Quick Observations

Some quick observations from the past few days.

• If you didn't watch the last few minutes of the UConn-Indiana 2K Sports Classic Championship game from last night, get the WatchESPN app and watch the replay.   You had a ludicrous number of lead changes, a late game turnover, an even later in the game offensive foul, a last second out of bounds play and Tom Crean at a "lunatic fringe" moment.  Must see TV and definitely more excitement at MSG than any Knicks game this season.
• Thursday evening, VCU got hammered by Florida State.  I don't know what was the bigger deal, the Rams losing to an athletic Seminoles team or that Dan Dakich actually fanned the flames of a Twitter war by going after "Around the Horns", a Rams blogger, for taking umbrage to Dakich's comment that the Rams were "tired".  If you're on Twitter, track down Dakich's tweets. Dakich, to make matters worse, actually commented on the Twitter war during the ESPN broadcast of VCU's win last night over Long Beach.
• And yes, I watched both the first half and part of the second half of the Thursday night VCU - Florida State game and the second half of the VCU-Long Beach State game last night, where Dakich referred to his Twitter war with the VCU fan base.  First, from what I saw of the Seminoles-Rams game, I don't think VCU was tired.  They forced twenty five turnovers on the Seminoles.  The Rams just couldn't hit the side of a barn on offense, shooting twenty nine percent on twenty one more attempts than the Seminoles.  Second, Dakich should have just let the VCU fans base comments go.  There was no need to bring it up last night.
• Finally, there is no better defensive player in the country and I mean no better defensive player in the country than VCU's Briante Weber.  He is so fun to watch on defense and such quick hands.
• Hopefully UAB learned a valuable lesson about being up three points late in a game.  In their first round Charleston Classic game vs. New Mexico, the Blazers were up three late with the shot clock off in regulation and in the first overtime.  Both times they didn't foul the shooter.  Both times, the Lobos hit a three.  The Lobos won in double overtime.   Moral of the story, late in the game, last possession, up three, shot clock off, when on defense, foul a player before they are in the act of shooting a three.
• North Carolina Central won a huge game at North Carolina State, winning in overtime at Raleigh.  Now living in SEC/ACC country, I watched the second half and the overtime period. The Eagles definitely outplayed the Wolfpack, especially in that overtime period.  But it should have never got to the overtime period.   Up three on defense with three seconds left in the game, two Eagles' defenders inexplicably converged on Wolfpack guard Anthony Barber, who was driving to the basket. Barber, of course, kicked it out to an open Patrick Wallace, who buried a three pointer to tie the game.   The Eagles could have of course fouled Barber, or better yet just let him take the layup.  Thankfully NC Central recovered by scoring the first eleven points in overtime, winning 82-72.  By the way, keep an eye on Eagles guard Jeremy Ingram. Averaging twenty eight points per game on the season and he put twenty nine on the Wolfpack.
• I was following the Seton Hall-Oklahoma game on Twitter last night.  The Pirates squandered a six point lead in the last minute of the game, losing to the Sooners 96-95 in Brooklyn.  All I could think of was whether Reggie Miller had suited up for Oklahoma last night. Yes, fellow Knicks fans, that's two digs in one blog post.
• Zeke Upshaw scored a career high thirty seven points and had nine rebounds for Hofstra in an overtime loss at Richmond.  Upshaw, a graduate student who played his first three seasons at Illinois State, is averaging twenty points per game for the Pride.   Upshaw is averaging twenty eight minutes per game, four times his average in his third year at Illinois State.  His career high in scoring prior to this season was eleven points vs. Creighton.  Upshaw is further proof that if you give a player the right system, he can flourish.