NBA AND COLLEGE BASKETBALL COMMENTS

Cavs Surge Forward: Don't look now, all of you Lebron haters, but Cleveland is currently on an eleven game winning streak and only three and a half games out of second place in the Eastern Conference. The Miami Heat hold the seventh spot, so a playoff match-up between the two teams isn't out of the realm of possibility. James hasn't even played in every game of the run, with Kyrie Irving playing some great basketball to make up the King's absence. For fans of the Hawks, Raptors, Wizards and Bulls, I think the Cavaliers will only get better as Kevin Love rounds into form.

The Other Cavaliers: Number 12 North Carolina led second ranked Virginia 33 - 32 at the half last night, and the Heels hadn't played a particularly good first half. Unfortunately, they continued their spotty performance, while the visiting Cavaliers overwhelmed them at both ends of the court to bounce back from their only loss of the season Saturday night against Duke. Virginia is tenacious on defense and efficient on offense. Despite the setback to the Blue Devils, they certainly look like a contender for the national championship.

Jayhawks Prevail: Eighth ranked Kansas trounced  number 11 Iowa State last night to stay on top in the Big 12 and send a message to the Cyclones that they better bring something more to the party if they're going to play with the big boys. As god as the Big 12 is this season, it's hard for me to understand how the Jayhawks are barely ranked in the top ten nationally. The RPI has them number one, so when it comes time for NCAA tournament, we'll probably see them as a number one seed if they keep up their current performance level. Of course, the nice thing about basketball is that they'll get to play it out, first in the regular season, then the conference tournament, followed at last by March Madness.

Games to Watch Tonight: Indiana, unranked, travels to number 5 and 19 - 2 Wisconsin, who leads the Big Ten. Kentucky, still undefeated, hosts a dangerous Georgia team in an effort to keep their spotless record. Louisville heads to Miami, where the Hurricanes need a win to stay relevant in the NCAA tournament picture. Number 15 West Virginia heads to number 21 Oklahoma in a Big 12 showdown.

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Roughing the Passer - A PK Frazier Novel" and my first, "Illegal Procedure - A PK Frazier Novel", available in print and e-formats at Amazon.com, iBooks and Smashwords.