40 Days and 40 Nights

Opening thoughts: Today's test was as tough as I expected, which means it was really, really hard. I think I held my own, so we'll see what happens. I can't remember being that lightheaded for so long after a test. My mind didn't clear up until about 4 hours afterwards, during that time I filled my apartment with smoke as I forgot about something on the burner. Tomorrow, I start getting ready for my Time Series test on Monday, which will be another toughie. My life can be very exciting.

Now for today's college basketball segment:

• Notre Dame 68, Boston College 65. My first look at the Eagles, and of course they lose. If basketball games were only 5 minutes long, Notre Dame would be #1 in the nation. They had 2 5-minute stretches tonight where not even North Carolina would've beaten them. They can be the best offensive team in America with their combination of guards shooting from the outside and their big people finishing strong on the inside. Defensively, they can force you into bad shots which turn into easy transition baskets. For the rest of the game however, they become mediocre, taking bad shots, committing stupid turnovers and fouls and showing no defensive intensity. The difference for the Irish was Chris Thomas played like a senior. 19 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds with the important stat being the 9 assists that allowed Colin Falls to get his 23 points tonight. As Thomas goes, so go the Irish. Boston College is not great at anything, but they are good at a lot of things despite losing tonight. I can't believe Jared Dudley was only being recruited by San Diego St. and St. Mary's. He is a very good all-around player. BC can defend and rebound with the best of them, but their one weakness was exposed tonight: consistent outside shooting. They only make 3 3s a game, and it showed tonight as they had trouble solving the Irish zone. The zone also took Craig Smith out of the game for the Eagles. He only had 9 points for the game, most, if not all coming very early in the game. BC is solid, but not a Top 5 team, maybe a fringe Top 10 team. That doesn't change the fact that Al Skinner is one of more underrated and underappreciated coaches in America.
• Illinois 57, Michigan 51. And then there was one, it was almost no one. Illinois jumped out to a 14-5 lead, taking care of business, until Michigan started changing defenses as Indiana did Sunday, forcing Illinois outside and taking them out of their rhythm. The last 15 minutes was all Illinois defensive intensity. Michigan started spreading the floor, so the Illini started challenging them, which created some turnovers and easy opportunities for the Illini. Luther Head hit some big shots down the stretch, and how about Dee Brown's pass to James Augustine. SICK!!! However, two discouraging things come out of this for Illinois. First, they took 24 3s, which is too many. They need to keep driving and pounding the ball inside and not rely on the 3 ball. Second, we saw that a longer, taller, more athletic team can give Illinois problems. Michigan isn't nearly as talented as teams Illinois could face down the road, i.e. North Carolina, Arizona, Syracuse, and Kansas just to name a few.
• Georgia Tech 70, Clemson 62. Put a big circle around this game because this could be the start of a big run for the Yellow Jackets. Welcome back B.J. Elder, 4/8, 11 points in 20 minutes off the bench. After a slow start in which Clemson led by 8 at the half, Tech got it rolling in the 2nd half. For the game, Tech shot 58%, led by Jarret Jack's 16, who made 5/11 from the floor, one of his better percentages lately. As Elder gets healthier and the Tech chemistry comes back, the Jackets will begin to open things up. This is a team you won't want to play in March, especially if they look anything like they did in December.
• Kentucky 69, Florida 66. This was a well-played game. Florida showed they have matured and are a legit team, and Kentucky is making progress with their young, deep talented squad. Kentucky's depth was the deciding factor in this one, wearing out the Gators in the 2nd half to come from behind. The only things you can be upset about if you're Florida, are -7 on the glass and 16 turnovers. The Gators shot 49% in Rupp Arena, not an easy fate, and took good shots. David Lee needs the ball more inside, only 7 shot attempts for 9 points isn't good enough. Kentucky is the best team in the SEC, Florida isn't that far behind. I'm looking forward to Kentucky/Alabama to see if the Tide's performance Saturday was a fluke.
• Maryland 86, Virginia Tech 71. This was a must-win game for each team. Right now, Maryland is in and the Hokies are out. Nick Caner-Medley and John Gilchrist combined for 40 points, enough said.
• Colorado 88, Texas 79. The Longhorns are now 4-5 in the Big 12 and falling fast. Despite 27 points and 21 rebounds from Brad Buckman, not a misprint, believe me I double-checked, super frosh Daniel Gibson played like a regular frosh, only scoring 6 points and committing 8 turnovers. Texas is out right now, and quickly running out of scholarship players. They're now down to 7, unbelievable.

Freddy and Kendra won The Amazing Race by just minutes over Kris and Jon. Adam and Rebecca were a distant 3rd, still arguing.

Song of the day: "Help Me Rhonda", The Beach Boys.

Anyone have good ideas on what I should give up for Lent?