-We mentioned St. Peter’s guard Keydren Clark several times in recent weeks as he and the Peacocks made a last-ditch run at an NCAA bid, but it was Iona that knocked them off in the MAAC final, and you have to be happy for the Gaels and in particular the senior foursome of Steve Burtt, Ricky Soliver, Marvin McCullough and Kiril Wachsmann. Been watching this talented quartet since they got to Iona and started as freshmen, and the improvement they’ve made has been capped by a terrific season. Watching them against St. Peter’s, it was clear the Gaels were the superior team, and they played like it. In fact, if they played like that every night, one thinks Iona may not have lost more than three or four games all season. The Gaels have a terrific backcourt and that traditional New York toughness to take on most anybody. Burtt is a great scorer who has an ultra-quick release and can square up or slash to the basket and proved to be the equal of Clark in the MAAC final. Soliver is a similar player and a great defender, while McCullough-the third lefty in this backcourt-isn’t as flashy as either of the other two but is the kind of steady point guard many coaches should dream of. Add in Wachsmann’s knack for scoring around the basket and this is a team that can play with anyone when it brings its best. We also love the story about how Burtt, a former high school teammate of Clark, finished his undergrad degree in less than four years, just like Clark did at St. Peter’s. Burtt graduated from Iona in 3 ½ years and is working on a degree in criminal justice, while McCullough is also on track to graduate in May. You can’t get enough of stories like this. Anyone who has completed an undergraduate degree in even four years knows it’s hard to do even if you’re not a Division I athlete. The fact that players as prolific as these are doing so-and making it sound almost easy-is a testament to the kind of people they are

 

-In case people don’t know much about Iona, we have to also note the Gaels’ cool connection to the past, and in particular to early 80s basketball in the East. Burtt is the son of Steve Burtt, Sr., only the leading scorer in Iona history and a star there in the early 80s. Starting forward Gary Springer is the son of Gary Springer, Sr., who played with Burtt and was only the second-leading scorer all-time at the school until the younger Burtt passed him this year. And sixth man Anthony Bruin is the son of Tony “Red” Bruin, one of the early standouts in the Big East at Syracuse from 1979-83.

 

-What was said earlier about Iona also goes for Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Panthers’ performance in the Horizon League final against Butler makes one wonder just how this team lost four games in the HL this year. UWM did an outstanding job of guarding the Bulldogs’ three-point shooters and got terrific contributions from its bench in making Butler look overmatched Tuesday night. Particularly scary about Milwaukee’s play was that Joah Tucker was a non-factor, spending almost the entire game in foul trouble. No doubt this team took to new coach Rob Jeter and is playing better again since Adrian Tigert came back from an injury. Almost every conference champion this week is going to be called a team you don’t want to face in the first round of the NCAAs, but with the Panthers’ success in the tourney last year, it applies to this team even more than almost anyone else.

 

-P.S. While Butler did not look the best against UWM, the Bulldogs deserve an NIT bid, if for no other reason than to get to see guys like Brandon Polk, Bruce Horan and Avery Sheets play one more time. Seems like just yesterday we were watching the latter two playing as reserves for a Bulldog team making a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament.

 

-Redemption is sweet for Oral Roberts. After an understandably nervous start, the Golden Eagles beat Chicago State and are back in the NCAAs for the first time since 1984, when they were a member of the former Midwestern City Conference. Two name changes and many membership shifts later, that league is now the Horizon League, and Oral Roberts has gone through numerous changes since then, too; the then-Titans spent time as an independent, then moved down to the NAIA for a few years, then back up to the D-I independent ranks with a new nickname and finally into the Mid-Continent Conference in the late 90s. We say ORU’s nerves were understandable because last year, with a 25-5 record, they faced the Mid-Con #6 seed in the final in their hometown of Tulsa and lost. This year, the Golden Eagles were again hosting the tournament and again facing the #6 seed in the final, but after a few shaky minutes they took control to finally get Coach Scott Sutton his first NCAA bid after seven years at Prayer Tower. Good to see for a team that struggled the first half of the season with injuries but got it going in conference play.

