Summit League Basketball

The Summit League has been through significant transition since it's creation in 1982. Twenty-eight different universities have been a part of the conference and only one of the original eight schools is still affiliated with the conference—Western Illinois University. The league's membership has been so fluid that the longest period that the conference has had the same members since 1990 is four years. The changes continue as Centenary College will cease competing at the D-I level after this season and Southern Utah will be leaving for the Big Sky Conference after the 2011-2012 season. With all of the instability, it may be the time to pull the plug on the conference's efforts and have the schools move on.

History

The league has been around 1982, when it was founded as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities. The conference then was known as Mid-Continent Conference starting in 1989, with a final name change to it's present name at starting in 2007.

In 1994, the league saw a major defection as Cleveland State University, Northern Illinois University, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Wisconsin–Green Bay,  University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and Wright State University left the conference to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, which is now known as the Horizon League. In response, the conference took on members of the disbanding East Coast Conference. However, their membership was short-lived as only one member (Chicago State University) was left by the 1998-1999 season.

Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, the continued fluctuation in conference membership continued with the last three members of the current configuration joining the league (Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, North Dakota State, and South Dakota State). Unfortunately the stability of the last four years did not last with the previously mentioned departures of Centenary and Southern Utah.

Descending the Summit

The conference, in addition to an unstable membership, has struggled to be a successful conference in basketball. Currently, the conference sits 23rd out of 31 in RPI and only one team in the top 100 (Oakland at No. 73). Unfortunately, the current ranking is not dramatically out of line as the conference's best showing was 22nd (2006-2007 & 2007-2008) and a low of 26th (2008-2009) in the past five seasons. Only once in that time has the conference had a team in the top 64 (Oakland, No. 52 in 2009-2010). 

One of the biggest arguments that one could use for keeping the conference is the rivalries that are in place. This is something that is not really in place in the Summit. Only two of the schools (Western Illinois and University of Missouri-Kansas City) have been in the conference longer than 15 years. As mentioned previously, the league has no consistency in membership, so there is naturally a lack of strong ties.

Conference Options

Options for league's members are plentiful so it is not like teams would suffer due to the Summit ceasing operations. The three eastern teams, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, and Oakland University, could be look to the Horizon League as an option. Geographically, this would be a definite plus as each of the new schools would be within 90 minutes of an existing conference member (IUPUI and Butler; IFPW and Valparaiso; and Oakland and Detroit). If the conference was looking to add a team to make it an even number, SIU-Edwardsville, who is an independent, or Chicago State, who is in their second year in the Great West Conference, would be an option.

The Missouri Valley Conference could be an option for six of the teams. North Dakota State University, University of South Dakota, South Dakota State University, and Western Illinois University already are members in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which is a FCS conference. With this being the case, there are some rivalries that are already in place in football. University of Missouri-Kansas City falls with the current geographic boundaries of the conference so could be a fit. Oral Roberts, would be the southern boundary of the new 16-team MVC, but they are within driving distance of Missouri State, so road trips could pair those two schools together.

Moving Forward

While the league believes that they have a promising future on the landscape of college athletics, it seems they are looking with a biased perspective. Right now the Summit League is still standing, but the time has come for the conference flag to be lowered with pride rather than to see the conference continue to face constant change and minimal success. Folding the conference is for the greater good, helping the member schools develop rivals in strong conferences and hopefully become the teams they can be.

Is it too early for NCAA Bracket Busters? Oakland University says no. In fact, the Golden Grizzlies are already begging to be advanced on your tournament bracket.

No need to check your calendar—it’s only December. But the Golden Grizzlies are already making a case for their third invitation to the national tournament and second in as many years.

Last year, Oakland made a quick exit, dropping a first-round decision (89-66) to Pittsburgh, but early indications point toward a possible Cinderella story this season.

