Not Classic field, but a good one
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
The official Bracket Busters Saturday is not scheduled to take place until Feb. 22.
For now, the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic can be considered the early-season version.
Bracket Busters is a new event created by ESPN in an effort to showcase some of the top "mid-major" basketball teams.
By coincidence or not, this year's eight-team Rainbow Classic — which begins tomorrow at the Stan Sheriff Center — will also feature some of the nation's secretly successful programs.
"It's not like this is a down year because the 'name' teams are not here," said Riley Wallace, head coach of the host University of Hawai'i men's basketball team. "In fact, I think this field is actually very good. It's just that people might not know how good some of these teams are."
Indeed, of the 22 NCAA Division I teams that won 26 or more games last season, four are in this year's Rainbow Classic: Hawai'i, Butler, Tennessee Tech and Western Kentucky.
"I would call this a balanced field," Wallace said. "There's going to be some good basketball, I know that."
As proof, Wallace's Rainbow Warriors are the two-time defending Western Athletic Conference Tournament champions and the defending Rainbow Classic champs, yet they could not even be considered the favorite in the field.
That distinction would go to Butler, which is off to an 8-0 start — one of only 11 remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I. The Bulldogs were three spots away from appearing in this week's Associated Press Top 25 Poll, so a Rainbow Classic title would almost assuredly get them in.
"Butler is a very good team," Wallace said. "They're the kind of team nobody wants to play."
The eight teams in the Rainbow Classic field, in alphabetical order (current records in parentheses):
Alcorn State (1-7): The Braves were 21-10 and a NCAA Tournament team last season, but have struggled so far this season.
Lee Cook, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, may be the best post player in the Rainbow Classic field. He is averaging 19.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
Bradley (2-6): The Braves have lost four consecutive games by a combined 12 points, including a 75-70 loss at Butler.
Phillip Gilbert, a 6-3 guard, is the top individual scorer in the Rainbow Classic field with an average of 20.9 points per game. Teammate Danny Granger, a 6-8 forward, is not far behind at 18.4 points per game.
Butler (8-0): The Bulldogs have quietly established one of the winningest programs in NCAA Division I, with six consecutive seasons of 22 or more victories.
They do not have a player averaging more than 12 points per game, but lead the nation in team defense, allowing an average of 50.3 points per game.
Chicago State (2-6): The Cougars were a late addition to the field, and even one victory in the tournament would be meaningful for a program that has won only 30 games over the past eight seasons.
Hawai'i (4-1): The Rainbow Warriors are 14-4 in Rainbow Classic games over the past six years, including championships in 1997, 1999 and 2001.
Junior guard Carl English leads the team with 17.8 points per game, and is shooting 50 percent (15-of-30) from 3-point range.
Tennessee Tech (5-4): The Golden Eagles' top three scorers return from a team that finished 27-7 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT.
Damien Kinloch, a 6-8 all-conference forward, leads the team in scoring (15.9) and rebounding (8.8), just as he did last season.
Texas-Pan American (4-8): The Broncs are considered the best of the nation's seven independent teams. They went 20-10 last season, while no other independent team won more than 14.
Travel has been a necessity and a nemesis — the Broncs are 1-8 on the road.
Western Kentucky (5-4): When the Rainbow Classic schedule was announced in August, the Hilltoppers were supposed to be the marquee team in the field.
They were ranked No. 20 in the AP preseason poll. However, they have been inconsistent in the absence of 7-1 All-America candidate Chris Marcus, who has yet to play this season because of an ankle injury. He is not expected to play in the Rainbow Classic.
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Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic
What: Eight-team men's college basketball tournament
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
Tomorrow's schedule: Tennessee Tech vs. Alcorn State, 5 p.m.; Hawai'i vs. Bradley, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday's schedule: Butler vs. Texas-Pan American, 5 p.m.; Western Kentucky vs. Chicago State, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday's schedule: Consolation games at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; semifinals at 5 and 7:30 p.m.
Monday's schedule: Seventh place, 11 a.m.; fifth place, 1:30 p.m.; third place, 5 p.m.; championship, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: Tournament packages are $68 for lower level seats and $52 for upper level seats; individual evening sessions (available starting Friday) are $16 for lower level and $12 for upper level; individual consolation sessions are $5. Parking is $3.
