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Fifth Time the Charm for the Bruins?

You know you circled them on your bracket last year. It's OK, be honest with yourself. Everybody picked them. My buddy called me from Vegas last year touting them as his first round lock. "Money line baby!" He shouted from the sportsbook, several cocktails deep.

All chalk here

As we have learned from years of losing gambling, when everyone is in on the same thing, it's no longer a secret or good value so usually it's time to look elsewhere, especially when it comes to picking upsets in sporting events. Group think is not a good thing in Vegas. There's no better example of this than last years Belmont team. Everyone was calling for a 1st round upset. You were, I was, they knew it and so did Wisconsin. Things are rarely a given. The Belmont Bruins proceeded to get blown out by a disrespected Wisconsin Badgers team, were showered and back home in Nashville before midnight EST. This is exactly why I think this Belmont team may sneak up on someone in the first round this year. No one is talking about them. The same team that everyone was shouting about from the rooftops this time last year has almost the enitre team back, is a year older and more experienced and all the news has been about Murray State, Creighton and Witchita State. This is good news for Belmont backers.

When I went back to look at Belmont's record I was taken aback by how uncompetitive they've actually been throughout the years in the Dance.

2006 1st Round (UCLA L 78-44)

2007 1st Round (Gtown L 80-55)

2008 1st Round (Duke L 71-70)

2011 1st Round (Wisconson L 72-58)

To be fair, the game last year was pretty close...for while anyway. And the Duke game, well we all remember that one from a few years back going down to the wire. Against Wisconsin, the Bruins were still in it, only down by 7 at the half, but Wisconsin felt overlooked and were on a mission. Here's a line from the recap of that game.

There was much talk of Belmont, a No. 13 seed, being a surprise tournament team, but the Bruins never hit their stride against the Badgers, who made 12-of-22 3-pointers, led by Taylor's 5-of-9.

"I thought we defended in this game about as good as we can defend," Belmont coach Rick Byrd said. "And I'd like to see how many of those were in the last six seconds of the shot clock and how many were contested."

Nuff said-sometimes it's just not your day. A defense minded team like the Badgers shooting a Reggie Miller-like 55% from three could have handled 99% of the field that day. The Bruins with guys on their squad who typically shoot 40% or more from behind the arc, shot just 6-22 only making matters worse. 27% wouldn't have been enough on a bad day for the Badgers.

Let's go back to the 7 criteria needed to bust up a bracket and see where these Bruins stand this year.

BRACKET BUSTING NEEDS

1. Senior leadership, especially from your guards

2. One go-to guy, but more than one scorer

3. Rebounds and or steals (big and/or pressing team)

4. Must have > 45% FG, >35% 3pt shooting , >70% FT shooting, Pretty self-explanatory

5. Deep Bench (at least a 7 man rotation).

6. Respectable results vs. the big boys during the season

7. Izzo Factor- Can the Coach, coach?

So do I my friend.

Senior leadership. Got it. Plenty of it. Look at this chart here as it details the players from last years first round loss to Wisconsin and compares it to their minutes played and average points per game this season. It is always good to see a lot of players returning to the dance with experience.

Familiarization with the big stage will keep this bunch from getting rattled. The guys at the right get the most minutes, the star denotes that they played in last years game against Wisconsin. Two were the leading scorers for the Bruins as Hedgepath, a solid 6-9 forward, had 17 pts and point guard, Kerron Johnson chipped in with 13 off the bench.

10 Players back from last year Tournament team

They have several scorers to handle the load. The main weapon is a smooth junior guard from Huntsville, Alabama, Kerron Johnson. He can drive the basket, gets to the line a lot and can stroke the three ball. They have guys down low, (Hedgepath and Saunders) who can get some easy looks, and of course, they wouldn't be Belmont if they couldn't shoot it from deep. Let face it, when you think Belmont you think offensive juggernaut, not defensive stalwart.

Their offensive numbers are very impressive:

Pts/G 81.5 ranked #4 nationally

FG 48.4 ranked #17

3-Point % 37.8 ranked #39

Free Throw % 73.6 ranked ranked #43

One of the real weapons they have is their bench. They're 10 deep, with some pretty good sized forwards up front, backcourt speed and a trio of snipers. Senior guard Drew Hanlen shoots 40% from beyond the arc and Jr Ian Clark shoots a ridiculous 48%. That's not a typo-48%. One guy they may want to give a few minutes is Freshman Reece Chamberlin who in abbreviated play this year is shooting the lights out, 12-23 or 52%.

