In the NCAA D-I men’s basketball, there is parity.  Apparently in tennis as well.  There may be “popular” powerhouses comparable to tennis' Federer, but after Saturday’s scoreboard, only numbers one and two, Memphis and Kansas, remained undefeated, unblemished and unperturbed by their opposition.

On Saturday, eight top 25 programs fell, as we slowly enter the main stretch of the 2007-08 season.  Indiana, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Dayton, Mississippi, Villanova, Arizona St and Baylor collapsed to some of the nation’s worst conference teams (i.e. Rutgers).  Outside of No. 8 Indiana, teams ranked 1, 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9 were victorious despite controversial nail biters.

On Saturday night, No. 9 ranked Georgetown squeezed by unranked conference foe West Virginia 58-57 on a last second blocked shot.  Replays were inconclusive about Da'Sean Butler’s layup, which Patrick Ewing Jr. rejected inches from the basket.  You be the judge.  I liked the no call.

Despite tough matchups, No. 1 Memphis and No. 2 Kansas remained perfect at 20-0 and 19-0, though most experts have the Tigers going farther in March Madness, if not winning the whole thing.  Kansas had more fun, as they dealt Nebraska its fourth straight loss.  While Brandon Rush rained threes (5-7), Huskers big man Aleks Mar(0-6 FG, 0-2 FT) was as quiet as the Sunday inbetween the NFL’s Conference Championship Games and the Super Bowl, aka today.

More Notes from Weekend’s Upset Specialists:

• 7 games decided by 7 points or less
• 2 games decided by 1 point
  • No. 6 Washington St. defeated No. 24 Arizona St. 56-55, in a tightly contested game that came down to the wire.  They meet again on Feb. 21.
  • No. 9 Georgetown survived a non-call over West Virginia, inching the Mountaineers 58-57.
• Rutgers and Notre Dame earned double-digit road upsets over Pittsburgh and Villanova respectively.  Rutgers was an 18-point underdog and ND +2.5.
• The Scarlet Knights earned their second consecutive defeat over a ranked team for first time since 2001-02 when they beat No. 17 Connecticut and No. 14 Syracuse, both at home.
• Rutgers men’s basketball also earned arguably its biggest road win in history, as the Knights defeated No. 13 Pittsburgh 77-64.
• Kyle McAlarney led Notre Dame with 30 points in the Fighting Irish’ 90-80 win.
  • “The Fighting Irish were crushed in each of their last two Saturday road games: 92-66 at No. 21 Marquette and 84-65 at No. 9 Georgetown. This time, it was Notre Dame that applied the pressure, taking a 17-point lead in the second half.”

Rutgers won.  I'm stunned, speechless, don't know what to say really.  When I interview head coach Fred Hill before Wednesday's game vs. Seton Hall, he's gonna be a happy camper.  The Scarlet Knights were 0-6 in Big East play before facing Nova and Pitt.  They are now 2-6.  Credit the freshmen guards Mike Coburn and Corey Chandler who have combined for 72 points over the last two wins in their new roles (Coburn starting, Chandler first or second player off bench).

Four more top 25 teams are in action on Sunday, including No. 4 Duke versus Maryland, who just upset UNC on the road.  If they lose, we might have a record 10 ranked programs losing in one weekend.  Well, it might not be a record literally.  Hopefully, the Elias Bureau is ready for action.

But, I just wonder how accurate is the rating system.  I understand that there are upsets in sports, come-from-behind wins and other ineffective shooting nights for even the nation’s elite.

In 2007, we saw number five Michigan lose a college football game to D-1 AA Appalachian State.  We also witnessed West Virginia and USC stopped in their tracks by teams that were supposed to lose by at least three touchdowns.  The Mountaineers were one win away from the National Championship, one that sucked for the second straight year.  Even watching the game at Hooters did not help.

My waitress spilled beer on me and we had to suffer through another Ohio State Buckeye demolition, this time by LSU.

Kansas, Missouri, West Virginia, Georgia and maybe even USC would have put up a better fight than Jim Tressel’s pussy-whipped jocks.  Individually, they may be talented enough to earn millions in the NFL, but “the Ohio State University” did not adequately represent the Big Ten in football.

Even the Buckeyes basketball team led by Greg Oden and Co. managed to overcome a 20-point deficit to Tennessee in the earlier round of March Madness and finally reach the finals.  But, what goes up must come down.  That’s right.  Ohio State lost in both the football and basketball championship round to Florida no less.

Florida had already annihilated Ohio State in the College Football Championship 41-14 and made it a true daily double, defeating the Buckeyes 84-75 in the National Championship.

“The Florida Gators” would have made a lot more sense then and now.  Then again they preferred the low-key, there's no "I" in team winning method.  Tressel, got the message?

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