Big South Basketball

The conference that flaunted college basketball's tallest player and last year's leading scorer is sending a message to viewers: Even though Kenny George and Reggie Williams are out of college basketball, there is still reason to watch Big South basketball (even after Chavis and Travis Holmes graduate at the end of this season). 

Seth Curry and Keith Gabriel will be around for three more seasons after 2008-09 and will keep the Big South entertaining to watch. 

You all know Stephen Curry, and by now lots of you know his younger brother, Seth, who plays for Coach McKay at Liberty University.

Somehow, Lil Curry, as I like to call him, did not receive any attention from the media before the season started. In fact, he still has not been the topic of any discussion—outside of Big South country—despite averaging 20.1 points per game and shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from long range.

Fun fact: Stephen Curry had slightly superior stats as a freshman. He averaged 21.5 points per game and shot 46.3 percent from the floor and 40.8 percent from deep. 

Like his older brother, Seth has shown up against the best of competition. He led his team past Virginia with 26 points and four treys on nine-of-17 shooting from the floor. In a win against George Mason, Lil Curry dropped in 22 points on eight-of-19 field goal shooting. And, the freshman nearly led his team past Clemson with his 24 point performance—he was six-of-nine from deep and nine-of-16 from the floor. 

What's most impressive about Seth curry is that he is a freshman who has had a dramatic impact on his team. Liberty was 16-16 last year. This year, they are 12-6, largely because of Curry. The team is winning big games that they never won before this year.

Pretty much, Lil Curry has proven he can play. Time will tell if he will transcend his brother's achievements, but he's certainly on his way. 

In order for Liberty to make the NCAA Tournament and allow the national spotlight to find Lil Curry, the Flames will need to beat out VMI for the Big South championship. 

The Keydets of VMI have always been a high scoring team, but this year their points are actually leading to wins. They are currently undefeated in Big South play and are 14-2 overall. 

Senior twins Chavis and Travis Holmes lead the fast-pace offense and sophomore Austin Kenon is third, adding 17.8 points per game. Behind those three is freshman Keith Gabriel. 

Gabriel, who grew up in Charlotte like the Currys, is flourishing in VMI's offense. He is averaging 15.9 points per game and he is shooting 45 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from long range.

Sure, it isn't too hard to average 15.9 points per game on a team that scores 96.7 points per game. However, Gabriel could average mid-20s in this style of offense. The only block that is preventing him from doing so is the three other options ahead of him.

Gabriel's statistics against the upper echelon of competition are not as impressive as Lil Curry's, but he has played well. In his college debut and season-opening upset at Kentucky, Gabriel fouled out but scored 20 points in 19 minutes.

He nailed four three-pointers and shot eight-of-12 from the floor. At Virginia, he played in foul trouble and scored 14 points on six-of-18 shooting.

Gabriel has been vital to the success of the Keydets and if it weren't for Lil Curry, he would probably be the favorite to win Freshman of the Year in the Big South. 

The best part of college basketball is the Cinderella story—the team that comes out of seemingly nowhere and takes out a top ranked team or makes a run in the NCAA tournament.

These teams are the proverbial no-namers who capture the heart of America and just as quickly lose it when they disappear back into obscurity, and we are left with wall-to-wall coverage of the same five to 10 teams year in and year out.

Well, many of these small schools may be the proverbial Davids come March, but some are used to playing the role of Goliath the other four months of the college basketball season.

For example, I give you the Winthrop Eagles.

The words Winthrop and winners go together like Maryland coach Gary Williams and sweat.

For the past 10 years, Winthrop has won the Big South tournament eight times.

Eight is more than any other Big South school has won period.

Winthrop has taken home four straight conference crowns, and although they have gone 1-4 in March during that stretch, the losses include a two-point loss to Tennessee and a 10-point decision against Gonzaga.

Still, the Eagles were able to pull off a Cinderella victory over Notre Dame two years ago in the NCAA tournament before being knocked out by Oregon in the second round.