Defensively they're just OK and I guess you could say it's their Achilles heel and they will have match-up problems against teams that can lock them up defensively, like say Wisconsin did a year ago. I'm sure they've made the necessary adjustments from last years run or at least we hope so. They average modest, yet acceptable rebounding numbers at 36 and steals at 7.4 per game, but to win in the first round this year they won't be relying on defense, they will have to avoid long scoring droughts and match the opponent each possession, bucket for bucket.

One problem I have backing the Bruins is their schedule or lack there of. They only had two out of conference games against perennial powerhouses. This year the Bruins lost a tight one at Duke (not your typical Duke team) and got housed by Memphis. I though I'd get a repreive by looking at the 2010-2011 schedule to see if these kids got tested last year, but they only had 2 losses in close ones to Tennessee, a 9 point loss to a pretty good Vandy team and of course the 1st round loss to Wisconsin. I'm not quite sure what the coach was thinking here, it would have been nice to have seen a Vandy or Florida on the schedule this year to see where the kids are at. It's gotta be real tough to get up for a top ten team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament when you've been isolated in the friendly confines of the Atlantic Sun Conference for an entire year.

Rick Byrd and the Bruins Goin' Dancin'!

I like coach Rick Byrd. Again, like Eddie B. from UNC-Asheville, another coach who could have moved on for a bigger paycheck and more notariety, but chose to stay home in one of the coolest cities in America, beautiful Nashvegas. 25 years with Belmont...wow. Additionally, with 610 career victories he's 10th among all active NCAA Division-I head coaches in wins. Moreover, just 5 head coaches in the nation have been at their respective institutions longer than Byrd's 25 years of service at Belmont. Do they have a good coach? Check... Though I still wish he tested his guys by scheduling some tougher early season games. Who knows maybe the big boys are ducking them. I like this group. I like the fact that after a couple years missing the Dance, these guys made it back to the top of their conference last year and battled Wisconsin for forty minutes. Who knows, if Wisconsin had only shot 35% from three, maybe Belmont wins. Maybe they know what to expect this year. I know it's tough to love a team that relies so heavily on the 3, but for one game I like their chances. Maybe the 5th time will be the charm.

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Posted Saturday, March 03, 2012 04:32 PM

UNC Asheville- Bracket Busting Bulldogs

Keep the Bulldogs on your radar; they may be ready to shock the world. The ides of March are upon us once again. Usually, my annual tourney prep doesn’t officially begin until the final day of Championship Week, but not this year. No, this year I’ve already started. I have to admit, I get a little freaky this time of year. My manic side coincides with the rites of spring, St. Patty’s day and more importantly March Madness. It’s not because I went to a big hoops school and hold some unconditional love for my Alma mater or that I once was a big hoops star that is trying to relive his glory days. No, I just love March Madness; good times, full of surprises and of course, an excuse to get loaded early afternoon on a weekday. March Madness has no overpaid stars, no friendly official’s calls…OK, I’ve accepted the questionable officiating in most Duke games. March Madness has players (who actually care) competing in what may be their last competitive games, trying to prove they can do it at the next level, exerting every effort hoping to extend their season for just one more game. It’s pure intensity for a full 40 minutes in which each and every possession means something. Each rebound vital, each drained three-pointer breathtaking, backbreaking and each Cinderella having a chance at immortality. Remember Bryce Drew? Of course you do.

Interestingly, at the same time, I do vividly remember Butler’s wins over ODU, Pitt
and VCU. Wow! What an unbelievable two year run! Replay the tape of Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack from last year. Erase the final game against Uconn and their play in last year’s tourney exemplifies everything that makes this month so special. Well, almost everything. Guinness and Jameson are pretty high on that list. They refused to lose, were scrappier and played harder than everyone else, until of course inevitably, they just ran into a superstar and out of gas. And it’s hard for me to forget Morehead’s State’s win over Louisville (we had the money line) in really the only first round shocker last year as the 12th seeded Richmond Spider’s win over number 5 Vandy wasn’t very surprising. Everyone I know who filled out a bracket had Richmond bullying their way into the Sweet Sixteen. Marquette is from the vaunted Big East, but was actually seeded lower (11) than Xavier (6) from the Atlantic 10 conference, so that really can’t be considered an upset. Even VCU as an 11 seed, beating Georgetown as a 6 seed wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone who watched the preceding Colonial Conference Championship game where they lost that incredible back-and-forth game against Old Dominion.

