It was a convtroversial ending for anyone who watched — there was what seemed to be a pretty blatant charge against a Georgia player, and it went uncalled — but the game is over, nonetheless, and UGA walked out the victor over the Wildcats.

UGA will face Mississippi State tonight, just six short hours after their win today. As a Georgia Tech (and Tennessee) fan, it’s hard for me to actually root for Georgia, but let’s be real: UT vs. UGA is a lot more appealing than anything else; Felton’s squad is just above a high school squad, an though they’ve played great the last couple of days, I can’t see them keeping this kind of pace up against a Top 5 team.

In other College Basketball news, UNC is trailing VT right now by 6 points with 13:00 left in the second half; Wisconsin is down to Michigan State by three in the first half, Texas is up seven at halftime against Oklahoma, and Memphis beat the hell out of Division II Tulsa to win the Conference USA Championship, as if anyone really cares to win the Conference USA Championship.

I saw this picture over at Deadspin and couldn’t really resist. You glance at the score and the question that surely hit your mind the moment you saw the picture is immediately answered: Only when your team has a 43 point lead or more do you call in All White Team. It’s nice to know we’re trusted not to screw things up when we’ve nearly doubled the other team’s score.

I heard about this early in the morning. It was about 10:30 a.m., and the Yahoo! homepage said two students were killed at Virginia Tech. I was in a hurry. I had to be somewhere by 11:00, and was on the verge of running late. Hearing about two deaths was similar to watching the evening news; it’s a horrible, horrible thing, but in a country where murder has become commonplace, it’s nothing you really think; at least nothing you care to take the time to read about.

I had a meeting at 11:00. Grabbed lunch around noon. Felt bad that I had to ignore Busted Play this day because of a report that was due by 5:00 p.m., but also realized that my job is more important than a site I run. I get back in front of my computer around 12:30, and go to check my mail, hoping to have a response from an email I wrote my boss earlier. Before I could ever get to my inbox, I read the Yahoo! caption:

“32 People Killed in Virginia Tech Tragedy”

I freeze. I think to myself: “No way. I saw this thing a couple of hours ago; it’s a typo. A couple of kids were killed. This can’t be right.”

I click on the headline, and read to my amazement. Horrified by what I’m reading, I call my dad.

Me: Pops, you seeing this?
Dad: What?
Me: This Virginia Tech thing.
Dad: I heard there were a couple of kids who had died, but have been busy with conference calls today. Why?
Me: Thirty-two kids, dad.
Dad: Thirty-two?
Me: Thirty-two.

The both of us were shocked. My dad was shocked because he had just heard the news from me; I was shocked because I still hadn’t completely digested what I’d read moments before.

I remember exactly where I was when the Columbine shooting took place. I was in ninth grade, English class, when my teacher told us the news. My next class was with a teacher that was very slack: There was no such thing as homework, or any type of work, really. She always had a TV in her class room, one that broadcasted the news throughout the year, unless it was March, where she’d play the NCAA Tournament. I walked into that class and saw Patrick Ireland climbing out of the window, using every bit of effort his body could muster. I remember hearing that there were bombs, automatics, semi-automatics; I remember hearing a handful of things, some true, others false.

I can’t say this day will stick in my mind like Columbine did. Maybe that’s because the news couldn’t provide us with visual evidence, or maybe it’s because I’m more grown up and a little less affected (when you’re 14 years old, a Columbine story can be kind of scary) by these events.

One thing I know: The victims’ families should be in everyone’s prayers. What happened yesterday was terrible; if there’s any good that comes from these events, it’s that the killer is now dead. Though I’d rather see this person — whose name is still unknown — in prison, being some guy named LeRon’s personal plaything, I’ll settle for death.

What happened yesterday was truly terrible. My best wishes go out to the families of the victims.

If you haven’t read this story, you can read it here. There’s detailed accounts of what happened. It’s worth reading.

God bless.

Boston College 60, Georgia Tech 74: Outside of their game with UNC, this was GT’s most complete game of the year (and, like the UNC game, I was there — maybe I’m some sort of good luck charm). Javaris Crittenton played well enough to probably assure his early entry to the NBA, and the rest of the team was right in stride. Thaddeus Young had 10, Jeremis Smith 13 (with two nice alley-oops), Anthony Morrow 11, and our lone senior, Mario West, had 7. Tech fans are probably the only people out there who believe GT can be dangerous in the tournament, and you can count me in that group. They have the right mix of youth and maturity, and if they can get over this fixation they have with playing sloppy on the road, they can make some noise a week-and-a-half from now.

Clemson 75, Virginia Tech 74: This suddenly makes the ACC “teams that were in” list interesting. Zabian Dowdell had 25, but missed a jumper with 19 seconds left that would have given VT the lead. I know they’ve kinda sucked recently, but now Clemson has to be considered as a team to play in March.