So far in the 2010-2011 campaign, the Golden Grizzlies have played against four Top 25 teams and have had legitimate shots to win three. Tuesday was the fourth in Knoxville taking on the seventh-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

Walking into an arena with so much history and tradition could have been overwhelming for the Summit League leaders, but the Golden Grizzlies proved the previous three upset attempts weren’t flukes when they defeated the Volunteers 89-82.

Tennessee was sitting with a fairly comfortable eight-point lead when Oakland used a 13-0 run late in the second half that spanned nearly five minutes to go up 81-76 with just under two minutes remaining in the game. Even after the Volunteers snapped the run, Oakland guard Larry Wright hit his third three-pointer of the game to extend the lead to 85-79 with just 37 seconds to go.

The celebration was mild when the buzzer sounded, as though the Golden Grizzlies expected to give Tennessee its first loss of the season. The Volunteers had just come off an 83-76 win over No. 3 Pitt three days earlier. It was Pitt’s first loss of the season, and an emotional letdown could be an excuse for Tennessee’s defeat.

However, looking deeper into the matchup, more credit should be given to Oakland for pulling off the impressive victory.

On November 21, Oakland played close with ninth-ranked Purdue and despite losing 82-67 trailed by only four with just over 11 minutes to go in the game. A little over two weeks later, the Golden Grizzlies came closer than expected to defeating No. 17 Illinois and held a lead well into the second half until the Illini used a 17-0 run to regain their second and final lead of the game.

Just three days later, Oakland nearly knocked off No. 8 Michigan State, losing 77-76.

For everyone outside of the Oakland University program, the recent upset and close calls are shocking and impressive. But for the defending Summit League champs, it’s expected. The Golden Grizzlies consider themselves a strong up-and-coming mid-major worthy of making noise on the big stage and have no plans of letting up.

Saturday they will go for their second upset of the season against Michigan and will then have one more chance to improve their résumé against No. 2 Ohio State before entering conference play.

With solid play through the remainder of the season, it wouldn’t be too surprising if the Golden Grizzlies eventually cracked the Top 25 before the end of the season.

Perhaps it would have benefitted them more if they didn’t hit their stride until tournament time. Oakland is by no means going to surprise anyone in March. But that’s just fine with them because regardless of the opponent, the Golden Grizzlies no longer consider themselves an underdog. They believe they can compete with the nation’s elite—and they’ve proven as much.

For many of the smaller conferences, this is the final week of play before conference tournaments begin. This means a final push to secure a tournament berth or a valuable seeding position. 

Let’s take a look at how some of the smaller conferences are shaking out as well as tournament dates and sites. 

America East

The storyline in the America East comes down to Wednesday's matchup between league leading Stony Brook (12-2) and second place Vermont (11-3). 

If the Seawolves win, they win the conference outright and secure the top seed for the conference tournament. A Catamount win would make the final weekend of conference play interesting, especially for tiebreaking and seeding purposes.

The first round (8 vs. 9), quarterfinals, and semifinals of the nine team America East tournament (March 4, 6-7, 13) will be played in Hartford, with the championship final played at the campus of the highest-remaining seed after the semifinal round.

Atlantic Sun

In the Atlantic Sun, the top eight teams in conference play automatically qualify for the conference tournament in Macon, GA (March 3-6). The teams participating have already been decided. However, a lot still needs to be determined in terms of seeding, as well as the conference champion. 

Co-leaders Campbell and Jacksonville, both 12-5, will meet in Jacksonville on Thursday. The winner will have a leg up heading into the final weekend, while the loser will drop into a potential three-way tie for second place with Belmont and Lipscomb. 

The top two seeds would receive a day of rest (if they win, of course) between quarterfinal and semifinal games in the conference tournament, giving extra incentive for one of the top two positions. 

Big Sky

The top six teams advance to the conference tournament in the Big Sky (March 6, 9-10), with the top two seeds receiving first-round byes. 

First-round games will be played at the sites of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds. The semifinals and championship will be played at the home of the regular-season champion, Weber St.