 

-We cannot move on from the Mid-Continent, though, without mentioning the outstanding run by Chicago State. Great to see the Cougars get a shot on national television, much deserved for a program that has been in the depths too many times in its 20 years in Division I. It was a treat to watch their electric little guards Royce Parran, David Holston and Kevin Jones, Jr., who simply defy what should be possible for so many guys their size playing at the same time on the Division I level. It is amazing to think that a 5-10 guy like Parran could go to the foul line 23 times (as he did in a quarterfinal against UMKC) while playing with a backcourt mate in Holston who is all of 5-6. Finally, it cannot be stated enough what a terrific job Kevin Jones, Sr., has done as the coach there. Jones has brought discipline and stability to a program that needed it, and CSU is getting closer to that elusive Mid-Continent title. Barring defections, next year’s team will return four of five starters and its top seven scorers, and if the program doesn’t get rattled by a rumored NCAA investigation into possible athletic department violations, the Cougars should be a favorite for a first division finish in the Mid-Continent.

 

-Congratulations to South Alabama making it back to the NCAAs with a stunningly easy win against Western Kentucky. What a performance in a Sun Belt final between the only two schools left from the league’s heyday in the early 80s. Add the Jaguars to the list of teams that has played some of its best basketball of the season when it matters most in the conference tourney, a list that also includes Iona, Davidson and UW-Milwaukee. Very impressive game from a team playing very well right now and looking a bit like UW-Milwaukee last year when it peaked heading into the postseason. Also funny how quickly opinions of you can change when you’re a former Rick Pitino assistant. Coming into this year, there were rumblings that USA coach John Pelphrey could be looking for employment if the Jaguars didn’t show serious improvement. Now, Pelphrey is being mentioned for an SEC coaching job at Mississippi.

 

-We’ve mentioned that we believe Creighton deserves considerations from the selection committee because of the recent injury to point guard Josh Dotzler. Western Kentucky would also deserve some consideration due to the wrist injury to their star guard Courtney Lee, who was obviously not at his best in the Sun Belt final. However, the Hilltoppers just aren’t close enough to an at-large bid for it to make a difference. If WKU had won close games against Georgia and/or Arizona earlier this year, it would be a different story, but it looks like the Toppers will be just short of an at-large spot, despite wins over Virginia and UAB. Too bad, because the backcourt of Lee and Anthony Winchester is one of the best in the country, and Western also has athleticism in the frontcourt to match with most teams in the NCAAs. If the Hilltoppers take the NIT seriously, they’re a team that is good enough to win it. Western’s likely exclusion from the NCAAs should also be a wake-up call to the entire Sun Belt Conference. This is a league that should be good enough to grab at-large bids at least once every few years, yet no Sun Belt team has been an at-large since WKU in 1994. This league is capable of doing better in that area.

 

-Most have used Gonzaga’s narrow escape of Loyola Marymount in the WCC final as an excuse to slam the Bulldogs yet again for their continued close shaves against inferior opponents, but we’d like to give the Lions some credit. From the beginning of this season to the end, LMU may have come as far as any team in the country not named North Carolina. The Lions did not get off to a good start, going 3-10 in non-conference games against a challenging schedule that included USC, South Alabama, BYU, Long Beach State, Washington, Hawaii, UNLV, San Diego State and two games against Montana. Moreover, there were times in many of those games when this veteran team looked lost, apparently struggling to adjust to new coach Rodney Tention’s strategies. Loyola came alive in WCC play, though, running out to an 8-2 start before losing their last four regular season games, and they gave the Zags trouble in all three meetings. It was clear by that third game that this was a team developing the toughness to win on the road, and a win at GU in the WCC final would’ve been as much a credit to the program Tention is building as it would’ve been an indictment of Gonzaga. The loss was no doubt a heartbreaker for Loyola seniors like Wes Wardrop and Chris Ayer, but Matthew Knight and Brandon Worthy will be back next year and we suspect the Lions won’t be finishing 12-18 again.