Definitely the "underdog" label does not fit the Eagles well, considering they have gone 104-24 from 1998-2007, including four straight 20-win seasons.

So imagine everyone's surprise to see that the 2008-09 version of the Winthrop Eagles are 3-11 coming hot off the heels of an overtime victory against Presbyterian.

A team that was annually punching its ticket recently stopped a 10-game losing streak.

What happened?

Well, the first factor seems clear: Winthrop misses their old head coach Gregg Marshall.

Marshall, the current head coach of the Wichita State Shockers (at 6-9, he probably misses Winthrop too), is the man that built Winthrop into the successful program we have all become accustomed to en route to becoming the winningest coach in conference history.

Marshall's winning percentage at Winthrop was over 80 percent, with major victories over teams like Marquette, Clemson, Mississippi State and Missouri during his tenure. 

He had gotten some job offers before, but after his departure following the 2007 season, the program has begun to show signs of deterioration.

Sure, Winthrop won the Big South last year, but their 12 losses on the year were more than they had registered in their past three years combined!

Winthrop had to win from the two-seed position for the first time in quite some time, and it seems like the Eagles' victory may have been sheer muscle memory.

Well the problem with muscle memory is it only works when there are veterans on the team that were part of the glory days.

Winthrop has one senior on its current roster, Jonathan Rice, who has taken a total of five field goal attempts the past two years.

Instead of experience, Winthrop rely on a total of nine freshmen and sophomores.  That's a dangerous combination for any team, but particularly one that has humiliated their conference opponents for years.

I guess revenge is a dish best served cold.

Still, despite the awful record, Winthrop may not be dead in the water quite yet.

The Eagles have played a very tough schedule, with some of their 11 losses coming to the likes of Davidson, USC, N.C. State, and Florida.

They have also had three devastatingly close losses, a 42-40 loss to High Point, a 63-60 loss to ECU, and a 77-76 defeat to the College of Charleston.

While Winthrop was getting rocked earlier in the year, it seems like this very young team may be turning things around.

Their last three games have been decided by a combined five points.  Not bad considering that eight of their losses have been by 12 points or more.

Winthrop's key to success seems pretty clear: They need an offense.

Winthrop as a team shoots under 40 percent, and their leading scorer, Cameron Stanley, averages just over 11 points per game.

That is not going to cut it in any conference.

Still, young offenses typically struggle, considering there are so many new pieces to add into the system.  That might explain why Winthrop has only 139 assists to 198 turnovers.

It may also explain why Winthrop averages less than 59 points per game and has allowed nearly 70 points per contest.  That is not exactly a winning combination.

Winthrop has its hands full this season with the VMI Keydets still riding high with their marquee win over the Kentucky Wildcats standing atop the rest at 13-2.

They may be the favorites come the conference tournament, but in the words of Rudy Tomjanovich, "never underestimate the heart of a champion."

Winthrop knows how to win, and they still come into games expecting to win.  That is the glory of playing a conference tournament, for it rewards the teams that are playing the best when it counts.

Besides, with the exception of VMI, no other Big South team could look scarier on paper.  VMI is the only Big South school over .500 so far this season, and the Keydets are one bad offensive night away from being very vulnerable. 

Of course, even if Winthrop cannot defend their crown, give credit to the Eagles and what they have accomplished over this past decade.  How many teams can claim similar stories of success during that span?

Winthrop may be on the mat, but they have time to get up and make it to the next round.

Now that'd be a real Cinderella story.

No. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 116, UNC-Asheville (Bulldogs, 3,609 students, Asheville, NC) 48

The final score would indicate two things: 1) UNC is really good, but we already knew that; and 2) that there is a really big hole in the middle of UNC-Asheville’s lineup.

The Bulldogs won 20 games last year and got within a dozen of UNC and 13 of Tennessee before heading off the NIT where they lost to Ohio State.

This season they are picked to finish ninth out of 10 teams in the Big South, and have started the season 3-3 with wins over non-powers Montreat, Belmont Abbey, and Liberty. Their losses have been to the Tar Heels last night and at the hands of Campbell, 94-57, and Wofford, 74-69. Hmmm.

