Bracket Busters (Definitely! Maybe?) #5

Ladies & Gentleman...for my final Bracket Busters selection...may I please introduce to you...the UNLV Runnin' Rebels!!!

I know I come across as a bandwagon jumper by picking UNLV here. My master plan was to have BYU win the Mountain West Conference, then select UNLV as my 5th and final Bracket Buster. If that scenario had played out...I would have successfully chosen a Conference Champion (which would have helped my stats) and been able to select UNLV for this column while they were under the radar (which would have helped my cred). But that dream scenario didn't quite happen, so here I am, choosing the Mountain West Champs, UNLV. I still like this pick. I couldn't go with BYU here as they have been nationally ranked for awhile and didn't have the feel of a successful sleeper team. UNLV has been trying their best for a decade to move beyond the successful, but controversial, Jerry Tarkanian era...where controversy and scandal were just as common as winning Conference Championships. (gotta love the towel chewing though) The Runnin' Rebels won the MWC last year and made a nice splash in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the sweet sixteen after upsetting #2 seed Wisconsin. Nobody has been talking about this UNLV team as a threat in the tournament (until today's game - damn!), which is one of the reasons why I like them to win a game or two next weekend. Here are a few other reasons why I've selected UNLV as my fifth and final Bracket Buster team:

• The Runnin' Rebels beat BYU twice over the course of the year and they also have a win over San Diego (both NCAA tournament teams).
• UNLV has a RPI of 24 after their MWC Championship. That's pretty darn good, and better than teams such as Notre Dame, USC, Purdue, and Virginia Tech. The fact that the Mountain West has a conference RPI of 9, helps the Rebels cause here.
• Going along with my last bullet point, if UNLV is actually as good as their #24 RPI, then they are probably going to get grossly mis-seeded as an 8, 9, or 10 seed. I like their chances against any team they would play in those circumstances. My point of listing these Bracket Busters was to pick teams (that don't get a lot of hype) that I liked to get a win or two in the NCAA Tournament. I think UNLV is going to be put in a great position to win at least one game. Because you're going to take the team with a top 25 RPI (UNLV) over a team with an RPI in the high 30's or 40's (Kansas State, Mississippi State, etc.) every single time, regardless of their seeding. I'm just trying to help you play the odds here people.
• You have to love any team where the mascot's name includes the letter 'N' followed by an apostrophe. UNLV doesn't have any place in their program for the letter 'G'!
• Head coach Lon Kruger deserves a ton of credit for the turn-around at UNLV. Last year's NCAA Tournament appearance was the team's first since 2000, and their first Tournament WIN in 15 years. He's done a great job of changing the culture of that basketball program. UNLV has now back-to-back MWC Tournaments and is looking for back-to-back sweet sixteen appearances.
• It's time for the final edition of America's favorite running segment! Notable UNLV alumni include: Ronnie Vannucci (drummer for The Killers), Kenny Mayne (ESPN anchor and personality), William Macbeth (President of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino), John Ensign (current Nevada Senator), Ickey Woods (former NFL player), Randall Cunningham (former NFL player), Adam Scott (PGA golfer), Cecil Fielder (former MLB player), and Shelley Berkley (current congressional rep. for Nevada's 1st district).

I've now chosen my five Bracket Buster teams: UMBC, Drake, Kent State, South Alabama, and UNLV. I have a very good chance of all five teams making the NCAA Tournament, with only South Alabama needing an at-large bid. I'll be keeping track of how these teams fair during the Big Dance. I would not be surprised if two or even three of these teams reach the sweet-sixteen. Happy Busting.

Bracket Busters (Definitely! Maybe?) #4

May I please present to you...the pride of the Sun Belt Conference...the South Alabama Jaguars!

I'm not exactly covering new ground by picking this team. But I alluded to the fact that they would be one of my five Bracket Buster teams, and I needed to get their profile in this blog while they are still alive in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Don't get me wrong...I have complete confidence that South Alabama will win their conference tourney, but in the off-chance that they don't...I didn't want to look like a complete nimrod and write this profile as they were waiting around for an at-large bid (which they would most likely get). South Alabama is located in Mobile, a city where THIS made the local news. Yikes! I'm sorry, I can't let Mobile go out like that (especially since I'm pimping their local hoops squad). So I'll mention that "Mobile Bay" is a song by the legend Johny Cash, and that the city has two (count 'em two) nicknames: The Port City and/or The City of Six Flags. This is all fun, but let's get down to why I like this South Alabama team to potentially win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament.

