By Roscoe Nance
Click here to find out more about the 2010 BracketBuster games.
The MEAC is taking another step toward establishing itself as one of the nation's top mid-major basketball conferences with its presence in the 2010 BracketBusters event.
The conference for the first time has two teams - Morgan State and South Carolina State -in the two-day hoopfest that features 22 potential NCAA Tournament teams, which were selected from an original pool of 98.
"We worked extremely hard to become a part of BracketBuster and we are very pleased to have two teams with Morgan State and South Carolina State to participate this year," said MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas. "I think our conference teams have done a good job of scheduling mid-major opponents and we need to continue to build on that every year."
Morgan State, which last season became the first MEAC school to participate in BracketBusters, plays at Murray State at noon Saturday on ESPNU. South Carolina State plays Georgia State in Atlanta, also on Saturday.
"Participating in BracketBuster is significant in the regard of continuing to build respect as a mid-major conference,'' Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman says. "To have two teams in it is huge. It's a building block. A lot of conferences have multiple teams in it. That's why it's significant; we've earned enough respect to merit two team. I hope this is just one of many steps to come.''
Morgan State, 20-8 overall, leads the MEAC with a 12-1 record. They defeated Towson University 80-64 in last year's BracketBusters. The Bulldogs, 14-10 overall, are third in the MEAC with an 8-5 record after finishing second to Morgan State last season.
"This is very significant,'' says ESPN College Basketball analyst Charlie Neal. "When these teams are picked, they're looked at as possibly making some noise in the NCAA Tournament if they get in. That's big.''
Teams in this year's BracketBusters have a combined total of 89 appearances in the past six NCAA Tournaments, including one team that reached the Final Four, George Mason in 2006; one that reached the Elite Eight, Davidson in 2008, and six that reached the Sweet Sixteen, Butler and Southern Illinois in 2007, Bradley and Wichita State in 2006, the University Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2005, and Nevada 2004.
In addition, there are two teams in the field that are in the ESPN/USA TODAY national rankings, No. 18 Butler and No. 24 Northern Iowa; and 16 teams with 15 or more victories, and two teams - Butler and Murray State - that are undefeated in their respective conferences.
Victories for Morgan State and South Carolina State in such fast company would carry a lot of weight with the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee when it fills out the bracket for the Big Dance should either win the MEAC tournament and the conference's automatic berth.
"Technically, BracketBusters has no significant meaning as for as conference play goes,'' Neal says. "But it gives you significant edge in seeding should you win (the conference) tournament. If lay and egg (in BracketBusters), you could wind up as 16th seed rather than 14th or 13th seed. You could wind up playing Kentucky or Duke. That's the significance of how well you show in BracketBusters. People sitting there making the pairings on Selection Sunday take all that into consideration.''
Morgan State was a No. 15 seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Had the Bears not beaten Towson in BracketBusters, they likely would have been a No. 16 seed or even been relegated to the play-in game.
Playing in a nationally televised game is an added bonus for Morgan State. It will give the Bears increased exposure, which should assist in recruiting, and Bozeman says it shows the measure of respect his program has gained in his three years at the helm.
"They have to respect your program to recommend that it be in a TV game,'' Bozeman says. "They match teams up that they think are worthy of TV. That says a lot about the work the guys have put in and the assistants coaches have put in and what they've done for the program.''
Morgan State has won 12 of its last 13 games. The Bears' 11-game winning streak, which was the third longest in the nation, ended when they lost to South Carolina State Monday.
"We didn't play the way we wanted to play, and South Carolina State is a good team,'' Bozeman says.
The Bears rebounded from the loss with a victory against Delaware State Wednesday.
They hope to continue their winning ways against Murray State (25-3), which has the longest winning streak in the nation with 16 straight victories. The Racers are unbeaten at home (16-0) and first in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 16-0 record. Balance is their hallmark with six players averaging between 9.8 and 10.5 points a game.
"They have been one of top mid-majors for many years,'' Bozeman says. "On any given night any one of their guys can get 30 on you.''
Bozeman says he has mixed emotions about playing Murray State because Racers coach Billy Kennedy was an assistant on Bozeman's staff a the University of California, and the two are still friends.
"It's a little different,'' Bozeman says. "If BracketBusters hadn't put it together, I wouldn't play them.''
South Carolina State has been on a hot streak, winning five of its last seven games including a victory against Morgan State in Baltimore Monday.
"It will show how mentally tough the team is. It puts a stress on us to play the way we play. It tests your mental focus. The way I'm approaching it with the team is almost like a postseason tournament. If you end up getting in NCAA Tournament you have to win three consecutive games, usually in three days in a row.''
Carter says he doesn't know a lot about Georgia State's personnel, but is familiar with Coach Rod Barnes and the style he likes to play.
"If he coaches the same as he did when he was at Ole Miss, they will get after you,'' says Carter.
Georgia State is 11-17 and 4-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Six of the Panthers' losses have been by five points or less and three have been in overtime.
Carter says, adding that his philosophy is to focus more on what the Bulldogs do than what their opponent does. "You always focus on what you do. The opponent is not the team you play. The opponent is yourself. Take care of yourself and do the best you can. If you play to the maximum of your ability, you're successful.''