Northern Colorado is in control of the No. 2 seed with only a game at last place Sacramento St. remaining. The final spot is still up for grabs between Portland St., Idaho St., and Eastern Washington.

Big South

Coastal Carolina (13-3) leads the Big South by a game over Winthrop (12-4) and two games over Radford (11-5) with two games remaining. The Chanticleers host Liberty and VMI to close out their schedule, while Winthrop and Radford play next Saturday.

The top eight teams qualify for the Big South tournament (March 2, 4, 6) with the top four seeds hosting first-round games. The No. 1 seed will host the semifinals, with the finals being played at the highest remaining seed. 

Colonial Athletic Association

The CAA will go right down to the wire in the last week. Old Dominion and Northeastern are tied atop the conference at 13-3. William and Mary and George Mason are tied for third at 11-5, while VCU and Drexel sit at 10-6. 

Old Dominion finishes out conference play at Georgia St. then hosts VCU. Northeastern will host Hofstra with their regular season finale at George Mason. Northeastern holds the tiebreaker by virtue of its win over Old Dominion in their only meeting.

Since all 12 teams qualify for the conference tournament in Richmond, VA (March 5-8), the top four seeds will get first round byes. 

Horizon League

Butler has run away from everyone in the Horizon League. The seeding is the only thing that remains to be decided.

All 10 teams qualify for the conference tournament, with the top two seeds receiving an all important double bye into the semifinals. 

Wright St. currently holds a one game lead over Wisconsin-Green Bay for the No. 2 seed. Both teams finish up conference play on the road. Wright St. must travel to both Youngstown St. and Cleveland St. while Wisconsin-G.B. plays Illinois-Chicago and Loyola (IL).

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

The MAAC title and top seed belongs to Siena. However, the Saints can’t afford a loss the rest of the way if they have any at-large hopes. Siena finishes up conference play with games at Rider and home against last place Marist.

The No. 2 seed is up for grabs as Iona and Fairfield are tied for second at 11-5, while St. Peter’s sits a game behind at 10-6. The Gaels and Stags will battle each other Friday at Fairfield while the Peacocks are on the road at Marist. These three will finish up conference play on Sunday with Iona at St. Peter’s while Fairfield hosts Niagra.

The 10-team MAAC tournament will be held in Albany, NY (March 5-8).

Missouri Valley Conference

After an impressive BracketBuster weekend, the MVC will finish up conference play this week. Northern Iowa has clinched the conference title and the top seed in the tournament, which will be held in St. Louis, MO (March 4-7).

The rest of the standings still need to be decided. Wichita St. (11-5) is a game ahead of Illinois St. for the second spot. Wichita St. should have the advantage playing Bradley (8-8) on the road and then hosting Southern Illinois (6-10), while the Redbirds face Indiana St. (8-8) at home before traveling to Northern Iowa.

Northeast Conference

Quinnipiac’s 87-79 win at Robert Morris on Saturday tightened things up in the Northeast Conference. However, the Colonials still own a one game lead over the Bobcats with two games to go. 

Robert Morris must travel to Wagner and Mount St. Mary’s while Quinnipiac hosts Monmouth before finishing up on the road at Fairleigh Dickinson.

The top eight teams qualify for the conference tournament (March 4, 7, 10) with all games played at the home of the higher seed. After the quarterfinals, the teams will be reseeded so the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals.

Ohio Valley Conference

The top two teams in the OVC will meet Thursday when unbeaten Murray St. will go on the road to Morehead St. (13-3). These two teams last played on Dec. 5 with the Racers having little trouble in an 86-56 win. 

The top eight teams advance to the conference tournament in Nashville, TN (March 2, 5-6). After the quarterfinal round, the teams will be reseeded, if necessary. 

Patriot League

Bucknell and Lehigh sit atop the Patriot League at 8-4 with two games remaining. The two teams will meet up on Wednesday when the Bison visit the Hawks. The winner should be in great shape for the all important top seed.

