Is Kent State going to make it to the Elite Eight this year? Does Ball State have the power to earn a spot in the Big Dance without Theron Smith? Will a team from the Mid-American Conference finally get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament? Fans, gamblers, coaches, and certainly the NCAA election committee will try to answer those questions for themselves Saturday, as they get a peek at several men's college basketball teams that are on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday marks the first annual ESPN Bracket Buster Series. Eighteen pre-selected teams from many mid-major conferences will play nine games, most nationally televised on ESPN and ESPN2. There are four participating teams from the Mid-American Conference: Kent State (18-5, 11-4 MAC), Marshall (11-11, 7-7), Ball State (12-12, 7-7) and Bowling Green (10-12, 6-8).
Kent State hosts the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (12-8, 6-7 Western Athletic Conference). The game will be aired at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2. Hawaii lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year and, at press time, is on a three-game losing streak. Their best player is Canadian guard Carl English, who averages 20.3 points per game.
English measures up nicely to Kent's potent forward Antonio Gates, a senior who scores 20.7 points per game, with 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. The Golden Flashes currently hold the lead in the MAC East.
The other MAC East team playing in the Bracket Buster is Marshall. Marshall also plays at home on Saturday, against the Illinois State Redbirds (4-18, 3-11 Missouri Valley). That game will be televised on ESPN Full Court at 2 p.m.
Marshall's top scorer, junior guard Ronald Blackshear, far outdistances Illinois' best match, sophomore guard Vince Greene, scoring 21.6 ppg to Greene's 12.3. Blackshear is also especially accurate from the charity stripe, shooting 88.1percent. The goal is, if Marshall looks good trouncing Illinois, perhaps they will convince some NCAA higher-ups that the MAC deserves an at-large bid for "The Big Dance."
Ball State will be facing off against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (18-8, 10-2 Sun Belt). The game will be shown on ESPN Full Court at 4 p.m. Though Western does not have an individual scorer who averages over 15 ppg, they are leading the Sun Belt East, and riding the wave of a six-game winning streak.
Ball State is led by Chris Williams, the MAC's leading scorer this season at 22.7 ppg. They are a strong team despite the loss of Theron Smith, once favored to be MAC player of the year, who has been off the court since November due to knee tendonitis.
Bowling Green plays against Illinois-Chicago (16-7, 9-4 Horizon) in a game that will be shown ESPN2 at 5 p.m. Bowling Green was second in the MAC last year, losing to Kent State in the Conference Tournament's final game. Coach Dan Dakich, however, has lost all five of his starters from that team. This year's team is in the midst of a five-game slide. Their two strongest scorers are Kevin Netter and Josh Reimold, both of whom average about 15 ppg. The Falcons will also be without junior point guard Jabari Maddox, who will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during practice Wednesday.
Before the season begins, members of the media vote on which team they think will likely win each division. Neither Northern Illinois (14-9, 10-3) nor Central Michigan (17-5, 10-3) received any votes. With less than a month left before the MAC playoffs, the Huskies and the Chippewas are vying for the lead.
CMU took the lead Wednesday night with their defeat of Ball State 94-92. Saturday will be a crucial game as Central Michigan travels to NIU's brand new Convocation Center. They also face off again on March 5 at Central Michigan.
Central Michigan is lead by junior center Chris Kaman. Kaman averages 22.8 ppg and 11.8 rpg. Northern Illinois's dominant point scorer is junior guard P.J. Smith with 13.7 ppg, and an amazing 76.7 percent accuracy from downtown.
Ohio University's senior forward Brandon Hunter leads the nation in rebounding with an average of 13.4 a game. If he finishes out the season in first, it will be only the second time in history that a MAC player has lead the nation in rebounding. The last time the MAC had the top rebounder was 1954-55 when Marshall's Charlie Slack set an NCAA record with an average of 25.6 rpg.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
