The Four Newest Dance Invitees
Did you see those conference championship games last night? Was this the Monday Night Fights or basketball? There were more cut men and cut women than in your average boxing card.
When it is all or nothing for these smaller conferences, you get what we saw last night—teams playing like their lives were on the line.
Colonial Athletic Association
Old Dominion 70
Virginia Commonwealth 65
Old Dominion 27-6
The Monarchs are capable of making a semi-surprise run in the Big Dance. They lead the nation in rebounding margin, and they can score points in the paint.
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
St. Peter’s 62
Iona 57
St. Peter’s 20-13
The Peacocks beat Alabama earlier in the season, and their defense could keep them within striking defense in an opening round game, but we cannot see SPC advancing to the second round.
Southern Conference
Wofford 77
College of Charleston 67
Wofford 21-12
The Terriers finally beat the Cougars (we predicted this yesterday), and they will not roll over and play dead in the first round. This team returns to the Dance for the second consecutive season, and they will not back down. They may not advance, but they will not be in awe of their heavily favored first round opponent.
West Coast Conference
Gonzaga 75
Saint Mary’s 63
Gonzaga 24-9
This edition of Zags may not be the most talented in the Coach Mark Few era, but they are playing their best ball at the right time. It will depend on their bracket, but this team has Sweet 16 potential.
Three More Invitations Go Out Tonight
By 11:15 PM Eastern Time tonight, we will know the names of three more NCAA Tournament participants. Let’s break down these games.
Horizon League Championship @ 9PM ET on ESPN
Butler (22-9) at Milwaukee (19-12)
Butler defeated Cleveland State in the semifinal round Saturday evening, while Milwaukee topped Valparaiso. During the regular season, Milwaukee swept the Bulldogs, winning 76-52 at home and 86-80 in overtime on the road. The top-seeded Panthers host this game.
Both teams are red hot coming into this title match. Milwaukee has gone 10-1 in their last 11 games, and the only loss was in the Bracketbuster to Buffalo. Their defense is what got them here, as they shoot only 43% from the field and 65% at the foul line.
Three Panthers average double figures in scoring, led by Anthony Hill. Hill averages just under 16 points per game, but he broke out with a 24-point, 11-rebound performance in the semifinal game against Valpo. Kaylon Williams is the X-factor for Panthers. He can score when needed, rebound with the big men, and run the offense. He recorded a triple-double earlier in the season against Butler (10 points-10 rebounds-10 assists), and he added a double-double in the second win over the Bulldogs.
Butler missed Gordon Hayward even more than most experts predicted. The Bulldogs played a tough pre-conference schedule and limped into February. With their backs against the wall, they reeled off eight consecutive victories to get to the title game tonight.
Most basketball fans know Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack from last year’s team that made the surprise run to the National Championship Game. The duo has teamed for 32 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this year. However, it has been the emergence of 6-11 sophomore center Andrew Smith that has allowed Butler to turn things around and look like a force to be reckoned with once again. Smith averaged 11 points per game over the second half of the season. In the eight game winning streak, he has averaged 32 minutes per game and pulled down close to eight rebounds per game. His 63% field goal percentage has forced defenses to stop him first, giving Howard and Mack more room to get open. Smith was a non-factor in the two games against Milwaukee, and he is the key to tonight’s game. If he plays 32 minutes and gets double figure points and eight rebounds, Butler will be cutting down the nets yet again.
Summit League Championship @ 9PM ET on ESPN2
Site: Sioux Falls, SD
Oakland (24-9) vs. Oral Roberts (19-14)
If you like high-scoring, fast-paced games, you will definitely clear your schedule to view this one. Oakland is the second best offensive team in the nation, averaging 86 points per game (92 ppg in their last 10 games). The Grizzlies connect on close to 50% of their field goal attempts, and they tend to hit spurts where they score 10 points in two minutes. Oral Roberts averages 81 points per game and has no qualms running with Oakland.
Both teams are riding major winning streaks entering tonight’s title game. Oakland has won 17 of their last 18 games, while the Golden Eagles have won 10 in a row. In the regular season, Oakland won both high-scoring games, but both were nail-biters that went down to the wire.
Oakland has a tall and short combination that has done a lot of the damage on opponents. 6-11 center Keith Benson is the best player in the league. Benson averages 17.7 points and 10 rebounds per game. He showed he can do it against the big schools, as he had 17 points and 12 rebounds in a close loss to Michigan State and 26 points and 10 rebounds in a big win at Tennessee.
