College basketball (almost) daily ...

This is why we hate Duke The Blue Devils always have at least one punk who flops relentlessly, complains incessantly, and then has one insufferable ESPN announcer defending and slobbering them all at once. It's tough to watch. Last night, two sequences defined Duke basketball and ESPN.

As was discussed in the Nightly Q, this sequence above got a lot of attention (video from AA). Greg Paulus flops on the first play about as he barely gets touched. Mike Patrick goes nuts about how horrible a hit that was by Reid and how deserves a technical foul. Upon replays that show Paulus flopping, Jay Bilas tries to minimize the play (and he's even a Dukie), but not Patrick. He keeps coddling Paulus. Yes, Patrick is far worse than Dick Vitale, something often overlooked when referring to Vitale as Dukie V. Then on the following sequence during a loose ball, poor Greggy actually punches a Seminole but it goes unnoticed by the broadcasters, instead they're focused whether Paulus is getting roughhoused at the bottom. Pathetic. Yes, Duke won.

Just in case you aren't familiar with Paulus' ways, here's a reminder of his "charge" last March vs VCU:



Slightly off topic: I don't mind Vitale, but Jay Bilas is a FAR better analyst and should spend much more time on the court instead of Bristol. In my opinion, he's the best in college basketball right now.

Tar Heels 18-0 (barely) North Carolina took Georgia Tech's best shot and needed a big stop on the final possession to hold on 83-82. It's not a good sign that UNC was outrebounded, which is the only way you'll beat the #1 team.

Bobby Knight 900th Win Red Raiders played their best game of the year in upsetting #9 Texas A&M. Luke Winn of SI isn't all that impressed with the General's run to 900. As a Robert Montgomery apologist, I'm always impressed with his accomplishments, even more so at Tech where he has very little talent to work with and sticks with his method of coaching in the face of lazy, spoiled AAU players. Hope he stays around a long time.

Can't figure these teams out Should I be impressed by Ole Miss's win against Florida at home? Curtis is a nice player, but maybe both of these teams are overrated.

Flyers grounded Dayton falls to Massachusetts, a solid team, but definitely a surprise on their own court. Credit the Minutemen for doing whatever it could to contain, and in the first half stop, All-American Brian Roberts. That wasn't the only mid-major to fall ... wait, they don't like that name.

Christmas comes late for Temple Dionte Christmas scored 19 second half points to lead the Owls over #20 Xavier in a stunner. The Musketeers were on a stretch of blowing out decent teams. Temple is not one of those (7-8). I won't downgrade X too much (right, Fat?), it's impossible to go through a conference schedule without one letdown. The best teams in the country still manage to win (North Carolina), while the rest slip up a few times.

Less important note: Deron Washington is one of the most exciting players to watch in college hoops. Nice win for Virginia Tech on the road at Virginia.

Share your thoughts on the night in hoops. Upset pick tonight: Minnesota over Indiana.