Some random notes from the weekend that was…

– Baylor is close to owning the triple crown of bad shooting. They currently rank dead last in the nation in free throw shooting and three-point shooting. There are only 17 teams worse than Baylor in the two point shooting department. This is a combination of Baylor being not very good and having to play the nation’s most difficult schedule. All of Baylor’s raw stats are going to look worse than they should this season. Well, except for the free throws.

– The mystique of Saint Louis’s bipolar record continued with a stunning upset against emotionally deflated Xavier last night. This is good news for Saint Joe’s. The Hawks are on the verge of A-10 irrelevance and badly need a win. Fortunately they have to go Saint Louis on Wednesday.

– If you want another interesting progression of a team this season, try Indiana State:

W W W W W W W W L L L L L L L L L

And they really don’t have an upcoming game that screams out for a W.

– For those of you whose life is ruled by the RPI, you are missing what Kansas is doing. With an RPI of 112, they are not showing up in anyone’s “season ended today” bracket projections. But that’s precisely why those projections are of little value two months before the season really ends. I dare say were it not for four bad minutes (the last three against Kansas State and the last one against Missouri), more than a few people would be thinking that KU could challenge Texas for the Big XII title. Their defense is among the best in the land, and though their offense is wildly inconsistent, when it’s on, it too is among the best. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say they’ll be a top five team next season if everyone stays.

– If you make predictions about the Pac-10, do so with many qualifiers. Washington State, like Arizona two weekends ago, lost to the Oregon teams. However, unlike Arizona, WSU did so at home and effectively ruined its tournament chances. The Cougs have a lot of close losses, and are better than their Pac-10 record, blah blah blah. All that makes them is a team with a poor record.

Thursday

                           FG    3pt  FT    Reb
                      Min  M-A   M-A  M-A   O-T  A F S TO BLK Pts
Bobby Dixon            36  6-15  1-7  5-7   2-9 16 2 5  2  0   18
Result: Win. Troy 76, Western Kentucky 49.

Friday

                           FG    3pt  FT    Reb
                      Min  M-A   M-A  M-A   O-T  A F S TO BLK Pts
James Holmes           44 12-22  6-12 5-7   0-0  3 4 3  5  0   35
Result: Loss. Seton Hall 94, South Florida 89. (OT)

It’s good to see the national playing time leader was able to get a breather.

Saturday

                           FG    3pt  FT    Reb
                      Min  M-A   M-A  M-A   O-T  A F S TO BLK Pts
Jevon Randolph         35 14-21  1-5  5-6   2-4  1 3 2  3  1   34
Result: Win. Savannah State 70, Longwood 69.

It was SSU’s first win against a D1 team in their last 47 tries.

Sunday

                           FG    3pt  FT    Reb
                      Min  M-A   M-A  M-A   O-T  A F S TO BLK Pts
Brion Rush             42 13-34  3-12 7-8   0-10 2 4 3  3  0   36
Result: Win. Grambling 77, Jackson State 73. (OT)

Mr. Rush almost makes Kobe seem unselfish.