 |
| |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Cinderella still waiting Rise of Gonzaga, mid-majors makes for less true 'upsets'Posted: Friday March 21, 2003 1:45 AMUpdated: Friday March 21, 2003 2:22 AM
Question: At what point does a "mid-major" officially lose the “mid?” Is it when you reach at least the Sweet 16 three straight seasons? Is it when you beat one of the big boys in the first round and hardly anyone bats an eye? Or how about when your coach gets mentioned for yet another job, only this time it’s arguably the most prestigious gig in the country? While researchers have yet to pinpoint the exact moment, sometime in the past few years, when "mid-major" officially replaced "spurtability" as college basketball’s trendiest made-up word, and it’s in large part due to the Gonzaga Bulldogs. They qualified for Cinderella status once upon a time, back when guys like Richie Frahm and Matt Santangelo were stunning the likes of Stanford and Florida en route to the 1999 Elite Eight. Now, the only shocker seems to be when they lose, like in the first round last year to Wyoming. Thursday, the 'Zags entered their first-round game on essentially equal footing with a Cincinnati team that’s won national championships, reached Final Fours and was ranked No. 1 in the country just a few years ago. Gonzaga was the lower seed, yes, but barely, and its 74-69 victory was hardly considered an upset. Of course, that's the thing about these mid-majors, of which Gonzaga, as well as Tulsa -- three times a Sweet 16 team -- have been the standard bearer. Their legitimacy has soared so much in recent years that the only real upset on the first day of the tournament involved another mid-major, 11th-seeded Central Michigan, which beat sixth-seeded Creighton.
There’s ample credit to go around for this phenomenon. The NBA, for raiding enough of the top teams’ talent to promote parity, gets its share. Some outstanding coaches. Increased television coverage, highlighted by last month’s Bracket Buster event. Personally, I credit Gonzaga. Plenty of non-traditional schools, from Cleveland State to Richmond to Valparaiso to Kent State last year, have stolen the spotlight from the big boys over the years. But none with such sustained success as the 'Zags. Their next opportunity comes Saturday against top-seeded Arizona in a matchup many of us were hoping to see in last year’s tourney. It would certainly be an upset if the Dogs knocked off the Wildcats, but at this point, how surprised would we really be? All of which makes you wonder: When everyone from the 'Zags to Creighton to Butler to Southern Illinois to UNC-Wilmington has, at this point, at least some tourney credit, is there any room left for a true Cinderella in this Dance? Yes, but you have to look further down the bracket than maybe you’re accustomed. Butler, the lone remaining hope in the 5-12 games when it faces Mississippi State, has in recent years drubbed Wake Forest and taken eventual national runner-up Florida to the wire. No slipper there. Penn, an 11th seed facing Oklahoma State, is Ivy League, but has been strong for several years. Ditto UNC-Wilmington, facing sixth-seeded Maryland just a year after knocking off No. 4 seed USC. That leaves just a few remaining possibilities: Austin Peay, Wagner, Troy State, Manhattan, Sam Houston State and East Tennessee State. Any of these would be a worthy Cinderella, but with one caveat: If they do it again next year, we might have to start calling them a mid-major. Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com. Got a comment, question or scoop for Stewart? Click here.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
