1/23 - Blogging away your Saturday

We're back again!

As is the case with Saturday's, a good 80% of DI teams will be playing at some point today, kicking of with Michigan State, Villanova, and Georgetown's noon tips, and wrapping as Louisiana Tech tips with Hawaii after midnight here on the East Coast.

Check in with us throughout the day as we will be sitting couch side, laptop in lap, with two tv's set up to keep you up to date on all of the day's happenings.

Here's today's schedule of notable games:

• 12:00 pm: Michigan State @ Minnesota
• 12:00 pm: Rutgers @ Georgetown
• 12:00 pm: Villanova @ St. John's
• 12:00 pm: Mississippi State @ Alabama
• 1:00 pm: Temple @ Fordham
• 1:30 pm: Ole Miss @ LSU
• 1:30 pm: Auburn @ Vanderbilt
• 1:30 pm: Colorado @ Texas A&M
• 1:30 pm: Boston College @ Virginia Tech
• 2:00 pm: Kansas @ Iowa State
• 2:00 pm: Oregon State @ Cal
• 2:00 pm: Butler @ UIC
• 2:00 pm: DePaul @ Notre Dame
• 2:00 pm: Marquette @ Syracuse
• 2:00 pm: Ohio State @ West Virginia
• 2:05 pm: Wichita State @ Drake
• 3:00 pm: Rice @ Tulsa
• 3:30 pm: Colorado State @ New Mexico
• 4:00 pm: Texas @ UConn
• 4:00 pm: Arkansas @ Kentucky
• 4:00 pm: Virginia @ Wake Forest
• 4:00 pm: UMass @ Baylor
• 4:00 pm: OK State @ K State
• 4:00 pm: Michigan @ Purdue
• 5:00 pm: Tennessee @ Georgia
• 6:00 pm: NC State @ Maryland
• 6:00 pm: South Carolina @ Florida
• 6:00 pm: Nebraska @ Missouri
• 6:00 pm: Dayton @ St. Joseph's
• 6:00 pm: Rhode Island @ Xavier
• 7:00 pm: Cornell @ Columbia
• 7:00 pm: Old Dominion @ William & Mary
• 8:00 pm: Illinois @ Northwestern
• 8:00 pm: LMU @ Gonzaga
• 8:00 pm: Oklahoma @ Texas Tech
• 9:00 pm: Duke @ Clemson
• 9:30 pm: Arizona @ Arizona State
• 10:00 pm: BYU @ San Diego State
• 10:30 pm: Washington @ USC

Hit the jump to follow along!


8:20 pm: That's it for today folks. We're going to relax, crack a few beers, and watch Duke take on Clemson.

8:15 pm: Scary stuff in the Samford game. Head coach Jimmy Tillette had a seizure in the middle of the second half. He's awake and responsive, according to a press release.

8:05 pm: Another great finish in Philly. As I flipped to ESPN U, Dayton was taking the ball out of bounds down 1 with 10 seconds left. Lowery drove to the rim, had his shot blocked, and the Hawks picked up the win.

8:03 pm: What a finish in Gainesville. Devan Downey goes the length of the floor, literally dribbling through four Gators, and making a tough leaner off the glass. But Walker takes the ball the other way, and he finds Chandler Parsons for a three at the buzzer. 58-56, Florida wins. Its the second game-winner for Parsons.

7:58 pm: Devan Downey hits a tough, tough pull up from the left base line to give the Gamecocks a 54-52 lead with 24 seconds left, but Kenny Boynton is fouled on a three with 11 seconds left.... Made all three

7:51 pm: Florida takes the lead on a tough, tough finish by Kenny Boynton, but at the other end Downey draws a foul and just misses the layin. To the line for the tie, 1:32 left on the clock.

7:48 pm: How many big shots in Downey going to hit? He just banged another three to tie the game after Florida retook the lead. He has 30 of SC's 50.

7:43 pm: Chris Wright has 20 points, but Dayton is in danger of dropping another in league play, as they are down 52-43 at St. Joe's with seven minutes left.

7:41 pm: URI hits a three to cut the lead to 53-50 seconds after Jason Love picked up his 4th foul.

7:37 pm: Kenny Frease fouls out with 11 minutes left in the game. URI responds by forcing back to back turnovers. 48-45 with 10 minutes left.

7:34 pm: Devan Downey has scored seven straight points, and has 24 on the game, as the Gamecocks have retaken the lead in Gainesville.