 

-As someone who has enjoyed watching Gonzaga play since before they were making deep runs into the NCAA Tournament, it also has to be said that the constant carping at the officials by Adam Morrison and the Zags in particular is getting really, really old. We know he takes a lot of abuse, but at some time he needs to stop it and play the game. Gonzaga games this year have taken on much the same feel of Duke games, where it seems the officiating is as hot of a topic as the on-court action. This is not a good thing, and the constant sniping by players such as Morrison isn’t helping that one bit.

 

-Perhaps the only thing more annoying than the sniping is that stupid “OHHH, OHHHHHH” song played during almost every timeout at Bulldog home games. Not sure why this song as become so big across the country at arenas…we’ve graduated from Gary Glitter and Jock Jams to this?

 

-It’s not really that Digger Phelps shows such obvious disdain, ignorance or whatever else have you about pretty much any school not in a BCS conference that drives one crazy. It’s the fact that he’s just so far off base and uninformed with almost every comment he makes about those schools that it’s hard to take almost anything he says seriously. Like Jay Bilas, he is so much better as a game analyst than as an often less-than impartial studio guy…why doesn’t ESPN use him in this capacity?

 

-Couldn’t help but notice that maybe the biggest winner Tuesday night besides ORU, South Alabama and UW-Milwaukee was Missouri State. The Bears defeated both Oral Roberts and UWM on the road this season, meaning they got just a little bit more boost to their resume from both of those teams winning their league titles. It would seem unlikely that wins over either or both of those teams would be difference-makers in any team getting an at-large bid, but this is far from an ordinary case. MSU is going to present a very, very interesting test for the selection committee. The Bears have a very high RPI number-21, best in the Missouri Valley-and finished the season strong, winning eight of their last 10. However, they also have the poorest record against top 50 and top 100 opponents of any of the Valley at-large contenders, and their non-conference slate passes the strength of schedule rank test (39) but not really the eye test.

 

There’s also this one other little thing, though: if the Bears were not called on Sunday, they would be the highest ranked team in the RPI to ever be left out. The highest before this year? SW Missouri State in 2000. The school known as SW Missouri State then is now Missouri State. We’d tend to think this year’s selection committee isn’t concerning themselves with this piece of history, but they are human and it’s quite possible somehow that bit of information will cross their table. It would also set a bad precedent to snub a team that finished with 20 wins and an RPI in the top 20. On our board, the Bears would be the sixth MVC team in, but we’d still have them in. Our best guess of what the NCAA does? Most likely, the committee is afraid of setting bad precedent and has the Bears as one of the last teams in. Instead, they’ll snub a Creighton team with more quality wins and injury considerations, because the Bluejays’ RPI in the 40s will make it convenient for them to do so. To leave out the Jays would be the wrong thing to do, but it would not be a surprise at all to see the committee ignore the injury to point guard Josh Dotzler and use their RPI and the perceived late surges by other bubble teams as convenient excuses to keep them out.

 

-George Mason Coach Jim Larranaga made an admirable decision in suspending point guard Tony Skinn for his punch to the nether region of Loren Stokes in the CAA semifinal. However, it’s our feeling that this suspension should not be used against the Patriots in determining if they deserve an at-large bid, as it may be by the selection committee. Obviously this is a unique and touchy situation, much different from considering how injury or even in-season suspensions affect a team. Generally we’re advocates of hard-line discipline; in this case, though, keeping the Patriots out of the tourney based on Skinn’s anticipated absence would seem to be a form of double jeopardy. Mason players will already have to deal with not being able to play their next game with their point guard. Punishing them again by disregarding their entire season and keeping them out because of this one incident would be wrong. George Mason worked all year to put together an NCAA resume and shouldn’t have that discounted by the action of one player late in their final game, an action that some coaches may have handled without suspension if they knew it was the difference between making or missing the NCAAs. If the Patriots are held out of the tourney because of Skinn’s suspension, though, it will be a hard lesson the senior guard will no doubt have to live with the rest of his life. Hopefully, though, the committee will let the Patriots attempt to prove their worth of a bid without their leader, instead of making the decision for them.

