Now, before I tell you my picks, let me go over what my definition of a 'cinderella' is. Traditionally, a 'cinderella' in college basketball is a team that comes out of nowhere and starts upsetting quality programs. A good example is the high flying Florida Gulf Coast Eagles of this past March. Did anyone at all suspect them to beat Georgetown, and San Diego State? The same being with Wichita State. Good program, but no one expect their elongated run to the Final Four. Now, you may think that a cinderella is always going to be a mid major. That is not true. First of all, Ole Miss, led by Marshall Henderson, was not expected to even make the tournament, let alone beat Sam Dekker's Wisconsin Badgers. They did just that. That, folks, is a cinderella. Secondly, due to recent dominance in their respective conferences, and many tourney wins over the years, VCU, Wichita State, UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State, Davidson, Gonzaga, Creighton, Memphis, Butler, Temple, and a few others have lost their 'cinderella' status. They are all now the Big Dogs of college basketball. I hope this explanation has cleared things up.
Let's start with the potential surprise team of the Mountain West.
Boise State Broncos
Do not sleep on Derrick Marks and the boys in Idaho. Boise, for the first in like, ever, is possibly going to be better in basketball than football. Coach Leon Rice has done miracles to this program, and now they have a lot of returnees from last year's NCAA at-large bid. It really does start with Marks. Derrick Marks can be absolutely dominant in the Mountain West, and uses his size to glide by bigger defenders. Beside him is a young man named Anthony Drmic (yes, that's how it is spelled). The kid is a fabulous shooter. He shot 39.2 percent from long-range last year, and is a special player in the clutch. Ryan Watkins is this teams big man, and is a solid player in the post. Finally, what might be their catalyst is Jeff Elioraga. He was the Mountain West's best 3 point shooter last year, and can score in bunches. He will be the key to their season. Other critical players include Mikey Thompson, and Igor Hadziomerovic. I expect this team to come exceptionally close to attaining the Mountain West crown, and be a power in the NCAA tournament, as a cinderella.
Harvard Crimson
Yes, the team that shocked New Mexico in the tournament is back, and the team is mostly intact, with 2 extra stars as well. Joining Siyani Chambers and Wesley Saunders, last year's studs, are Brandyn Curry and Kyle Casey, two great players that were suspended all of last season due to the highly publicized Harvard cheating scandal. Chambers, although a little inconsistent, is the leader of this team, and can be as dynamic as any guard in country. Curry can knock down barrages of threes, while Saunders and Casey can use their big, athletic bodies to charge through the paint, Saunders probably being the better of the two. Along with this core is guard Laurent Rivard, a big guy who can shoot really well. The team also has a grand corp of big men. Starting center Kenyatta Smith is injured for the first half of the season, but behind him might be an even better player in Jonah Travis, a born scorer, who can easily average a double-double. Watch this team as they rise among the elite of the mid-majors.
Massachusetts Minutemen
Chaz Williams, the speedy little scoring machine, has his squad ready for A-10 glory. He is easily the catalyst of this team that was a bubble team all last year, failing near the end of the season to get just enough traction to get in the NCAAs. Earlier this year, Williams was thinking hard about transferring from UMass, but made the wise decision to stay, creating possibly the best team in the conference. Along with Chaz is an exceptionally talented starting 5, including a sensational transfer from Western Kentucky, Derrick Gordon, a guard. Starting center Cady Lalanne has the potential to be the best scoring big man in the post of the A-10. SF Raphiael Putney is a great playmaker, and Sampson Carter is the glue guy. Although they do have an always terrific VCU squad, an up and coming Rhode Island team, and veteran Saint Louis corp to deal with, I think, with this tight bunch, the Minutemen will win the A-10, and maybe find cinderella glory in March.
There are many more potential cinderellas to be mentioned, like Providence, Charlotte, UTEP, Indiana State, and North Dakota State. However, for today, I say Boise State, Harvard, and Massachusetts have the most potential for greatness. For now, this has been Ben Anderson, signing off.
No comments:
Post a Comment