7:27 pm: Jordan Crawford has been fantastic, as he has 18 points and 10 boards for Xavier, who is up 40-39 on URI in the Cintas Center.

7:18 pm: Travis Leslie had 19 points, 9 boards, 7 assists, and one dunk worthy of an 8.5 in a dunk contest in Georgia's 15 point win over Tennessee. I think Mark Fox has himself a star in the making.

7:12 pm: And a Greivis Vasquez three puts the Terps up 13 early in the second half. Florida has scored the first four points of the second half as they have opened up a 29-25 lead on South Carolina. Of note: Devan Downey scored his 2,000th point in this game.

6:54 pm: Nice surge by NC State at the end of the first half to cut the lead to four, but they gave up a layup and fouled MD with 2 seconds left and the Terps head into the break up 41-33.

6:40 pm: And Maryland has opened up a ten point lead, getting a couple easy baskets in transition. Greivis isn't scoring, but he is once again showing off his phenomenal passing ability.

6:34 pm: The ACC may be the only conference that is more of a crapshoot than the Pac-10 with a win, Maryland moves into a first place tie with Virginia at 3-1. With a loss, Virginia is the only team in the league with one loss. Huh?

6:29 pm: And Georgia has taken a 51-32 lead against Tennessee.

6:26 pm: Pullen missed a layup! Nick Sidorkas gets the board, to the line for two. Makes them both, and K-State loses at home.

6:21 pm: Spoke too soon. K-State makes three free throws, cuts the lead to 70-69, Crazy possession, as OK State inbounds the ball, and Muonelo dribbles around but turns it over. It comes right into the hands of Martavious Irving, who promptly has the ball poked away from behind. Pilgrim ends up with it, and hits 1-2 free throws. K-State ball, down 2, 13 seconds left.

6:16: pm: After back-to-back threes by K-State, Obi Muonelo hits a free throw to give the Pokes a four point lead with 44 seconds left. Pullen misses a three, this one may be over.

6:07 pm: Kentucky just completed their win over Arkansas, which means that the Wildcats will be the the No. 1 team in the country come Monday.

6:04 pm: A Kemba Walker three open up a 13 point lead for the Huskies, but out in Manhattan, KS, Jamar Samuels just fouled out as the Pokes are in the midst of an 11-1 run to open up a 61-56 lead with four minutes left.

6:01 pm: OK State has come back and taken a 58-55 lead with an 8-0 run.

6:00 pm: A Stanley Robinson layup followed by a offensive foul gives UConn the ball back up 66-58. This game is exposing the Texas problems at the point. Balbay has four fouls, and beyond that Mason and Bradley are not great ball handlers.

5:56 pm: And OK State has scored five straight points to tie the game. Jacob Pullen is struggling again, as he has just 8 points and is 1-10 from the field.

5:55 pm: Is it any wonder that UConn has protected the ball, while forcing turnovers, in the second half and has opened up a five point lead? Kemba Walker just drew the fourth foul on Pittman and will be headed to the line with the chance to put UConn up seven.

5:53 pm: Since Pilgrim picked up his tech, Kansas State has been on a 16-6 run, taking a 55-50 lead with 7:47 left in the game.

5:49 pm: From the WTF department, Tennessee is currently trailing Georgia 36-20 with two minutes left in the first half. Anyone else see the irony in the fact that this is the first game that Cam Tatum has played since the suspension?

5:43 pm: And the Huskies have taken the lead. They've done it with the transition game, as Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker has gotten free runouts the last few possessions.

5:40 pm: UConn has tied the game at 52. Their big guys are playing great. Majok is active, getting offensive boards, blocking shots, and being a pain on the defensive end. Gavin Edwards, who has done a fantastic job against Dexter Pittman (3 fouls on Pittman), might be the best big man in the country at running the floor.

5:32 pm: Things are getting testy in Manhattan. Matt Pilgrim just picked up a tech for jawing with Curtis Kelly, and that is his fourth. Pullen at the line for two, down 44-39, and the Wildcats get the ball back. Pilgrim now has four fouls.

5:26 pm: And the Huskies are right back in it. Walker gets a layup, Dyson steals the inbounds and Walker finishes an and-one, then Dyson makes another steal and goes in for a dunk. 44-41

5:22 pm: And Clemente just got a tech for K-State. He got drilled on a screen, and came up jawing with Keiton Page. It worked, because Ok State was just called for an illegal screen.