5-11 guard Reggie Hamilton is a threat to top 20 points any night. He is quick and can get open without help from screens.
Oral Roberts has a star in its own right. Dominique Morrison averages just under 20 points per game, and he doesn’t need to heave up 25 shots per game to get those points. Morrison shoots 51.3% from the field, 40% from behind the three-point line, and 78.4% at the foul line. He scored 56 points in the two games against Oakland.
This should be a great game, and we don’t believe Oakland is that much of a favorite. ORU has been to the Big Dance four times in the last six years, while Oakland is the defending tournament champion. We expect the winner to top 90 points in this game, and it is too close to call. We say Oakland has about a 54% chance and Oral Roberts a 46% chance of winning.
Sunbelt Conference Championship @ 7PM ET on ESPN2
Site: Hot Springs, AR
North Texas (22-10) vs. U A L R (18-16)
On paper this looks like a mismatch, even though the teams finished one game apart in the regular season. North Texas finished fourth in the West with an 8-8 league mark, while Little Rock finished fifth at 7-9.
North Texas was one of the biggest underachievers this season. The Mean Green returned four starters from their 2010 conference champion team and were expected to win again this year with the best backcourt and one of the best frontcourts in the league. Instead, a 3-9 swoon in the middle of the season placed them out of contention for the West crown. Since that awful slide, UNT has recovered with five consecutive victories.
6-5 senior guard Tristan Thompson has led the way for the Mean Green in the tournament, scoring 80 points in the first three games. He has done a lot of the damage at the foul line, where he is 31-35 in Hot Springs, including an unbelievable 20-20 performance in the win over top-seed Florida Atlantic. Thompson combines a quick move to the basket with a sweet shot from outside. Beefy forward George Odufuwa averages 11 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and UALR has a tough matchup problem against him.
The Trojans dropped both regular season games to North Texas, mostly because they could not compete under the basket. Their chance to win this game will come down to limiting possessions and trying to win 55-50. They have won three games in the tournament by getting to the foul line and hitting foul shots, while using the clock and taking 30 seconds to shoot on most possessions. UALR’s big star in this tournament has been senior guard Solomon Bozeman. Like Thompson, Bozeman has gotten to the free throw line and made the most of his opportunities. He has connected on 37 of 42 attempts including an eye-popping 19 of 22 against Middle Tennessee last night.
We expect a low-possession, low-scoring game. There may be fewer than 100 field goal attempts tonight. North Texas has been there before, while UALR has never won the Sunbelt Conference Tournament. We think that trend will continue, but it wouldn’t surprise us if this game stays relatively close for the entire 40 minutes. We could see North Texas winning 60-54.
The Other Tournaments In Action Today
Atlantic 10 Conference
First Round At Higher Seed Home Court
#9 Dayton (19-12) at #8 U Mass (15-14) 9PM ET on CBSC
#12 St. Joseph’s (9-21) at #5 George Washington (17-13) 7PM ET on CBSC
#10 LaSalle (14-17) at #7 St. Bonaventure (16-13) 5 PM ET on CBSC
#11 St. Louis (12-18) at #6 Rhode Island (18-12) 7 PM ET no TV
Big East Conference
Madison Square Garden in New York City
#16 Depaul (7-23) vs. #9 Georgetown (21-9) 12 Noon ET on ESPN2
#13 Rutgers (14-16) vs. #12 Seton Hall (13-17) Approx. 2:15 PM ET on ESPN2
#15 South Florida (9-22) vs. #10 Villanova (21-10) 7PM ET on ESPNU
#14 Providence (15-16) vs. #11 Marquette (18-13) Approx 9:15 ET on ESPNU
Big Sky Conference
Semifinal Round At Higher Seed Home Court
#3 Weber State (18-11) at #2 Montana (20-9)
#4 Northern Arizona (19-11) at #1 Northern Colorado (19-10)
Mid-American Conference
1st Round At Higher Seed Home Court All Games At 7PM ET
#10 Northern Illinois (9-20) at #7 Bowling Green (13-18)
#11 Eastern Michigan (9-21) at #6 Akron (19-12)
#9 Central Michigan (10-20) at #8 Buffalo (17-12)
#12 Toledo (4-27) at #5 Ohio U (17-14)
Mideastern Athletic Conference
Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC
#9 South Carolina State (9-21) vs. #8 Delaware State (9-20) 9PM ET
#10 Maryland-Eastern Shore (8-21) vs. #7 Florida A&M (12-19) 6:30 PM ET
Note: One more 1st round game Wednesday plus two quarterfinal games
The Pi-Rate Ratings 