Break Up The Rams

It is appropriate that the first true post of this site features Fordham basketball as many of us involved with The Gods of March are graduates of that fine university. Last night Fordham stunned Harvard 60-54 behind 22 points by freshman guard Bryan Smith and yet another double-double by junior forward Chris Gaston (18 pts, 10 boards; in photo), who leads the nation in that category. Smith hit five of eight three pointers, including a clutch one with 15 seconds left and Fordam sporting a one-point lead. The win was the first over a ranked opponent by the Rams at the venerable Rose Hill gym since a Dick Stewart-coached Rams club upset Georgetown back in 1978. Feeling he had nothing to gain and everything to lose, Hoyas coach John Thompson soon killed the rivalry between the two Jesuit schools. As for the current Rams club any win is welcome as the program has been on hard times of late. Unbelievably, the win was their first in the month of January since 2009. Coming on the heels of the victory over Georgia Tech last week, that I enjoyed in person, Fordham may actually have something brewing.

The other game I focused on last night was the huge Big Ten battle between Michigan State and Wisconsin. The game was as hard fought as usual between these two programs and every bucket seemed crucial. That MSU won an overtime game over a top opponent one day after their football team did too and Wisconsin lost a huge game that went down to wire with Badgers on short end of refs going to tape to determine if their final actions counted at both the Rose Bowl and Kohl Center was unbelievable.

Finally Seton Hall stunned UConn last night in Newark. So on the day Fordham beat Georgia Tech, Rutgers beat Florida and when FU beat Harvard, the Hall beat the Huskies. Toss in Wagner's recent upset of Pitt and Iona's good play all season and metropolitan New York City is making some waves.