So why write an article about a team with virtually no chance to win their first round game? What’s the point? The point is, well, Cinderella deserves a pre tournament article before everyone jumps on the bandwagon. An true underdog story about a team, though good, tough and experienced, a team with no business winning their first round a game. Before these guys have their one and done moment in the sun. The upsets on the first two days of the tournament are what everyone remembers and what make this event special. Being familiar with a school that begins the day a double digit underdog and finishes as a legend just enhances the experience. Not to guys like Dick Vitale or Billy Packer, guys who have long running crushes on the Duke-Syracuse-Kentucky-Kansas future NBA all-stars and get upset when a Bucknell knocks off a Kansas or thinks it’s bad for the tournament if Vermont knocks off Syracuse. What makes this tournament so great is the improbability that the kids from the small schools will rise up and beat the big boys- The Butlers, the Bucknell’s, the VCU’s, the St. Mary’s, and this year, yeah, I’ll say it, someone like the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs, a team full of 4th and 5th year seniors from a small conference knocking off a team of 18 year old future all-stars.

We love underdogs; well most of us love the underdogs. Front runners and cowards don’t. This year, I am taking a real close look at few teams I hope will make my March extra special. One of these teams is the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs. Quite frankly, they haven’t yet solidified a spot in the dance, but I like the way they are playing and by 2:00 pm eastern today (Saturday) should have punched their ticket against a feisty yet overmatched VMI team in the Big South Tournament finale. Why do I like them? Well, there’s a number of criteria involved here, really more of a checklist of qualities that most, if not all David’s have shared when they’ve knocked down Goliath and busted up Dickie Vitale’s all-chalk bracket. If you think your team has 5 or 6 out of these seven qualities, feel free to email me so I can take the info to Vegas.

BRACKET BUSTING NEEDS

1. Senior leadership, especially from your guards

2. One go-to guy, but more than one scorer

3. Rebounds and or steals (big and/or pressing team)

4. > 45%, >35% 3pt shooting , >75% FT shooting

5. Deep Bench (at least a 7 man rotation)

6. Respectable results vs. the big boys during the season

7. Izzo Factor- If his stars are having a bad day, can coach find ways to beat the other

team on the go, in-game while the clock is ticking?

The UNC-Asheville Bulldogs have all this criteria covered with one exception- that being their size. Even though they pull down a respectable 35 boards a game, they are not very big up front and a bigger, longer team would pose a real problem. But let’s start down here at the bottom here with number 7, the Izzo factor, named of course for Tom Izzo, the coach who continuously does more with less. In my eyes, the best coach in the game. I have to admit, I didn’t know much about Coach Biedenbach until today when I went digging for the article. What I found, I like…and I like it a lot. Here’s an abbreviated bio…

The 2011-12 season will be Eddie Biedenbach's 16th year as head coach of the UNC Asheville men's basketball program. He is the longest-tenured coach in Big South Conference history and became the league's all-time winningest coach two years ago. Biedenbach has been named Big South Coach of the Year three different times and four times has led the Bulldog program to Big South regular-season titles. Biedenbach enters this year as the Big South Conference's winningest head coach all-time with 206 victories. He is the all-time leader in league wins with 128 and second in Big South Tournament victories with 17. The Bulldogs have finished in the top four in the final league standings 11 different times under Eddie's leadership. Asheville has gone to the semifinals of the Big South Tournament for five consecutive seasons…

More…

He began a nine-year coaching career at N.C. State as an assistant under Norm Sloan. Biedenbach recruited standouts as David Thompson, Tommy Burleson and Monte Towe, who helped make those Wolfpack teams among the greatest ever to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. N.C. State won the 1974 national championship and three ACC titles while Biedenbach worked there. Thompson was the national player of the year in 1974 and 1975 and ACC Player of the Year three times. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in the spring of 1996, with Biedenbach in attendance. Biedenbach also recruited Wolfpack greats Derrick Whittenburg, Thurl Bailey and Sidney Lowe, who helped N.C. State win another national title in 1983 (who stuck it to the Phi Slamma Jamma).