5:20 pm: And UConn starts the second half with (gasp!) a turnover and Texas turns it into a dunk for Bradley at the other end. UConn calls a timeout just 9 seconds into the second half. You know Texas is going to tighten up their game after the half, will UConn? Are they going to make this a game? Its looking dangerously close to Texas pulling away.

5:18 pm: Oklahoma State has opened the second half with a 5-0 run to take a 37-35 lead with 18 minutes left in the game. Anderson now has 21.

5:07 pm: I think its official - Virginia will spend just 20 more minutes atop the ACC. They are down 36-15 early in the second half to Wake Forest.

5:06 pm: Story of the first half in Storrs: 16 UConn turnovers, 21 Texas points off of those turnovers.

5:00 pm: UConn is down just five points despite 14 turnovers. A testament to how well they are playing on the defensive end and on the glass, or an indication of how poor Texas is shooting, as they are settling for jumpers way too often.

4:55 pm: James Anderson has 19 points, but the rest of the Pokes roster has just 11 points as Kansas State is up 35-30. A fan just threw a cup of soda onto the court after a close call that was overturned ... and actually was correct when they changed it.

4:39 pm: Dogus Balbay is underrated. There are not many people that can get to the rim like him, even with defenders playing eight feet off, but he is also a great passer when draws defenders.

4:35 pm: Purdue (27-13) and Kentucky (34-13) running away. K-State has opened up a 25-18 lead on the Pokes, using their defensive pressure.

4:32 pm: And UConn responds with a 9-0 run of their own, including Pittman's second foul. The Huskies must take advantage with the big fella on the bench.

4:29 pm: Nine turnovers for UConn, 14 pts off of turnovers for Texas. Damion James has 12 points. Not a good start for the Huskies.

4:26 pm: Well, Kentucky came out ready. They are up 19-7 at the under 12 timeout, and Arkansas is just 2-14 from the floor with a couple of airballs. Purdue is up 16-11, and DeShawn Sims has all 11 for the Wolverines. Not sure they have enough weapons with Harris out. Wake has taken a 17-10 lead early, and OK State is tied up with K-State.

4:24 pm: The Huskies are playing with energy to match the Longhorns. They are rebounding, they are blocking shots, they are getting out in transition. They are even playing decent ball in the half court. What they aren't doing? Protecting the ball. Seven turnovers in the first five minutes?

4:23 pm: We have a great lineup of games here at 4:00pm: OK State-Kansas State, Michigan-Purdue, Arkansas-Kentucky, UConn-Texas, Wake-UVa.

4:09 pm: Cal holds on to knock off Oregon State. In other news, both Kansas State (10-2) and Kentucky (10-3) have gotten off to quick starts.

4:06 pm: Oregon State has come all the way back from down fifteen, and after a tough, runner from Calvin Haynes, the Beavers are now down just two with 11 seconds left.

4:00 pm: So Jon Diebler missed a three that could have cut the lead to one, and West Virginia will win this game. Evan Turner, who has been clutch in recent games, missed a couple late free throws and blew some shots he usually hits as Ohio State's comeback falls short. Impressive win for West Virginia, who couldn't get a stop in the first half and was down 12 heading into the half.

3:56 pm: Around the rest of the country, there, well, wasn't much in the way of a surprise. Every team you expected to win has either won or all but has the win in hand.

3:55 pm: OSU isn't dead yet. A tip-in from Lauderdale cuts the lead to 69-65 with just under a minute left.

3:48 pm: West Virginia has been a completely different team in the second half, as they have now opened up a 68-61 lead with just three minutes left.

3:44 pm: Brian Davis of the Aggies with a huge tip-dunk to give A&M the lead with 30 seconds left. Colorado misses a shot, turns the rebound over, then is forced to foul.

3:41 pm: Colorado has scored six straight points in a minute to tie the game up against A&M. 59-all with 48 seconds left.

3:39 pm: Da'Sean Butler hits another three, WVU up 62-58.

3:38 pm: Virginia Tech forces a turnover from Reggie Jackson in the final seconds as the Hokies hold on to beat BC and improve to 2-2 in the ACC.

3:33 pm: And Da'Sean Butler hits a three to give WVU their first lead of the game. Outside of William Buford, no one on the Buckeyes is really playing all that well in the second half. WVU, on the other hand, has really picked up their defense and is starting to wear down the Buckeyes on the glass.

