Mid Major Hoops

Bracket Buster Recap Part II

Here's Part II of the Bracket Buster Recap

Nevada 79, Northern Iowa 64  - I was really close with the point spread of this game (I had Nevada winning by 16).  After a competitive first half that had the Panthers up by one at halftime, the Wolfpack went on a 10-0 run and never looked back.  What was really impressive was the balance the Wolfpack had in scoring as Marcellus Kemp had 18 points , Nick Fazekas 17, Kyle Shiloh 16 and Ramon Sessions 14 as Northern Iowa could not key on one Nevada player.  The Wolfpack shot 51 percent from the field including 9 of 18 from three. 

Impact - Nevada 3 - The Wolfpack showed the country that they are more than just than Nick Fazekas.  They look like a legitimate Sweet 16/Elite 8 team with great balance when they come to play, which may be their only question.  My guess is that will go away come conference tournament time.  They are a solid #3, potentially a #2 seed for the tournament.

Impact- Northern Iowa 1 -  The Panthers were already out of an at large bid hope before the game, the second half against the Wolfpack just reinforced it.  The Panthers did rebound with a solid win on the road vs. Bradley, damaging the Braves chances for an at large.

Wright State 77 Cal State Fullerton 62 - The Raiders used a huge second half to defeat the Titans.  DaShaun Wood led the way with 19 points, but it was the Wright State bench scoring 38 points that led the Raiders to victory.  Another impressive win in Brad Brownell's first year coaching the Raiders.

Impact - Wright State 2 - The Raiders have no realistic shot an at large bid.  However, the Raiders showed that they are a legitimate threat to beat Butler in the Horizon tournament, which would give the Horizon two teams in the tournament (Butler is a lock for the dance), which will keep another team out.

Impact- Cal State Fullerton 1 - The Titans have to win the Big West tournament to get in.  That was the case before this game and obviously after this game.

I will finish the bracket buster recaps tonight.

Bracket Buster Recap Part I

Sorry for the delay in posting this, but I was planning to post this on Monday, but I have been feeling under the weather and spent most of Monday sleeping (not exactly what I wanted to do on my day off, but there are worse things ☺) and Tuesday evening resting.

Here’s my recap of the bracket busters.  I also am using a rating system on the impact of the games for the teams involved using a 1-4 scale, with 1 being minimal impact and 4 being significant.

Winthrop 77 Missouri State 66 – Winthrop gave one of the most impressive showings in the Bracket Buster Series by the Eagles, scoring 50 points in the second half on the road.  Winthrop shot 51 percent from the field, including 14 of 27 from the three point arc.  Simply put, from what I saw, the Eagles’ guards were too quick for the Bears.   Michael Jenkins led the Eagles with 25 points on 8 of 14 shooting including 7 of 12 3 point FGs.  The Eagles also did an excellent job holding Missouri State’s leading scorer, Blake Ahearn to 10 points. 

Impact – Winthrop – 2.5. The Eagles really needed a signature win in front of a national audience who probably has never heard of them.  They did exactly that in impressive fashion.  Based on Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology, Winthrop is in as an at large, but I am not sure that win is enough to get them an at large bid and there are more deserving at large teams (see Applachian State below) But certainly at least the committee knows who they are now.  Thankfully it’s a good bet that they will run through the Big South tournament and keep an at large bid open for some other team.

Impact – Missouri State – 3.   The loss to Winthrop at home put Missouri State squarely on the bubble.  With 10 losses and only one signature early season win against Wisconsin, the Bears are now fighting fellow conference team Bradley for an at large bid.  Bracketology has them as one of the last teams in the tournament and rightly so.  What keeps them in the hunt is their SOS is 30 with their RPI at 43 (update Missouri State won at Wichita State last night so that helps them a little).

Boise State 83 Albany 82. – Impact - 1 for both teams.  Other than an entertaining game, not much to write home about in the post game analysis. Both teams need to win their conference tournaments to make the dance.  Albany being in the weaker conference has the better chance.

Applachian State 60 Wichita State 58 -  A very very entertaining game with an exciting ending as Applachian State and Wichita State traded 3 point plays (one the old fashioned way and the other a 3 point field goal) only to see DJ Thompson win the game at the buzzer for the Mountaineers.  The game gave a national spotlight to the best sixth man in the country, Applachian State’s Donte Minter, who scored 19 points in 28 minutes off the bench.  He has excellent post moves, can pass the ball (3 assists) and simply is a horse in the paint. 

Impact – Applachian State -3.  I am stating this right now; If the Mountaineers make the Southern Conference Final (hopefully against Davidson) and somehow do not win the final, they should be taken as an at large team. It would be criminal if that scenario played out and they weren't taken as an at large.  I know their SOS is only 120, but that’s due to being in the weak Southern Conference.  They have defeated Top 25 ranked Vanderbilt and Virginia in the same tournament, VCU at VCU and now Wichita State on the road as well.  Yes, they have a bad loss to Elon (6-21 overall) but the good far outweighs the bad.

