Mid-majors
All mid-major talk (yes, the non-BCS schools).
Mid-major teams could take a beating come Selection Sunday. Then again, the odds are usually stacked against the little guy.
George Mason’s run to the 2006 Final Four remains the ultimate “Rocky” moment for non-BCS schools in the NCAA Tournament. A school from the Colonial League gets an at-large seed (No. 11) for the Big Dance, stuns teams like Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut.
But with the tournament bubble wide open (Ohio State, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Oregon doing their part to stay in the mix), mid-majors may get overlooked and a school like George Mason may not get a shot at the Final Four. BCS conference tournaments begin this week, which can only help boost those BCS résumés.
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If you’re behind on your reading for this week’s conference tournaments (three started Tuesday!) I’m here to help.
First stop, Kyle Whelliston’s mid-majority -- where else?
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Everyone loves a big story. And few things are bigger than Kenny George, the tallest player in NCAA history.
A 7-foot-7 senior at UNC-Asheville, George has been a curiosity for most of his college career. Recruited out of Chicago, George missed his first two seasons with injures (ruptured knee caps), averaged 5.5 points and 2.0 blocks a game (in about 10 minutes playing time) last season, but has played a bigger role this year.
Much bigger. Few players this season have improved as much as George.
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Finals week always creates a dearth of college basketball games. So it’s nice when you get a game like St. Mary’s vs. Southern Illinois. (Added bonus: The Gaels entered the game ranked No. 1 in kenpom.com’s RPI.)
It’s one of those matchups that help burnish a mid-major’s résumé for March and gives the rest of us an idea of just how good some of the elite teams from different conferences compare.
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Even during a hoops-happy week like this, I’ll soon be spending the evening watching a college football game. Maybe you heard or read a little bit about Kansas-Missouri this week? Loser will be depressed until March.
On that note, I offer a pair of hoops links, both of which should inspire some hope for teams looking to make their mark.
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Go figure. On a day when two of the fab five freshmen play starring roles in UCLA winning a tournament title (over a game Michigan State) and helping Indiana flirt with the century mark, it’s another freshman that upstages them both.
And this freshman wasn’t even on most people’s radar. And by most people, I mean mine. That’s what I get for ignoring Australian hoops.
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