So what’s missing?

Senior Kenny George, that’s what missing—all 7’7” of him.

George made news last year because he was really tall and a steady player in the middle for the Bulldogs. While you wouldn’t confuse George for a younger Shaq as he ambled up and down the court, he did lead the NCAA in field-goal percentage last year (70.6 percent).

Add to that, the big fella was the Big South defensive player of the year. The would-be senior averaged 12.4 points and seven rebounds last season while averaging only 20 minutes of playing time. George's listed height of 7'7", according to UNC Asheville's official roster, puts him in the Shawn Bradley and Neil Fingleton category of one of the “tallest players in NCAA history.”

Most importantly, George had 93 blocked shots last season, ranking him eighth in the nation. That shot-blocking ability and his pure size (he's also 375 pounds) made it possible that he might find a place on an NBA roster.

While it was unlikely that he would be picked in the NBA’s short two-round draft, as a free agent he could probably find work just plugging up the middle for a few minutes or stopping an NBA big on a scoring rampage every now and then.

All of that, plus his senior year at UNC-Asheville, has gone out the window for now thanks to an infection that led to a partial amputation of his right foot. That’s tough when you consider the simple fact that George has endured a lifetime of stares and size-related inconveniences with an ever-diminishing chance of a payoff.

Back in August, George was diagnosed with MRSA (a difficult-to-treat staph infection) in his right foot. Hospitalized, doctors conducted several surgeries in an attempt to save his foot and his life. In October, doctors amputated part of the infected foot.

Birthplace: Charlotte, North Carolina

Father: Dell Curry

Mother: Sonya Curry

College experience: Freshman

Wait, isn't Stephen Curry a junior?

Yes, yes he is, but his younger brother, Seth, is a freshman at Liberty University. 

After missing out on his older brother, it looks like the most prestigious college basketball programs may have missed out on Seth. 

Curry has only played two games at Liberty—only one was against a Division I opponent—but the freshman from Charlotte has already shown that he is a shooter and a scorer. 

In a blowout against Montreat, Curry debuted for Liberty with 23 points on 9-22 shooting from the field. He hit three treys in eight attempts, had seven steals, six assists, and five rebounds in 30 minutes. 

Curry played 32 minutes in his first taste of Big South basketball, but his Flames were routed by the Kenny George-less UNC-Asheville Bulldogs. He scored 18 points and had six rebounds, but only shot 6-17 from the floor and 1-5 from three. 

In the two games, Seth only turned the ball over once.

Stephen Curry had a double-double in his collegiate debut, but it was not the kind of double-double he wanted. The older Curry scored 15 points but turned the ball over 13 times. 

Stephen followed up the ugly performance with a 32-point game at Michigan, but had another poor performance—16 points and 10 turnovers—a week later at Missouri.

If you want to keep comparing the brothers' stats, Stephen was not an honorable mention to the McDonald's All-American team in high school, but his younger brother was. 

Both were named All-Conference and All-State in their final seasons at Charlotte Christian. 

Scout.com said that Seth needs to get stronger and improve his finishing skills. However, they also said that for Stephen. 

There is one evident reason why Seth rejected Bob McKillop's scholarship offer. Seth knows he is just as good as his older brother and wants to emulate what Stephen did at Davidson. However, he wants to bring a different team into the NCAA spotlight. 

It will be hard for a team comprised of seven freshmen and five starting guards to make the NCAA Tournament, but if the recruiting class develops the way that Ritchie McKay hopes it will, Liberty will be a threat next season.

According to ESPN, Curry was not the best recruit in McKay's class of 2008. Carter McMasters was rated an 88, which is 16 points higher than Curry's 72. 

Radford is the only Big South program that brought in better freshmen for this season. 

Curry's freshman campaign is only two games old, leaving a lot for him to prove, but the future looks bright for Curry and the Flames. 

Seth has an opportunity tonight against Virginia to prove that he can play against teams from the most superior conferences. 

