Catamounts Mounting Serious Run at Big Dance

Selection Sunday will be here before you know it. Over 300 schools all across America are fighting to see their name up on the board come 6pm March 15. For some, the question is not whether or not their name will be called, but what seed they will be and where they will go. For others, however, the next five weeks will determine if their spot is in the Big Dance or the NIT.

One such team is Western Carolina University out of the Southern conference. They are one of several mid-majors who are, as they say, on the bubble. They have a 50/50 chance of getting in. So far, for the most part, the Catamounts have done all they can do to give themselves at least a faint possibility of an at-large bid. They are currently 16-4 overall and 6-2 in SoCon play, sitting in second place behind College of Charleston.
WCU has already scored a major upset this year, defeating Louisville at Freedom Hall 91-83. There are games against top 25 opponents didn't go so well. They lost to No. 3 Texas 71-44 and to Clemson 79-57. However, they have already beaten College of Charleston, who scored a monumental upset over North Carolina a week ago. That, along with the win over Louisville, should help their RPI. The negative part is that they have some "softies" on their schedule, some non-Div. l schools such as St. Catherine's College and Berea College.

The bracket buster game coming up in February is a crucial game for the Catamounts. They will probably play somebody like St. Mary's or Northern Iowa. Right now, the Panthers of UNI are ranked #14. Should the Catamounts be paired up with UNI and they pull off the upset, that will go a long way towards helping WCU get an at-large bid assuming they take care of business in the rest of their SoCon games and do well in the SoCon Tournament. One big reason for the Catamounts' success is the play of Junior Guard Mike Williams. Williams scored 24 points in the Catamounts upset over Louisville. Another Catamount that has been come through big time is Senior Guard Jake Robinson. The Canton, NC native scored 23 in the Louisville upset, including 3 straight three pointers to spear head a big run in the second half of that game. Robinson came into his Senior season having made 194 career three pointers, ranking him third all time in school history. He has probably by now moved into second place behind the all time leader, Anquell McCollum, a current assistant coach with the Catamounts who finished his career in 1996 with 245 three pointers.

No doubt Western Carolina is a team to keep an eye on should they make the field of 65. They have 11 regular season games to go. Should they go 8-3 during that stretch, including a win in the bracket buster game, that would put them at 24-7 going into the SoCon Tournament. They are an excellent bet to win the tournament, thus giving them an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Should the Catamounts get in, it will be the first time WCU has made the tournament since 1996. That year, they were a 16th seed and nearly upset #1 seeded Purdue, losing by a score of 73-71. Should they get in this year, they will make their first round opponent very nervous.