Update from Virginia....

As you read this, I am currently in Charlottesville, Virginia, following the dictates of my legal career (the law is a tempting mistress) and upset that my March basketball focus has been disturbed. It has been a difficult couple of days to be away from the computer, especially considering Joe Crawford's electrifying performance last night as the Cats won a crucial game on the road in Columbia. Joe went for 35 and Ramel 20, thus meaning that the two seniors on the team accounted for 55 of 71 points, showcasing just how important they have been to this team's resurgence. Ramon Harris also gets major credit for shutting down Downey and making people forget just how good he has looked in the vast majority of games this year. The win was of the utmost importance and it puts Kentucky in a perfect position to go dancing. However, Mississippi State's choke job combined with Shan Foster's unbelievable abilities have led to a scenario where on Sunday Kentucky may be playing not only for an NCAA berth, but also for the bye in the SEC Tournament, as a loss likely puts them in the #3 seed on Tennessee's side of the bracket. The stakes thus cant be higher and Sunday should be a I unfortunately didnt get to see the game (Raycom doesnt travel up here), but I did end up at the Virginia-Duke game (which led me to a number of interesting stories which I will expand on here on Friday, including Greg Paulus talking about Patrick Patterson, Nolan Smith on the relative attractiveness of Duke girls and Coach K unmasked). What was difficult for me was trying to keep up with the Cats game from ESPN.com I assumed something was wrong early when it told me that Coury was the leading scorer, but it was nothing compared to the terror of the automatic refreshed updates. Every time the score was updated, I would swing back and forth emotionally, even though I couldnt see the game at all. If a South Carolina player scored a "two point dunk field goal", I cursed our lack of defense, even though I didnt see a moment of the game. Definitely not a good way to follow a game you care about and something I will try not to repeat. Either way, the game yesterday was big. But now we come to a great weekend in Lexington, finishing with Cats-Gators on Sunday. I am already nervous and we are still a few days away. But until then, I will console myself with the quote of one old Virginia fan who was sitting below me at the game, "yeah sometimes we lose games, but seriously if I had to cheer for Kyle Singler, I would just quit and go on that Queer Eye show."