Loading ...Non-Power Saturday
Everyone knows about Siena by now, but how well will the Saints fair against Temple on Saturday?
With many of the power conference schools duking it out over the last couple of days, we are fortunate enough to get a double dose of excellent basketball over this weekend. In what I have dubbed mid-major Saturday, many of the country’s best non-power schools are duking it out looking for positions in the Top 25, as well as hoping to establish themselves amongst the nation’s elite. This weekend is doomed to be overshadowed by fond memories of some fantastic fights between Syracuse, Ohio State, North Carolina and California, but I stand alone to remind us of the little guys we love so much. So in honor of our favorite non-big 6 teams, I present to you a brief preview of some mid-major matchups with serious implications.
Siena @ Temple
Everybody knows about Siena, they are the darling of the MAAC. Consecutive upsets over Ohio St and Vanderbilt at the NCAA Championship has earned them the attention of the entire country. This year, they continue the fantastic play, with consecutive wins over Tennessee State and Northeastern. Right now, Siena’s roster has shown up to play. Edwin Ubiles is averaging 16.5 points per game and two members of the roster are posting double-double averages, Alex Franklin (14pts, 10reb/gm) and Ryan Rossiter (10.5pts, 10.5reb/gm). The title of MAAC favorite seems, at least for now, well deserved.
If you haven’t heard much about Temple, then don’t be ashamed or alarmed, very little attention has been given to them this year. Now, they have earned it. There is a strange impossibility in the idea of ignoring a team that played Georgetown to a one point thriller. Temple is looking for an opportunity to stand out in an Atlantic 10 that is dominated by Xavier, Dayton and the upstarts at St. Joseph’s and now have that opportunity against Siena. Temple is undoubtedly the underdog and a victory here rests squarely in the hands of scoring leader Ryan Brooks (14.5pts/gm) and rebounding leader Lavoy Allen (14.5reb/gm).
Prediction: Siena by 8
I love the underdog, but unfortunately for Temple, they haven’t yet found their groove. Siena is firing on all cylinders and if you can’t keep up, they’re going to sweep you away, which is what I expect to see Saturday.
Marshall @ Old Dominion
This is a bad year to be Marshall. Marshall’s basketball program has not been spectacular of late, so when Marshall puts some pieces together a lot of people sit up and take notice. Including us here at OnlineSportsFanatic… Sadly for Thundering Herd fans, it comes during a year where Conference-USA is a stacked conference. All hope is not lost however as Shaquille Johnson prepares to lead the Herd and he is an excellent guard. This is the big test for Marshall, win and earn the role of contender, lose and forever be the second string.
Every year there is one team that everyone believe is “pretty good” and then they begin scaring people. Right now it looks as though Old Dominion is that team. Fantastic defense is the cornerstone of the squad, having held two of their three opponents to under 50 points but one could argue that they haven’t faced anyone with any real strength. Well, that test will come from the quick and solid Thundering Herd.
Prediction: Old Dominion by 10
I love Old Dominion this year, they have some of the best balanced attacks in the game this year. Through three games, they have eight players who average six points per game or more. There are some teams who can deal with that sort of thing and I don’t feel that Marshall is that team yet.
Southern Illinois @ UNLV
I can’t say enough about the Salukis. Even on years where people say that they’re down, they find lots of ways to win. This year, is not a down year and the Salukis look as dangerous as ever. Currently the high powered offense in Southern Illinois is averaging 20+ points over their opponents. That’s pretty impressive, and just to make Old Dominion’s balanced attack look foolish, 4 Salukis score an average of 10 points of more per game. The team has no real rebounding force so expect Kevin Dillard and Carlton Fay to lead the team in a game of shoot first and ask questions later.
If I was lazy and didn’t have any air of professionalism, I would tell you to replace every reference to Southern Illinois with UNLV primarily because, well, it’s true. Almost everything that can be said about Southern Illinois is the same in Las Vegas right now. UNLV has the particular advantage of having been tested previously this season, the game against Nevada making a huge statement. This game is more important for UNLV than Southern Illinois because momentum is crucial to the schedule they have to play.
Prediction: Southern Illinois by 5
The Salukis are hungry, and in a game of who shoots first, it’s really a toss up. The big offensive players at Southern Illinois are putting up more points than the ones at UNLV and I think that’s what makes all the difference.
So those are the biggest mid-major games this saturday. An excellent addition to what has already been a fantastic week of basketball. By no means are these the only important games this saturday, but these are the big ones and the ones that needed coverage. For the in depth fan however, allow me to include a couple of other games that may not exclusively include non-power teams but have a big impact on the upcoming Non-Power Sweet Sixteen Poll (to be released later this week).
Rider @ #5: Kentucky
Prediction: Kentucky by 12
Rider is a very good team, but I really don’t see how they could recover after such a devastating loss to Virginia… against the #5 team in the nation no less.
#10: Butler @ Evansville
Prediction: Butler by… how high am I allowed to go?
Butler is the premiere Non-Power team in the country… no offense intended to Evansville, but they don’t have what it takes to beat the bulldogs.
Arkansas State @ UTEP
Prediction: UTEP by 2
UTEP was my preseason favorite to win Conference USA and are in my opinion one of the elite teams in the nation. Expect them to come out strong but face some problems against an Arkansas State team that is trying to prove it belongs amongst Troy, North Texas and Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt.
– KE
