02-05-2008, 06:58 PM
NCB Blogs on ESPN
Quote:Kent State at Saint Mary's (Sat., Feb. 23) -- Equally fascinating is the matchup of the MAC's Golden Flashes (three games away from a 10th straight 20-win season) and the emergent Gaels of the West Coast Conference (19-3 and currently ranked 23rd). Hot-shooting, physical Kent will have the chance for a gigantic road win to boost its at-large hopes, and it will be an intriguing test for run-and-gun SMC. The Gaels have lost two recent games against evenly matched competition -- at Southern Illinois in December and last week at San Diego -- in instances of opposing teams slowing the tempo, killing the Gaels' potent transition game and forcing them into slowdown slogs. That's something that Kent State has specialized in all season long.
George Mason at Ohio (Sat., Feb. 23) -- If only these two could play tonight … Ohio is just starting to fulfill its potential with a five-game win streak, and George Mason is coming off a huge revenge win in its 2007 CAA title game matchup with VCU on Jan. 29. The Patriots, who still feature 2006 Final Four standouts Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell, have the hottest offense in the Colonial, leading the league in every shooting-related category. After giving up a lot of points in November, Ohio's defense is tightening the screws on the MAC, allowing just 56 points per contest in eight league games.
VCU at Akron (Sat., Feb. 23) -- Akron didn't make any sort of national postseason despite 26 wins in 2006-07, and the major factor in its failed at-large candidacy was its tepid strength of schedule. The Zips chose not to test itself very much before conference play this season either, which makes this visit from the current top team in the CAA, a Duke-beating veteran of the 2007 Tournament, a key test of Akron's March mettle. Along with the Ohio and Kent games, the MAC will have every chance it needs to distinguish itself as a two-bid conference.