it was not pretty at all, but it was a win.

cats top the nittany lions this afternoon, 57-52, and this time it was a 19-2 run that did in the nits. (last time, a 30-2 run, you'll recall.)

the cats played a pretty awful game, and probably wouldn't have beaten any other team in the conference with a performance like that. thankfully, they played well enough to beat their opponent on this given day, which is really all that matters.

i'm going to place my attitude regarding friday's crucial michigan state game as 'cautiously optimistic,' although it's probably closer to 'cautiously hopeful' (which, to me, would reflect a little less confidence).

i didn't seen the second nu-msu game (dave eanet was my source), a ten-point loss, but it certainly seemed that northwestern played with state for most of the game. (not unlike the second illinois game, in which a quick spurt by the illini put the cats out of commission midway through the second half.) in the second msu game, the spartans hit a hot 9-for-18 from the arc, while the cats were 2-for-16. but, then again, michigan state's a really good three-point shooting team (.397 - tops in the conference), and the cats stink (.315 - bottom of the barrel).

still, i've got this strange feeling. northwestern racked up 22 steals today and, while that's not going to happen, 10 or 12 or 15 isn't out of the question. michigan state, you'll recall, plays six guards (torbert, hill, anderson, ager, brown, bograkos, right?), including zero point guards. the cats on-ball pressure against penn state was tremendous, and jitim's playing for his legacy. (of course, he was doing the same thing on saturday...sigh.)

the cats lost the first game to the spartans, one of two conference home losses this season, in mid-january. maurice ager, of course, hit six threes in the first half of that one. can't think that'll happen.

i don't think that there will be a partisan crowd for either team tomorrow...i think the crowd wants to be won over, and its much more likely for the cats to rally the crowd than for the hated spartans to do that.

cautiously hopeful.


in other news, gbv's bringing out a bunch of new songs on their current tour. (i won't be able to see this current tour for a while, perhaps not before the new record comes out.)

some of the new ones that've been played:

everyone thinks i'm a raincloud (when i'm not looking)
sons of apollo
closets of henry
guide for the winston churchill memorial
window of my world
sing for your meat, leon
asphyxiated circle
the girls of wild strawberries
huffman prairie flying field
gonna never have to die

the first title's my favorite, of course. i've not heard any of the songs, and i don't know which record they're from. (bobby pop's got a solo record in may, and the band's is due in august. it never ends.)