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Sunday, February 11, 2001
Will Irvine break our heart?
By Ron Buck
ESPN.com
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OK, we'll admit it. We're falling in love with the Anteaters.
Maybe it's the goofy logo. Maybe we just like saying "Irvine." Or maybe it's because Ben Jones reminds ESPN.com of Carver High's Mario "Salami" Petrino. Whatever the reason, UC Irvine is fast becoming a cult favorite in the office.
But, the Anteaters are deserving of the extra attention. All they did last week was jump 33 spots in the latest RPI rankings. But, so too, is the Big West, which is making a strong case for must-see TV with its run of fabulous finishes. We just wish the game-winning shots didn't come at 2:08 a.m. ET. The coffee is just starting to kick in as we compute the latest Watch on Sunday morning.
This week's first casualty comes via the popular vote -- or unpopular vote, in this case. Western Kentucky is no longer around after receiving just 7.8 percent of more than 25,000 votes. Georgia State escaped by a mere 250 votes.
If you want to see the final results from last week's poll, you can find it in the user feedback from last week's Cinderella Watch. And, as always, we want your thoughts, compliments or gripes about this week's Watch. Click here to submit an e-mail. We'll post the best user responses with each week's Cinderella Watch.
There is also a change in the spot allotted to the so-called "power conferences" each week. South Florida's and B.B. Waldon's problems forced us to remove the Bulls -- one of this season's charter members on the Watch. We turned to the A-10 for SoFla's replacement.
For those still new to the Watch (where have you been?), here is how it works. ESPN.com picks eight teams each week leading up to the NCAA Tournament. Teams can move off the Watch for three reasons:
1. Promotion: The team moves from being a Cinderella story to just another guest invited to the Big Dance.
2. Demotion: The team plays so poorly its status of making the tourney is in jeopardy. You can't be a Cinderella if you don't go to the dance.
3. The poll: In the spirit of democracy, the lowest vote-getter each week will be removed from the Watch, no questions asked.
Here is the latest list of teams we're watching. The RPI rankings and team records are as of Feb. 3.
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CENTRAL MICHIGAN
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Record
15-4 Overall
9-1 MAC
RPI
No. 100
Marquee Win
Purdue, 67-66
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It wasn't the easiest week for the Chippewas, but they bagged a pair of MAC wins -- the second via David Webber's 34 points in a 81-74 overtime victory at Northern Illinois. Webber played all 45 minutes, leading Central back from a 16-point, first-half deficit. The Chippewas turned back Akron 78-75 earlier in the week. Central remains in control of the MAC's West Division, leading Ball State by three games. After winning just six games a season ago, the Chippewas have all but clinched their first winning season in over a decade and are well on their way to a worst-to-first finish in the MAC.
The Anteaters did something last week no Big West team had done in 23 months -- beat Utah State -- snapping the Aggies' 26-game conference winning streak. How did they do it? Filling Bren Center with a school-record 5,231 fans helped. But they held Utah State to 34-percent shooting, outrebounded the Aggies 35-29 and shot 46 percent themselves, including 5 of 10 from 3-point land. Can they do it again? We'll find out Thursday when they meet again in Logan, Utah. Jerry Green will be the key. He scored 22 in the win, but came back to tally just four in the Anteaters' 58-57 win at Long Beach State. Green's basket with 4.4 seconds did provide the winning points at the Beach, but both he and the rest of the Anteaters will have to step it up on the road to win in the Spectrum.
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UTAH STATE
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 Record
19-3 Overall
8-1 Big West
RPI
No. 66
Marquee Win
Utah, 58-57
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Last week we said the loser of the Big West showdown between the Aggies and Anteaters wouldn't remain on the Watch. Well, after looking at the rest of the nation, we couldn't justify taking the Aggies off the Watch based on their loss in California. So, we'll give them a shot to get even with the 'Eaters, and prove us right on Thursday when they host the return trip by Irvine. By the way, the Aggies started another streak by ripping host Fullerton 76-52 on Saturday.
The other West Coast showdown went down Friday night, as the Zags went into Malibu and took control of the West Coast Conference race with a 93-79 statement on Pepperdine's home court. Gonzaga's inside-outside duo of Casey Calvary and Dan Dickau combined for 37 points. The Zags then made it 10 straight wins with a 84-64 rout of Loyola Marymount on Saturday, as the same duo went for 35 in the victory. Gonzaga is now in position to run the WCC table, which would certainly be enough to get these annual darlings of the Big Dance an at-large bid should they stumble in the postseason tournament in San Diego.
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GEORGIA STATE
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Record
20-3 Overall
11-2 TAAC
RPI
No. 39
Marquee Win
Georgia, 91-79
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The Panthers reached 20 wins faster then any team in the country by beating Jacksonville State on Saturday night. But will it be enough to garner national attention outside the Watch? Probably not. And a loss in the TAAC is the quickest way to see that RPI number balloon. That's why Lefty's crew must continue to win and not worry about at-large bids, or the like. The TAAC postseason tournament is the only sure way into the Dance, even if we all know the Panthers deserve the committee's nod come March 11.
The Cougars should also reach 20 wins this week, and with their win over UNC Greensboro on Saturday, they reached 19 wins for the 10th straight season. Seniors Jeff Bolton and Jody Lumpkin continue to pace Charleston both on the inside and outside. Bolton leads the team at 17 points a game, hitting 38 percent from behind the 3-point arc, while center Lumpkin chips in 16.7 ppg. Lumpkin scored 19 points, pulled down 13 rebounds in the win over UNCG. It was his eighth double-double of the season and the 25th of his career.
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HOFSTRA
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 Record
18-4 Overall
10-2 America East
RPI
No. 87
Marquee Win
St. John's, 86-80
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Sunday's victory over Delaware pushed the Pride (The artists formerly know as the "Flying Dutchmen") into the Watch. If you don't like it, you can vote 'em out like you did the Hilltoppers. But check out their numbers before making any rash conclusions. Hofstra is no stranger to the Watch or the NCAAs. As the Flying Dutchmen, they went 24-7 a season ago and made the Big Dance. But what effect the loss of "Speedy" Claxton would have on Hofstra wasn't known. Claxton was a first-round pick of the 76ers and many felt the best American East player since Vinny Baker was in Hartford). But with four other starters returning and forward Norman Richardson having emerged as a worthy predecessor to Claxton (17.1 ppg; season-high 24 points Thursday in win over Towson), the Pride has picked up where it left off last season. Sunday's win over Delaware was Hofstra's 10th straight and avenged an earlier loss to the Fightin' Blue Hens.
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MASSACHUSETTS
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 Record
8-1; 10-10 Atlantic 10
RPI
No. 63
Marquee Win
Xavier, 75-64
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All the Minutemen needed was for the A-10 schedule to kick in. Do the math yourself, and yes, UMass was 2-9 coming into conference play. They've since not only gone 8-1, but beat some of the heavyweights on their own turf (Xavier and Temple). An at-large bid is still a longshot, but it would be tough for the committee to ignore the A-10's regular-season champion. Bruiser Flint's boys were beat up heading into January after losses to the likes of UConn, Boston College, Ohio State and North Carolina. But the Minutemen now look like an A-10 team to beat in February.
Ron Buck is the college basketball editor at ESPN.com.
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ALSO SEE
Cinderella Watch: Jan. 28
Cinderella Watch: Jan. 21
Cinderella Watch: Jan. 14
Cinderella Watch: Jan. 8
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