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| | Monday, March 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Another week, another dose of relatively calm emails. The only bone of contention was if Dayton should be promoted off the Watch.
A good question. Since we're all for democracy here, we threw it open to the voting public -- a special referendum, if you will. And by a 3:1 margin, the Flyers have been voted off the Watch and into contender status. With that being said, on to the masses!
I was just wondering why we can't put a school like Pennsylvania on this list of Cinderellas? While I will admit that they have a relatively easy time coasting through the Ivies, they do meet Princeton twice a year (having already beaten them convincingly at Jadwin). They play a rough out-of-conference schedule which included tough, tough losses to Auburn, Kentucky, Kansas, Penn State, Temple, Villanova, while picking up decent wins against Cal, St. Joe's, Princeton, and the rest of the Ivy contenders. With Ugonna Onyekwe and Michael Jordan leading the team, I think they could surprise a few watchers in this tourney.
J.L. Zrebiec
Watch out for Alabama, coming off wins over Auburn and Tenn. The Crimson Tide is hot at the right time. They could easily beat Ole Miss and Miss. St. and finish 15-13. They will be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC tourney. They should of won against Florida and LSU in Baton Rouge. They did not play bad in Lexington. Now they have experience and some big wins under their belt.
Ben McRea
You want a real Cinderella? Try Navy. It may not have the best RPI ever, but you can't blame it for the schedule makers. The Midshipmen got votes in the last two AP polls for top 25, they're spanking their conference opponents, and they've won 21 of 23. Give 'em a look.
Jeff Palmer
Bill Tadevich
Let's not forget Lafayette College. The Leopards are 21-6 and 11-1 in the Patriot League. Lafayette beat Princeton this year and played Penn, Villanova and Georgia Tech very close. If not the NCAA, they should definitely get some consideration for the NIT.
Michael Freimann
I just thought you might like to know about Northern Arizona University. The team had a pretty tough non-conference schedule with games at Fresno State, Utah State, and Oregon. They beat Utah State at home and played Fresno State down to the wire. You guys should note that since the Jacks' uncharacteristic 0-4 start to conference play, they have won 10 in a row in the Big Sky. It wasn't but two years ago that NAU almost took out Cincinnati when the Bearcats were a No. 2 seed in the first round, losing only on a last-second 3-pointer. NAU has consistently been one of the top shooting programs in the nation and this year it adds to that with a scoring threat in the middle in 7-foot-1 center Dan McLintock. I don't think many teams would look forward to a first-round game against NAU in the Big Dance which is where they will be come March Madness!
Casey Ryan
Y'know, I think Dayton has an excellent chance of winning some games in the tournament. My only complaint is that they are not a Cinderella team. The Flyers come from a decent conference where, if Temple dropped a notch, they would contend for the league championship. On the other hand, teams like Bowling Green and Utah State would really come from out of the blue. Leave the real Cinderellas in the poll, but drop Dayton.
Matt Schneider
Everyone seems to be overlooking the annual Cinderella team, Charleston! The Cougars have quietly led the Southern Conference again this year and have posted a 22-5 record. They should win their conference tournament, but even if they don't, they should get an at-large bid. They could definitely upset someone again as in years past!
Larry Strickland
John Waterman
Thank you for keeping Dayton on the Watch. The Flyers are going to the Big Dance and taking the "Best Band In the Land" Flyer Pep Band with them. We'll show the NCAA what basketball (and heckling) is all about!
Karen Lemieux
Okay...here's the deal. I generally agree with your Cinderella choices, but c'mon! The Dayton Flyers have finished first or second every week in your poll, and is listed in every single publications' brackets for the field of 64. They are no longer a pretender. They are a contender. Get 'em off the Watch. Give them the same credit that Seton Hall received. (The same Seton Hall, by the way, who have dropped 2 straight games to sub-par Big East teams) Enough is enough!
Shawn Fern
I'm a huge fan of the Mid-American Conference and I am thrilled that you have two MAC teams on the Cinderella Watch. But I think that the Toledo Rockets should be on there. You have them as a bubble team, but you should take into consideration that they lost four games with their star player, Greg Stempin, on the injured list. When Stempin came back, their 10-game streak started. I think that even if Toledo doesn't win the MAC tournament it should be considered for an at-large bid.
Mike Terry
Butler removed from the Watch?!?! It's deplorable is what it is. I guess 12 straight wins doesn't impress anybody any more.
G. Berger
Maybe its just me but are you not forgetting about this team from Kentucky called the Murray State Racers. You may be forgetting right now, but in a couple of weeks you will remember.
Kevin Thomas
Where is any respect for Ball State in this poll? The Cardinals have defeated four different conference champs with wins over Indiana State, Butler, Purdue (by 20!), and Bowling Green plus Southern Illinois and Akron. They've won nine of their last 10. They have a decent conference mark of 11-7, won the West division and are 19-8 overall. This team has a history of doing well in the NCAA and should get in the Dance if they make it to the conference tourney final, win or lose.
Tom Simpson
Hofstra? Please! Look for Delaware to win the America East tournament. Delaware played Arizona tough at the beginning of the season and spanked Alabama by double digits (and we know what Alabama has done as of late!). Do yourselves a favor and put U of D in your Cinderella Watch next week -- you'll look like geniuses two weeks from now!
David Logsdon
Thank You for bringing back Hofstra. As a student at the school I have the honor of watching the most exciting team that nobody knows about. The Delaware and Maine games played at home were some of the best basketball that I have seen, and Hofstra will make its presence known not only in the America East tournament, but also the NCAA Tournament, but I guess that will mean it will be harder to get seats at home games next year. I hope everyone enjoys watching Speedy Claxton, as I have enjoyed his skills throughout the year.
Nick Montalbano
All right, here's the deal. The one true Cinderella in this bunch is Kent. The Golden Flashes played Ohio State tough and they have the fundamentals to hang with any team in the country (I did not say they can beat any team in the country, but they can turn any game into a dog fight). They are a team to watch out for. I go to OSU and I was impressed by their ability to hang around.
Steve Coven
After all the SIU dawg barkin' last week, it was the SMS Bears who slipped into the No. 2 seed in the Valley. SMS is on a roll and building up its at-large credentials: a 20-9 record...8 wins in a row...an RPI of 38...the toughest schedule in the league...one game out of first in the No. 10 league in the country. Not bad for a team previewed on this site as the No. 4 team in the league, and No. 115 in the nation. Unfortunately, I fear we'll be snubbed if we don't get to the finals of the Valley tourney.
Jeff Kessinger | ALSO SEE Cinderella Watch  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