Impact – Wichita State – 1.  The Shockers were basically done as an at large team before this game.  This only reinforced it.  Sad to see such a good 9-0 start become completely undone as the season progressed but their weak inside presence was highlighted by Minter’s solid play.

Hofstra 65, Holy Cross 64 – Another very entertaining game with minimal impact on the at large bid hopes.  I was at the game as Hofstra again couldn’t put away a team and allowed Holy Cross to make up a late 8 point second half deficit that actually saw the Crusaders take a late lead only to have Carlos Rivera hit two free throws and block a possible game winning shot at the buzzer to lead the Pride to victory. 

Impact – 1 for both teams.  Neither team has at large bid hopes as Hofstra lost too many games early (plus a loss at Delaware which Iona won its second game at on Saturday – ugh) to be a factor.   The game showed Hofstra’s strengths (three great guards) and their weaknesses (bad free throw shooting, non existent frontcourt).  Holy Cross will have to beat Bucknell in the Patriot final to get into the tournament.

Southern Illinois 68 Butler 64.   I taped this game and sooooo glad I did (I have to rehook up my Tivo – long story).  This was a NCAA tournament quality game.  It was that good.  The replay of the entire game should be played for every college team in the country so they can watch what good ball movement, good defense and terrific hustle is all about.  One play sticks out in my mind completely.  Mike Green on Butler gets a loose ball in the Butler end and drives down the court for what looks to be an open layup.  When he gets just past the top of the key, Jamaal Tatum comes flying out from nowhere to stop his progress.  It was just amazing defense and typical of how the Salukis and the Bulldogs played.  All you need to know is that a flu ridden AJ Graves tried his darndest to get open but the Salukis held him to 5 points.  Really impressed with the way Randall Falker plays defense and Jamal Tatum and Matt Shaw had big games for the Salukis.  Pete Campbell impressed me off the bench for the Bulldogs with his three point shooting.  Amazing stat – Bulldogs only had 6 turnovers despite that amazing Saluki defense.    I really honestly think both teams have an excellent chance of making the sweet 16

Impact – Southern Illinois 3 – They were in the tournament no matter what, but the win at Butler solidified a #3 seeding for the Salukis and showed the committee they are worthy of their ranking.

Impact – Butler – 2 – They were in the tournament no matter what as well.  Their solid play probably kept them as no worse a #5 seeding, but the loss did hurt their seeding.  Had they won, they would have been a solid #3 seed.  Still, nothing to be ashamed of.

ODU 73- Toledo 70 – Impact – ODU – 2.5 , Toledo – 1.  This was an important game for the Monarchs.  They needed to come back from a 10 point second half deficit and win the game, otherwise the Monarchs’ hopes for an at large bid would have ended.  Right now, they are certainly on the bubble, but with a RPI of 44, a SOS of 78, plus a huge win over Georgetown (by 13 at Georgetown) on their resume, it will be hard to keep them out if they make the CAA final.    Toledo had no shot of an at large coming into the game so their hopes rest with winning the MAC tournament.

More Bracket Buster Recaps later today.

Final Bracket Buster Results and Awards

Here is a recap of all the televised bracket buster scores

Northern Iowa 65 Bucknell 61 2 OT
Iona 93 Buffalo 75
Kent State 80 Butler 76 OT
Western Kentucky 79 Northern Arizona 58
Missouri State 72 Wisconsin Milwaukee 63
Old Dominion 84 Marist 71
Ohio 64 Samford 52
Louisiana Tech 54 Southern Illinois 51
George Mason 70 Wichita State 67
Utah State 66 Northwestern State 63
Creighton 67 Fresno State 62
VCU 70 Albany 67
Nevada 88 Akron 61

And now the Televised Bracket Buster Awards

Best Game - Northern Iowa's thrilling double overtime win over Bucknell.  A NCAA tournament quality game with great defense (only 14 foul shots combined for both teams with a score in the sixties with double OT).  Both teams deserve a bid to the tournament.  Runnerup - George Mason - Wichita State and Butler - Kent State

Worst Game - Akron vs. Nevada.  Game was never close and should have been a little better considering Akron's decent RPI, but just wasn't. 

Did We Really Want to Play Like That on National TV - Unfortunately a three way tie to Buffalo, Akron and Northern Arizona.  These three teams lost by 18, 27 and 21.  Akron's and Northern Arizona's hurt the most as possible seeding in the tournament should they make it.

Team That Helped Its NCAA At Large Bid The Most - George Mason.   To go on the road to beat the first place Missouri Valley Conference team, Wichita State, a team with a RPI of 17 is absolutely huge.  Memo to NCAA Tournament Committee - Put the bid in an envelope, seal it and send it same day to Fairfax, Virginia.  Patriots, you are in the tournament.