Is that all, you ask? Well no. Sit your butt down. There’s more…

While playing for N.C. State during the mid-60's, Biedenbach was a three-year starter for legendary coaches Everett Case, Press Maravich and Norm Sloan, earning All-ACC honors twice. He helped lead the Wolfpack to three ACC Championship game appearances and one league title. After his junior year, Biedenbach was drafted by the St. Louis Hawks of the NBA. He came back for his senior year and despite a painful back injury, led the Wolfpack to the ACC Championship game and was named N.C. State's Most Valuable Player. Eddie was drafted by three different teams in two sports after his senior year - the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA), the New Jersey Nets (ABA) and the Dallas Cowboys (NFL). In 2003, he was voted as the N.C. State Player of the Decade for the 1960s.

Now that, my friends, is a pretty sweet resume, wouldn’t you say? Additionally, without knowing him the guy sounds like he is class through and through. Ashville must be a really nice place to live because in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately coaching carousel called the NCAA, I’m sure Eddie Biedenbach could have moved on to greener pastures, maybe to Wake Forest or something, but he chose to stay home.

So they have a good coach, but do they have any experience against the big boys. I have to admit; I watched this team a bit last year and liked them when they upset top seeded Coastal Carolina in the Big South title game in a blowout. I loved them in a first round play-in game against Arkansas-Little Rock which they won by 4 in OT and I thought they’d give Pitt a run in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but were blown out by 23. A post-mortem of that game though revealed a few glaring items. Three items in particular stuck out to me like a floater in the punch bowl. One was the first paragraph from a recap of the game by ESPN.com.

Matt Dickey chased down a loose ball and fed J.P. Primm for a fast break, cutting UNC Asheville's deficit to six with 15:22 to play and prompting Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon to call one of those need-to-stop-the-momentum timeouts.

When it's No. 16 vs. No. 1, that's about as good as it usually gets.

The rest was familiar. The top seed went on a run, outscoring the bottom seed by 16 points to finish the game. The Panthers kept the perfect 1-vs.-16 mark in the NCAA tournament firmly intact Thursday, pulling away to beat the Bulldogs 74-51.

As senior guard and the Big South player of the year Mike Dickey aptly put it "We went in at halftime down five, and that's where we wanted to be," he said. "Make sure that it was still a game. In the second half we missed a couple shots and they hit a couple of 3s."

So they played a tough 20+ minutes, but then couldn’t shoot the ball into the ocean if they were asked to. What else?

2. The Bulldogs didn’t miss just a couple of shots- they actually missed a ton of shots. They shot 33% from beyond the arc during the 2010-2011 seasons, but managed only 3-19 (15.7%) against a ravenous Pitt defense. About as bad a shooting performance as you can have, yet they were only down 6 with 15 minutes to go against an extremely talented, seasoned Pitt team. Pitt was a highly regarded team as well as a popular pre-tournament pick to win the entire thing last year but went on to lose in the second round by 1 point to…anyone…anyone? Yep, that’s right, Butler. Remember that crazy finish. In the waning seconds of that game, Pitt missed the second of two free throws that would have put them ahead by one but then the unimaginable happed. Not only did they miss that go ahead free throw, but Pitts Nasir Robinson inexplicably fouled Butler’s Matt Howard on the play going for the rebound. Howard then casually walked down to the other end of the court and drained the winning free throw with .08 left. Game ovah.

3. A closer look at the boxscore from that Ashville/Pitt game reveals some familiar Bulldog’s that will be making a return trip to the dance this year. Here’s a table that looks at their numbers from that final NCAA game and compares them to this year.

