Isaiah Canaan dances as he's applauded by teammates after their 62-51 victory over Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Championship game in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday. (AP)
We’re five auto bids deep and more will be handed out each day this week. The regular season is now officially over and only postseason games remain. Here’s who have been awarded the auto bids. The Golden Tickets, if you will. And there’s nothing quite as sweet as that.
NORTHERN IOWA
»Hoping to play: Pittsburgh, Temple, Notre Dame
»Record: 28-4, 15-3 Missouri Valley
»Probably: a 9-seed
»KenPom ranking: 37
»RPI: 22
»Most recent tournament history (six total appearances):
-2009 (12-seed): L first round to Purdue, 61-56.
-2006 (10-seed): L first round to Illinois, 54-49.
-2005 (11-seed): L first round to Wisconsin, 57-52.
The shiny car to show off in the display room. Though it’s now been years since the MVC was able to send upwards of two teams to the NCAAs, it seems each season, whichever club(s) represent the 10-team conference, a strong upset candidate emerges.
Player to know: While Jordan Eglseder is the quirky-looking big man that gets the boards and Adam Koch was the preseason all-conference pick, Kwadzo Ahelegbe is the man who can capture your attention and be the face of this team if it gets to the second weekend. Ahelegbe (pictured) led the Panthers with 24 today in the title game and has been a spark plug for UNI all season long.
WINTHROP
»Hoping to play: Duke, Kansas State
»Record: 19-13, 12-6 Big South
»We’re thinking: a 16-seed
»KenPom ranking: 222
»RPI: 178
»Most recent tournament history (nine total appearances):
-2008 (13-seed): L first round to Washington State, 71-40.
-2007 (11-seed): W first round over Notre Dame, 74-64; L second round to No. 3 Oregon, 75-61.
-2006 (15-seed): L first round to Tennessee, 63-61.
The Eagles defeated Coastal Carolina – a team that was expected to finish eighth this year in the conference – in today’s final to advance to the program’s fifth Big Dance in six years and ninth in the last 12. Perhaps the Eagles learned a lesson in 2008-09. After getting to the second round of the NCAAs the year before, coach Randy Peele (right) scheduled ambitiously and was beaten down by it. Winthrop finished 11-19 and never had a sniff at dancing last year. So in 2009-10, the school scheduled down, perhaps hoping to catch fire in the conference tournament and get in the way the system permits. It worked, and they’ll be back.
Player to know: Nobody on Winthrop was consider a preseason all-conference play, and with good reason, as this is a five-as-one kind of club. But Reggie Middleton leads the team in points (10.4), assists (3.0) and is second in steals with 53 this year, prior to today’s game.
E
AST TENNESSEE STATE
»Hoping to play: Villanova, Kansas State
»Record: 20-14, 13-7 Atlantic Sun
»We’re thinking: a 15-seed
»KenPom ranking: 144
»RPI: 125
»Most recent tournament history (nine total appearances):
-2009 (16-seed): L first round to Pittsburgh, 72-62.
-2004 (13-seed): L first round to Cincinnati, 80-77.
-2003 (15-seed): L first round to Wake Forest, 76-73.
Fifth-seeded East Tennessee State won 72-66 over Mercer last night to move on and represent the Atlantic Sun for the second straight season. ETSU brings some good tournament karma to the table. If there’s one thing this program can do, it’s keep it close. In 1989, as a 16, it lost 72-71 to Oklahoma but had a shot to win it all as time expired. That shot was an air ball from half court, but nevertheless. Then, earlier last decade, ETSU lost two games in back-to-back years by a combined six points, including a scare of Wake Forest as a 15-seed, a pick I boldly made and nearly came through on. The Atlantic Sun hasn’t had a first-round winner since 1992. Can these pirates hijack the first weekend and end the streak?
Player to know: Tommy Hubbard. Although Hubbard turns the ball over nearly four times per game, he’s the vital link to ETSU staying in the game, snagging 10 caroms per, which was second-best in the Atlantic Sun this season. Hubbard also scores a team-best 17.2 points per game, must .2 better than Justin Tubbs.
CORNELL
»Hoping to play: Temple, Marquette, Florida State
»Record: 26-4, 12-1 Ivy League
»Probably: a 12-seed.
»KenPom ranking: 70
»RPI: 46
»Most recent tournament history (five total appearances):
-2009 (14-seed): L first round to Missouri, 78-59.
-2008 (14-seed): L first round to Stanford, 77-53.
After a drama-filled, headline-making season in the Ivy League this year (its most noteworthy season in a decade, easily), the Big Red – preseason conference favorites – finished off proving everyone right last night by defeating Brown 95-76 to clinch the regular-season title. And, as you probably know, since the Ivy League is the only remaining Division I conference without a postseason conference tournament (hooray to this, always), the Andy Bernards take the auto bid. It’s their third consecutive appearance in the NCAAs and eighth Ivy League title. Cornell, which went 21-10 last season, upped its record to 26-4 last night and it finishes regular-season play tonight in New Haven, Conn., against Yale.
Player to know: No doubt it is Ryan Wittman, who led the Big Red in scoring for the fourth year in a row playing along four other returning starters from last season. Wittman was the preseason Player of the Year pick and he’s probably going to make that choice come to fruition, although Harvard’s Jeremy Lin is still a strong candidate as well.
MURRAY STATE
»Hoping to play: Vanderbilt, Butler, Pittsburgh
»Record: 30-4, 17-1 Ohio Valley
»Probably: a 12-seed
»KenPom ranking: 56
»RPI: 59
»Most recent tournament history (14 total appearances):
-2006 (14-seed): L first round to North Carolina, 69-65.
-2004 (12-seed): L first round to Illinois, 72-53.
-2002 (14-seed): L first round to Georgia, 85-68.
The Racers avoid the unfortunate scenario of going through a four- or five-loss season and losing in their conference tournament, ridding themselves of an at-large bid. Their case would’ve been interesting to see, but I’m glad we don’t have to worry about it. Unfortunately, some 4- or 5-seed will. Murray State will be one of the three most popular upset picks of the first round.
Player to know: Can we mention six? It’s mandatory for a team like Murray State, which spreads out its scoring in a remarkable way. (Look at its significant contributors.) Incredibly, five guys average between 10.3 and 10.6 points per game. Danero Thomas, B.J. Jenkins, Ivan Aska, Tony Easley and Isaiah Canaan — who you may remember — all get the job done. And a sixth, Isaac Miles, puts up 9.5 per contest. No one shares like Murray State. No one.