Team That Helped Its NCAA At Large Bid The Most Runnerup - Missouri State   Yes, Adrian Tigert was out for Wisconsin Milwaukee (had I known, I would have changed my prediction), but this is still a huge road win for the Bears over a quality Panther team, a team that won two games in the NCAA tournament last year.   As far as tournament bids to the MVC, Missouri State just moved ahead of the the team I will mention next

Team That Hurt Its NCAA At Large Bid The Most - Southern Illinois.  By losing to a team with a RPI of 81 that had no quality non conference wins till now, plus with four other Missouri Valley teams to contend with, Southern Illinois losing at home really hurt their at large bid chances.   They now have to be considered the 5th rated team in the Missouri Valley and put themselves on the bubble big time.  Their problem - They can not score points.  They struggled again yesterday to put the ball in the basket. 

Team That Hurt Its NCAA At Large Bid The Most Runnerup - UW Milwaukee.  They lost at home to a Missouri Valley team that they might be competing for an at large bid with.  Plus losing four of their last six games does not help.  Yes, Adrian Tigert was out, but still, the committee will look at this game if UW Milwaukee does not win the Horizon tournament when judging UW Milwaukee's fate.

Despite Losing, The Team That Has Nothing to Worry About - Bucknell.   They played a great defensive game on the road yesterday.  The game went two overtimes.  And Syracuse winning last night helped their cause (Bucknell's signature road win came at Syracuse), so the Bison did nothing to hurt their NCAA at large bid chances.  Of course everyone hopes they win out the Patriot League tournament as they should.  But seal the bid for the Bison, they are in.

Team that Showed They Were Better Than I Thought - Kent State.  Give it up to Kent State for coming from behind to force overtime against a solid Butler team, then winning in overtime.  A nice solid win for the MAC.  Runnerup - Fresno State.  Fresno State battled Creighton and every time it seemed like Creighton would pull away, the Bulldogs came back.  Good job.

Best Mid Major Conference on Bracket Buster Weekend - CAA.  The CAA went 3-0 in televised bracket buster games, including George Mason's big road win over Wichita State.  In fact the CAA's top five teams all won their bracket buster games (Hofstra and Northeastern won non televised games, UNCW was not part of the Bracket Buster tournament).   Again proves that the CAA is the second best mid major conference in the country (next to the MVC) and I think better than the A10 (yes, you heard it right).  Runnerup - WAC.  WAC went 3-1 with Nevada, Louisiana Tech and Utah State all winning, while Fresno State gave a credible performance in a loss to Creighton.

Worst Mid Major Conference on Bracket Buster Weekend - Horizon.   Two best teams, one of which, UW Milwaukee, was a sweet sixteen team from last year playing at home, the other, Butler, a team that prides itself in great defense, both slip up on the day and lose.   

Best Crowd in a Bracket Buster Game - Creighton.  15,000 fans, a Nebraska college basketball attendance record came out for a 11PM central time zone game to watch the Blue Jays beat the Bulldogs.  Ok, it helped that it was on ESPN.  But still, very impressive.

Final Record on Predictions 10-3 -  It was a good weekend for me.

Next posting later will be a quick posting on Hofstra's win over Siena.

Finally Got One Wrong

Kent State tied up their game with Butler on a three pointer to force overtime, then went on and defeated Butler 80-76 in overtime.   Missouri State and Western Kentucky are winning their games at the moment.

Bracket Buster Game Results

In a NCAA tournament quality game and one of the best games on TV this year, Northern Iowa defeated  Bucknell in double overtime 65-61 (I was pretty close on the score, I had it 65-63 Northern Iowa).  Give both teams a bid right now to the tournament.  They deserve it.

In other bracket buster games, as predicted,  Iona pounded Buffalo 93-75.   Steve Burtt had 27 points to lead the Gaels. 

Kent State just hit a three to send the Butler - Kent State game into overtime tied at 69. 

Nevada Wins Going Away

As I predicted, Nevada won at home tonight by double digits.  The final score though was much more than I thought it would be;  Nevada 88 Akron 61.

VCU Survives. Lady Gaels lose at home

Give Albany credit, they made it a lot closer than I thought it would be, but VCU outlasted the Great Danes at home 70-67.   The game was tied several times throughout the second half.  More details as they come.

In women's basketball, Marist forced 22 turnovers and defeated the Iona Lady Gaels 80-62 in New Rochelle.  With the win, Marist (14-1 MAAC and 19-5 overall) clinched the MAAC regular season championship and the #1 seed in the MAAC tournament.  Marist will have two byes in the tournament and will play their first game in the MAAC tournament in the semifinal round.  This is Marist's third straight MAAC regular season championship.  Iona falls to 10-5 in the MAAC conference, tied with Loyola Maryland for third in the conference.  Iona plays at home again Sunday in its final regular season home game vs. Siena.  If Iona defeats Siena, the Lady Gaels will clinch a first round bye in the MAAC tournament.