lehigh(PA), @TXPanAmerican-NJIT,

Friday-Sunday:

BRACKETBUSTERS on-campus [142 teams/71 games]

(Fri:

@VCU-NoIowa(TV), @LoyolaMarymount-Valparaiso(TV),

Sat:

WichitaSt-@Davidson(TV), StMarys-@MurraySt(TV),
@OralRoberts-Akron(TV), @WeberSt-TXArlington(TV),
@Creighton-LongBeachSt(TV),
@Iona-Nevada(TV), @SDState-Buffalo(TV), @GeoMason-Lamar, @Montana-Hawaii,
@KentSt-ColofCharleston, @ClevelandSt-Drexel(TV), @Manhattan-UNCWilmington, @CoCarolina-TennesseeTech, @NewMexicoSt-Drake(TV), @CalStFullerton-MontanaSt,
@OhioU-UNCAsheville(TV),
@Vermont-Niagara,
@StephenFAustin-HighPt,
@BowlingGreen-MoreheadSt(BG), @Butler-IndianaSt(IN), @Detroit-JamesMadison, @NDState-WeMichigan, @GeorgiaSt-TXSanAntonio, @CharlestonSo-Wofford(SC), @Idaho-PortlandSt, @NorthwesternSt-Campbell,
@IllinoisSt-Oakland, @Milwaukee-Fairfield, @Albany-Rider,
@McNeeseSt-SEMissouri,
@Delaware-Hampton,
@MissouriSt-OldDominion(TV), @Evansville-WeIllinois, @EaKentucky-IPFW(BG), @VMI-William&Mary(VA), @UtahSt-UCSantaBarbara,
@BallSt-SoIllinois, @Maine-Marist,
@GreenBay-EaMichigan, @JacksonvilleSt-{Presbyterian}, @Northeastern-Stony Brook, @UCRiverside-SoUtah, @Pacific-IdahoSt, @UCIrvine-EaWashington,
@MiamiOH-TennesseeSt, @AppalachianSt-Winthrop, @GardnerWebb-DelawareSt, @SamHoustonSt-Toledo, @NewHampshire-Towson,
@EaIllinois-ILChicago(IL), @MOKansasCity-WrightSt, @{SDakota}-TexasSt, @LouisianaTech-CArkansas, @SacramentoSt-SanJoseSt(CA), @SELouisiana-TNMartin,
@AustinPeay-Youngstownt,
@{SIUEdwardsville}-NoIllinois(IL), @NoColorado-CalPolySLO,
@Bradley-LoyolaIL(IL), @CMichigan-TexasA&MCC, @StPeters-Hartford, @Canisius-MDBaltimoreCo, @Hofstra-Siena(NY), @Radford-SUNYB, @CalStNorthridge-FresnoSt(CA), @NoArizona-UCDavis, @NichollsSt-IUPUI, @MorganSt-Liberty,

Sun:

@LoyolaMD-BostonU),

Saturday:

@NCarolina-Clemson, OhioSt-@Michigan, UNLV-@NewMexico, @Baylor-KansasSt, Florida-@Arkansas, Marquette-@Connecticut, FloridaSt-@NCState, @Harvard-Yale, @Washington-Arizona, @Massachusetts-LaSalle, @Alabama-Tennessee,

Sunday:

MichiganSt-@Purdue,

Monday week:

Baylor-@Texas(TX), @Villanova-Connecticut, @Belmont-SCUpstate, @NorfolkSt-Longwood(VA), @MSValleySt-TexasSo.

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Top 25 - 12 Feb13 - [] Column

1. Kentucky (25-1)
2. Syracuse (25-1)
3. Missouri (23-2)
4. Duke (20-4)
5. Michigan State (19-5)
6. Kansas (19-5)
7. North Carolina (21-4)
8. Ohio State (21-4)
9. Georgetown (18-5)
10. Wichita State (21-4)
11. UNLV (20-4)
12. Baylor (20-4)
13. Florida (19-6)
14. Michigan (18-7)
15. Indiana (19-6)
16. Notre Dame (16-8)
17. Marquette (21-5)
18. Louisville (20-5)
19. Florida State (17-7)
20. Wisconsin (19-6)
21. Gonzaga (20-4)
22. St. Mary's (21-3)
23. San Diego State (18-4)
24. Temple (19-5)
25. Vanderbilt (17-8)

Honorable Mention:

Boston College (8-17), Tennessee (13-12), Tennessee State (17-10), Evansville (12-13), Princeton (11-10), Oregon (17-7), UAB (10-14), Valparaiso (16-9), Loyola(Maryland) (19-6), UNC-Asheville (15-7), Vermont (17-10).