BracketBusters give mid-majors a chance to shine

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BracketBusters weekend is approaching, and for 48 hours, the college hoops world will (sort of) belong to the mid-majors. Outside of championship week, next Friday night and Saturday will provide the brightest lights a lot of these programs will see this season. In its fifth year, the ESPN event keeps growing, and it has been done right. ESPN gives itself plenty of flexibility to ensure the best matchups, picking from a field of 102. Additionally, there is a provision that guarantees a rematch of all 51 BracketBusters games during next year's regular season. For schools that have a difficult time scheduling quality non-conference opponents, especially at home, this is a major bonus.

ESPN will televise 14 BracketBusters games between Friday night at Saturday on its various channels (I'm waiting for an ESPN 720, where the broadcast is shown on tape delay, and in rewind mode starting at the end). Here is a breakdown of the top six games of the weekend. (All times Eastern)

Winthrop at Missouri State

Friday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Why it's big: This game is more important for Winthrop than Missouri State. The Eagles are undefeated in the Big South, but their RPI is still in the 70s, which is a tough place to be if you hope to get an at-large bid. Beating Missouri State (which has an RPI of 30) gives Winthrop a chance to show it belongs in the NCAA tournament whether it wins the Big South tournament or not. With a victory here, the Eagles can feel like they have a fighting chance if they don't win their tournament, but remember, the Big South is No. 30 in the conference RPI out of 32.

Who to watch: Missouri State guard Blake Ahearn is The Man for the Bears, leading the team in scoring (15.2 ppg). Opponents make him the focus of the defensive game plan, but he still manages to get his points on most nights. And if the game comes down to free-throw shooting, forget it -- Ahearn has missed once since Christmas. For Winthrop, guard Torrell Martin is the team's best player, though he missed nine games with a foot injury and only recently returned. By the time the Missouri State game rolls around, he should be back to full strength, which will be a huge boost for the Eagles, who were led by Michael Jenkins in Martin's absence. Martin had 25 points and seven rebounds in a November loss to North Carolina.

The Winner: Having Martin back to full speed will be a big boost, but Winthrop has had too many close calls lately to show it is ready to deal with one of the best the Missouri Valley has to offer.
Missouri State 64, Winthrop 59

Southern Illinois at Butler

Saturday, Feb. 17, 4 p.m., ESPN2
Why it's big: This one features two teams that will be in the NCAAs, so the tournament-like feel to the matchup will benefit both as they prepare for March. These are the two best mid-majors in the country, so if fans are scouting underexposed teams for their bracket predictions, this one is a must-see.

Who to watch: Butler's A.J. Graves hails from the tiny town of Switz City, Ind., but he has been plenty big for the Bulldogs. Graves is the only mid-major player on the 30-player Wooden Award midseason list (we don't include Nevada among the mid-majors at The Mid-Major Report even though it is in BracketBusters). He is averaging 18 points a game and is an unthinkable 102 for 105 from the free-throw line. For Southern Illinois, Randal Falker is the big weapon up front, averaging more than 13 points and seven rebounds per game for the defensive-minded Salukis.

The Winner: Butler has been impressive in big non-conference games, beating Indiana, Notre Dame, Purdue, Tennessee and Gonzaga, while Southern Illinois' only decent non-conference win is Virginia Tech. Common opponents are split, with Butler beating Indiana but losing to Indiana State, and Southern Illinois doing the reverse. The Bulldogs are eager to prove they deserve their lofty national ranking.
Butler 59, Southern Illinois 56