In the Patriot League tournament (March 3, 7, 12), the top four seeds will host the quarterfinal games, with semifinal games played at the two highest remaining seeds. The championship will be played at the site of the highest remaining seed.

Southern Conference

The top two teams in each division of the Southern Conference will receive first-round byes in the conference tournament to be held in Charlotte, NC (March 5-8). 

Appalachian St. has secured the top seed in the North Division while W. Carolina has grabbed the No. 2 seed. The top two seeds in the South Division will be determined Thursday when co-leaders Wofford and Charleston meet at Wofford.

Summit League

The eight team Summit League tournament will be held in Sioux Falls, SD (March 6-9) and the top seed will be Oakland. The Grizzlies have had little trouble in the Summit, with their only loss coming to IUPUI. 

The teams competing in the tournament have all been decided, while the only factor to be determined is the seeding. The top two seeds will receive an extra day between quarterfinal and semifinal games.

Sun Belt

The top three seeds in the Sun Belt receive a first-round bye in the conference tournament. The 13 team tournament will be held in Hot Springs, AR (March 6-9)

Three teams, Troy, Middle Tennessee, and North Texas, all sit at 11-5, while Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Arkansas St., and Louisiana-Lafayette are a game behind with two games to go in what should be a wild final week.

West Coast Conference

The WCC tournament is scheduled March 5-8 in Las Vegas, NV. The tournament format is rather unique in which the top two seeds are rewarded with double byes. 

The opening round will consist of two games between the bottom four seeds. The winners will advance to the quarterfinal round against the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds. The winners of the quarterfinal matchups will battle the top two seeds in the semifinals, with the winners meeting in the championship.

Gonzaga is in the driver’s seat with games against Santa Clara and San Francisco remaining. Second place belongs to St. Mary’s, who will host Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount to finish out the season.

As Kansas coach Bill Self sits down for Thanksgiving dinner, one would have to assume he will be thankful for the collection of talent that he has assembled this season.

Wednesday night, the top-ranked Jayhawks took to the Allen Fieldhouse court to face a credible Oakland squad some have predicted to win the Summit League this year.

The Golden Grizzlies return five starters from last year's 23 win team and boast the preseason conference player of the year, point guard Jonathon Jones, and 6'11" junior center Keith Benson, a potential NBA first round pick.

Benson, who was a roommate of Kansas center Cole Aldrich at last summer's Amare Stoudemire Skills Camp, showed why he came into the game with such hype.

He outplayed Aldrich all night, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds and four blocks. 

Aldrich, on the other hand, had one the more forgettable offensive performances of his Kansas career.  He scored just four points, hitting on two of his 10 attempts from the field. 

Having your star player completely dominated would lead to big problems for most teams. 

Not Kansas.  They were cool like pumpkin pie.

The Jayhawks cooked, sliced and smeared gravy all over the Grizzlies before devoured them.

KU used a 13-2 run to put Oakland at arms reach and Marcus Morris' team high 11 points helped Kansas build a 37-22 lead at the half.

Freshman forward Xavier Henry ignited the run with an awesome, high-flying, alley-oop dunk courtesy of Sherron Collins, prompting the crowd to cross their arms to make an "X" in celebration of what's to come from this budding superstar. 

Both Henry and Collins had nine points at the break.

Despite seemingly having momentum, the Jayhawks came at flat to start the second half.

Oakland took advantage, cutting the lead down to 39-28 before coach Self called of his "hide-tanning" time outs.

The Jayhawks responded by immediately going on a 14-5 run, extending a comfortable lead that would not be relinquished. 

The Jayhawks would cruise to a 89-59 victory.

Marcus Morris displayed his continued improvement and looked like the best player on the court. 

He finished the game with a career high 19 points to go with a team high 11 rebounds.

