Georgetown bounced back from a loss to South Florida (worry not; the Bulls have always been a tough matchup for the Hoyas) with consecutive Big East victories... and while outscoring then- #2 Villanova 103-90 was impressive-- the Hoyas gritty rally from nine down in the second half to top a Providence team playing for its postseason life was notable in its own right. Greg Monroe (12 assists) continues to color outside the big-man box... and one can't help but like the 1-2 backcourt punch of Austin Freeman and Chris Wright--especially as a tournament-tested tandem. Sympathy to the Friar Faithful: PC's next three foes after facing #8 Georgetown are #5 Villanova, #4 West Virginia and #3 Syracuse--ouch.
Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse is off to a 23-1 start (best ever in school history)... Wesley Johnson looks like he could be named Rookie and Player of the Year (although Villanova's Scottie Reynolds remains the likely POY winner)... tough tests remain in the form of top ten teams Georgetown and Villanova; plus a pair of games against a Louisville team squarely on the bubble.
Maryland met its match this week... the only opponent able to slow down Gary Williams' juggernaut is the winter weather-- pushing the Terps Wednesday night game with Virginia to Monday February 15th (hope they don't overdo the chocolates on Valentine's Day). Greivis Vasquez is making his case for ACC Player of the year... nobody means more to his team and nobody electrifies the crowd for or against himself like Vasquez.
Snowstorm thoughts-- WOW. After getting hit by 15-20 inches last weekend... 10-20 were expected this week-- although it reads more like 5 to 10. Once again proving sequels are often disappointing... with the exception of Beat Street 2-- Electric Boogloo...
George Mason cooled off in CAA losses at Georgia State and Drexel... but heated up in the second half aginst VCU-- rallying from 15 points down to nip the Rams in overtime 82-77. While the template for the Patriots this winter has been Cam Long outside and Ryan Pearson inside... coach Jim Larranaga's bench of interchangable parts has produced when put in the right position-- the latest being Mike Morrison's 18 points and 10 rebounds against VCU. Red Flag-- GMU visits Old Dominion Saturday in battle for second place in the conference... and the Patriots are just 4-3 on the road in the CAA this winter.
WHO'S THAT? Another exciting Super Bowl interrupted by another baby boomer rock act. Don't get me wrong-- I've always been a big WHO fan... and Roger Daltrey brings it at age 65 better than most singers one third of his age-- but Pete Townsend "trying to be hip" is worse than Ron Wood "needing a leash to keep him on stage" in the recent SB halftime spectrum (Prince "getting busy with his guitar?" remains untouchable). At first I heard they were going to do a "medley"-- come on, kids--Barry Manilow sings medleys... the WHO's supposed to rock. And also, did we need constant closeup shots of the drummer? I mean, I know he's Ringo's kid (Zak Starkey also has drummed for Oasis this decade) but Keith Moon will forever be the WHO's drummer (sorry, Kenny Jones). Can't wait to see the EAGLES sing next year.
George Washington finds iself battling for its Atlantic Ten tournament life-- the Colonials 70-63 loss to Duquesne was the team's third in a row and plummets GW into a tie for 12th (I know... it's called the Atlantic Ten and there are 14 teams... with 12 making the conference tournament... college math always intrigued me). Not all is lost-- after facing last place Fordham this Saturday, GW has fellow cellar dwellers UMass and Richmond in short order-- an opportunity to clinch an A-10 berth.
Super Bowl thoughts-- Remember when the commercials were great and the games were awful? Since 2001, blowouts have been the exception as opposed to the rule: six SB's were decided by a touchdown or less from 1967 to 1997, seven such games since... and that doesn't include this year's come from behind 14 point Saints win. What a crazy decade... with former laughingstock franchises like the Saints and Buccaneers winning titles (and the Cardinals reaching the big game).
American was outshot and outrebounded by Patriot League leader Lehigh (Mountain Hawks not nearly as cool a nickname as the Engineers) 77-65... early foul trouble for Stephen Lumpkins hampered the Eagles inside game-- and 9 of 34 three point shooting will not get things done.
AU now faces two games in three days--weather permitting--against Bucknell and Colgate (January 17th's win against the Raiders began a 4-2 Eagle run).
Howard saw its January surge turn into a February swoon...as four straight losses have the Bison at under .500 in the MEAC. Monday's 77-64 loss at South Carolina State was the team's first double digit conference defeat other than the one to league-leading Morgan State (and I should rephrase myself... league-crushing Morgan State) The MEAC with its tight turnaround schedule of Saturday-Monday roadswings can be brutal to teams finding their way-- the good news is the Bison are home for a pair against North Carolina A&T as well as Norfolk State...
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