Ashville Bulldogs 2010-11

2011 Min

2011 Pts

Ashville Bulldogs 2011-12

Min

Pts

Matt Dickey, G, JR

36

21

Matt Dickey, SR

33

16.5

John Williams, F, SR

35

5

John Williams, N/A

N/A

J.P. Primm, G, JR

27

14

J.P. Primm, SR

32

15.3

Chris Stephenson, G-F, JR

28

7

Chris Stephenson, SR

29

13.1

Quinard Jackson, F, JR

23

0

Quinard Jackson, SR

20

4.9

Jeron Lane, G-F, SO

25

4

Jeron Lane, SR

25

11.6

So they have the entire team, less one, John Williams, back from last year’s tournament team, but did they play anyone good this year? Did they test themselves against high caliber teams? Good question. Answer, Yes. But it’s a yes with a but… They’ve lost only 9 games total in 2011-2012 and just 3 since the turn of the year. Of those 9, they lost:

11/11/11 @ N.C. State L 75-84

11/13/11 North Carolina L 75-91

11/24/11 @ Connecticut (N) L 63-73

11/25/11 @ Charleston (N) L 66-68

12/20/11 @ Tennessee L 68-72

With the exception of the UNC game, a pretty respectable resume for a potential bracket buster, though I would have like to have seen a win over Charleston and a win at Tennessee. That said, they’ve been on the court against some good teams, played fairly well and now have some tape to study leading up to the Dance.

So let us get back on track here and recap our 7 criteria for bracket busting.

1. Senior leadership, especially from the guards

Matt Dickey, JP Primm, Christ Stephenson and Jeron Lane all seniors with 2 plus years experience

2. One go to guy, but more than one scorer

See the above chart. They also have a transfer, Jeremy Atkinson off the bench averaging 11.5 pts to make 5 players averaging double digits and oh, yeah, Matt Dickey is the Big South Player of the year.

3. Rebounds and/or steals (big dudes and/or pressing team)

Not real big down in the post, but the Bulldogs average a respectable 35 boards a game. Ranked 29th in the country in steals at 8.3 spg, so they do get after it on defense.

4. >45% FG, >35% 3pt shooting , >75% FT shooting

48% FG, 35.6% from 3 and 76% from the line. READ- They can shoot the rock.

5. Deep Bench (at least 7 man rotation)

players averaging 9 or more minutes

6. Respectable results vs. the big boys during the season.

I’ll give that a check minus. They scheduled them games, just couldn’t close.

7. Izzo Factor- If his stars are having an off day, can the coach find ways to beat you on the go, in-game, while the clock is ticking? Yes. This is a very successful and experienced guy on the bench.

So there you have it. There’s a reason their RPI is only 109. They haven’t beaten highly ranked teams and they are from a small conference. As of today, their 109 RPI is one away from a down Villanova team and two higher than an inconsistent Virginia Tech team- two teams unlikely, but quite capable of knocking off a top ten team. Usually the winner of the Big South gets slotted as a 16 seed or a 15 seed. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has them as a 16 seed facing Kentucky. That is unfair. They’re much better than that. A long and quick team like a Kentucky or Cuse would be a nightmare scenario and would blow them out of the building. The Bulldogs have good sized guards, but are small in the post with no player giving major minutes listed any taller than 6-5. Rebounding against the big boys will be a problem especially if they allow a lot of offensive boards and easy put backs. I consider them a good value team for a double digit pick against the spread and a possible tickle on the money line in the first round which would be somewhere between +$750 and + $1000.

I pray the Bulldogs get a 15 seed or this all becomes moot and I’ve wasted an evening. They won’t lose to VMI, they’re too good, too experienced and these guy want it too bad, but a 16 seed is not good news for this team and a 16 seed facing Kentucky or Syracuse is a death sentence, I’m afraid. They may keep it close for awhile, but those two teams can flat out ball. Remember that a 16 seed has NEVER beaten a number 1 seed and that only 4, 15 seeds have ever taken down a 2 seed. The parity that we spoke of earlier, and the fact that really young teams are occupying many of the 1 and 2 seeds makes the likelihood of this scenario happening more frequently. Odds improve greatly when picking 13 and 14 seeds to win their first round games and it’s been well documented over the years that the best value is picking the 12 seeds over the 5 seeds. I do think in the past, the selection committee would just slot a high quality mid major as the 12 seed and match them up against a weaker major, a team let’s say, that finished somewhere in the middle of their conference standings as the 5 and that produced so many high profile upsets. They were upsets only because we didn’t really know anything about the Kent State’s or Richmond Spiders and it looked and sounded like an upset, but really they were just the better team in an attractive matchup. I think they’ve now changed that approach. Morehead State over Louisville and Richmond over Vanderbilt were the only upsets 12-16 last year. Three 11 seeds did knock out 6 seeds, but those weren’t really upsets as Gonzaga was way under seeded at 11 and St John’s, the 6 seed, got a raw deal in having to go out west and play the Zags. VCU and Marquette we discussed earlier. So maybe the selection committee is getting “smart” or picking 11 seeds over the 6 seeds has become the new 12 over 5. All in all we want to be there again (when a really big upset occurs)-not only for the adrenaline rush and bragging rights, but to cash a ticket.