Virginia Military Institute's Duggar Baucom instituted a fast-paced scoring offensive system when he was hired as head coach in 2005.

It took a year for his Keydets to fully adopt the system, but the ensuing two years concluded with VMI as the nation's leading scoring offense. They averaged 100.9 points per game in 2006-07 and 91.3 per game last season.

Reggie Williams, VMI's 6'6" forward for four seasons, led the nation in scoring both years with 28.1 and 27.8 points per game.

Last season was Williams' final as a Keydet, and he is currently playing for JDA Dijon Bourgogne in France's Pro-A league.

Although losing Williams' contributions was a wound Baucom knew he would need to heal, his medicine was not too deep in the cabinet.

Chavis and Travis Holmes were honored as members of the All-State North Carolina team in their senior year in high school, and signed on as two essential pieces to Baucom's first recruiting class at VMI.

Upon entering the 2008-09 season, Chavis and Travis stood 664 combined points behind the all-time leading twin scoring duo. The two identical 6'4" guards from Charlotte, North Carolina have already posted a combined 97 points in the first two games of the season.

Kentucky was unable to beat the combined 46 points posted by Chavis and Travis, and the twins' 51 points nearly defeated Virginia.

These guys are spectacular basketball players and prolific scorers.

Playing as second and third options behind Williams during their sophomore and junior seasons, the Holmes twins put up impressive scoring numbers. Travis averaged 15 points as a sophomore and 15.6 last season; Chavis averaged 19.2 in 2006-07 and 18.3 last season.

They can each shoot the three-ball. Travis is a career 32.4 percent shooter from beyond the arc; Chavis is slightly better at 36.7 percent.

Without Williams on the team, the Holmes twins are the leaders of the rapid offense, and could each average over 25 points per game this season.

They will have the surrounding help of senior Willie Bell and sophomore Austin Kenon. Freshman Keith Gabriel has also scored has fair share of points in the first two games.

VMI lacks size, leading Big South coaches to overlook the Holmes twins and project Baucom's Keydets to finish seventh in the 10 team conference. Most of these coaches probably questioned their choice this weekend after VMI downed Kentucky and played Virginia down to the final minute before succumbing.

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, life was never easy for Kenny George. At the age of two, his parents separated. As an adolescent, a doctor discovered that George had an overactive pituitary gland, which leads to abnormal growth—this condition is not life-threatening, but George needs to get the gland checked by an endocrinologist once a month.

Now a senior at UNC-Asheville, George stands at 7'7". With his customized size 26 shoes on, the top of George's head is seven feet and nine inches off the ground. 

George's father, Ken Sr., claims that he never intended for his son to pursue a career in basketball. However, his son was 6'11" as a sophomore at Chicago Latin High School, and the varsity basketball coach recognized that George, even at 6'11," had very steady control of his body. It was then that George really began to pursue playing basketball at a higher level.

As a senior at Chicago Latin, George nearly averaged a triple double with eight points, 10 rebounds, and nine blocks per game. He dislocated his right kneecap and missed eight weeks, but he was still able to lead his team to the sectional playoffs.

Despite the risk of injury that comes with someone of George's height, Eddie Biedenbach of UNC-Asheville wanted to ink the 7'7" blocking machine for four years at his program. 

All 370 pounds of Kenny George arrived at UNC-Asheville in the fall of 2004, but he was not allowed to play for the basketball team due to academic ineligibility. George planned to debut for the Bulldogs at the start of the 2005-06 season, but he needed major surgery to repair another dislocated knee. He was redshirted because of the injury. 

After battling sore knees in the preseason, George finally made his debut as a UNC-Asheville Bulldog on November 22, 2006 against Virginia. He was able to block five shots in 15 minutes, but his knees became too swollen and sore for him to play in any of the next five games. 

Knee injuries don't come as a surprise when you are 7'7" and 370 pounds. George's knees had to support a lot of weight, so the center saw limited action to avoid leaving all 370 pounds on his knees for too long. 

