Coast to Coast...like Tyus Edney against Mizzou

The photo is one of the most over-hyped college players of my time: Felipe Lopez. Whatever happened to him? MTAC's headed to the sunshine for a little va-ca, but that won't stop the posting. With the holidays here and so many games to talk about, we will forgo any pop-culture talk for now and stick to the college game that we love so much. A day like Saturday deserves our full attention. One quick non-Hoops related story. Watched The Departed again this morning on HBO. Seriously, was there a better movie that came out in the last decade? I don't know who was the best actor in this movie, Leo, Jack, or Matt Damon. Alec Baldwin was brilliant, as was Mark Wahlberg.

#2 Memphis 85 #4 Georgetown 71 - A close game in the first half turned into a blowout thanks to Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey. Rose had 18. Dorsey dominated the overrated Roy Hibbert with 11 and 13 boards. But the real difference was CDR. He broke out of his mini-slump with a game high 24. As for Hibbert. To say he didn't show up for this game would be an understatement. He was passive all game long scoring just six points and grabbing just three rebounds. He had nothing for the more athletic Dorsey. The Hoyas shot a porous 3-14 from deep.

#1 North Carolina 105 UC-Santa Barbara 70 - Take it from us, Roy Williams' teams never play poor games back to back. Never. Tyler Hansbrough went 9-11 from the field for 21 points. Wayne Ellington and Marcus Ginyard both chipped in 17. Ty Lawson added 15. Don't fret Gaucho fans, you still have hotter chicks on your campus.

#3 Kansas 78 Miami-Ohio 54 - The game was marred by technical difficulties on the full court package. Half the time, the screen was glitching, the other half, the sound was off. All I know is that through the green screen I saw another dominating performance by the Jayhawks. Their balance is really something special. Darrell Arthur had 14 and 10 boards. Darnell Jackson and 14 and 8. Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers had 10 apiece while sixth man Sherron Collins had 8. These Hawks are loaded. FYI - Miami hadn;t had a team score 70 on them in 64 straight game until KU dropped 78 on them.

#14 Indiana 73 Coppin State 46 - Eric Gordon goes 2-13 from the field and still the Hoosiers win by 27. That's either a good sign for the depth of the Hoosiers or a sign of how bad Coppin State is.

#2 UCLA 69 Michigan 54 - Exactly how was Michigan leading this game at the half? Michigan coach came out in a 1-3-1 zone and the Bruins couldn't shoot outside of watching Kevin Love bully the overmatched UM big man. The second half however was a different story. Josh Shipp scored 15 in the second half to lead an 18 point second half runaway. Love finished with 17. UCLA acted as if they were still asleep. They have not impressed the MTAC crew thus far.

#12 Tennessee 82 #24 Xavier 75 - What a game. If you didn't like this game, that you don't like college hoops. Talk about non-stop action. We were riveted. It was back and forth all game long. The turning point was a bullshit technical foul called on Vols coach Bruce Pearl for taking exactly one step out of the coaching box. Next thing you know, Tennessee went on a 12-2 run to close out Xavier. JP Price was magnificent, scored a career high 23. Wayne Chism was the man in the post, grabbing one man-sized rebound after another. Poor Xavier. Not often do you shoot 24-27 from the line and lose; at home no less. We are ready to designate The Vols as MTAC's #2 squad behind out beloved Jayhawks.

#19 Arizona 74 San Diego State 58 - Looking for a sleeper Final Four team? Arizona could be the one for you. Speedy Nic Wise scored 12 off the bench while Jerryd Bayless and Jordan Hill each had 15 to lead the Cats. With Kevin O'Neill's defense first style, these Cats have staying power.

#25 Stanford 62 Texas Tech 61 - A back and forth affair won by the Cardinal. Brook Lopez had 19 and his twin Robin had 10. Stanford only hit one three pointer all day and still came out with the W. The General did not look happy walking off the court in Dallas. In the end, talent won out. The Red Raiders had little of it.

Mississippi 82 #15 Clemson 82 - I guess we know now that the Rebels are for real. Each team was playing their third game in three nights in Puerto Rico. Ole Miss led the majority of the game and were able to hold off the Tigers in the end. Dwayne Curts and Chris Warren had 19 each for the Rebels who shot just 41% from the field. Interestingly enough, Clemson shot 53% and lost. Terrance Oglesby led the Tigers with 20 off the bench as they suffered their first loss of the year. Look for the Rebs to be ranked this week.

Appalachian State 74 Arkansas 67 - One of MTAC's favorite squads choked a big one away at home to the team best known for knocking off Michigan in Football. The Gary Ervin Turnover Count: 3. Free Throw Shooting: 14-25.

Ohio State 62 Florida 49 - A rematch of last year's national title game. Too bad for Florida its entire rotation is playing elsewhere. Kosta Koufos looked like the real deal in the post, leading all scorers with 17. Lets call it what it was, the game was a bore.

#10 Michigan State 78 #5 Texas 72 - I learned a lot about these two teams watching this game. First off, MSU is as mentally tough a team as I have seen this year. Their game plan to stop the Texas guards was brilliant. They hedged hard on every high screen set. The Spartans also have a fabulous Freshman Point Guard off the bench in Kailin Lucas, who's energy was infectious. He had 18. Raymar Morgan is some kind of athlete and like Kansas' Brandon Rush, can guard all five positions. Meanwhile, Texas' lack of depth killed them. All they got was a J.D. Lewis three. Big Men Damion James and Conner Atchley better not get in any foul trouble. That said, DJ Augustine and AJ Abrams combined for 46 points. If I'm a Spartan fan, I am hoping we win the Big Ten and get a #1 or #2 seed in the Midwest - the regionals are in Detroit.

American 67 Maryland 59 - Gary Must Go! Gary Must Go! Seriously, is this a joke? Maryland has now lost at home to Ohio and American in the last two weeks. Poor Scott van Pelt. He must be flipping. Gary Williams' act has officially worn thin. American? MTAC reader Mike Stone is loving life.

ALL LATE GAMES NOT INCLUDED