Foreshadowing at its Finest in Towson's Record Snapping Win

Towson head coach Pat Skerry got a phone call from his wife, Kristen, about an hour before his team's game was going to tip off. She was upset because a large bird had crashed into a window of their house. He told her to call 911 and she did. She called him back to tell him that the bird was a hawk. Coach Skerry had to smirk a little. His team was playing against the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks. Skerry told ESPN, "I said great, we're playing the Seahawks today, maybe its a premonition. I told my assistants that the hawk died at my house and now we have to slay the Seahawks." The phone call turned out to be foreshadowing as Towson held onto win 66-61.

The significance here is that Towson came into the game with a record of 0-22 this season. They were currently riding a Division I men's record losing streak of 41 games. During the 41 games, the Tigers lost by a combined 675 points (16.5 ppg) and in ten different states. They went 395 days between wins.

Skerry was an assistant at Pittsburgh prior to taking over basically a blank slate at Towson. The Tigers only had one returning letter-winner and have six freshman on their team. Skerry knew he had a tough assignment. He said, "We've been in some games, but we've had trouble sustaining things. We lost to a D-II team in the exhibition season in Virginia State that's 2-14. I knew then that we were in for a grind."

Skerry remains optimistic about the future. The school is building a new stadium. Towson is located in a good recruiting area. Skerry believes that he and his staff can turn around the Tigers program. They've got a long ways to go, but a win is a start.

ESPN video of highlights of the win and interview of Coach Skerry: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7514470

Weekend Special: Who Should be on Upset Alert?

Saturday's Games to Watch

West Virginia @ #4 Syracuse - 1:00PM, ESPNU

The key matchup here will be how Syracuse handles West Virginia star Kevin Jones inside. The Orange are without Fab Melo once again, so they will need their other big men to step up defensively and on the glass. Jones as been an absolute force in Big East play this season. If the Mountaineers have a shot at the upset, they will need Jones to be that stellar again.

Texas @ #7 Baylor - 1:00PM, CBS

Texas is an improving young team that is fully capable of pulling an upset. However, they will play an angry Baylor team that is coming off its first two losses of the season. If they Bears exploit their advantage inside, they should get the win.

#16 Mississippi State @ #13 Florida - 1:30PM, ESPN3

Mississippi State has the size and strength inside to possibly give Florida some trouble. The Gators guards have been playing great and their team defense has stepped up in a big way as of late. This game should give us a better picture of both teams chances in March.

#5 Kansas @ Iowa State - 2:00PM, ESPN

This is a popular upset pick among the experts. Iowa State has an edge on the perimeter with their great guard play. They also have a big man in Royce White, who is capable of holding Kansas stud Thomas Robinson in check. The Hilton Coliseum should be on a full tilt, so Kansas is going to have to play very well in order to exit as the victors.

Middle Tennessee @ Vanderbilt - 2:00PM

This is a statement game for Middle Tennessee. They have a 20-2 record overall and are 9-0 in Sun Belt Conference play. However, this is there last chance to get a signature non-conference win. Vanderbilt has had their ups and downs all season. It will be interesting to see how they play against an amped up Blue Raiders team.

Cincinnati @ Rutgers - 6:00PM, ESPN3

Cincinnati was cruising having won 10 out of 11 games. But then they dropped their last two prior to this one. Rutgers has had their moments this season and have shown signs of hope for the future. The Scarlet Knights would love to get another quality win under their belts. It will be interesting to see how the Bearcats bounce back. If they are going to be a serious contender, this is a must win game.

#20 St. Mary's @ BYU - 9:00PM, ESPNU

St. Mary's convincingly won the first matchup of these two teams. The Gaels are currently looking like the favorites to win the West Coast Conference. BYU is currently sitting square on the bubble. They have a solid record, but a lack of quality wins. If they were able to pull the upset here, this would be a big step in the right direction.

Marshall @ Memphis - 9:00PM, CSS

Both of these teams are near the top of what is a crowded Conference USA standings. Marshall had some solid wins early in the season and even competed well at the Carrier Dome with Syracuse. As of late, the Thundering Herd have stumbled a bit, losing three in a row. On the other hand, Memphis is playing some of its best basketball right now. The Tigers are winners of eight of their last nine. This is an intriguing matchup with clear conference implications.

Sunday's Games to Watch

Notre Dame @ #19 Connecticut - 12:00PM, ESPN3

Connecticut won the previous matchup in South Bend in convincing fashion, but much has changed since then. Notre Dame upset Syracuse handing them their first and only loss of the season so far. The Fighting Irish are playing with a lot of confidence right now. Conversely, Connecticut has lost four out of their last six. The Huskies are looking to return to form. This is another statement game for both of these teams.

#22 Michigan @ #3 Ohio State - 1:00PM, CBS

Everyone normally talks about this rivalry in reference to a football game, but this is matchup of two Top 25 teams among the top of the Big Ten. Michigan has had their ups and downs, but are 3-2 against Top 25 teams, including a big win over in-state rival Michigan State. Ohio State has looked dominant at times, but there has also been a couple of pitfalls in their schedule so far this season. The Buckeyes will look to Jared Sullinger to lead the way once again. He is coming off a big game in a win over Penn State.

The Intensity Meter is on the Rise in the Battle of the Staples Center

Since 1999, both of the NBA's Los Angeles teams have played in the Staples Center. For most of that time the Lakers have bullied their little brother, the Clippers. After all the Lakers won three NBA championships in a row back in the Shaq and Kobe era. Then, they won back to back titles in 2009 and 2010. Meanwhile, the Clippers have struggled, making the playoffs only once (2006) since the move to their new home.

The Lakers carry that era of superiority when the play. They are of course still led by the aging, but resilient Kobe Bryant. They also still have Derek Fisher running the point and Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynam as their starting big men. The one guy they let go for basically nothing was Lamar Odom. The team needed to make a change following their ugly collapse in the playoffs last year, and Odom was the causality. The Lakers did try to make improvements by trading for superstars Dwight Howard (unsuccessful) and Chris Paul. The Lakers had a deal for Paul, but the league vetoed it.

This opened up the door for the Clippers. They already had a young superstar in Blake Griffin, but they were looking for another star to pair with him. When the Lakers' deal fell through, the Clippers reacted quickly. They finally acquired Paul and two second round draft picks for guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu, and the Minnesota Timberwolves' 2012 first round pick. During the offseason, the team also signed forward Caron Butler and veteran point guard Chauncey Billups.

The trade made the Clippers playoff contenders right away. Soon afterwards, people started asking the question of who was the best team in Los Angeles for the first time in a very long time. On Saturday, January 14, the Clippers took first blood. However, last night, the Lakers took revenge with a fourth quarter rally to win. The game featured hard fouls, plenty of trash talk, and wrestling between players. With one second left in the game, Pau Gasol patted the back of Chris Paul's head. The two exchanged pleasantries afterwards.

Anyone who watched the game can tell you that this is growing quickly into an intense rivalry. The Clippers are only going to get better as time progresses. But the Lakers are not going to just sit back and let them take over. The Clippers are planning a coup to supplant the Lakers' throne of superiority, while the Lakers look to hold firm. This will be an interesting storyline to follow this season and for years to come. Basketball in Los Angeles just got a little bit hotter.