Spring Fever

Opening thought: Today was a great day. It was really a sneak preview of what a spring at Miami is all about. Temperatures stayed in the 60s all day, making it feel very nice outside. Springtime is my favorite time of year at Miami. Everyone is in a better mood, it means the year is almost over, and the girls come out and go running in their short shorts. It was a good night to walk uptown, have a beer with my Econ buddies, and enjoy the walk back because there won't be on like it for at least a couple of months. Unfortunately, winter returns tomorrow as the temperature will fall into the 20s. So I'm left with cold weather and spring fever, not a good combination.

Now for tonight's basketball roundup, and it was a busy night:

• Miami won against Central Michigan tonight by 10. The win puts the Redhawks back into first place in the East division. Miami is certainly a better offensive team, evidenced by having 4 double-figure scorers tonight, but there are a couple of things that worry me as we get deeper into conference play. First, we are not very strong with the basketball. We don't seem to be able to hang onto rebounds, catch passes cleanly, or make tough shots around the basket. Next, our defense was not that outstanding. Even though we won by 10 and held the opposition to 61 points, this is not one of the better defensive teams Miami has had. Finally, we attempted 26 3-pointers. Live by the 3, die by the 3. But for now, Miami sits atop the East.
• The cowards, known formally as the University of Dayton actually beat a worthy opponent tonight in Richmond. They will be known as cowards because they avoided playing Miami this year knowing they would lose and probably lose badly. They "didn't have enough room on the schedule" for us, but they had room for Texas Southern and Cornell, two teams that rank in the bottom 25 of all of college basketball.
• The MAC from top to bottom is stacked, and yes this includes Marshall after their upset of West Virginia. The MAC deserves to have 2 teams in the NCAA Tournament.
• North Carolina and Illinois would be my dream NCAA Championship game. The Tar Heels continue to impress me everytime I see them, and I love Roy Williams' brand of basketball. I hope he wins a championship someday.
• Look for Duke to lose to NC State Thursday night. Duke acutally plays a road game, and IMO is overrated with a #5 national ranking. Also, NC State needs to win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
• A team that could scare someone in March is Bucknell. They handed Pittsburgh their first loss of the year at Pittsburgh and have won since. They should win the Patriot League, which would give them a #14 seed in the Tournament, and give someone fits in the first round.
• The other Miami is turning into one of the big surprises of the year. In their first year in the ACC, the Canes are 2-1, winning at Virginia tonight, which is not exactly an easy place to play. The Canes had been the doormat of the Big East the last couple of years.
• Upsets of the night: Tennessee over Mississippi St., ending their 16 game road winning streak, and Texas A&M, maybe for real, beating #9 Texas by 11.

Current song I can't get out of my head: "What the world needs now is love, sweet love."

Thing I am currently craving: Cheeseburger