Through the magic of two televisions in my living room, I caught most of the following games:
Duke 76, Purdue 60: In what turned out to be a statement game for the wrong team (see preview below), Duke established their Final Four potential against a very good Purdue team. Duke looked balanced, and Kyle Singler was outstanding. Duke controlled the game form wire to wire, and didn’t even need a major contribution from their best player, Gerald Henderson. That’s the sign of a good team. This game more than others I have seen this year helped validate the NCAA’s decision to move the three point line back a foot, mostly because it proved that a big-time game can be played with the new line and you don’t even notice the difference.
Minnesota 66, Virginia 56: Did anyone else notice that Tubby Smith wears glasses now? Has he made an effort to look like an old, wise basketball teacher? He could wear a cowboy hat on the bench if he wants – he is still a crappy coach. But at 7-0, we have to start discussing the Gophers - even if they haven’t played anybody.
Western Kentucky 67, Georgia 63: The Hilltoppers needed this one to boost their profile even further, and won a close, hard-fought game. Both looked like NCAA teams. There are good wins (like this one) and then there are marquee wins, like WKU got against Louisville. Should Louisville remain hovering around the Top 10, WKU would probably only need to repeat their 2007 Sun Belt in-conference performance to get an at-large. In other words a marquee win gives you plenty of wiggle room, probably enough to help offset the terrible 28-point loss to Murray State (how did that happen?). Thankfully, the Louisville win takes away the “How good are they really? They haven’t played anyone good!” argument from Jay Bilas and the like.
