When you’re right, you’re right

Last Monday I blogged about the absurd amounts of upsets in the men’s college basketball season. Well, another weekend has gone by and another round of upsets to go with it. First on Friday No. 3 North Carolina fell to ACC opponent University of Maryland in overtime. The story of this game was the play of Terrapins’ junior guard Greivis Vasquez who recorded UMD’s first triple double since 1987.
Vasquez went absolutely nuts on the Tar Heels dropping 35 points, including Maryland’s first 16 of the game. He also pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in the upset.
With a 13–13 record prior to the game, Washington State University upended No. 15 UCLA 82–81 in another of Friday’s upsets. Taylor Rochestie dropped 33 on the Bruins as he carried Wazzu on his shoulders throughout the win in southern California.
Then came the night cap. Texas and Oklahoma have fostered one of the biggest rivalries in college sports whether it’s on the football field or basketball court. Oklahoma came into the game ranked No. 2 and with player of the year front runner Blake Griffin leading the charge, the Sooners seemed ready to storm into Austin and take down the Longhorns. But this year is unlike any other as far as predictability goes. Griffin suffered a concussion halfway through the first half and was on the bench for the rest of the game as Texas upset their rivals to the north 73–61. Now, I know I said OU would be No. 1, but now I just have no idea what to think. This year is just too confusing. I think at this point I’m going to have to be that guy who flips a coin on all of my bracket picks in March.

These upsets are getting upsetting

I just don’t even know what to think anymore about this college basketball season. First, there is the anomaly of Boston College. First the Eagles lose to St. Louis University, which currently stands at 16–11. Then they handed the then No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels their first loss of the season … in Chapel Hill (thus instituting this absurd shirt) How did the Eagles fare after dethroning the former No. 1 team? With an 82–70 loss to Harvard. But then they beat No. 6 Duke University!
But the squad from Chestnut Hill is not the only one dishing out the upsets. Tonight No. 4 Pittsburgh beat the top ranked UConn Huskies, which appeared to be ready to finally be the season’s first solid No. 1 team.
But, this is a season in which the Syracuse Orange has lost to Cleveland State and Providence College. A then No. 5 Louisville was demolished by a reeling Notre Dame.
I honestly don’t even know what to expect anymore. With all these upsets, I can’t even imagine what my March Madness bracket is going to end up looking like. We’ll see if Oklahoma can actually hang on to the No. 1 spot.

Harvard vs. BC in women’s Beanpot final

The women’s Beanpot semifinals took place Tuesday and saw advancements by Harvard University and No. 7 Boston College.

In the first game of the semis, the Harvard Crimson absolutely dominated Boston University 8–0. Harvard’s Sarah Vaillancourt had a hat trick and collected four assists. (For those keeping score at home, that’s contribution in seven out of eight Harvard goals.) Goalie Christina Kessler had 17 saves in the shut out.

In the nightcap, BC eliminated the Northeastern University Huskies 3–1. BC junior Allie Thunstrom had two assists in the game to reach 100 career points.

The women’s final between the Crimson and the Eagles is at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Matthews Arena in Boston.

BU vs. Northeastern in Beanpot final

There are two types of people who care about the Beanpot tournament - people from Boston and people who love college hockey. I happen to be both.
For those of you not familiar with the annual tournament, it the true test for hockey supremacy in the city of Boston. Boston University, Boston College, Harvard University and Northeastern University meet in the TD Banknorth Garden for two rounds of hockey to determine the true champion of Boston.
Residents of the “Hub of the Universe” are used to seeing BU or BC take home the trophy year after year, but 2009 has a different storyline. This is the year of the Husky.
Northeastern, ranked No. 3 in the country, routed No. 12 BC 6–1 in the first round. The Huskies are often the first team dispatched in the tournament, having only ever won the Pot four times in the 56 year history of the tournament. BU has the vast majority of Beanpot championships with 28 and is the No. 1 ranked team in the country. The Terriers however, struggled against the Ivy Leaguers from across the Charles, narrowly defeating the Harvard Crimson 4–3.
The final between the Huskies and Terriers is Monday at 8 p.m. It will be the battle of the dogs and I’m taking the underdog in this one. Northeastern will beat BU and take the Pot back to Huntington Avenue for the first time since 1988.
The first round of the women’s tournament starts tonight. Check back for updates.