Great teams in college basketball have a will to win.  They figure out a way to get to the winner’s circle.  I saw that in person on Saturday night in Storrs, CT.  There is a reason that Syracuse is 29-1 my friends.  Jim Boeheim’s team did not shoot well in the second half.  The Orange were beaten on the boards in the second half after posting a stunning +10 on the glass in the first half.

Syracuse still found a way to get that big W over the defending national champions.  Connecticut rallied and the crowd was loud. The Orange did a great job defending Jeremy Lamb on the final attempt and then got out with that big victory.

We have seen a lot of super teams show that will to win lately.  Kentucky did at Vanderbilt and then again at Mississippi State, where John Calipari’s team was down 13 at half.

Duke did it against North Carolina and again in a near upset against stubborn Virginia Tech.  The Tar Heels did it at Virginia, a tough place to play and against a team which controls tempo.  A road win is a good win.

The best example was Kansas.  The Jayhawks were down 19 to Missouri but showed that will to win and got it done in overtime.  This is a grea time of year for college hoops, baby!

I had a great time calling the St. Mary’s-Murray State game.  The fans at Murray State were so hospitable and so nice.  The school treated me like royalty and it was a blast.

I was so impressed with the Racers and Racer Nation.  What a great atmosphere!  Coach Steve Prohm’s team played terrific defense ands Isaiah Canaan was the star of stars, showing his great shooting range and penetrating for baskets too.

Then I had a great time at Tom’s Cafe for dinner.  I had a super meal there and everyone was so kind.

Bracket Busters was truly memorable for me.  My wife and I had a great time and it was something I will not forget.

Thanks to AD Mr. Ward and his staff for making me feel so at home.  Murray State was awesome baby with a capital A!

I had a great time at the UPS shoot at my house.  I enjoyed working with the whole crew, led by Nicole the producer and Lance the director.  The commercial on logisitics will air during March Madness and will include coaches Geno Auriemma of Connecticut, Butler’s Brad Stevens, Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer and others.

I saw the number one team in America twice last week.  The Wildcats had a surprising blowout city win over a top 10 Florida Gators team.  John Calipari’s club has a stifling defense and it did a great job stopping Florida’s perimeter game.  The Cats actually made more trifectas than Billy Donovan’s team.

Rupp Arena is such a special place as Big Blue Nation responds to the Wildcats.  My four favorite places in college basketball are Rupp, Cameron Indoor Stadium, Phog Allen Fieldhouse and the Museum, as I call it, down in Chapel Hill.

Then I saw Kentucky prevail in a hostile environment at Vanderbilt.  Calipari said he wanted a challenge and he got one in the second half.  His Cats responded and held Vanderbilt without a point over the last few minutes.

Anthony Davis showed once again why he is so special.  He is a game-changing player on the defensive end, forcing opponents to change their offense.  I remember that was said about Georgetown’s All-Solid Gold super star Patrick Ewing.  He was worth 15 points a game before a contest even started.  I feel Davis is the same way with his length and shot-blocking ability.  His presence on the floor has a major impact, wearing on the minds of the opposition.

It was a good week for Big Blue Nation, baby!

Duke at North Carolina another classic.  It was an instant classic. So dramatic as Austin Rivers, the diaper dandy for Duke, hits an unbelievable three at the buzzer to give Duke a scintillating win 85-84.  The game was dominated by North Carolina.  It looked like they were on their way to a W as they were up 10 with 2 minutes left.  But you couldn’t tell that to the gutty kids at Duke who kept battling back.  And the three ball, oh how big the three ball was.  There was no way in the world Duke had a shot to win this game unless they made a minimum of ten three’s, and they responded, knocking down 14.  Tyler Zeller was brilliant in the first half, had 19 points, but in the second half, Duke did a great job keeping the ball away from Zeller.  Yes, it is a loss that will hurt big time when North Carolina thinks about it, as that baby should have been tucked away.  But they allowed Duke to hang around and hang around instead of applying the knock out punch.  When I look at my career, and I have done 40 of the Duke/North Carolina games, this one will be one of the three best in my mind.  #1 is the game in 1992 when Duke was undefeated and went to North Carolina.  Eric Montross was bleeding and playing his heart out and ultimately when it was all said and done, North Carolina gave Duke its first loss of the season.  That Duke team featured superstars Bob Hurley, Grant Hill, and Christian Laettner.  It was such a memorable moment for the people at North Carolina that they rushed the court and you know they don’t rush the court very often in Chapel Hill where they expect to win.  The second most memorable for me was in 1995 when a Duke team that had struggled all year challenged a North Carolina team led by Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace.  It was a double overtime classic that North Carolina was able to win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  #3 for me was this game, as Austin Rivers will go down in Duke and North Carolina anals as an impact diaper dandy who made a major, major difference in the rivalry.  He scored 29 points and played with swag and a world of confidence.  His dad, Doc Rivers, was jumping up and down in the stands.  It looked like he was even happier when his son hit that three than when the Celtics won the World Championship.

Saturday night in Columbia, Missouri was really special. It was a game that epitomized the passion and emotion of college basketball. 

Kansas against Missouri in the border war, over 15,000 fans in attendance and a great finish.  

Kansas was up eight with 3:25 left to play. It looked like Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk would get a big win. 

Marcus Denmon had other ideas, scoring nine straight points. Missouri got to the winner's circle, 74-71.

The big question after the game was simple ... will we ever see this rivalry played again at Missouri? 

The teams will meet in an emotional showdown later this month in Lawrence. With the Tigers moving to the SEC, Kansas has said it doesn't want to continue to play this series. 

The Border War is great for the fans, the players, and of course, TV people like me. It is so sad to see rivalries going away in college hoops. 

Why can't teams like Missouri and Kansas meet once a year in non-league play. You see Louisville and Kentucky facing off. 

There is excitement galore with Clemson and South Carolina, Florida against Florida State and Georgia against Georgia Tech. 

Let's hope cooler heads prevail down the line. I hope we see Kansas and Missouri hook up on the hardwood for many years to come. It just won't happen right away in Columbia. 

The University of Connecticut basketball team just lost its fourth game in a row.  This is the defending national champs who were preseason rated #4 in America and picked by many to be the best in the Big East.  The question is, what is wrong offensively with this athletic team.  When I asked Jim Calhoun, he simply said, “I am perplexed, as we should be much, much better.”  Last night they lost to Georgetown and nothing changed.  Four straight losses and now they get ready to play at home to break that losing streak on Saturday against Seton Hall.  And then they have two road games versus Syracuse and Lousiville.  Wow, it doesn’t get easier.  The big question will be, will Connecticut play itself out of the NCAA tourney for this season.  It will be interesting to see how this develops.  A change in the lineup certainly didn’t help, as he inserted freshman Ryan Boatright in the starting lineup to give the team speed and quickness. Georgetown had an answer and was too tough, as they played exceptionally defensively and had a great performance from Hollis Thompson to go to 17-4 and be one of the surprise teams in the Big East.