Duke 72, UNC 86: The biggest rivalry in all of sports wasn’t much of a rivalry this year. And other than Tyler Hansbrough getting beaten up and bloodied, it really wasn’t that great of a game to watch.

Kentucky 72, Florida 85: I don’t know if this win means Florida’s back on track, but it helps. Kentucky kept it close at moments, but it seemed every time the Gators needed a basket they got one. It was Senior Day in Florida, which only means it was the last game their juniors will ever play there.

Creighton 67, Southern Illinois 61: I hate to sound like the guy who whines and moans about the small teams being ranked so high, but I think this justifies my bitching about the Salukies. And this win by Creighton is going to have a dramatic effect on my bracket: One way or another, the Bluejays always manage a win in March.

Seton Hall 71, Louisville 86: I remember when Louisville was being talked about as a team that had no chance of making the tournament. A month later, they’re in the top 25, and are probably a 5 seed.

UNC 77, Georgia Tech 84: Well, I’m hoping I can save up some money over the next week so I can splurge at the mall on some “dancing shoes.” Well, I may be getting a little ahead of myself (like you couldn’t tell that from the title), but a win on Sunday against Boston College pretty much makes my Yellow Jackets a lock. Tyler Hansbrough had as many points as he had complaints. I’ve never seen a player cry so much. Thaddeus Young had 25 points and was 5-6 from beyond the arch. Javaris Crittenton had 13 points and 11 assists, as the freshmen really helped carry the load.

VT 56, Virginia 69: You never know what Hokie team is going to show up: The one that goes on the road and beats Duke, or the one that loses to Virginia by 13. Every time I convince myself to pick VT as my sleeper in the tourney, they go off and lay a total egg. I know it’s on the road and all, but I at least like to see raod losses that are close and hard fought. I really like Zabian Dowdell, who led the Hokies with 17 points. Sean Singletary, the prick who beat up on GT last week, led the Cavaliers with 17, as well.

Nevada 77, Utah State 79: Nick Fazekas scored 20 points, but also fouled at the end of the game to give Utah State the winning two free throws. Chaz Spicer had 17 points, Jaycee Carroll had 18, and Stephen DuCharme led the way for Utah State with 20.

Memphis 78, UTEP 67: It looks good for Georgia Tech, but if Memphis is really a one seed, then the Committee is about as dumb as the BCS. Wake me up when this team actually plays somebody.

USC 70, Washington 85: It’s probably too late for Washington, but if they can beat UCLA on two day’s rest, they might have a shot of sneaking in.

UCLA 53, Washington State 45: You’ve gotta like the way UCLA plays defense. They may not always show up offensively, but that defense of their’s is suffocating.

Georgia Tech 63, FSU 57: I hate to headline last evening’s games with one of the games that didn’t mean much to anybody who’s not me, but I’m going to anyway. The Yellow Jackets won their fourth straight game, and their first road win since February 2005. Yes, it’s been a while. Javaris Crittenton led the Jackets in scoring — as you probably knew from the not so subtle but very long title — with 29 points, and has flung himself into my exclusive list of Tech Players Whose Asses I’d Slap. Other members of this prestigious group include Chris Bosh, Jarrett Jack, Kenny Anderson, Dennis Scott, Will Bynum, Anthony McHenry, The Aussie, I’smail Muhhamad, Matt Harpring, BJ Elder, James Forrest, Malcom Mackey, Brian Oliver, John Barry, Drew Barry, John Salley. . . okay, maybe not exclusive, per se. But extensive, no less.

Texas Tech 77, Texas A&M 75: Texas Tech broke a five game losing streak, and A&M had its five game winning streak snapped when Jarrius Jackson hit a jumper as time expired to help Tech to its second win over the Aggies this year. This win helps Texas Tech out a lot, who was starting to slip off the edge of the NCAA tournament. I feel like a Bob Knight joke should be inserted here, but I’m not near clever enough at the moment.

Virginia Tech 81, UNC 80: That loss Georgia Tech had to VT at home this year is starting to look a little better. Zabian Dowdell is a name you might want to remember, because I have a feeling he’s going to be big in March. The kid is incredibly quick, and led the Hokies to victory with 33 points. Maybe now VT will be taken a little more seriously.

Florida Gulf Coast U 65, Butler 79: I’m not trying to squash the small fish, but c’mon. Butler is the 12th ranked team in the nation? They just beat Florida Gulf Coast U, who, outside of their student body, no one even knew existed.

Kentucky 85, Tennessee 89: Chris Lofton always dreamed of playing for Kentucky, and is now giving Tubby Smith nightmares for not recruiting him. In his three games against the Wildcats, Lofton has averaged 23.6 ppg. I’m starting to think Tubby wouldn’t say “you’re too small” if he still wanted to play there. . .