• South Alabama went 25-5 overall this year, with a 16-2 record in the Sun Belt Conference. Not too shabby. They won non-conference games against Mississippi State and San Diego; and have a quality loss (if that's possible), losing to Vandy by 3 in double overtime.
• The mascots for South Alabama athletic squads are South Paw and Miss Pawla. (I'm not making this stuff up)
• Senior guard Demetric Bennett is outstanding and has the ability to take over a game at anytime. Bennett scored 20 or more points in a game seventeen times this season.
• Head coach, Ronnie Arrow, was named the Sun Belt coach of the year.
• South Alabama's RPI number is 27! That's really really good, especially for a mid-major team. An RPI of 27 puts them ahead of NCAA Tournament locks such as: Gonzaga, Purdue, and USC. This is in a league that ranked 15 out of 32 in Conference RPI. So the Jaguars obviously did some work outside of their conference to get a number that high.
• When it comes to winning games in the Big Dance, I'm a HUGE fan of any team that can bring outstanding guard play to the table. South Alabama can do just this with the aforementioned Bennett, as well as Daon Merritt. Both made all-conference teams and both are seniors. I really feel good about that combination when it's time to start sniffing out potential Cinderella teams.
• Western Kentucky is probably their biggest threat in the Conference Tournament. But South Alabama matches up against them rather well and has already defeated them twice during the regular season.
• It's time again for my favorite running segment!!! Some notable South Alabama alumni include: former United States Congressman Herbert L. "Sonny" Callahan (insert any Godfater joke/reference/quote here), golfer Heath Slocum, and a BUNCH of major league baseball players, such as - Luis Gonzalez, Marlon Anderson, (former Pittsburgh Pirate) Jon Lieber, and Juan Pierre.

Watch out for the South Alabama Jaguars. They should be good for at least one win in the NCAA Tournament, maybe even two. The problem is that they might be good enough to get an 8 or a 9 seed, in which case they would play a #1 seed in the second round. Remember...you heard it here first before the brackets and seedings ever came out.

Bracket Busters (Definitely! Maybe?) #3

May I present to you the Kent State Golden Flashes!

Horrible team name, but please stay with me.

Now it's hard to give Kent State credit, as they prevented a very good Pitt team from going to the Elite Eight back in 2002. That sweet sixteen game remains one of the most difficult Tournament disappointments for Pitt fans to get over. That Panther team was stacked with Brandin Knight (the co-Big East player of the year that year), Julius Page, Jaron Brown, & Chevy Troutman. The interesting thing about that 2002 Kent State team was that it featured future NFL star and Fantasy Football hero Antonio Gates. I can't believe that it has been 6 years since that game. I'm getting way too old way too quickly. Let's move on from past Pitt defeats.

Kent State is currently 24-6, 12-3 in the Mid-American Conference after defeating Miami of Ohio last night, 50-39. I watched most of this game and yes, the action was about as exciting as a 50-39 score gets. Because of extreme prejudice, and the fact that I'm making Kent State one of my five Bracket Busters, I'm blaming the style of play, execution, and low score solely on Miami of Ohio. I still like this team. The Golden Flashes solidified their place in the field of 65 (at least I think so) after winning AT Saint Mary's during BracketBusters week (a contrived week of games pairing mid-major teams against each other to help give them national exposure, as well as to help better define the bubble picture). They have clinched the #1 seed in the MAC tournament and was ranked for the first time ever in a national poll when they came in at #23 in the AP two weeks ago. Actually, clinching the #1 seed in the MAC might actually be a bad thing, as the #1 seed hasn't won the MAC Tournament for like 15 years or something. But I still have faith! Even if Kent State doesn't win their Conference Tournament, I think they deserve an at-large bid into the field. This is the best team Kent State has had since that 2002 team, which was their best team ever, so it's time for them to take care of business. Some facts and info about the Golden Flashes:

• They have an RPI of 34 - which is ahead of 'bubble' teams like West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio State, Syracuse, USC, & Oral Roberts. I know, I know...I just REALLY wanted to get Oral Roberts into this blog. Welcome Oral Roberts!


• They've beaten George Mason, the Rick Majerus coached Saint Louis squad, and Saint Mary's when Saint Mary's was #20 in all the land. Actually, they don't have many great wins outside of the always tricky MAC. They even lost their season opener to Detroit...yikes! Detroit just lost to Wright State 60-37 in the Horizon League Tournament (gulp). But wait...Kent State defeated Cleveland State earlier this season 84-69 and Cleveland State was better in the Horizon League than Wright State. Phew...order restored. I'm sticking with this Kent State pick!!!


• There are like a million jokes the announcers can make during a Kent State game when discussing their shooting...or outside shooting...or shooting percentage, but they never seem to go there. Probably a good call.


• Kent State (also known as Kent or KSU) is the third largest university in Ohio. Who would have known? Take that you pompous assholes at the University of Toledo!


• Now for what has become my favorite running segment - some notable Kent State alumni include: Arsenio Hall (insert your own joke here), Antonio Gates (as mentioned above), Jack Lambert (go steelers), Lou Holtz (go irish), actors Michael Keaton and Drew Carey both dropped out of Kent State, Nick Saban (turncoat football coach), and my personal favorite...all 4 of the founding members of the band Devo - Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, Brian Chojnowski, and Bob Lewis. Damn I love researching that segment.

