An overview of each of the 16 teams in the Second Annual College Insider Tournament Bracket.
Fairfield (22-10) @ George Mason (17-14)
Fairfield Stags (22-10, 13-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference): The Stags are making their first post-season appearance since 2003 when they made the National Invitation Tournament. Fairfield lost in an overtime thriller in the MAAC Championship Game against a Siena Saints team who is recognized as one of the best mid-majors in the country on an annual basis.
The team from Fairfield, Connecticut is lead by senior forward Anthony Johnson who garnered MAAC 1st-Team and Defensive Player of the Year honors. The leading scorer is freshman sensation Derek Needham with 16.2 PPG. Needham was named the Conference Rookie of the Year.
George Mason Patriots (17-14, 12-6 Colonial Athletic Association): The Patriots, best known for their magical Final Four run under genial coach Jim Larranaga finished in third in an extremely difficult CAA. George Mason has a balanced scoring attack, but is led by junior guard Cam Long who is averaging 12.2 PPG.
The school from Fairfax, Virginia had a good showing in the early season at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, where they lost to Villanova by one point—69-68—losing a late lead to the Big East Powerhouse. The Patriots then lost to NCAA Tournament-bound Georgia Tech 70-62 before beating the Indiana Hoosiers 69-66.
George Mason got off to a blistering start in conference play, going 10-1 before losing 7 out of their last 9, including a 75-60 loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the CAA Quarterfinals, as they stumble into the postseason.
South Dakota (22-9) @ Creighton (16-15)
South Dakota Coyotes (22-9, 11-1 Great West): South Dakota earned the only automatic bid to the CIT by way of winning the Great West Conference Tournament. The Coyotes did dominate the new conference with the help of senior forward and Conference Player of the Year Tyler Cain who was the leading scorer with 15.1 points per game.
The school is currently in the transition to become a full-fledged Division I member, and the CIT will mark the first time the college in Vermillion, South Dakota will make a post-season appearance as a Division I basketball school.
USD defeated Houston Baptist 91-86 in the Great West Conference Tournament Championship to win their 13th game in a row—the longest active streak of any team in
the CIT field.
Creighton Blue Jays (16-15, 10-8 Missouri Valley Conference): The days of Kyle Korver and NCAA Tournament appearances might be long gone, but I found this interesting nugget from the CollegeInsider.com website: Creighton has now advanced to 13 consecutive post-season tournaments, a Missouri Valley Conference record.
Head Coach Dana Altman has been there for all those appearances. In his 16th season, Altman oversees a team that is lead by junior center Kenny Lawson Jr. who leads the team in points (13.1) and rebounds (6.8) per game. The Blue Jays’ (located in Omaha, Nebraska) big wins this season came against in-state rival Nebraska Cornhuskers (67-61) and Wichita State, an NIT-bound team by a score of 57-56.
Creighton could never crack into the upper-echelon of a Missouri Valley Conference that featured a lot of depth—with five of their members playing in post-season tournaments—and eventually finishing 4th in the regular season, before bowing out in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to the 5th seeded Bradley Braves 81-62.