College Hoops Round-Up

Syracuse beat Providence yesterday, in a good old-fashioned Big East game-- on a critical late-game play, a Providence player got smacked across the face hard enough to turn his head, and no foul was called. He missed the shot, Syracuse got the rebound, and it was all over but the free-throw shooting.

This was a classic bubble-team game-- Syracuse was up six for much of the first half, and trailed by four at halftime. Then they were up again for a while,were tied a few times in the middle of the second half, and held on to eke out a narrow victory. The win was their 20th, which is not as much of a magic number as it used to be, but it helps boost their case for making the NCAA tournament.

Of course, they're literally limping into the Big Dance, having started Saturday's game with barely enough healthy players to field a team. They got a huge game from the somewhat erratic Andy Rautins, though-- a career-high 19 points, including five three-pointers. It's not clear when they're going to get healthy, though, especially since they play Georgetown Monday night.

Speaking of the hated Hoyas, they beat Pitt soundly to take over the top spot in the Big East, and they looked pretty damn good doing it. Georgetown's playing really well right now, and Syracuse is in for a tough game on Monday. It's a rivalry game, though, so anything can happen... I hope.

Elsewhere in college hoops, Defending champs Florida have dropped two of their last three, getting thumped by an undermanned LSU team yesterday. What does this mean? Hell if I know, but I dislike the Gators intensely, so I'm happy to see them lose.

On the sub-major side of things, the Times has a really nice article about Winthrop. The Eagles are 25-4, and 14-0 in their conference, but since the Big South is strictly small-time, they pretty much have to win their conference tournament in order to get into the NCAA tournament. No pressure there...

It's a good article about what's involved in coaching and player in the lower echelons of Div. I hoops. Though I have a hard time with their name ("Winthrop" is the name of a slow-moving stubby-legged basset hound in our neighborhood, which doesn't exactly make me think of a basketball power), I'll be pulling for them. Unless they play Syracuse or Maryland in the first round...

Speaking of Maryland, they play North Carolina tonight at 5:30, one of a bare handful of Terp games that will be televised up here. Of course, the playoffs for the intramural league start tonight. At six. Playing beats watching, so I won't be seeing Maryland live, though I may beg Kate to record it for me...