The Cram Session is a semi-daily melange of last night's most important hoops action.

Syracuse 95, California 73: A couple of weeks ago, Syracuse lost a game to Division II LeMoyne Dolphins. Yes, it was just an exhibition game, but the loss was emphatic -- how disorganized would the Cuse have to be to lose to such an inferior outfit? And what, if anything, did the loss mean for the Orangemen going forward? Turns out not much: Syracuse crushed No. 13 California at Madison Square Garden last night, and it was never close. The Cuse's offense was especially impressive, scoring 95 points in 80 possessions and firing off an effective field goal percentage of 64.3 percent. Wesley Johnson's game (17 points, 11 rebounds, six blocks, had a lot to do with that, but really Syracuse was dominant everywhere and on both ends -- pressing and stretching Cal on defense and making efficient and gorgeous use of possession on offense. If it wasn't safe before, now it is. LeMoyne was a fluke.

North Carolina 77, Ohio State 73: You know it's a good hoops game when it gets the roommate stamp of approval. When I can sit in the living room and watch and when a roommate wanders through on a Thursday night, he doesn't ask how I feel about watching our DVR'd episodes of "Parks and Recreation" and "Community"; he just sits down and starts watching the game. Last night's game -- in which Ohio State and Evan Turner cut a large UNC lead down to size in the final minute, pushing the Tar Heels to the brink -- was one such affair. Evan Turner was both the cause of and solution to all of Ohio State's problems; he had 23 points, 11 rebounds and four assists and also 10 turnovers, which is way too many for a putative point guard. (To put this in reference, Ohio State only had 16 total turnovers. Turner is dominating the ball, and not always for the best.) The Heels were more balanced, with four scorers in double figures offensively, while Ed Davis shone especially bright. Davis's touch around the rim seems to get better every game.

Villanova 69, George Mason 68: Poor George Mason. A 13-point lead in the second half. Several VIllanova contributors fouled out. A reserve who'd never shot a ball in a 'Nova uniform before shoots the ball in the final seconds, and yep, you guessed it: he makes the shot, George Mason loses, and the Wildcats escape an upset bid from Jim Larranaga's team. Scottie Reynolds had 18 points but eight turnovers, so he can join Team Turner on the island of misfit turnover-prone point guards for a night. The win could have put Mason back on the map -- we had a whole "George Mason is the new George Mason" post ready to go -- but failing that, it's still an awfully good loss for GMU, one that portends success throughout the 2009-10 campaign. This isn't the last you've heard from Larranaga.

Kentucky 102, Sam Houston St. 92: John Calipari's not happy about this. While the Cats scored 102 points on 82 possessions -- good for an otherwordly 1.24 points per possession -- they didn't play a lick of perimeter defense, allowing Sam Houston's Corey Allmond to break a Rupp Arena record for made three-pointers with 11. Allmond finished with 37 points and Sam Houston scored 92 in 82 possessions against the Cats, a win that feels more like a loss for Kentucky fans who expect their defenses to smother and destroy (especially a defense featuring this much athleticism). Calipari's teams have always figured it out, but is this one too young? (I don't think so, but sometimes rhetorical questions increase the suspense. And they're fun!)

Everywhere else: As previously noted, Dayton got a big win over Georgia Tech in the middle of the day, even though nobody saw it ... UNC-Wilmington topped Penn State, which does not bode well for Talor Battle and company's bid to follow last year's NIT win into the NCAA tournament this year ... Ole Miss had no problems with a lackluster Indiana squad ... Wofford followed its win over Georgia Tech with a thrashing of some school I've never, ever seen before ... Boston U. fell to Kansas State in the first round in Puerto Rico ... and No. 1 Kansas rolled over Central Arkansas at home, 94-44.

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