Xavier Henry tied Morris for the team lead with 19 points as both players scored in a variety of ways. 

Despite the poor offensive effort, Aldrich finished with nine rebounds and three blocks.

Tyrel Reed had 11 points off the bench and six different Jayhawks made three–point shots.

Coach Self and Jayhawk fans had to be a little satisfied even before sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner. 

NOTES: When evaluating talent, the experts look for players who can create "special" plays.

Whether it be off the dribble moves, eye-popping athleticism, fantastic footwork or great anticipation, these are the qualities that separate the best from the best. 

In the game with Oakland, Kansas players provided many of these type of plays, from a multitude of the teams roster.

Here's some examples:

Aldrich blocked a shot, to himself, then made a sweet outlet pass to Tyshawn Taylor. Taylor drove the bucket and mad a strong lay-up at full speed while switching hands in mid air with a defender all over him.

Xavier Henry soared like a future dunk champion, twice for massive alley-oop dunks on pin-point passes from crafty veteran Collins.

Reed drove hard to the basket on a fast-break, then made a hesitation move reminiscent of Chris Paul to score.

Elijah Johnson drove hard to the hoop and took it right at the 240 pound Benson.  Benson fouled Johnson hard,  but Johnson managed to power the ball through the contact for the hoop and the foul.  He made the free throw. 

6-9 forward Markieff Morris swatted a shot into the third row then later stepped back to drain one from behind the arc. 

Freshman forward Thomas Robinson showed great feet catching a pass 12 feet from the basket, faced-up his defender, gave a ball fake and blew by him for a flush.

On his way to a double-double, Marcus Morris scored every way imaginable including turn-around, face-up, step-back, fade-away, behind the arc and at the charity stripe.

For those of you who don't know who NDSU is, It stands for North Dakota State University. Yes that's right, NORTH DAKOTA. In what could very well be the first time ever, a basketball team from North Dakota will be dancing somewhere in this month's Madness, starting on the 19th.

The No. 1 seed and the champions of the Summit League, NDSU won a hard-fought comeback victory against Oakland University two nights ago.

After being down by as many as 14, NDSU put together a late rally to knock off the third-seeded Golden Grizzlies with a leaning jumper by Ben Woodside.

NDSU clinched an NCAA Tourney Birth when Woodside received the in-bounds pass with eleven seconds left, dribbled down the court, went left off of a Lucas Moorman screen, and drilled a leaning jumper from the left side of the free-throw line.

Oakland's Johnathon Jones took the ball downcourt with three seconds left and lofted a desperation three point shot that went hard off the back of the rim as time expired. Jones could've gotten a better shot, but was anxious to get the ball away before time expired.

When time did expire, crazed fans wearing green and gold, stormed the court and Woodside to celebrate and congratulate the victory and their superstar, respectively.

Ben Woodside is a five year veteran and this years Summit League Player of the Year. He averaged 23 points a game and was the leader of a veteran Bison team ranked 1st in the Summit League with a 26-6 overall record and a 14-2 conference record. 

Woodside is an explosive offensive playmaker and is capable of going off for huge chunks of points in any game. Earlier in the year, Woodside exploded for SIXTY points against Stephen F. Austin in a thrilling triple-overtime battle in which NDSU lost by one point.

ESPN and CBS Sports.com are projecting NDSU as a thirteen seed in the tournament. Which will likely have them slated against either Missouri or Wake Forest.

In their first year of eligibility, the North Dakota State University Bison Men's Basketball team clinched an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

This is quite an achievement considering it hasn't happened since 1970, when Long Beach State achieved the same feat under head coach, Jerry Tarkanian.

It is a fitting end to this article to quote Ben Woodside himself in saying, "We're goin' dancin' baby, we're goin' dancin', that's all that matters!"

Good Luck green and gold, make some noise for North Dakota in the NCAA Tourney.

GO BISON!!!

This is the first article of a new series, "Mid-Major Radar."

