Dribblings 11/18/2004 (Sainthood Edition)

I'll admit to having snuck a peek at last-minute flights to Raleigh yesterday. I thought that catching the opening quadrupleheader at the BCA Invitational might give me an early boost towards the 100 game mark. Turns out the only real contest worth the airfare was Oregon State's buzzer-beating Houdini act against Siena.

I always tell people never to write Siena off. Rob Lanier is a patient coach who has a track record of dealing positively with roster turnover, and always seems to coax the maximum out of his teams. The fumbling Saints I saw getting blown out at Delaware last December bore no resemblance to the well-jelled squad I saw making a solid run to the Metro Athletic semifinals three months later. So the fact that Siena has six frosh this year shouldn't keep them from contending in a post-Luis Flores MAAC. Their top scorer, six-six Michael Haddix, is a stud who's been known to confound double-teams with his quirky-jerky left-handed style.

The Coaches vs. Cancer semifinals at Madison Square Garden take center stage tonight. Many of the stories circulating on the web about college hoops today are about a different group of "Saints," the St. Mary's Gaels. Many are of the boilerplate "Cinderella" variety. Did the "experts" seriously have California as an overwhelming favorite to reach New York out of that four-team pod? A middle-of-the-Pac (Ten) school coming off a sub-.500 record whose leading scorer is recovering from knee surgery? The Gaels won 19 games last year and were one shot away from upsetting USC in overtime. You mean to tell me that folks weren't prepared for this?

Shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, but Dick Vitale's idea of researching mid-major squads is calling the coach and leaving a cute voicemail. Sliding by on charm: it's awesome, baby! (via College Basketball Blog)

Yes! The Mid-Majority will be representin' tonight at the World's Most Famous Arena. Check back tomorrow for Johnny-on-the-spot coverage.

As soon as I get that damned Carpenters song out of my head (there, better), I'll remind you that the Top Of The World Classic starts tonight. Expectations are running high in Nanook land as Division II Alaska-Fairbanks attempts to pick off a few more D-1 opponents.

Legendary New Mexico coach Bob King, whose name graces the floor of "The Pit," has been hospitalized and is in critical condition.

Resources

Bally Club Signup/Activate
Bally Club Message Board
Basketball State
Women's Basketball State
TMM9 Summer Camp
Mid-Merchandise Shoppe
Mid-Major Radio
Contact TMM via The Form™

The Game

				Pts
			Hickory Picket Fences	27629

			The Hopping Cats	21526

			Ballyfest Destiny	18919

			Under a Blood Red Line	10379

			Jen Folds Five	6895

			Prestige Worldwide	1614