3:30 pm: And Truck Bryant hits a three to tie the game in Morgantown, but Evan Turver throws a GORGEOUS pass to Lauderdale to give the Buckeyes the lead back.

3:27 pm: Marquette took 17 first half threes, but it took them over six minutes to attempt one in the second half. The Orange has opened up a 54-46 lead as the Carrier Dome crowd seem to have finally woken up. Alley-oop to Wes Johnson makes it 56-46.

3:22 pm: William Buford has caught fire, hitting three straight jumper as the Buckeyes use a little 7-2 spurt after WVU got the lead down to one.

3:17 pm: I love Darius Johnson-Odom's game. He can really shoot it, but he doesn't rely solely on his jump shot. He can get to the rim, he can pass, and he is a solid defender. Gonna be a very good player for the Golden Eagles.

3:16 pm: Syracuse was down 34-27 at one point at the end of the first half, but they have been on a 14-2 run since them.

3:13 pm: West Virginia wakes up at the starts of the second half, going of a quick 10-0 run to get right back into this game. I wonder if Huggy Bear got their attention at the half. Same with Vanderbilt, who used a 27-12 spurt to cut Auburn's lead to 53-52.

2:49 pm: West Virginia heads into the break down by 12, 40-28, to the Buckeyes. I know that OSU is very, very good this year, but West Virginia is struggling. They aren't getting to the offensive glass, and they can't keep OSU from penetrating. I'm glad I don't have to be in that WVU locker room. Evan Turner has 13 points, 6 boards, and 3 assists. Great game for most, average half for him.

2:43 pm: Andy Rautins turns the ball over, but chases down Cubillan and pins his layup attempt. At the other end, Kris Jospeh gets fouled. Could this be the spark that Syracuse needs to get going?

2:41 pm: Ole Miss closed the first half with a 14-3 run to take a six point lead.

2:29 pm: Temple has jumped all over Fordham in the second half, taking a 47-27 lead with just 8 minutes left. The good teams in the SEC are struggling today. Auburn is up 41-25 on Vanderbilt, LSU is up 29-24 on Ole Miss, and as we mentioned, Alabama beat Mississippi State. With MSU's loss, the SEC West no longer has an undefeated team in conference play.

2:27 pm: Iowa State has come back and taken a 14-13 lead. Kansas is having trouble slowing down penetration by the Cyclones, which has opened up dunks and jumpers. In Syracuse, Marquette is sitting pretty with a 20-16 lead (now 20-18) over the Orange. Darius Johnson-Odom already has 10 points.

2:20 pm: West Virginia is struggling defensively, as they are now down 24-12 with just 10 minutes gone. The Mountaineers bigs are having trouble staying up on the OSU shooters.

2:15 pm: If you were curious, Tyshawn Taylor did not start against Iowa State. Apparently, neither did the Cyclones. Its 8-0 in the first two minutes.

2:14 pm: JaMychal Green hit two free throws to seal the win for Alabama, 62-57. Mikhail Torrance had 20 in the win.

2:12 pm: So we've already had Gus Johnson in the MSU game, and now we get Billy Raftery for OSU-WVU and Fraschilla for Kansas-ISU? Hell. Yes.

2:10 pm: Ohio State uses a couple threes to open an early 10-3 lead. Evan Turner has a few defensive rebounds, but one of the most important aspects of this game for the Buckeyes is Dallas Lauderdale. Can he hold his own on the glass against a very good offensive rebounding team. If yes, Ohio State should win this game.

2:06 pm: In the SEC, Auburn has opened up a 10 point lead early on Vanderbilt, while Alabama holds a 56-55 lead on Mississippi State with just 56 seconds left.

2:04 pm: Minnesota's Westbrook missed a tough runner (coulda had a foul called) and Hoffarber missed a tip as the Spartans win a big game on the road to remain undefeated in the Big Ten.

1:59 pm: Terrible offesnvie possession from the Spartans ends with a forced runner from Allen. Minnesota grabs the boards, down one, calls timeout with 14 seconds left. Kalin Lucas drove and kicked to Durrell Summers in the corner with about 10 seconds left on the shot clock. He needed to go get that ball back.

1:56 pm: Kalin Lucas bangs home a tough three with the shot clock winding down, but Damian Johnson answers with a leaner to make it 65-64 Spartans with 55 seconds left.

1:55 pm: Fordham is hanging with Temple in the first half, down just 22-19 at home.