In 2005, in Vegas, my buddy was sitting at the bar, drinking water, no money, really depressing. He spent his last $100 on the 14th seeded Bucknell on a money line bet that eventually would pay out $900. To this day. I have yet to see that kind of exhileration on someone’s face again. You can’t put a price tag on an experience like that, in Vegas, down to your last 100 bucks and betting an unknown 14 seed to beat a perennial powerhouse (Kansas). I didn’t have a dime on the game, but sitting next to him, watching that last 5 minutes was incredible. To see him run through the sports book with his arms raised like he just won the title. I mean “C’mon down!” Price is Right, happy. This is what makes March Madness the greatest event in the world. 99 times out of 100 the talent and chalk wins out in these types of games, but that 1 time out of 100 where they fall short is priceless. It means immortality for the participants an incredible memory for everybody watching. Bryce Drew’s shot happened 12 years ago. I mean are you Sh**ing me? 12 years ago? I can’t believe it’s been that long, but I’ve seen the playback of that shot every third Thursday in March every year since. That’s immortality.

Experience will play huge factor this year. Smaller schools like UNC-Asheville, that generally have older players and a core of experienced, team-oriented 22 year olds will be playing against extremely talented, yet unseasoned 18 year olds. This matchup may not always make for great upsets, but can produce incredible games and incredible memories and that is what we can hope for. They don’t have the capital the big boys do, they don’t have the campus or the arena that the big boys have and they don’t have the cheat..er…I mean…alumni funds the big boys have. But they have guys who care, who have been with the program 3 and 4 years and want nothing more than to keep playing. With all the parity in the league it’s getting tougher and tougher to find legitimate first round “surprises”, but we’ll keep digging to find value in teams from the smaller conferences. I mean is Murray State or Creighton going to surprise anyone if they get to the sweet sixteen or Great 8 this year? No. Wichita State? Of course not. We now need to look deeper and deeper. Go UNCA ! Hopefully the Bulldogs receive a warmer reception upon entering the theatre on these Ides than Caesar faced in 44 BC.

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Posted Saturday, March 03, 2012 01:07 PM

UNC Ashville- Bracket Busting Bulldogs

Keep the Bulldogs on your radar, they may be ready to shock the world. The ides of March are upon us once again. Usually, my annual tourney prep doesn’t officially begin until the final day of Championship Week, but not this year. No, this year I’ve already started. I have to admit, I get a little freaky this time of year. My manic side coincides with the rites of spring, St. Patty’s day and more importantly March Madness. It’s not because I went to a big hoops school and hold some unconditional love for my Alma mater or that I once was a big hoops star that is trying to relive his glory days. No, I just love March Madness; good times, full of surprises and of course, an excuse to get loaded early afternoon on a weekday. March Madness has no overpaid stars, no friendly official’s calls…OK, I’ve accepted the questionable officiating in most Duke games. March Madness has players (who actually care) competing in what may be their last competitive games, trying to prove they can do it at the next level, exerting every effort hoping to extend their season for just one more game. It’s pure intensity for a full 40 minutes in which each and every possession means something. Each rebound vital, each drained three-pointer breathtaking, backbreaking and each Cinderella having a chance at immortality. Remember Bryce Drew? Of course you do.

I guess I’m a bit of a romantic. I love Cinderella. Though no longer considered a Cinderella team, my love for the underachieving Red Sox during the 80’s and 90’s made me a sucker for the underdog, the misfits. Teams coming close to victory and letting me down at the end is something I grew accustomed to. I can name almost every upset of the past 10 years of this tournament, but can’t tell you who was in the final four last few years. I just printed out last year’s bracket and was shocked to learn that the Arizona Wildcats overcame Duke and their preferential treatment from officials to get to the Elite Eight. Is that right? I had no idea. Maybe it’s an East Coast bias thing. Maybe I drink too much. Either way, though I do recall Kenyatta Walker’s ridiculous performance that started in the Big East Tournament and ran straight through April, I can’t for the life of me recall one minute of his game against Kentucky.

