by Trevor Freeman
With college basketball’s regular season winding down, I felt it was time for me to peg the two teams which I feel will create the most bracket disruption come March. These two schools have all the qualities necessary to wear the “slipper” and I feel it is only a matter of time before you begin to hear names like Paul Marigney and Jamar Howard. While these teams generally do not get to the Final Four, they usually find their way to the Sweet 16 and if the Gods are aligned perhaps the Elite Eight. I think it is these “Cinderella” teams that make the NCAA Tournament the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet. If you did not get the hint above and do not know the two teams I see causing the most bracket damage in March, let me reveal them to you now.The first squad I see raising a ruckus is St. Mary’s. If you go back and search all of the Cinderella teams most of the time they have a strong, veteran laden backcourt. St. Mary’s is no exception as they will be showing up with a savvy point in senior E.J. Rowland and a highly athletic/lights out shooter in Castlemont’s Paul Marigney. Rowland (who West Coast referees absolutely love a little too much) will not crumble under pressure. He is an excellent maestro and can also score when necessary. In terms of underrated, Paul Marigney falls into the same category as Lacey Chabert (who looked stunning on Celebrity Poker Showdown) in that you wonder why they are not talked about more. Marigney can both beat you off the bounce to create his own shot and hit the trifecta if you leave him open. He beat Gonzaga by himself earlier this season. What separates St. Mary’s from a lot of Cinderella pretenders is that they do have a formidable interior presence as well in Daniel Kickert. Kickert is a 6’10” Aussie with a great outside touch. Kickert can also bang down low with the best of them and has very nice post moves. He leads the Gaels in scoring and will create a lot of headaches come tourney time. The Gaels complement these three players with solid role guys. Frederic Adjiwanou leads the team in rebounding and will lean on some people down low. Jonathan Sanders is a good athlete who can get in somebody’s grill. Jason Walberg is a solid third guard. The Gaels can also come off the bench with an improving 7 footer in Blake Sholberg. Do not discount having the importance of having somebody that big that sitting on your pine. Finally, I like Randy Bennett coaching this team. Bennett has resurrected this program and is as good a coach as there is in the country. I have a feeling Mr. Bennett will be getting a ton of offers next season from some higher profile programs (can anyone say UC-Berkeley).
The second team I see showing up and dropping a high profile name is Wichita State. The Shockers are as bada$$ as they were when Xavier McDaniel was playing for them. I will go on the ledge and say that if Wichita State does not win a few games in the tournament I am going to be astonished. The Shockers (what a great nickname for a team that will be pulling an upset) are led by forward Jamar Howard and guard Randy Burns. Howard is the guy that I see emerging onto the national conscious a la Harold Arcenaux. Howard is a very efficient scorer who can also bang around with the best of them. Randy Burns is a lights out shooter from downtown and also represents the kind of guard you need to have if you want to go places in the Dance. Keep your eye on 6’10” junior Paul Miller as well. Miller is still developing his overall game, but has a ton of upside. He’s getting 10 and 6 right now, but it would not shock me if he went and got a double-double sometime in the Tourney. The Shockers also bring a nice big man off the bench in sophomore Kyle Wilson. Wilson needs to improve a bit around the basket, but he’s already getting 10 a night. Wichita State has two young guys that are going to need to play bigger than their ages in sophomore guard Adam Liberty and freshman “swing” P.J. Couisnard. Cousinard especially has the ability to light people up. He has a good deepball and athleticism. I think he is a big X-factor for Wichita State. I like Wichita’s State coach as well. Turgeon has built a nice program in Wichita. Do not discount the fact that he played in a Final Four for the Kansas Jayhawks in 1986.
All in all, nothing beats writing these articles and getting prepared for the beauty that is March Madness. There is no single fairer way on the planet to decide a champion. What makes it special are the upsets by the little schools you’ve barely heard of. I wish my alma mater, Fordham, could one day pull an upset on the big stage. Watch these two teams in March when you are filling out the bracket for your office pool. The Gaels and the Shockers are both forces to be reckoned with.