BracketBusters Saturday

Finally. It's one of my favorite Saturdays of the year. BracketBusters Saturday is here at last. I really look forward to watching the BracketBusters every year. I can't wait to watch these games. The SoCon will be participating in these four games- three of them will take place off of television, which means they won't be as visible as I wish they were.

Without further ado, let's break down each of the four SoCon BracketBuster games. Hope you enjoy this- I'll be doing very similar things for each day of the SoCon Tournament in two weeks.

Wichita State at Davidson (12:00 ESPN2)

The Story: What a run by Wichita State! After a 2-2 start, they have gone 21-2. One of those losses was a home loss to Creighton and one was a triple overtime loss at Drake. Last week, the Shockers went to Creighton, and pounded the Blue Jays by 21. This team is probably going to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament if they don't win the MVC Tournament. Davidson, on the other hand, has been great all year, but the losses to Samford and College of Charleston in their last seven games has probably ended any chance the Wildcats had of an at-large bid. They will officially be gone if they lose to the Shockers, but a win would keep their very thin hopes alive, since they would have beaten Kansas and Wichita State.

The Breakdown:  The Shockers are 19th in the country in scoring. Garrett Stutz, Joe Ragland, and Toure' Murry average between twelve and 14.3 points per game. Stutz shoots 58% from the floor, while Ragland shoots 55%. Stutz also collects eight rebounds per game. Ragland is 6-0, but Stutz is 7-0 tall, making him a terrible match-up for the Wildcats. Davidson is 15th in the country in scoring. Jake Cohen plays tough inside, but Stutz will be maybe his most difficult match-up all year. The Wildcats did a good job with Kansas' Thomas Robinson, so they should be able to handle the Shockers. Frank Ben-Eze may also see significant minutes, as his 6-11 body could provide a definite presence in the middle of the floor. He can change games defensively.

The Pick: This is a toss-up game since it is at Davidson. The Wildcats have been itching to get a shot at another very good team at home since their home loss to Vanderbilt in December. The Wildcats will be playing in front of a fired up crowd, and they have been brilliant at home in SoCon play. That being said, both teams will score in bunches. Big bunches. That seems like a dangerous match-up for Davidson. If Wichita State gets into the 80s, it is a bad sign. If the Wildcats can hold them into the low 70s, they have a real shot. This seems fairly obvious to any basketball fan, but here's the deal- I fully expect the Wildcats to score in the 80s. So it all comes down to their defense. Wichita State 85, Davidson 82.

Winthrop at Appalachian State (2:00)

The Story: The Eagles are fifth in the Big South. Appalachian State is fourth in the North of the SoCon. On paper, this game lacks sizzle, as these teams both have only eleven wins. But on the whole, this game is still very evenly matched. The Eagles beat Coastal Carolina (2nd in the Big South) and lost in OT to UNC-Asheville (1st in the Big South). They head to UNCA next Saturday in their final regular season game. They are trying to get hot for momentum heading into the Big South Tournament. Appalachian State has been struggling too, but have now won two out of three with the lone loss to Wofford by two. The Mountaineers, too, have a chance to build momentum as they go into the SoCon Tourney.

The Breakdown: Winthrop relies heavily on two scorers. Andre Jones (16.2 PPG) and Reggie Middleton (12.2 PPG) have combined for 29 points per game of the teams 64 point per game average. They also both play at least 32 minutes per game. They also are both under 6-2. Isaac Butts was a stud for the Mountaineers against Chattanooga on Wednesday night, coming up with 16 rebounds. That was his best game since his suspension. Omar Carter, the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year, has been anything but a stud during the season. He leads the team in scoring, but is not currently starting and is really struggling.

The Pick: The Mountaineers have not been playing great, but have started to show some signs in recent games of snapping out of their funk. They should be able to play good enough defense to contain two players like Jones and Middleton. Even if they score, the rest of the Eagles will struggle. The Mountaineers win at home. Appalachian State 74, Winthrop 69.

College of Charleston at Kent State (6:00)

The Story:  Kent State is 19-6 and have won seven straight and are second in the MAC. The Cougars have as much talent as any team in the SoCon, but with injuries, they have struggled at times. Their win over Davidson last Saturday igniting hope in the Cougars fan base. The loss to UNCG on Wednesday put a damper on some of the excitement. A win over the Flashes would help the Cougars confidence in the SoCon Tournament a lot.

The Breakdown: Kent State relies on Justin Greene, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding, and is shooting over 50% from the floor. He is averaging 13.7 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game, plus nearly a block per game. The Flashes shoot nearly 37% from three point range. Five Flashes score over 9.1 points per game. The Cougars rely heavily on Antwaine Wiggins, who averages 16.3 points per game. He is also the second leading rebounder on the team. Trent Wiedeman should be able to do a good job on Greene. That will be a compelling match-up.

The Pick: If the Cougars were fully healthy, they would be able to win a game like this. As it is, going on the road against a team that could easily find themselves in the NCAA Tournament by winning the MAC Tournament is not a good match-up. The Flashes have been playing great, and the Cougars (who just were beaten up by UNCG on Wednesday night) have not been. Kent State 78, College of Charleston 67.

Wofford at Charleston Southern (7:00)

The Story: Both teams are reasonably hot following three game losing streaks. Both have won back-to-back games following those losing streaks. Both teams are considered dark horses in their conference tournaments. The Buccaneers have had one of their better seasons, and would love nothing more than to beat the team that has been to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. This ought to be a fun BracketBusters game.

The Breakdown: The Buccaneers are 24th in the nation in scoring offense. They have four guys scoring in double digits. Kelvin Martin leads the way with his 58% shooting. Martin is also averaging 8.8 rebounds per game. The other three double digits scorers  are Saah Nimley, Arlon Harper, and Mathiany Muo. This is a high octane offense. Wofford relies heavily on Kevin Giltner and Brad Loesing lead the SoCon in minutes played, and average 15.3 points per game and 14.5 points per game, respectively. Karl Cochran, the freshman, is the third leading scorer for the Terriers. When he's hot shooting, he totally changes the dynamic of the team. The Terriers rely on defense, and the Buccaneers are not a big team, so Martin's play may not be a huge problem to defend for Wofford. Should be very interesting to see how Martin plays against the Terriers defense.

The Pick: Can the Terriers go on the road and come up with a win? Honestly, I think it comes down to how much the Terriers want this game. The only thing that really matters to both teams is winning their conference tournaments at this point. Giltner and Loesing play a ton of minutes normally. Do they play about 30 minutes instead of about 38 minutes in this game? If they both do that to conserve some their energy and avoid possible injury, Wofford won't be able to win. If they do play their full complement of minutes, I believe they are the better team- barely. On the road, this is a toss-up. In a sign of faith that the Terriers play like they want to win bad, I'll take them. Wofford 74, Charleston Southern 72.