Looking back at Feb 8th

DePaul 67 Notre Dame 66
I was certainly wrong in my prediction that DePaul's loose 3 point defense would be their undoing. Notre Dame only shot 32% from behind the arc and Russell Carter was a paltry 4-12 ( 1 - 7 3PT ). Notre Dame's really strugging on the road but should have two upcoming road wins at BE cellar dwellers Rutgers and Cincy. DePaul's best bet is to make the NIT which would give them a nice boost going into next year with emerging stud big man Wilson Chandler returning.

Drexel 95 Hofstra 87 ( OT )
Once again, another wrong prediction by me. Hofstra's trio of guards ( Stokes, Rivera, Agudio ) certainly did enough to win combining for 62 points, 15 boards, and 10 assists but they let the game slip away in the second half. This probably ends Hofstra's chances for an at large berth. Drexel really needs a win at Creighton on Bracket Buster Saturday to have a chance.

Jacksonville State 72 Tennessee Tech 71
This one really surprised me. Tennessee Tech has one of the best backcourts and is one of the better teams in the OVC while the Gamecocks are one of the worst ( they lost to Michigan Tech at home, guys ). Will Ginn hit a layup with 11 seconds to go to give State the victory.

UL Monroe 82 Middle Tennessee State 76
It's amazing what coach Orlando Early ( Alabama still hasn't gotten somebody to replace his coaching abilities ) is doing at UL Monroe considering they were routinely one of the worst teams in the country year in and year out before he got there. Now they're in first place in the Sun Belt Western Division and almost have six players averging in double figures. Juco transfer Gerard Jackson was finally cleared to play late last month and has added even more scoring punch to this team. If they don't make the tournament this year, they should certainly be at the top of the Sun Belt list the next with every key player returning.

Drake 67 Northern Iowa 59
It's safe to say NIU is done. Their cold shooting woes continue and with a brutal schedule ahead, the best I can see them finishing is 18-12. It's NIT time for them.

Western Illinois 64 Oakland 63
Oakland picked a bad time to lose at home to the absolute worst team in the Mid-Continent conference. They were one game back in the standings of Oral Roberts with a return game at home to end the regular season. That game certainly doesn't look to be as meaningful after this egg.

Also, since I didn't do a look back for Feb 7th, check out this Derrick Jasper dunk against South Carolina.