 

-We’ve taken up the MVC’s cause throughout this season and would like to do the same for the CAA and its attempt to get multiple bids to the tourney, but it’s just harder to do. Do think that George Mason should get an at-large spot, but Hofstra is a tougher sell, even with a 24-6 record. The Pride/Flying Dutchmen (honestly, which one do you think is better?) have a 3-2 record vs. the top 50 and are overall 8-4 against the top 100, but their non-conference schedule was just so bad. Their three best non-league games were a one-point win over La Salle (decent, but barely top 100 team) and a split with Notre Dame and St. John’s of the Big East. Hofstra’s overall SOS is the second-lowest of any in the top 40 in the RPI, only behind Air Force, but even the Falcons have the advantage of two wins over average ACC teams, an 11-point loss at Washington, and a conference with more history than the CAA in getting multiple bids to the NCAAs. Comparatively to Hofstra, AFA’s schedule just looks tougher, and right or wrong, the selection committee will likely see it that way even if statistically it isn’t.

 

The RPI number (30) is very good, but that alone won’t get the Dutch in, just like it alone won’t get Missouri State in, either. Believe me, I’m as big a fan as any of rewarding teams for winning games and personally value consistently beating almost everyone, even if the opposition isn’t the greatest, over a team losing 12-13 games, going barely .500 in conference and leaning on their league reputation to make the field. However, when comparing Hofstra to other at-large contenders such as San Diego State, and the MVC 5, it’s hard to argue that they should be ahead. SDSU has a conference title, and the MVC teams all have more quality wins and tougher schedules. It’s possible the Pride’s best hope for making the tourney may be at the expense of conference foe George Mason, which would be a shame for the CAA but not surprising after so many bubble teams woke up in the past week.

 

-The Mountain West first round game took place Tuesday night, with Colorado State edging TCU, 64-60. Seems like an awful long time ago that the Rams were 11-2 with non-conference wins over Colorado, Auburn and Hawaii. Seems even longer since TCU was finishing 18-13 in a beefed up Conference USA, like the Horned Frogs did last year.

 

-Finally, top seed Northwestern State is in the Southland semifinals after a quarterfinal win over Texas-San Antonio. Next up is Billy Ball, a tricky game against Billy Tubbs and #6 seed Lamar. The re-seeding that takes place after the first round in the SLC might not seem like such a good idea now, but the Cardinals are who the Demons are stuck with. Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State will play in the other semifinal. The long-time rivals both won their quarterfinals by two points, with SHS picking up a particularly dramatic double overtime win over Texas-Arlington when John Gardiner hit a jumper in the final seconds. At 21-8 and with wins over Missouri and NW State, Sam Houston State is another team that deserves NIT consideration if it doesn’t win the SLC tourney.

 

Up next:

 

-We recommended the Big South final a few days ago and it was one of the best games of the postseason thus far. Our latest pick is the Big Sky final. Northern Arizona and Montana have been the top two teams in this league all season, and they’ll settle this league tonight.

 

-The Northeast final also takes place Wednesday between Monmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson. The Knights are the more talented team and are a real threat to scare someone in the NCAAs, so an Iona/South Alabama/Wisconsin-Milwaukee-like performance would not surprise. However, the Hawks beat FDU once this year and if they hit their three-pointers could pull the upset.

 

-The Big East tourney gets underway, and every game in it has NCAA implications. Always one of our favorite tourneys, especially the early rounds, where there have been many dandies over the years. Notre Dame over Georgetown is the fad upset pick, but do not be surprised if Rutgers upsets Seton Hall or if Louisville goes on a run in this tourney. Still says here that as few as seven teams could get in from the BE, but it could also be as many as…ten? We sure hope not, but it’s possible…remember, few thought the MVC would have six teams with at-large cases before that tourney played out.

 

-The Atlantic 10 tourney begins with four first-round games. George Washington does not play the first day, but it already looks like the Colonials’ path to the title will be about as difficult as the league could draw up. Their quarterfinal will be against Rhode Island or Temple, with Saint Louis or St. Joseph’s likely in a semifinal and UNC-Charlotte or La Salle in the final. It is very possible that someone other than the Colonials wins this tourney.

 

-The Big West, Conference USA and Pac-10 tourneys begin and the MEAC tournament continues. Most relevant game is #7 seed Rice against SMU in the C-USA first round. Owls would be a dangerous opponent for #2 seed UAB in a quarterfinal.