Del Valle HS grad and current Baylor Bear Curtis Jerrells was the difference last night as Baylor upset Notre Dame, 68-64. Jerrells scored 15 points in the second half, making up for the fact that star Aaron Bruce only managed one point in the same twenty minutes. With Notre Dame down three and trying to mount a last-minute comeback, Jerrells provided a huge blocked shot with only 30 seconds left to ice the victory. The Bears, who are now 3-0, advance to face Winthrop in the championship game of the Paradise Jam being played in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The early-season upset bug is getting passed around the bottom of the top 25 like the herp in a freshman dorm. Last night New Orleans knocked off #22 NC State, 65-63, likely opening a fourth slot in the new poll that will be unveiled today.

The best tournament not nicknamed March Madness kicks off today when the Maui Invitational begins in Hawaii. Games are on ESPN2 all day, starting with Chaminade/Marquette at 1:30 PM CST and continuing with LSU/Oklahoma State (4 PM CST), Princeton/Duke (8 PM CST), and ASU/Illinois (10:30 PM CST).

Other TV action includes the semis of the CBE Classic (formerly Guardian’s) with UCLA/Maryland at 6 PM CST on ESPN2 and Michigan State and Mizzou at 8:30 PM CST on ESPNU.

There will be a double-dip on game wraps in the evening, as we look back at the UC-Davis and Arkansas-Monticello beatdowns. In the words of Larry David, the Horns looked pretty, pretty, pretty good.