Mid-Major Report No. 1
By Tom Stryker
The Super Bowl is over. What does that mean? If you live, eat and sleep college basketball the next two months are heaven. Conference chases are heating up, NCAA tourney bids are being discussed – and it’s time for the annual Bracket Busters weekend.
That is right. It’s that time already. And on Feb. 18, 19 and 20, 49 games (11 televised) will feature teams from 14 conferences – teams hoping to put a bit of luster on their chance for a bid to the Big Dance. Last year Montana, Northern Iowa, St. Mary’s, Utah State and Vermont were bolstered by Bracket Buster weekend and made it to the NCAA Tourney. Maybe more will get in this year with the expansion from 64 to 68 teams.
The Top 25 Bracket Buster teams are ranked-and we will look at the best 20 of those in our next four articles. Today we examine the Nos. 1 through 5 Bracket Buster teams (in order) St. Mary’s, Wichita State, George Mason, Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) and Coastal Carolina.
ST. MARY’S
The Gaels of Coach Randy Bennett are not a secret any longer. With three straight 25-win seasons and an NCAA tourney team a year ago, St. Mary’s is rolling along at 20-4 and is the No. 1-ranked Bracket Buster as of this writing.
Playing in the West Coast Conference, the Gaels are 8-1 in league play, a stride ahead of San Francisco. Their losses include setbacks against BYU, San Diego State and Vanderbilt. But they have beaten St. John’s, Texas Tech and Gonzaga – to name a few. Averaging 81.3 points a game, St. Mary’s is one of the more exciting teams to watch play
St. Mary’s will host Utah State in Bracket Buster play on Feb. 19. Leading the Gaels has been 6-0 senior Mickey McConnell at 16.3 ppg, with 6-6 junior Rob Jones next at 14.3. Jones is the team’s leader on the backboards, grabbing 7.6 rebounds a game. A sophomore, 6-4 Matthew Dellavedova, scores at a 13.0 clip.
WICHITA STATE
Ranked No. 2 among Bracket Busters, the Shockers also are sailing with a 20-4 record and have won seven of their last eight outings for fourth-year coach Gregg Marshall.
The Shockers will host No. 4 Bracket Buster VCU on Feb. 18. Wichita State has lost to Connecticut, San Diego State and Northern Iowa – all name basketball teams, and has beaten LSU of the SEC.
A balanced and veteran team, Wichita State is led by 6-8 senior J.T. Durley at 11.7 points per game. David Kyles, a 6-4 junior, adds 10.9 points, and Toure’ Murray, another junior, is at 9.8. Gobe Blair, a 6-8 senior, is the team’s leading rebounder at 6.0 per game.
GEORGE MASON
Not many will forget George Mason’s long run in the NCAA tourney a few seasons back. Can the Patriots do it again? Ranked No. 3 among Bracket Busters, George Mason is 19-5 and playing well.
The Patriots, a Colonial Athletic League power, will go on Feb. 19 to Northern Iowa for their Bracket Buster matchup. Coach Jim Larranaga has been around these battles before, leading George Mason for the 14th year.
Dayton, North Carolina State and Old Dominion were among their five losses to date.
Cam Long, a 6-4 senior, leads the Patriots with his 15.5 average. A 6-6 junior, Ryan Pearson is next at 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds. Luke Hancock has developed well, contributing at an 11.8 ppg rate.
VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH (VCU)
Keep an eye on Coach Shaka Smart. He is young, energetic and incredibly successful. His team last year posted 27 wins (his first season at VCU) and his squad is ranked No. 4 among Bracket Busters with a 19-6 record so far.
VCU plays at Wichita State on Bracket Buster weekend – one of the many highlight games during that stretch. At 11-2, VCU is tied with George Mason for the lead in the Colonial Athletic Conference. And Smart and his VCU outfit hosts George Mason on Feb. 15.
The six losses include setbacks against strong teams like Tennessee, Richmond and South Florida of the Big East. But VCU has beaten UCLA out of conference this season.
Jamie Skeen, a 6-9 senior leads the clubs with his 14.5 scoring average, while Bradford Burgess, a 6-6 junior, is close behind at 14.3. Brandon Rozzell is at 12.6 and 5-10 senior Joey Rodriguez is also in double figures at 10.8.
COASTAL CAROLINA
Ranked No. 5 among Bracket Busters, Coastal Carolina and Coach Cliff Ellis (fourth season) have won 20 consecutive games and stand 22-2, including 13-0 in the Big South Conference. CC has a two-game lead over second-place Liberty.
Losses were very early in the season to Georgetown and College of Charleston, but LSU and East Carolina are among the 20 straight victims.
Desmond Holloway, a 6-3 junior, is Coastal Carolina’s leading scorer at 19.0, with 6-7 senior Chad Gray at 13.5. 6-1 Sophomore Anthony Raffa is at 10.1 points a game, with 6-8 sophomore Sam McLaurin the team’s leading rebounder with a 6.5 average.
Coastal Carolina would have been a nice addition to Bracket Buster weekend but the Chanticleers were left out of the mix.