Going Dancing: Breaking Down The First 5 Teams In
Selection Sunday is this upcoming weekend. I couldn't be more excited to see what teams are in and what teams are out. There were tickets punched already this past weekend and for those that may not be familiar with some of these teams, let's give you an idea of what they're all about. (Quick note, Northern Iowa is in the Dance after winning its conference tourney, but my colleague Bryan Altman already covered him in the Top 25 breakdowns he did last week).
North Florida Ospreys (23-11)- The Atlantic Sun champions won their conference tournament on Sunday over USC Upstate. The Ospreys, in my opinion, have the best mascot name in the field lead right now. But let's get to the actual numbers for this team.
Head Coach: Matthew Driscoll (6th season)
Recent Tournament History: The Ospreys have never made an NCAA Tournament appearance. Before Sunday they had never won a regular season or postseason conference title. They're in only their 9th year of Division I basketball.
Best Player: Dallas Moore 6'1" So. Guard- Moore is averaging 15.9 PPG and shooting nearly 40% from three this season. He's one of four players that are averaging double figures for this team.
Key Stats: They're in the top 25 in both scoring (75.7 PPG 23rd) and 3 point percentage (39.1% 23rd). They can fill it up and one thing that scares power conference teams is a squad that can get hot from three. The Ospreys can certainly do that.
Biggest Win(s): 73-70 over Purdue on December 6th. Purdue is a bubble team in most projections but it is a win over a power 5 team on their home floor. Combined with their games against Northwestern, Iowa, South Carolina, Northern Iowa, and Alabama they've tried to test themselves all season.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (24-9)- The Big South Champions for the 2nd consecutive year, the Chanticleers look to improve upon last year's result in the tourney.
Head Coach: Cliff Ellis (8th season)
Tournament History: L 70-59 to Virginia in 1st round last year. That score is not indicative of how close this game was. The Chanticleers actually led by 5 at the halftime break and by 2 at the 12:41 mark of the 2nd half before the Cavaliers got going. They put a scare into the 1 seed and continued the tradition of at least on 16 seed scaring a number 1 seed on day one.
Best Player: Warren Gillis 6'3" Sr. Guard- Gillis was the 2014 Big South Tournament MVP, and had 22 points in the championship game this year. He was beaten out for tourney MVP by teammate Elijah Wilson but Gillis certainly makes the engine go for Coastal.
Key Stats: Allowing opponents to score only 61.7 PPG it's good for only 56th in the country but there's only a 1.7 point difference between them and the Top 30. They can lock down opponents and their 10.0 PPG margin of victory is 25th in the nation.
Biggest Win(s): 58-54 over Auburn on December 5th. Auburn isn't a top team in the SEC but, this is a win over a power five team. That combined with the fact that they return 4 starters from last year's team that pushed Virginia to the brink.
Northeastern Huskies (23-11)- Colonial Athletic Association champions after beating top seed William and Mary in the title game on Sunday night. They were the preseason favorite to win the conference and followed through on that prediction.
Head Coach: Bill Coen (9th season)
Recent Tournament History: This is the 1st appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the Huskies since 1991 when they lost to North Carolina as a 16 seed. They're 3-7 all-time in the Big Dance with their last win coming back in 1984.
Best Player: Quincy Ford 6'8" Sr. Forward- Ford was named the CAA tournament MVP after putting up 22 points on 8/10 shooting in the title game Sunday night. Ford is only 3rd on the team in scoring averaging 10.4 PPG but he's a threat on any given night to put up a line like he did in the title game. Defensively he's able to lock down any wing player because of his length which could play a big factor in the Huskies trying to steal a win.
Key Stats: After their 12/20 performance from beyond the arc on Sunday they crack the Top 50 in the nation in 3 point percentage at 38.8%. Another team that can light up from deep.
Biggest Win(s): 76-73 over Florida State and 65-51 over Manhattan. Both of these wins came in the Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament at the start of the season, so both of those teams are vastly different now than they were then but still two wins over quality opponents and Manhattan is a tourney team (we'll get to the Jaspers in a second).