In this series, I will discuss mid-major teams that deserve more attention than they are getting. In other words, you won't find anything about Davidson, Gonzaga, or Saint Mary's in this series.

Without further ado, meet North Dakota State of the Summit League.

This is the Bison's first year of postseason eligibility. If the wins keep coming like they have been, North Dakota State will find themselves in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

They are the epitome of a run-and-gun team. As a squad, the Bison shoot 48.6 percent from the floor and a stunning 40.3 percent from deep. Their 81.2 points per game is good enough to land them in the top 10 scoring offenses.

If you're thinking that this team, which has not been eligible for postseason play, is inexperienced, you're wrong.

Ben Woodside, Brett Winkelman, and Mike Nelson are leaders on and off the floor. These three Bison have been playing together in Fargo, North Dakota for four consecutive seasons, and have matured through the system.

You might remember Woodside for scoring 60 points in a triple overtime loss to Stephen F. Austin in December. The senior point guard is the country's sixth best scorer at 24.2 points per game.

Get this: Stephen Curry is the only other player in the nation who scores over 24 points per game and dishes out at least six assists. Both guards dish out 6.4 dimes per game.

Woodside has been an excellent leader of the herd.

The only downside for Woodside is his size. He stands 5'11" and weighs 185 pounds. He's quick, but his size has made it tough for him to pour in his average against bigger teams.

In an early season matchup against Minnesota, Woodside scored 16 points, but still managed to shoot 7-of-15 from the floor. The 14 points that he scored in a four-point loss against USC is his second lowest total of the season.

Other than those games, though, Woodside has been a talent worth noting. He has scored 20+ points in 12 of North Dakota State's 19 games.

Winkelman, Woodside's fellow statesman from Minnesota, has had his fair share of big performances. Unlike Woodside, Winkelman is yet to score under 10 points in a game. The 6'6" senior averages 19.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Despite starting at small forward, Winkelman leads the Bison in rebounding.

It might be hard to believe, but the senior's stats have actually declined since last year. Nonetheless, he is shooting 52.7 percent from the floor, a team-high 81 percent from the stripe, and 37.5 percent from long range.

These two seniors help each other out on the court. Woodside creates and dishes, and Winkelman puts the ball in the basket.

Nelson is the third leading senior on the team. He is less prominent than the previous two, but his three-point shooting has won some games for the Bison. Nelson, who hails from Madison, Wisconsin, hits two treys per game on 40.2 percent shooting from the distance.

This senior's long range shooting kept the Bison within striking range of Minnesota. He knocked down five threes on 10 attempts and scored 22 points.

These three seniors, along with senior Lance Moorman and sophomore Michael Tveidt, have led North Dakota State to a 14-5 record.

The Bison lack an impressive win that would merit an at-large bid, but they appear to be the team to beat in the Summit midway through conference play. Oral Roberts was the preseason favorite, and their one loss is to none other than North Dakota State.

A one-point loss at Oakland is the only obstacle between the Bison and a perfect conference record. On Thursday, Oakland will head to Fargo, where the Bison are 8-0.

After the game against Oakland, North Dakota State's only game against a team with a winning record is at Oral Roberts. The Feb. 28 matchup will be the final game before the conference tournament.

If Coach Saul Phillips' phone rings on March 15, the team on the other end must be prepared to cool off the Bison. If they don't, North Dakota State has the ability to shoot their opponent out of the gym.

You could call this the "Pac-10 Special" edition of the Out of Focus series, with a dash of Summit League play tossed in for good measure.

If you are unfamiliar with the premise of this column, three to five games are highlighted that do not feature ranked teams. The games are usually highly competitive and, in order to be chosen, they must either have an impact on the postseason or a compelling storyline.

The goal is to keep up with some of the leagues and teams that you don't normally get to see on ESPN or other networks, though today's edition features a couple of teams that normally get quite a bit of face time.

