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BX News, Notes and Ramblings (Friday, Feb. 8th)

BX News, Notes and Ramblings (Friday, Feb. 8th)
Feb 08, 2008, 01:02 pm
BUZZER BEATERS

-Thursday night was crazy. The Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia seesawed back and forth, but Pitt’s Ronald Ramon hit a buzzer beating three to give the Panthers a 55-54 win. In an unusual play previous to that, two West Virginia freethrows were taken away when the Mountaineers sent the wrong shooter to the line. It wasn’t the only unusual play of the evening. It would have been a huge win for West Virginia who is falling closer and closer to the bubble. For Pitt, it is a feel good win against a bitter rival in a conference game.

-Xavier had a 13 point lead in the second half against Saint Louis and appeared to be running away with it, but SLU got very hot from beyond the arc. After draining one three after another, they tied the game, but Derrick Brown tipped the ball in as time expired to give Xavier a 70-68 win. Rhode Island’s loss to Massachusetts gives the Musketeers a two game lead over the Rams in the conference standings, and a one game lead over Saint Joseph’s, who the Muskies host this Sunday.

-Indiana and Illinois played a double overtime thriller in a game that had everything. Bad freethrow shooting, boneheaded, uncontested ten second violations, rowdy fans and banked in three pointers at crucial points. Indiana ended up pulling it out 83-79 due to some clutch freethrow shooting. Everyone knew it the fans would be rough on Eric Gordon, and they certainly were. Numerous objects were evidently thrown in the area of the Hoosier fans as the game was winding down.


OTHER ACTION

-Washington State and UCLA seesawed back and forth, but UCLA managed to pick up yet another highly impressive road win. Washington State has now lost three out of four and their chances of winning the Pac Ten regular season title have all but slipped away. They still need to play for a strong seed, which is what makes their next game against USC so big. They don’t want to lose four out of five, especially when so many of them have come at home.

-Stanford is just a game behind UCLA, and they had no problems as they blew out Oregon 72-43. The Cardinal are one of the strongest teams in the country right now and could give UCLA a hell of a game when they meet later on.

-On Wednesday night, Duquesne beat Saint Joseph’s rather handily 102-88 in what was a somewhat surprising result. Duquesne is much improved this year, but Saint Joseph’s entered the game pretty hot and clearly looked like the better team. They have now fallen a game behind Xavier in the Atlantic Ten standings.

-Dayton got a much needed 69-64 win against Charlotte. It’s the biggest win for the Flyers since their injuries set in, and helps their NCAA Tournament chances out tremendously.

-Wisconsin had some trouble at Iowa, but managed to hold it together and pick up a conference road win. It was a good effort by the Hawkeyes, though.

-Duke took down a shorthanded North Carolina team on the road, but considering that they still won at Chapel Hill it was still a great win for the Blue Devils. They currently have a leg up over the Tarheels as far as earning a #1 seed and being placed in the Charlotte Region.

-Connecticut continues to win against impressive opponents. They won on the road against Syracuse in an exciting, back and forth 63-61 game. Connecticut is now looking like a team that’s good enough to make the pod system, whereas Syracuse could really use some notable wins to help out their resume.


-A rundown of tomorrow’s action should be posted later tonight/early tomorrow.

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