A few random thoughts before I get to the rest of the Bracketbuster matchups.
Are there two more annoying coaches in the entire country than Jamie Dixon and Jim Calhoun? I watched the Pitt-UCONN game the other night and nearly had to turn it off because watching Dixon and Calhoun yell at the refs after EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION almost became too much for me to handle. Jamie Dixon is the worst though. If there is any coach in American who has ZERO right to b*tch about officiating, it is Dixon. His guys get away with murder, they are the most physical, roughest, toughest team in the country and he is over there whining like his team is getting hosed. It's really quite incredible.
As a CAA fan, I have been following Andy Katz's blatant bandwagoning for the Northeastern team that was at one time, first place in the CAA. In a span from Jan 23-Jan 31, Katz wrote about Northeastern 4 times in his ESPN column. Not coincidentally, that is exactly when Northeastern was in first place. Since Jan 31, they have lost 4 of their last 5 and he hasn't written a single sentence about them since. Thanks for confirming what we already know Katz, that ESPN, and nearly everyone who works for them, are nothing but a bunch of bandwagon frontrunners who slurp whoever is hot at the time until they are not, and then they are nowhere to be found.
I think Butler is hitting the wall. Heyward and some of their other young freshman are playing in a physical Horizon league and taking punishment night in and night out and it really seems to be wearing on them. Their last couple losses were very winnable games, but they didn't look fresh at all and made alot of mistakes typical of a worn down basketball team. It will be interesting to see how they come out and play against a older, more experienced Davidson team. It will tell us alot about where Butler is right now in terms of a national stage and how well they can do in the tourney. However, if Curry doesn't play, all bets are off. Without him, they are a below average Big South team.
St. Mary's should not be punished for missing Patty Mills. They had only lost 1 game without him all season. They have some very solid OOC wins and will get another big matchup against Utah State on Saturday. More than likely, Utah State wins this one, but if St. Mary's shows they can stay close, even without Patty Mills, I think they should be in consideration for an at-large. If Mills makes it back at the start of the tourney and they win all the way to the final and lose to Gonzaga, I think they should get an at-large this year. Who else really deserves one? Arizona? Providence? Michigan? Penn St? Give me a healthy St. Mary's WITH Patty Mills over any of those teams in the tourney.
Bracketbusters Preview Cont'd.
VCU-Nevada
Call me crazy, but I like VCU on the road. VCU is a very tough team to beat in BIG games. Eric Maynor always shows up and will get his points, regardless of who he is playing. I have only watched Nevada play a few games this season, but from what I have watched, consider me unimpressed. Larry Sanders is an ACC-caliber big man for a sophmore. He held his own against Blake Griffin and I look for him to play really strong against Babbitt from Nevada. Bradford Burgess has also really come into his own as of late and I could see him having a big-time game against the Wolfpack. Give me VCU to win this one on the road.
Niagara-Illinois State
Wow. Now this is a heck of a college basketball matchup. Two teams, both very, very good and with little to no shot of an at-large despite the fact that either team could possibly pull off a win in the NCAA tourney. Niagara is a VERY solid basketball team that pressures the ball well, is one of the Top 3 teams in the country in steals and forces teams to play their brand of basketball. This matchup will be an interesting view of how good the MAAC is as compared to the MVC, the other matchup being UNI and Siena. This is the one I want to see though, as I think Niagara might be the team that represents the MAAC in the tourney (by winning the conference tourney) and I think Illinois State is the second best team in the MVC (Creighton being the best). Osirus Eldridge is going to be on a big stage and going against a solid defense, it will be interesting to see how or if he gets his points. Edgemonye is going to get his points in the middle for the Purple Eagles, so this game is pretty much going to come down to who plays better perimeter defense and who hits more 3 pointers. Should be a very solid mid-major game and I will take the Purple Eagles to win at home.
ODU-LU
I've written about this game previously, but just another few tidbits. ODU has an enormous size advantage and is playing some fantastic basketball right now. Winners of 5 of their last 6, ODU has been playing great since they decided to utilize 6-10" Gerald Lee in a different way. By moving him out of the post, utilizing his athleticism and quickness for a big man, they have been able to create the matchups they want in the paint and Lee responded with 6 consecutive games of 18 points or more, averaging around 21 over that span. Considering Liberty has a severe lack of height and size, I look for ODU to dominate in the paint and win this one at home.
Northeastern-Wright State
Northeastern, which was playing some of the best basketball in the CAA a few weeks ago, has really been in a tailspin. During one stretch, they had won 9 of 10 in the CAA including wins over Hofstra, GMU at VCU and at ODU. Since then they have dropped games to William and Mary, Drexel, GMU and Ga State at home. Yikes. They are still a very good, very dangerous team, but they are also offensively challenged at times and it has really cost them quite a few times this season.
