Big Night

If you are a fan of college basketball and you have other plans for tonight...CANCEL THEM!
At 7pm the big games are Kansas at Baylor and Georgetown at Syracuse. At 9 we have Duke at North Carolina. There are some other intriguing games, of course, and I can update everyone later on any key results, but all of the attention will be focused on these six programs. Five of those six are past champions and they all have their sights on top seeds.
Kansas has a lot to prove as the Jayhawks have lost their last two road games and need this win to remain in the hunt for the conference crown. They almost had their last loss, at Mizzou, in the bag but failed to make anything in the clutch. Baylor, despite being 21-2, needs to convince everyone that they are legit. They have won their last three without covering any of them and need a solid performance to be considered a legitimate national title contender. Losing by 18 to KU in January should be all the motivation they truly need. Look for guard Pierre Jackson, who shot 3-9 for 11 pts in that game but typically plays better in big games, to step up tonight for the Bears.
Georgetown is a surprising 18-4 and can make a statement tonight that there is more meat behind their good season than anyone gives them credit for. Guard Jason Clark will need to regain his scoring touch; since dropping 31 on DePaul on January 17 he has averaged less than 11 pts per in four games to bring his season average down to 15.2. Syracuse knows it needs to match Kentucky's impressive performance last night to stay in the hunt for number one. With Fab Melo back, the Orange should be too tough tonight but that rivalry has produced so many great moments that we will need to check in.
As for Duke, they were scolded by Coach K after their pathetic performance against Miami. They have amazingly lost two of the last three at Cameron, so perhaps it is best that they are on the road tonight as they have had some success on the road in this bitter series. Which Tar Heels group will show up? They need to take control of this game from the get go or the team's usual mishandling of pressure will begin to take its toll. Teams like Syracuse and Kentucky are probably rooting for UNC because if they continue to blow games and drop to the 4-5 zone, they could prove to be a very tough regional semi match-up. I expect guard Kendall Marshall to take advantage of Duke's poor backcourt defense and lead the Heels to a victory.
As for last night, Kentucky made a clear statement of their talent level. Florida does not match up well with them but has time to tinker with their usually successful formula. They should have pressed more and shot more 15 footers. The other noteworthy outcome was Creighton's second straight upset defeat. I know winning in the Missouri Valley is difficult but the Bluejays are quickly losing any chance they had at a top seed. And after what happened to rival Wichita State last year--wen the Shockers went from 20-4 to out of the tournament with mediocre play down the stretch--Creighton needs to step it up. Next up? Wichita State in Omaha.