<whining> There is no worse place to be than to have a very bad headcold that makes you feel terrible, but not so bad that you are out of commission and need to get into bed. Misery. </whining>

Tonight, we have James Madison facing off against Gardner-Webb. The Patients could use one of those games–you know what I mean, a big early lead that swells and bench players get minutes. Starters get some rest and everybody Wang Chungs.

The most important part of these games is from the under eight media time out in the first half until about one minute is left in the first half. A 10-point lead has to become a 17-point lead. If that 10-point advantage becomes eight points, everybody tightens.

Gardner Webb is 3-5, but 0-5 against D1 teams. Ken Pomeroy says JMU loses this game 63-62 and gives GW a 56% chance of winning. There is no truth to the rumor that there are so many injured players for JMU that they rented two Cooper Minis instead of a bus to get there.

We’re wagering on the 44%, which is coincidentally what JMU shoots to win this game 68-61.

***

It’s amazing when two brilliant minds independently come to the same conclusion. In Brain Mull’s recap of The Dub’s loss to Wake Forest last night, he noted that a key stretch in the game was the middle of second half. (Lots of links for interested parties.)

UNCW had whittled the Wake lead to the neighborhood of 8-10 points. The defense kept making stops, through turnovers or rebounds, and the offense ran precise plays and got good shots. Wake was forced to foul several times, and UNCW kept missing free throws. Instead of a five point lead, Wake held a near-double digit or double digit lead. I actually grabbed a pen and made a note on a scratch sheet to write about it today.

In fact, by Mull’s count it was 2-7 during a stretch that UNCW could’ve really tightened up the Wake players. Imagine being on the road, hostile crowd, a 15-point lead is five, and the opposition’s best player, who had been sitting with four fouls, comes off the bench.

But 2-7 was ugly, and it never materialized.

On the upside: that was a way different UNCW team. If you haven’t seen them this year, forget any comparison to last year’s team. And I cannot be more disappointed that John Fields got a haircut.

***

Gary Parrish, a favorite here, apparently took some punishment for his column about the bad technical foul at the end of the Mason/Creighton game. Remember, Creighton coach Dana Altman was teed up with 18 seconds to play. The Bluejays led 72-70 at the time, and lost.

Even though we are admitted CAA homers, that was a horrid call that should not have been made. Anything short of an angry Bruce Banner should’ve been let go. The only reason we point it out today is this: Parrish’s argument is one I wish we saw more these days: common sense.

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More national hysteria: Chris Chase over at The Dagger wrote yesterday that Duke’s Coach K–maybe you’ve heard of him–is now backing the idea of a 96-team NCAA tournament.

Now, let’s pass by the whole “what I propose” part of Coach Ks quote. I didn’t realize that coaching Duke University men’s basketball for a very long time allowed you to propose NCAA legislation. I missed that bylaw.

But anyway, the reason I point this out is Chase’s hysterical end-sentence, wondering if Coach K would’ve preferred this when a certain CAA team sent them packing a few years ago.

Oh, and how much would everyone respect, admire, and come to really like the BCS coach who just came right out and admitted it: ” I support the move to 96 teams because a pile of money would stream into the basketball coffers, and we’re at the front of that line and would get a big check. Plus, the pressure of winning 24 games a year is immense. I have an opportunity to erase the stigma of an 18-10 season with two NCAA tournament victories, even if they mean less.”

Wouldn’t that be awesome in this era of transparency? I mean that.