Unfortunately for Arizona and USC, their season unfolded in a manner that leaves them both currently unranked.

As usual, I will update the results of the games in the comments section; the last edition's games (Dec. 30) were all true gems if you care to take a look.

Now, on to today's "Out of Focus" games.

3.  North Dakota State (8-4) at Oakland (9-7)

I know you're probably thinking that there's no way this could be a significant game.  Well, the truth is that someone has to win the Summit League, and these are two of the three conference teams with winning records (IUPUI at 8-5 is the other).

All three of those teams are roughly equal, and each has shown flashes of solid play throughout the early part of the season. 

Though North Dakota St. has lost to Idaho, the other three losses were a 112-111 shootout with Stephen F. Austin, a 14-point loss to Minnesota in November, and most recently, a hard-fought 61-57 loss to Pac-10 power USC. Despite a lack of quality wins, don't expect the Bison to roll over easily.

Oakland has played a very difficult out-of-conference schedule, including three Big Ten teams, Syracuse, Horizon preseason favorite Cleveland State, and Kansas State. They were able to notch a significant win over a non-conference opponent when they took out Oregon 82-79 in the Maui Invitational. The Golden Grizzlies have hung tough with nearly all of these opponents.

The winner of this game gets a leg up in the race to represent the Summit League in March.

Prediction:  Oakland 68, North Dakota State 65

2.  USC (9-3) at Oregon (6-6)

After some early season disappointments (including losses to Seton Hall and Missouri) that have caused USC to tumble from the rankings, the Trojans appear to have righted the ship, winning six of their last seven, with the only loss in that span being to Oklahoma by a single point.

USC will need to dominate their conference schedule if they expect to be a viable NCAA Tourney team come March, and it starts tonight in the conference opener at Oregon. Though it looks like a mismatch on paper, the Ducks have played much better since the aforementioned early season loss to Oakland.

Oregon pounded Alabama in the next game and has faced a difficult schedule, with losses to UNC, Texas, Utah and St. Mary's. The Ducks looked much improved in the loss to St. Mary's, hanging in for the entire game before eventually falling 78-73.

If USC plays sloppy and Oregon's backcourt of Tajuan Porter, Garrett Sim and LeKendric Longmire nails their three-pointers, an upset is a real possibility. Oddly enough, Porter, the Ducks' leading scorer, shoots better from behind the arc (.378) than inside it (.376).

Prediction:  USC 86, Oregon 77

1.  Arizona (9-3) at California (11-2)

Arizona's season has generally been two steps forward and one step back, but a win on the road against upstart California could put them on a much better footing in early positioning for the NCAA Tournament. 

The Wildcats' early one-point losses to UAB and Texas A&M don't look quite as bad right now, as particularly the Aggies look significantly better than advertised in the preseason.

Unlike the rest of the Pac-10, Arizona worked through a solid non-conference schedule and it has already paid dividends, with impressive victories over Gonzaga and Kansas.  The low point of the Wildcats' season thus far has been a 79-64 drubbing at the hands of UNLV, but the Runnin' Rebels are looking like the cream of the crop in a competitive Mountain West Conference.

California has won five consecutive games against weak opponents since an embarrassing 93-66 thrashing delivered by the Missouri Tigers. However, the Golden Bears did score an impressive 18-point victory over the same UNLV team that easily handled Arizona.

No game this early in the season is usually labeled as a "must-win," but this contest is between two teams who are likely to be precariously on the bubble when March rolls around. California is young and was expected to be a year away from contending. The Bears want to show that they are ready this year.

Arizona is out to prove that their equally young team and first-year coach are ready to make a serious play at the postseason as well. A lot is at stake in this conference opener, and the game should be a nail-biter.

Prediction:  Arizona 83, California 82

These games are often worth keeping track of on the radio or the Internet when they're not available on TV!

As always, I welcome your comments on either the games, the predictions, or both. 

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.