Despite the pain, George played through the 2006-07 season, averaging 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and two blocks in just 10.5 minutes per game. Towards the beginning of the season, there were multiple games where George saw less than five minutes of action, but he played at least 13 minutes in each of his final six games. 

Last season, George averaged 12.4 points, seven rebounds, and 3.3 blocks in nearly 20 minutes per game. He gained national attention when his Bulldogs squared off against Tyler Hansbrough's North Carolina squad. George came off the bench to score 14 points and pull down a game-high 11 boards in 24 minutes of action.

Hansbrough didn't have much trouble against UNC-Asheville's big man, as the former executed a thunderous dunk on the latter, but George showed Hansbrough up by completing a dunk without leaving the ground.

George completed a triple-double against Campbell for the first time in school history when he scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked 10 shots. 

Overall, George was very impressive in 2007-08 and was key to the Bulldogs' appearance in the NIT. 

Saddening the college basketball world, news broke out this week that George recently had part of his right foot amputated due to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. MRSA is a bacterium that is responsible for difficult-to-treat infections in humans.

Although Biedenbach would not reveal the specifics of George's condition, MRSA is a staph infection that generally spreads through open wound or skin-to-skin contact. It can be inferred that the partial amputation was necessary to prevent further spreading of the infection. 

At the big man's size, it is hard to fit through doorways. Riding New York's subway is nearly impossible because of the low ceiling at the entrance to the car. He needs customized sneakers, and he can't drive because his body cannot safely fit in the driver's seat. 

Add the amputation to the mix, and it is very likely that George will never play basketball again.

However, UNC-Asheville looks forward to seeing George complete his senior year of college. 

Luckily for the big fella, there are things other than basketball that George finds interesting. The center has written several short stories and is also deeply interested in graphic design, animation, cartoons, and comic books. 

Hopefully for Kenny, he will find a way to lead his life in the direction of his non-athletic interests. 

For now, our prayers are with you, Kenny George. 

Everyday I will give a new reason to be pumped for the upcoming college basketball season. We are about 78 days from the start of meaningful college basketball.

Today's reason to be pumped for basketball season: 7'8'' UNC-Asheville Center Kenny George.

Reason number 78 goes straight to the man who is well seven feet eight inches. Kenny George quickly became a national celebrity among sports fans for his gigantic size.

George is the tallest player to compete in an NCAA game and wears a size 28 shoe which is believed to be the largest shoe of any basketball player in the world.

Kenny George also has one of the weirdest stat lines in college basketball. He plays just under half the game, but accumulates impressive numbers. Extrapolate his numbers over 40 minutes and George would average 25 points, 14 rebounds and 6.5 blocks per game, but his large frame keeps him to just 20 minutes a game.

When using Ken Pomeroy statistics, Kenny George is third in the nation block percentage at 17.3%. This means George blocks more than one of every six two-point shots the opposing team takes when he's on the floor. His presence on the floor forces teams into more three point shots.

George is also seventh in the country in pulling down the highest percentage of defensive rebounds. When the gigantic center is on the floor, 30% of the opposing teams misses end up in his hands.

George burst onto the scene January 9th, 2008 when his unknown UNC-Asheville Bulldogs challenged heavyweight North Carolina. Asheville was coming off a win over another BCS conference team at South Carolina.

The Asheville-North Carolina game represented one of the best story-lines of the year in sports: David vs. Golaith. Kenny George had the size of Golaith but the standing of David.

Asheville and the very slow to get up-court, George couldn't keep up with the Tar Heels pace falling behind by 13 at half. George still had a solid game, playing about five more minutes than average and recording a double-double.

George did record a lowlight in that game when as Kenny George claims, Tyler Hansbrough became the first player to ever dunk on George.

But that was the past and George will be back for one more season. He'll have one more season to show off his 93 inch wingspan. He'll have one more season to wow college basketball fans across the country, but he won't have much help.

Three of the top four Bulldogs (Bryan Smithson, K.J. Garland, and Vincent James) in percentage of minutes played during season graduated and accounted for 40 points a game.