1:54 pm: Raymar Morgan draws a foul and hits both free throws to tie the game before Westbrook misses a tough three. MSU ball, 1:40 left.

1:49 pm: Michigan State has cut the lead to 62-58 at the under four timeout, and get the ball back. Risky play by Raymar Morgan, who reached on a shot by Sampson but happened to get the ball and earned a jump.

1:43 pm: Nova is now on a 10-0 run after an Isaiah Armwood dunk. 58-49 with 11 minutes left.

1:41 pm: On back-to-back possessions, Scottie Reynolds has gotten to the free throw line after drawing a foul in transition. Nova has open the lead to seven points. But in Minnesota, Raymar Morgan answered another huge, tough jumper by Joseph with a three-point play. 60-55 with five minutes left.

1:37 pm: Yarou with two offensive rebounds before he finally scored at the rim. At the other end, he forced two misses at the rim. Yarou is big, he is strong, and he is athletic. Once he gets back into his rhythm - getting in game shape, learning the offense, learning his teammates - he is going to be a force for Nova. If it happens this season, it only legitimizes the Cats as a Final Four team.

1:35 pm: After a gorgeous pass from Lucas on a break (Sparty can get up and down the floor with the best of them) and Allen's fourth three, MSU has cut the lead to five, but Joseph with a huge bucket on a floater in the paint. Joseph has played great in Nolen's stead.

1:31 pm: Michigan State is starting to put it together offensively, playing in a rhythm and hitting the open shots they get. But The Spartans have not been able to stop the Gophers defensively. And as I wrote that, Westbrook throws the ball off Durrell Summers back on an out-of-bounds under the basket with three seconds on the shot clock.

1:25 pm: St. Johns is still hanging around with Villanova. Its tied at 46 as we head to the under 16 timeout.

1:23 pm: Michigan State just cannot put together a run. After a block by Sampson at one end, Devoe Joseph drives through the defense and finds Sampson for a dunk. Its a 12 point Minnesota lead.

1:11 pm: More bad news for Michigan State: Raymar Morgan just picked up his fourth foul with 17:50 left in the second half and Sparty down 11. Risky decision by Izzo to start Draymond Green in the second half and put Morgan on Lawrence Westbrook when he had three fouls.

1:09 pm: Minnesota scores the first five points of the second half, extending their lead to 13 points.

12:59 pm: Scottie Reynolds buries a three with three seconds left, and after missing a prayer from half court, Nova and the Johnnies both head into the break tied at 38.

12:56 pm: Chris Wright scored 14 points in the first half, continuing his hot play, as Georgetown jumped out to a 46-29 lead over Rutgers at the break. Mississippi State has made a run and come back, trailing just 27-26 at the half.

12:51 pm: Kalin Lucas got a steal and nearly finished a nifty reverse layup in transition, a play that finally looked like it was going to give a listless Sparty team some life, but Durrell Summers committed basket interference, dunking home a ball that looked like it was going in. As a result, Minnesota will head into the half up 34-26. Once again, Michigan State looks like they are struggling on the road.

12:44 pm: Corey Fisher picks up a steal off of a press and gets a layup, cutting the lead 30-28. Over in Minnesota, the Gophers have opened up a 32-22 lead on the Spartans. Kalin Lucas has been playing well - 9 pts, 2 asts - but the Spartans haven't given him any help.

12:40 pm: Back-to-back and-ones for Nova after a Taylor King drew a charge has cut the lead to 30-25.

12:29 pm: St. John's has opened up a 27-18 lead on Villanova, while Alabama is up 16-6 early on Mississippi State. And as I was typing that, Paris Horne knocked down another jumper for St. John's. The Red Storm has come out playing - and shooting - very well here early on.

12:20 pm: Dwight Hardy is nicknamed buckets for a reason. He just hit three straight threes during an 11-0 Johnnies run as they have taken an 18-14 lead over Villanova.

12:15 pm: Kalin Lucas hits a three at the 15:00 mark and Michigan State is finally on the board as the Gophers jumped out to an early 8-0 lead. The Gophers are looking pretty good with out Nolen right now.

12:07 pm: Gus Johnson!!!!!! He's calling the Michigan State-Minnesota game on CBS.

12:02 pm: Doris Burke is 100% correct about Scottie Reynolds. He's got a chance (I'd even go as far as to say he deserves) to be the Big East player of the year and a 1st team all-american, and people never talk about him.