Final: Hawai'i 65, Central Michigan 62

I snagged me an hour of sleep during the first half of this would-be snoozefest, but woke up at half via alarm and took a cold, invigorating shower, and now I'm feeling great, ready for the long haul to midnight tonight, no doubt. This was actually an entertaining second half. Hawai'i is not nearly as bad as most ESPN experts had them being, and Central Michigan has a lot of potential, no doubt about that. This was perhaps the best finish of the marathon so far, but take heart, it is only the 3rd game! Im going to assume everyone missed it, so heres the rundown of the last few possessions: 55 seconds left, Central Michigan down 63-61, Hawai'i ball. CMU gets the steal and Hawai'i is called for an intentional foul, as the Hawai'i player fouled the CMU player with a clear lane to the bucket. It turned out to be a great play because the CMU guy only hit 1 free throw and Hawai'i was able to hold on the ensuing possession, and got the ball and was able to run a ton of time off the clock, leaving just 5.9 seconds as they went to the line for 2. The Hawai'i guy made 1 of 2, making the score 64-62, and CMU lost the ensuing inbounds pass. They fouled Hawai'i again with 4.2 seconds left, hoping the Warriors would only make 1 of 2 yet again. Shocker, they only made 1. No timeouts for CMU, down by 3. A halfcourt heave by CMU at the buzzer did not fall and Hawai'i escapes on their home floor, 65-62. Whew, intense(ish)

Game Predictions: 2 for 3 (Note to self: Home teams win in this marathon)

Tater Taco Count: 4, but trust me, it will be at least 6 by the time this Monmouth game is over

Dont forget, pace yourself, its a marathon, not a sprint