Kent State has enough athleticism to give any team fits, and they play good enough defense to stay close in any game. They are a great first round upset pick as they will probably end up with an 11 or 12 seed. Come on now boys, make me look good. Just don't beat Pitt again, I can't take it anymore. And hopefully I'll pick up Antonio Gates this year in my Fantasy Football draft.

Bracket Busters (Definitely! Maybe?) #2

May I present to you...The Drake University Bulldogs!

Before you even to begin to protest the idea that the #16 team in the country can be a Bracket Buster or sleeper pick, let me say...screw it, I don't care, I'm writing about Drake(24-3, 14-2), if you really have a problem with it...start your own damn blog. I was a little nervous including Drake on this list as they are doing so well this season, but I was completely convinced to do so when searching for information about Drake on Google. I typed in 'drake basketball', and when I searched under images, the first thing on the page says, "Did you mean Duke Basketball"? That did it for me. Drake deserves to be more than a misunderstanding for Duke! We're giving Drake Basketball and the state of Iowa some props with regard to college hoops starting right now. You all knew you weren't getting through this experience without me finding ways to praise Iowa, so just deal with it. Drake University is located in Iowa's largest city, and capital, Des Moines. The campus is described as being located in an "urban" setting, about as "urban" as you can get in the Hawkeye state. To delve into the world of Drake University a little further, here are some facts:

• Drake's last Tournament appearance was 1971. 1971!!! We're talking about the Nixon era here. I think it's safe to say that the Bulldogs are due.


• Drake is currently the #11 team in the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index), better than UCONN, Louisville, and Indiana.


• The Bulldog's mascot is named Spike.


• The #16 team in the country STARTS two former walk-ons in Adam Emmenecker and Jonathan Cox.


• Drake is coached by Keno Davis, who took the program over from his dad, Dr. Tom Davis. Dr. Tom was, of course, head coach at Iowa from 1986-1999. As you can see, this Drake team just has more and more things going in it's favor.


• Before Saturday's 71-64 win over Butler, the Bulldogs had not defeated a top-10 opponent in 26 years. What makes this victory more impressive was the fact that the game was played at Butler.


• Sophomore guard Josh Young is the star of this team, averaging 16.5 points a game and coming up huge in this past weekend's contest against Butler with 25 points.


• Noted Drake alumni include: author Bill Bryson, NFL placekicker Billy Cundiff, golfer and 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson, the man who was Governor of Iowa when I was born to that state - Robert D. Ray. and finally, Ari from Entourage himself, Mr. Jeremy Piven.


• They have already won the regular season Missouri Valley Conference title and are poised to go 16-2 in a league that includes perennial 'sleeper' picks such as Creighton, Illinois State, Bradley, and Evansville.

Should the Drake Bulldogs win their final two regular season games, along with the Missouri Valley Championship, they could get as high as a #4 seed in the Big Dance. More realistically, they are destined for a #5 or #6 seed come Tourney time. I'd hate to see them as a #5 seed because I don't want them to have to run into that #5 vs. #12 curse, but I don't see that happening with Drake because they would be one of the most difficult #5 seeds of all time to predict and understand. No matter where they end up, this team should surprise and do well next month, while bringing some much needed love and respect back to the state of Iowa.

Bracket Busters (Definitely! Maybe?) #1

What's better than being the smart (lucky) person to correctly choose an obsure team to upset a much higher seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament? (pause for stupid and outlandish responses) Thats right.....being the smart (lucky) person who correctly chooses those teams BEFORE the conference tournaments even happen, let alone the brackets for the NCAA Tournament. With little to no research, and way too much time on my hands...here is the first in a series of 5 teams that I think could become sexy/trendy first-round upset picks come next month. Then again, these teams might not even make the tournament. This is what makes these picks so exciting and meaningless right now. Every first-round upset pick is stolen from somewhere else (newspaper, espn, radio, friend, etc.), so please remember, you heard it here first. (These teams are in no particular order, I think that goes without saying...although you should all pay me $20 a piece if all 5 teams make the Tourney)

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#1 BRACKET BUSTER:

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It's the UMBC Retrievers (19-7, 11-2)!!! From the always beloved come Tournament time, America East Conference, which also sports recent sexy first-round upset picks Albany and Vermont. UMBC (which is the University of Maryland Baltimore County for those who did not already know) currently has a two game lead over Hartford (Go Whale!) in the America East with an 11-2 record. I know that it is never smart to go with the best team in these minor conferences because come conference tournament time, everything goes to shit and the 5th seed moves on to the Big Dance. But UMBC has a few things going for them - their mascot is a retriever, they sport the black and gold, they sound like a Pittsburgh area health care subsidiary, Kathleen Turner is perhaps their most noted alumni, and they have NEVER made the NCAA Tournament (as far as I could tell). Soon enough Baltimore will be known for three things: crab cakes, The Wire, and UMBC Basketball.