Interestingly, at the same time, I do vividly remember Butler’s wins over ODU, Pitt and VCU. Wow! What an unbelievable two year run! Replay the tape of Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack from last year. Erase the final game against Uconn and their play in last year’s tourney exemplifies everything that makes this month so special. Well, almost everything. Guinness and Jameson are pretty high on that list. They refused to lose, were scrappier and played harder than everyone else, until of course inevitably, they just ran into a superstar and out of gas. And it’s hard for me to forget Morehead’s State’s win over Louisville (we had the money line) in really the only first round shocker last year as the 12th seeded Richmond Spider’s win over number 5 Vandy wasn’t very surprising. Everyone I know who filled out a bracket had Richmond bullying their way into the Sweet Sixteen. Marquette is from the vaunted Big East, but was actually seeded lower (11) than Xavier (6) from the Atlantic 10 conference, so that really can’t be considered an upset. Even VCU as an 11 seed, beating Georgetown as a 6 seed wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone who watched the preceding Colonial Conference Championship game where they lost that incredible back-and-forth game against Old Dominion.

So why write an article about a team with virtually no chance to win their first round game? What’s the point? The point is, well, Cinderella deserves a pre tournament article before everyone jumps on the bandwagon. An true underdog story about a team, though good, tough and experienced, a team with no business winning their first round a game. Before these guys have their one and done moment in the sun. The upsets on the first two days of the tournament are what everyone remembers and what make this event special. Being familiar with a school that begins the day a double digit underdog and finishes as a legend just enhances the experience. Not to guys like Dick Vitale or Billy Packer, guys who have long running crushes on the Duke-Syracuse-Kentucky-Kansas future NBA all-stars and get upset when a Bucknell knocks off a Kansas or thinks it’s bad for the tournament if Vermont knocks off Syracuse. What makes this tournament so great is the improbability that the kids from the small schools will rise up and beat the big boys- The Butlers, the Bucknell’s, the VCU’s, the St. Mary’s, and this year, yeah, I’ll say it, someone like the UNC- Ashville Bulldogs, a team full of 4th and 5th year seniors from a small conference knocking off a team of 18 year old future all-stars.

We love underdogs; well most of us love the underdogs. Front runners and cowards don’t. This year, I am taking a real close look at few teams I hope will make my March extra special. One of these teams is the UNC-Ashville Bulldogs. Quite frankly, they haven’t yet solidified a spot in the dance, but I like the way they are playing and by 2:00 pm eastern today (Saturday) should have punched their ticket against a feisty yet overmatched VMI team in the Big South Tournament finale. Why do I like them? Well, there’s a number of criteria involved here, really more of a checklist of qualities that most, if not all David’s have shared when they’ve knocked down Goliath and busted up Dickie Vitale’s all-chalk bracket. If you think your team has 5 or 6 out of these seven qualities, feel free to email me so I can take the info to Vegas.

BRACKET BUSTING NEEDS

1. Senior leadership, especially from your guards

2. One go-to guy, but more than one scorer

3. Rebounds and or steals (big and/or pressing team)

4. > 45%, >35% 3pt shooting , >75% FT shooting

5. Deep Bench (at least a 7 man rotation)

6. Respectable results vs. the big boys during the season

7. Izzo Factor- If his stars are having a bad day, can coach find ways to beat the opponent on the go, in-game while the clock is ticking?

The UNC-Ashville Bulldogs have all this criteria covered with one exception- that being their size. Even though they pull down a respectable 35 boards a game, they are not very big up front and a bigger, longer team would pose a real problem. But let’s start down here at the bottom here with number 7, the Izzo factor, named of course for Tom Izzo, the coach who continuously does more with less. In my eyes, the best coach in the game. I have to admit, I didn’t know much about Coach Biedenbach until today when I went digging for the article. What I found, I like…and I like it a lot. Here’s an abbreviated bio…