On the other hand, Wright State lost their first 6 games of the season and 7 of their first 9. Since then, they have gone 16-4, losing twice to Butler and 2 road games to UIC and Clev State. They've only lost 3 games at home all season, 2 of those in the first 3 games of the season and the other a few weeks ago to Butler. They will have a very good home court advantage for this game and Brad Brownell is familiar with the CAA, although not familiar with Northeastern who only joined the CAA after he left UNCW. Wright State only gives up 56 points a game, which could be very bad news for a Northeastern team that struggles to score at times. On the other hand, Matt Janning will remind Brownell alot of a former player of his, John Goldsberry, a streak shooter who can absolutely light it up if he gets on a hot streak. Wright State is a very deep team and will probably use a variety of players to cover him and try and wear him down. Vaughan Duggans will get his for Wright State in this game, but for the casual fan, this game could be very ugly to watch. I look for both teams to stay in the 40's and Northeastern to pull this out on the road. I only give them the slight advantage because Janning will be the best player on the court and in a low scoring game, that could make the difference.
Buffalo at Vermont
This could be a very interesting game of two teams not alot of people know about, but who are playing pretty darn good basketball right now. Vermont isn't nearly as good as they were when they had Taylor Coppenwrath, but they are still a tough, physical team playing in the AE that could be capable of making some noise in a first round game this year. I don't think they are good enough to win as a 15 or 14 seed, but they could give someone a good run for their money. Vermont has won 12 of their last 13 games and is really hot, allbeit against a fairly weak America East conference.
Buffalo, on the other hand, has lost 2 in a row after winning 9 straight games in the MAC. They played Siena and Niagara tough earlier this eason and somehow managed to stay within 4 of UCONN. Based on the conference strength, you would pick Buffalo to win this game, but I think at home, in a Bracketbuster matchup, Vermont pulls out the win at home.
Butler-Davidson
I've already discussed this game, so I will make it simple. If Curry plays and is 100% healthy, Davidson wins. If he isn't 100% or doesn't play at all, Butler pulls out the road victory. Yes, I know, thats a really weak answer, but it is fact, without Curry, Davidson is a very mediocre team. They would stand little to no chance of beating Butler without him.
Northern Iowa at Siena
I like Siena. I have liked them all season long. The MAAC is a very tough conference this year and both Niagara and Siena are capable of doing damage in the tourney. Over the last 18 games, Siena has gone 16-2. The losses? A 2 point loss at Rider and a 7 point loss at Kansas. That's it. During that stretch, they beat St. Joe's on the road, Buffalo, the Rider squad they lost too and they blew out Niagara. They are a VERY impressive basketball team and capable of winning again in the Big Dance, much like last year. I can't even imagine how good this team would be if they still had Miami transfer Jack McClinton back. Kenny Hasbrouck is one of the best players in the country that no one has heard of and it really is a shame. He is a do-it-all guard who can really fill up a stat sheet. I can't emphasize enough how dangerous this team could be in March as a 12 or 13 seed.
Northern Iowa was playing some great basketball in the MVC until recently, as they had an 11 game winning streak snapped by Creighton a little over 2 weeks ago. Since then, they've also lost to Wichita State and been blown out by a mediocre Drake squad. Not good. They aren't a bubble team and winning this game will mean very little to their overall season picture, as they will have to win the MVC tourney to get in regardless. This game is however, very important to two teams The first is Siena, who can help their at-large potential big time with a win over an MVC powerhouse. The second is Creighton, the first place team in the MVC and the only team with a legit shot to get an at-large bid from the MVC. If Northern Iowa wins this game on the road, it makes a big statement about where the MVC is this year. If, however, they get rolled at Siena, it could severly damage Creighton's at-large chances regardless of what they do against GMU. My prediction for this game is Siena to roll at home by double digits.
GMU-Creighton
Already wrote about this game as well, so I will just make my pick, Creighton to win comfortable at home in the Qwest Center.
Wisconsin Green Bay- Long Beach State
Umm, call me a East Coast bias kind of guy, because I have no clue about LBS. Give me WGB because the Horizon is a very solid league this year.
Boise St - Portland State -
Another matchup I don't know much about, but I know for a fact that the WAC is better than the Big Sky, so give me Boise St. on the road. Sometimes, it is just that simple.
Miami -OH-Evansville -
The Purple Aces should be tough to beat at home. I am not a huge fan of the MAC this year, but I think this game will be a tough one and probably even a competitive one, a good example of what the Bracketbusters are all about. Neither of these teams has any chance to make the NCAA tourney outside of winning their league tourneys, but at the same time, pride will be on the line and both teams have good mid-major players who will put on a show. Will it be an attractive game? No probably not to the average fan, but if you love mid-major basketball and love seeing guys put it all on the line, this will be a perfect example of what the Bracketbusters are all about. No kids with NBA deals waiting, no one worried about how this game will affect their draft status, just good, hard-nosed basketball between two teams who will get no postseason glory, but now have a chance to show their teams toughness and attitude on national television. Give me the Purple Aces to win at home in a solid basketball game showcasing two also-rans in historically great mid-major leagues, the MVC and the MAC.
I love the Bracketbusters and cannot wait for the games to get started tonight! VCU and Nevada and Siena-Northern Iowa should both be GREAT games and really show the country what mid-major basketball is all about!
