If you’re a college basketball fan with few weekend responsibilities, every Saturday is like a free all-you-can-eat buffet. There are countless delicious options to satiate any craving. From the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep, I’m almost constantly munching on something, whether it be full meals like Vanderbilt-Kentucky or just snacks like Stanford-Oregon State. And I barely take a gym break to work off the calories.
Today, though, the buffet is offering several different selections: new dishes the chef may be trying out, unusual ethnic fare, or perhaps some food with funky sauces. Despite loving the standard smorgasbord, my diverse palate is always interested in tasting something fresh and expanding its repertoire. Today is BracketBusters, where NCAA tournament bubble teams from various mid-major conferences square off across the nation.
Today we will separate future Dancers from broken hearts, preview future Cinderellas, and overanalyze to our hearts’ content. I intend to cement my already close relationship with my TV, watching as many games as possible and hopefully providing commentary both entertaining and insightful.
Siena (22-5) at Butler (24-4)
The day starts with the Saints vs. the Bulldogs, two of the best mid-majors in the country. Both are the clear leaders in their respective conferences, the MAAC and the Horizon, but there’s always a chance of getting upset in the conference tournaments, which makes this game big. According to the pundits, Siena needs this one more than Butler. Unfortunately they had to start the action at 8 am here on the west coast, so I picked this one up with about 10 minutes to go in the first half.
Halftime Siena 31 – Butler 28: I’ve already watched both these squads once this year and I’m immediately struck by the same observations. They play very controlled, solid basketball with great offensive balance. Few turnovers, few bad shots, strong defense, and good boxing out. My one criticism concerns Butler’s center Matt Howard. The Horizon League POY in 2008, Howard’s numbers have dropped the last two years, and he doesn’t pass the eye test. He seems slow, clumsy, and not quite strong enough. No idea how he dominated a couple years ago.
16:30 Siena 34 – Butler 32: Howard picks up foul number 4. Let’s see how the game alters.
5:22 Butler 53 – Siena 44: Howard returns. The Bulldogs outscored the Saints by 11 during his time on the bench, relying on fast breaks, patient half court offense, effective dribble drives, and a couple big threes from backup Zach Hahn. Meanwhile, Siena missed several open shots and then started losing its composure and forcing things.
Final Butler 70 – Siena 53: Firstly, let me say that this game was much closer than the score indicates and I believe both teams deserve to be in the NCAA tourney. I know it’s cliche, but so often the game comes down to making shots. The Bulldogs did (52%); the Saints didn’t (34%). Butler and Siena have comparable talent in their starting lineups, but Butler is much deeper. In fact, they won this game without injured started Willie Veasley. Also, you won’t find a much more complete player in the country than Gordon Hayward. At 6′8, he can finish around the rim, shoot the three, handle and dish the rock, and he often even initiates their offense. He is just a matchup nightmare.
Louisiana Tech (20-6) at Northeastern (18-9)
Our second Bulldogs of the day, Louisiana Tech, come strangely enough out of the WAC, where they sit in third place at 8-4. Their current RPI is 74, so they might need to knock off Utah State in the conference tournament in order to make the Big Dance. The Huskies, though, still have an outside shot at an at-large bid. They are tied for first (with Old Dominion) in the always tough Colonial Athletic Association and have an RPI of 59. They have gone 16-2 after a woeful start to the season and own a couple of solid victories. However, a loss today would almost assure that they would need an automatic berth to the Tourney. I haven’t seen either team play, so should be interesting.
11:56 Northeastern 18 – LA Tech 13: Announcers make the comment that this is somehow the game’s first commercial break since there had not been a whistle for the last 6 minutes. The game has been very fast-paced and entertaining and clean. Both teams are getting good shots and hitting the offensive glass.
3:48 Northeastern 34 – LA Tech 25: 10-0 run from the Huskies prompts a timeout from the Bulldogs. Northeastern has really turned it up on the defensive end, forcing turnovers and turning them into points. They’ve also maintained their offensive patience and efficiency. I’m impressed.
Halftime Northeastern 38 – LA Tech 37: Tech climbed back into this one with timely three-point shooting and scrappy defense. Both teams shot over 50%. Too many uncontested shots for both squads. Whichever team commits to D and picks up effort on that end should come away with this one. There’s a lot of talent on this court that could probably play for major programs.
10:38 Northeastern 57 – LA Tech 53: More of the same. The defense isn’t noticeably bad, but both teams are still executing and making shots. Still very fun to watch.
Final Lousiana Tech 70 – Northeastern 67: The Bulldogs closed on a 13-2 run sparked by very aggressive man-to-man defense. Tech’s athleticism forced the Huskies into difficult shots down the stretch. Neither team made enough of an impression for this win to positively influence the NCAA selection committee. While they are both exciting mid-majors, it doesn’t seem as if either team has enough to make any sort of run should they make the tournament. Louisiana Tech relies too heavily on their starters, and Northeastern lacks some requisite athleticism.
The next BracketBuster game is Nevada vs. Missouri St. Neither team, though, is a threat at all to make the NCAA tournament, so I’m switching over to the freefalling Texas Longhorns against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
If I didn’t know Rick Barnes better, I would say this Texas team is terribly coached. They had an 11 point lead with around 8 minutes to go, but then instead of showing killer instinct and playing to win, they proceeded to play tentatively, not to lose. Their transition D was terrible, their offense was stagnant, and their composure was poor. I know the Longhorns have lost 6 of 9, but this is a senior laden team with serious talent. Though they managed to pull out a 4 point win, I really wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up as a 5 or 6 seed and then got upset in the first round of the tournament.
Illinois vs. Purdue
If Illinois is hitting outside shots, they’re very dangerous. If they’re off, then they struggle. They were hitting for about the first 35 minutes of this game, but they went cold at the wrong time. What they lack is a player who can really create his own shot. Demetri McCamey had an awesome game and can create for others, but he’s far from a pure scorer. On the other hand, Purdue’s biggest strength is probably its balance. They have guys who can score from the outside (E’Twaun Moore), the inside (JaJuan Johnson), and both (Robbie Hummel). They also have less heralded guys like Keaton Grant who can give huge boosts every night. Lastly, Chris Kramer imbues them wish a toughness that few teams have. For my liking, though, they lack a bit of something intangible, maybe a swagger or a moxie, that certain players (Sherron Collins) and teams (UNC 2009) have. Can they win it all? Yeah. Will they? I doubt it.
Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt
Kentucky keeps escaping. That might be good, helping them learn how to play in closely contested games. Or it might be bad, demonstrating that they’re very vulnerable. Recently, teams have been able to slow down the Wildcats’ transition offense and make it tough sledding in the half court. As far as the Commodores are concerned, they may not have enough of a playmaker. Jermaine Beal did not step up to the moment today.