It will be tough for Kenny George and his teammates to repeat their 2008 success which saw UNC-Asheville receive their first NIT berth ever.

While the Bulldogs may struggle in 2008-2009, they will still have several shots to slay the giants of the game.

Kenny George will get his rematch with Tyler Hansbrough on November 30th and another shot at Tennessee who defeated Asheville by 13 last year on December 3rd. Later in December, Asheville take on perennial powers Duke and Ohio State.

So reason number 78 you should be pumped for basketball season is when 7'8'' Kenny George gets four shots to taken down four giants of the game.

Washington State began their NCAA Tournament play in Denver with a predatory second half attack that sent Winthrop back to South Carolina. Yes, the Cougs played like a No. 4 seed, winning 71-40.

Looking at a 31 point margin for Coach Tony Bennett and the Cougars, you'd think the game was a blowout from beginning to end. Not the case my friends.

The first half was solid for both teams, ending in a 29-29 tie. For 20 minutes this game was intense. The biggest lead for either team was four points by WSU at 6-2. There were eight ties as the scoring went back and forth.

Kyle Weaver and Aron Baynes were awesome in the opening half. They were on their game. Baynes was scoring and hauling in rebounds with ease. Weaver was calmly going about showing his offensive skills.

Derrick Low was content with taking on double teams, then dishing off to teammates for easy shots. Speaking of dishing off, Taylor Rochestie passed out 10 assists in the game. Nice. Very nice.

Give credit to Winthop. The Eagles matched WSU in every phase of the game in the first half. To do that, they had to put out a Herculean effort. WSU was bigger and very comfortable playing physical. Translation: The Cougs banged hard in the paint and chased the Eagles on the perimeter.

Second half—All Washington State.

The Eagles didn't score their first bucket until the 13:18 mark. Frustrated with the way their shots were either being blocked or doinking off the rim, Taj McCullough got loose underneath the basket for a slam dunk.

After a smooth jumper off a pick by Low, Winthrop scored on their next possession as Michael Jenkins knocked down a nice mid-range jumper. That was it. The Eagles wouldn't score again for almost six minutes.

This was a great start for WSU. They played up to their potential, yet really didn't look much different than they ever do. Coach Bennett keeps everything in perspective for his players, reminding them to focus on both the opponent and the game plan.

Next up for the Cougs are the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Irish dispatched George Mason in the game following the Winthrop-WSU opener. Final in that one was 68-50.

Notre Dame is going to be a tough matchup for Washington State. They are a very physical team that comes out of the highly touted Big East Conference. The Irish came into the tournament with a record of 23-7, adding a notch to their record with an opening round victory.

The question Coach Bennett will have to answer is "How will you slow down the Irish offense?" ND averages more than 80 points a game. No team in the Pac-10 puts up numbers like that. However, the Irish give up nearly 76 points a game. Again, no team in the Pac-10 gives up numbers like that. No, not even the lowly Beavers of Oregon State.

Look for the Cougs to give up a few offensive rebounds so they can get back on defense after any shot. They will work to keep the game a half court contest. Should the Cougs control the pace of the game, there will be more celebration in the locker room before moving on to the next round.

Make no mistake, the Irish are primed to run WSU off the court. That hasn't happened to the Cougs very often this season.

The Irish are about to run out of luck.

GO COUGS!!!

Well, my stomach is full, my eyes are slightly rested (after staring at this laptop screen for over five hours), my bracket is intact (again, not gloating...I figure it can’t last long!), and Stanford is the eighth team to advance after drubbing Ivy League champ Cornell, 77-53, in a game that wasn’t nearly that close.

So we proceed... I’m no different from any of you. As soon as I saw the bracket, my eyes lit up at the prospect of watching star freshmen Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo trade hoops in the first round.

It shouldn’t be any surprise to you, therefore, that Kansas State/USC will occupy the main place on my 60-inch television tonight. Other early games that will be fighting for a spot on the 32-inch screen: Belmont/Duke, Winthrop/Washington State (my upset special—I picked Winthrop), and the dreaded 8-9 game, Texas A&M/BYU.