Manhattan (19-13)- MAAC Champions for the 2nd consecutive year after beating Iona again 79-69 in the title game.
Head Coach: Steve Masiello (4th season). You may remember Masiello from the stories that broke last summer after the NCAA Tournament about him not having a college degree. That situation has since been resolved and it's a pretty impressive coaching job to get the team back into the tourney in spite of the negative attention.
Recent Tournament History: 2014 1st Round L 71-64 to #4 Louisville. You may remember this game and the storylines going into it. Manhattan plays the same style of defense as Louisville (Masiello was an assistant under Pitino) and they gave the Cardinals all they could handle before bowing out in the final minutes. 2 starters returned from that team in Rashawn Stores and Emmy Andujar.
Best Player: Emmy Andujar 6'6" Sr. Forward- Andujar was named to the MAAC All Tournament team and leads the team in scoring at 16.5 PPG and also leads the team in rebounding with 7.6 RPG. He's a tough, hard-nosed defender and plays bigger than his size.
Key Stats: The Jaspers rank 17th in the country at 8.2 steals per game this season and as I alluded to in the tournament history section, they will get after you. The full court pressure defense creates plenty of turnovers and easy buckets in transition, you better be ready to play if you draw them.
Biggest Win(s): 79-69 over Iona. Yes, their conference title game win is by far their biggest win of the season. A tough start in the early season losing games that could have boosted the resume was erased by that win.
Belmont Bruins (22-10)- Ohio Valley Conference champions. The Bruins locked up their tournament bid in about as dramatic a fashion as you could ask for. Taylor Barnette hit a three with 3.2 seconds left to give them an 88-87 win over Murray State who had won 25 straight games.
Head Coach: Rick Byrd (29th season)
Recent Tournament History: You may remember the Bruins for being the team that is consistently picked every year as being the trendy upset team. Their last NCAA appearance came in 2013 when they lost 81-64 to Arizona in the 1st round. They've earner 7 automatic bids in the last 10 years to the tourney.
Best Player: Craig Bradshaw 6'3" Jr. Guard- Bradshaw leads the team in scoring at 18.1 PPG and is shooting 41% from deep this season. He was a starter on last year's team that made a deep run in the NIT.
Key Stats: The Bruins are 4th in the country in three balls made per game (sensing a theme among these teams?) averaging 10 a contest. They have three guys that shoot 40% from beyond the arc: Bradshaw, Evan Bradds, and Taylor Barnette.
Biggest Win(s): Like the Jaspers, their biggest win came in the conference title game. It was an even bigger win though because it came against the Racers who were ranked 25th and had won 25 in a row.
Wofford Terriers (26-8)- Southern Conference Champions earned their 4th SoCon title in the last 6 years. They returned all five starters from a team that made the NCAA tournament last season. That's the kind of experience that makes a team dangerous.
Head Coach: Mike Young (13th season)
Recent Tournament History: The Terriers lost to Michigan 57-40 last season. The closest they've come to pulling off the upset was back in 2010 when playing as a 14 seed they nearly upset the 3 seeded Wisconsin Badgers falling 53-49.
Best Player: Karl Cochran 6'1" Sr. Guard- Cochran is averaging 14.6 PPG 5.8 RPG and 2.6 APG this season as a do it all guard for the Terriers.
Key Stats: The Terriers are 24th in the nation in scoring defense allowing under 60 points per game this season. They are 55th in the country in scoring margin as well, outscoring opponents by a little over 7 PPG.
Biggest Win(s): 55-54 over NC State on December 14th. Win over an ACC foe (7th in ACC) on their home floor definitely qualifies for this category. Also challenged themselves by scheduling both West Virginia and duke in non conference play.
Ryan Mayer is an Associate Producer for CBS Local Sports. Ryan lives in NY but comes from Philly and life as a Philly sports fan has made him cynical. Anywhere sports are being discussed, that's where you'll find him.
