What to watch in the tourney

By Alan Rubenstein Sports Central Columnist

Who remembers Ken "Mouse" McFadden, Penn's run to the Final Four, and Harold Jensen? McFadden led Cleveland State's upset of Indiana in the first-round on their way to an appearance in the 1986 Sweet 16, sharp-shooting Jensen came off the bench to shoot 5-5 from the field and score 14 points as Villanova upset Georgetown to capture a remarkable championship in 1985, and Penn made an improbable run to the Final Four in 1979 before losing to Michigan State and a sophomore point guard by the name of Ervin "Magic" Johnson.

Unpredictable upsets, heroes who were never heard of before or since their shining moment, and indelible images define the NCAA tournament. This March should be no different. So who are the leading candidates to be this year's Valparaiso, Bo Kimble, and Tyus Edney? Parity seems to be increasing every year largely due to the decrease in scholarships. As a result, the NCAA tournament has become harder and harder to predict.

By the time the trophy is hoisted in New Orleans on April 7, we will have seen an abundance of great performances and players who have willed their team to victory. Here are five under-recognized players and teams to watch in the NCAA tournament.

Texas has been in the top-five all season. When most people think of Texas, they point to All-American point guard T.J. Ford. James Thomas has been a hoss inside for the Longhorns since the middle of last season. He is averaging 11.1 ppg and 11.2 rpg and was selected second team All-Big 12. His rebounding average is more than double that of any of his teammates and led the Big 12. He is Texas' third-leading scorer and runs the floor exceptionally well. Thomas' speed and athleticism will pose matchup problems for more traditional centers.

When asked about his postman, Texas head coach Rick Barnes said, "James is just about ready to explode. I believe he can be the best rebounder in the country and even James doesn't understand how good an offensive player he can be."

Ask someone to name the best players in the Pac-10 and invariably either Jason (Kapono or Gardner) or Luke (Walton, Jackson, or Ridnour) will come up. The Pac-10 scoring-leader this season was no ordinary Joe. Joe Shipp from California contributed 20.7 points per game, shot 52 percent from the floor, and 77 percent from the line on the season. Shipp has been a leader on a young team and has scored in double-figures in every game this year. He also had four games over 30 points and finished first-team All-Conference. He maximizes his ability and can score inside or out as his 36.6-percentage from three-point range illustrates.

Two years ago when St. Joseph lost to Stanford in the second-round, Marvin O'Connor erupted for 38 points on the Cardinal. O'Connor's running mate that season was freshman point guard Jameer Nelson. Make no mistake about it, that was O'Connor's team, and this year's St. Joe team belongs to Nelson. St. Joe will look to make a statement in this year's NCAA tournament. After starting the 2001-02 season nationally-ranked, the Hawks struggled last season.

Nelson is dangerous running the St. Joe offense and creating his own scoring opportunities. He exploded for 39 points in a loss to Dayton in the Atlantic-10 conference semifinals. He has had four games over 30 points this year and 14 games when he topped the 20-point mark. Nelson and running mate Delonte West form one of the nation's best backcourts.

One of the biggest upsets in last season's NCAA tournament was North Carolina-Wilmington's upset of USC in the first-round. The 13th-seeded Seahawks were led by Brett Blizzard and Blizzard is back for his senior season to prove that last year's run was no fluke. Blizzard led the Colonial in scoring (21.7 ppg) this season and shoots a phenomenal 45-percent from three-point range. He hit an astounding 105 three-pointers this season and also contributed 4.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per night.

Playing in the relative obscurity of the Big Sky, it's hard to get noticed among the nation's elite players. One look at what Weber State has accomplished this season and it's easy to see why Jermaine Boyette should be considered one of the top players in the country. Boyette has had a remarkable season. His 21.7 ppg leads the Wildcats and he has not scored less than 14 points in a game this season. His 37 points led the way as Weber State upset BYU in January. Only 6-2, Boyette shot 55-percent from the field this season.

Every year, a Cinderella team makes a run that entered the NCAA tournament as more or less an afterthought. Last season, Southern Illinois upset Texas Tech and Georgia on their way to the Sweet 16.

With last year's experience of upsetting USC and nearly taking down eventual national runnerup Indiana, Wilmington will be a team to watch in this year's Big Dance. Senior forward Craig Callahan averaged 16.6 ppg and 7.1 rpg and provides the perfect inside complement to Blizzard.

The last time Weber State was in the NCAA tournament, they ended North Carolina's season, as Harold "The Show" Arceneaux scored 36 points to key the upset. This year, the Wildcats enter the dance on a 17-game winning streak. Jermaine Boyette leads a deep and talented team. While Boyette is an explosive scorer, Ohio State transfer Slobodan Ocokoljic provides a nice second scoring option and has the potential to carry his team on a given night.

"Bobo" erupted for 30 points against Montana and had 26 points and 17 rebounds against Sacramento State. In addition to the win over BYU, the Wildcats also count victories over UCSB and Ball State to prove they are capable of playing with teams from bigger conferences.

An upset over Florida in last season's first-round and a top-20 ranking for most of this season marks Creighton as a team that can make a long tournament run. The Blue Jays are led by two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, Kyle Korver. Creighton is a dangerous team and is especially adept at shooting the three. They made 268 long-distance shots on the season, led by Korver with 130 threes who shot 48 percent beyond the arc and teammate Michael Lindeman who converted on 47 percent of his shots from three-point range.

After an Elite Eight appearance last season and the return of the two Lukes, many thought that Oregon could challenge Arizona for the Pac-10 title. After an underachieving regular season, the Ducks took advantage of all the upsets in the Pac-10 tournament to capture their first-ever conference tournament championship.

Led by Pac-10 Player of the Year Luke Ridnour and Luke Jackson, the Ducks are an explosive offensive team. Oregon likes to get out and run. Their 82.7 ppg landed them second in the Pac-10 behind Arizona and their 260 three-point field goals and 39 percent shooting from beyond the arc led the conference. With the experience of last season's run and three of five starters back, the Ducks will be a team to watch in this year's NCAA tournament.

Led by Player of the Year candidate David West, Xaxier has a chance to become the team only the second Atlantic-10 team ever to make a trip to the Final Four. With West and guards Lionel Chalmers and Romain Sato, the Musketeers have one of the best inside-outside combinations in the country. West is a National Player of the Year candidate and became the first player to ever win the A-10 Player of the Year three times.

West, Sato, Chalmers, and forward Anthony Myles all averaged in double-figures. West and Chalmers give Xavier senior leadership and have the capability of carrying the Musketeers. West finished the season averaging 20.3 ppg, 12.3 rpg and 1.6 blocks and destroyed Dayton with a 47 point, 17 rebound domination in February. Sato had three games of 30 and finished the season averaging 18.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg from the shooting guard position. With their own version of the Three Musketeers, Xavier will be a tough out in the NCAA tournament.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.