7:07—Everyone is obviously making a big deal of Mayo vs. Beasley, but don’t forget Mayo vs. Bill Walker. O.J’s high school teammate helped him win a couple state titles at Cincinnati College Hill, and they’ll battle tonight for a spot in the second round.

7:09—And we’re off! The showcase game has just tipped...also Duke/Belmont.

7:09—Speaking of Belmont, they’re off to a good start, knocking down a three. That game’s being played at Verizon Center in Washington D.C., while the KSU/USC matchup is taking place in Omaha.

7:10—My picks are Duke, USC, A&M (mild upset), and Winthrop (huge upset). I really struggled with the USC/Kansas State game. I can see either Mayo or Beasley taking their team on a Sweet 16 run. In a close game, I’m giving the edge to the more experienced coach: Tim Floyd of the Trojans.

7:11—I’m really torn watching Duke. I always pick them to go deep into March, and more often than not, have been burned. (see: VCU). I do have them winning three games this time around, but since they’re in Purdue’s sub-regional, I would be glad to sacrifice my bracket on the altar of paving the road for the Boilers to advance. So...why not...go Belmont!

7:13—It’s not often you get to see NBA-quality athleticism on display in Omaha. In the first four minutes, this game has lived up to its billing. Lots of blocked shots, contested jumpers, and backdoor cuts.

7:15—Huge turn of events: Michael Beasley just picked up his second foul. Time to see if Bill Walker and the “supporting cast” can step up. In my not-so-expert opinion, foul trouble is one of the most overlooked aspects of picking a bracket. Anybody can draw a quick foul and nobody thinks twice...but all of a sudden that player is one little mistake or borderline call from sitting on the bench for ten minutes.

7:17—We have a Vince Gill sighting in Washington, D.C. The popular singer has followed his Belmont Bruins to the Big Dance.

7:18—Winthrop and Washington State are about to tip off the Gus Johnson game in Denver. I’m going to have to pay close attention to the Eagles, who are one of two 13 seeds I have advancing (San Diego also).

7:19—Walker has seven points in the first five minutes for K-State. He can put up big numbers...but you’d think OJ and the Trojans know that.

7:21—Belmont is settling for outside jumpers against Duke. Memo to any team playing Duke: if you turn the game into an outside shooting competition, you play right into their hands...and they’ll crush you. It’s what they do. If they wanted to be a power team inside, they’d play seven-footer Zoubek more often....but they’re just an athletic team that can shoot and defend with anybody in the country.

7:23—That’s what scares me about a possible Purdue/Duke matchup in the regional if both teams get that far. Purdue, in my opinion, is really just a poor man’s version of Duke. Lots of intense halfcourt defense, great shooters, and...about two years less experience.

7:24—Winthrop/Washington State looks like a defensive struggle so far. Five minutes gone...three combined hoops.

7:33—After a brief break to dry dishes (you’ve gotta have priorities!), it’s time to take stock of the games. Winthrop and Washington State haven’t scored since I left (okay, that’s not quite true). The teams are actually moving along quite nicely—in fact they’re almost both in double figures! 10-8, Eagles.

7:35—One of the reasons I like Tim Floyd as a coach is his willingness to try “junk” defenses. At the moment he’s using a box-and-one to help neutralize Beasley. I have to admit I’m surprised No. 30 is back in the game already. With over ten minutes left in the half, it will be crucial for him not to get a third foul before the halftime break.

7:36—You can tell USC/KSU is a huge game because play-by-play man Kevin Harlan is excited about 20 minutes earlier in the game than he normally is. Bill Walker’s in double figures (yes, before Washington State is!) and KSU is up nine. I see my bracket crumbling before my eyes. Let’s go Trojans!

7:37—The thing about Beasley that’s so impressive is he gets his hands on every rebound. It seems like he just can’t be boxed out!

7:39—Most surprising team of the evening so far: 15 seed Belmont is all tied up with Duke at 28. Duke tends to play well in streaks...we’ll see how long the Bruins can hold up.

