Coast to Coast...like Tyus Edney against Mizzou

I know it's cliche, but watching the Jimmy V speech between games at the Garden last night gets us everytime. It was truly amazing to witness and what an amazing performance he put on with his body completely sapped of energy. On the court, Monday night Indiana won a game but lost Eric Gordon to a back/hip injury. He should be fine for the showdown with Kentucky in Bloomington Saturday. Speaking of UK, highly touted Freshman G Alex Legion has asked for and was granted his transfer papers. This came completely out of nowhere as Legion was getting plenty of run for the Wildcats. Very strange, but then again, so was Legion's original recruitment where UK wasn't even a player and he ended up there anyways. Lets peep Tuesday night's action. (NOTE: From time to time, the picture in this section will be random, like today's shot of the new power couple known as Quarantine).

#1 North Carolina 106 Pennsylvania 71 - This was one of those Roy Williams specials. He set the game up in Philly so Wayne Ellington could play in front of his family and friends and the Tar Heels didn't disappoint. Ellington had 13 points, but it was Tyler Hansbrough who stole the show. The man they call Psycho T had 29 points and 10 boards and was unstoppable in the post. The man to watch for the Heels is sixth man Danny Green who has played very well this season. He was 9-12 from the field with 19 in 16 minutes.

#12 Tennessee 76 Chattanooga 70 - The streak shooting of Tennessee continued and this time it almost cost them a game against a 4-4 mid-major. The Vols shot just 38% and led by just one at the half. Jajuan Smith was just 3-15 and Chris Lofton was 4-13. A good team would have knocked off the Vols last night. Lucky for them, Chattanooga isn't one. Another thing, Tennessee shot a ridiculous 36 three pointers.

Notre Dame 68 Kansas State 59 in NYC - Until Kansas State and it joke of a coach Frank "I only have my job because of Michael Beasley" Martin realizes that the team is more than just Beasley and Bill Walker, they won't win games against quality opponents. ND's Luke Harangody bodied Beasley all night and held him to just two second half points while scoring 19 and grabbing 14 boards. Kyle McAlarney added 18.

#2 Memphis 62 USC 58 OT in NYC - This was hyped as the battle of the Freshman stars, but it turned into an offensive clunker, won by the Tigers in OT. The great OJ Mayo had his second straight game where he jacked up 20 shots and made just six. USC shot a poroius 28% from the field, yet had the game in their hands to win, but Daniel Hackett missed a free throw with the score tied and six seconds left. The USC starters all logged big minutes, and couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat. Davon Jefferson was 3-11, Taj Gibson 2-12, and Hackett 3-11. Memphis wasn't much better, shooting just 38% and hitting just 5-22 from deep. Derrick Rose scored nine with 10 rebounds and four assists in front of gobs of NBA scouts. Robert Dozier led the Tigers with 13, Chris Douglas-Roberts added 10. The other thing that made the game even less attractive to the viewers was being stuck listening to Dick Vitale stroke Mayo and Rose all night long. If I never hear "are you serious?" again, I'll be OK.

#10 Michigan State 66 Bradley 61 - Make no mistake about it, this was a tough win for the Spartans and they should be commended for even taking this game on the road against an MVC team. You can never say Tom Izzo ducks anyone. 95% of the big conference schools would never travel to Peoria. In a back and forth game, the Spartans used a balanced attack and a domination of the glass to overcome a nine point second half deficit to win. Four players scored in double figures including Raymar Morgan's 15.