The DePaul Blue Demons had an early 11 a.m. tip at Notre Dame, and they hung in there for the entire game but ended up falling 84-76. I was really encouraged by the play of Jeremiah Kelly, who came on strong with 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting yesterday. I know he fell out of favor with Purnell a bit, but this may help him get his starting job back that Clahar took recently. If he can continue to knock down shots from deep, he can be an asset. Brandon Young dare I say it again was the goat of this game. In a tight game, he gets a technical foul, and it just swung the whole momentum in the late stages of the game. Not too mention that he was awful from the field and exhibited average hustle at best. He needs to get his head on straight or he will be riding a lot of pine in the coming games. Melvin and Crockett were steady again, but the Blue Demons just can't play a full 40 minutes of solid basketball now.
The Clemson Tigers came up and played a beautiful game against Wake Forest, winning 78-58. They shot nearly 60% from the field and Tanner Smith lit it up to the tune of 8-for-9 shooting and 20 points. He stepped up as a senior and the Tigers improved to 4-6 in ACC play. It also looks like Milton Jennings has his head on straight, as he is playing better and harder for Brad Brownell. They face a tough game at home against Virginia coming up, but they played them tough last time so you never know what can happen.
Let's look at other action from Saturday: UNC thumped Virginia to get back on the winning track after that stunning loss to Duke the other night. Zeller played like a man possessed and pissed off following Austin Rivers dropping that 3-pointer in his eyes the other night. This will be an interesting race for the ACC title. UConn continued its free fall as the Cuse put it on them late at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse is so deep and talented that it was hard for the Huskies to keep up despite cutting the lead to 2 with under 7 minutes left. Baylor got thumped by Missouri at Missouri, and one can begin to wonder if Baylor will ever win a big game. They certainly have the talent, but they seem to be lacking the mojo in big games. Perry Jones III disappears in these big games, and they have played some brutal second half basketball lately. Tennessee stunned Florida on their home court yesterday, and one can wonder if the Gators thought this would be a cakewalk following a beatdown at the hands of Kentucky earlier in the week.
The last two games that caught my eye were the MSU-OSU game and Kentucky-Vanderbilt. In the first one, the second half was just an atrocious display of shooting by both teams as MSU gutted out a 58-48 ugly victory. Draymond Green doesn't always make it look pretty, but he wills his team to victory in a lot of games like this. Sullinger had 17 points and 16 rebounds, but he also committed 10 turnovers. I've never had high regards for him and question whether he can play effectively on the next level. He has lifted his team to victory in some games this season, but 10 turnovers from any player is just dreadful. Giving up 10 possessions in that way is just decimating to your team, and you cannot be a leader and perform like that. Finally, the nightcap saw Kentucky pull out an exciting 69-63 victory at Vandy. I'm still enamored by Vandy's arena, it is so unique and a one-of-a-kind experience. The game was a great one as Kentucky had a big lead at the half, and Vanderbilt stormed all the way back to take the lead. Kentucky was just too much in the closing minutes and held on for a win. Calipari wanted this type of game, though, because he needed a true test to see what his team was all about in a tough situation. They certainly answered the calling, and will remain atop the polls come tomorrow.
Well, we will see the shakeup in the polls tomorrow and look forward to another week of some good basketball. Selection Sunday is nearing, and I couldn't be any more excited to get the NCAA Tournament underway. Most people don't watch games from November-March leading up to the tourney, but I simply love the journey and process of getting there almost equally as much as the thrills of the NCAA tournament.
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