7:40—USC/KSU’s at a commercial, so I’m going to flip over and pay attention to Winthrop for a while. I don’t know if I picked the Eagles because I successfully predicted their win over Notre Dame last year...or because of how impressive they were in the Big South title game on the road against 7’7” giant Kenny George and UNC-Asheville...or maybe just because I think Washington State (and the Pac-10) might be a tad overrated.

7:42—It’s not that Washington State (and teams like them...see: WISCONSIN) are bad ballclubs. They’re not. But they can be (in the politically correct words of my wife) “incredibly boring to watch”. Defense wins championships...but it doesn’t always win the ratings battle. Back to USC/KSU we go.

7:44—Oops, one last thought on Winthrop: the Eagles have two of the best guards you’ve never heard of: Michael Jenkins (14.3 ppg) and Chris Gaynor (the conference’s all-time assists and steals leader). Stay tuned.

7:45—A&M’s game has started. BYU, however, doesn’t look like they’ve shown up quite yet. Aggies 8-0 early.

7:46—Bill Walker is on fire for the Kansas State Wildcats. I picked against K-State because I didn’t think their supporting cast would step up to help out Beasley...but I knew Walker could be an X-factor, and so far, he’s been the best player on the floor.

7:47—I’m taking predictions on when UNLV will register points. So far we’ve played five minutes.

7:49—And the shutout is over. A&M 11, BYU 2, six minutes into the game. 7:49 About the only thing going wrong for Kansas State so far: Bill Walker is headed back to the locker room to get worked on (blood?)

7:50—Foul trouble strikes again in Omaha...this time it hits the Trojans. Taj Gibson is taking his 11 ppg and 8 rpg to the bench with his third foul.

7:52—Commercials in three cities at the same time. I guess that means it’s time to watch some Duke/Belmont.

7:53—And we now have a commercial there too. Must be time to upload this hour to the Internet. See you at 8:00—this could be the best set of finishes so far!

Just a score or two: University of Akron 65, Florida State 60. Southern Illinois 69, Oklahoma State 53. Creighton 74, URI 73. Syracuse roughing up Robert Morris, 87-81?

I know its just the NIT, but do the BCS & "Big State U" teams only give their best in the "Big Dance"? It makes me sick to hear the sanctimonious posturing and the condescending attitude of the Network "talking heads" and "former" Coaches trumpet the notion that the A-10, Missouri Valley, MAC, WCC, and others are "nice little leagues" made up of schools in the flyover states, that at times really play well and are able to defeat the "heavyweights" of the Big Ten, Big East, Pac-10, ACC, SEC, and Big XII on rare occasions when one of their "Powers" has a "down year", a "bad break," or a player scandal.

Most of the successful "Mid-Majors" will play "anybody, anywhere, anytime" and offer deserving opponents a home-and-home series to be fair about it. Until the last decade or so most of their players were not as skilled, athletic, or jumbo sized as the "factory" schools. Their student/athletes did however, stay around to gain experience, meld into the college experience, and graduate. Coaches were valued and judged by their knowledge of the game, teaching ability, and graduation rate rather than their wins & losses.

The two "P's" population and parity combined with the increase from 32 to 64 teams in the NCAA D-I basketball tourney made it possible for smaller schools to game fame and entice players. and the term "Mid-Majors came about. The exposure that Gonzaga University gained when reaching the Elite Eight and George Mason going to the Final Four, for example, are just two of the more well-known achievements of the mids.

The play of the Butlers, Davidsons, Southern Illinois, Creightons, Valpo's, St. Joes, and others have shown sports fans that "David slaying Goliath" happens far more than one suspects. Gonzaga is in the "dance" for the tenth straight year. How many of the BCS schools can make that claim?

So sit back and enjoy watching the greatest two weeks in sports, as all sixty-four teams start out with a clean slate and teams like, Butler, Drake, Gonzaga, St, Joes, San Diego, Davidson and others proudly carry the "Mid-Major" banner to more glory. Success and luv to the Schools I had to leave out for lack of space, poor memory, or individual preference.